Lunch Break

Glazing technique with wet in wet wash.

Negative painting using two hues.

As we begin a new Winter Semester at BYU-I, one of the assignment we do is Negative Painting. This is a great way to see positive and negative shapes as a duality, also taught in Notan Principles.  You begin with a shape then using a high key mingled wash place in two pigments. This painting has Cobalt Teal and Raw Sienna a great combination. Let this mingled wash dry, then add more shapes of varying sizes and paint around these.  Note the creation of dark's the last step that goes behind the leaf shapes. This dark pattern is just off the center in design creating an informal balance.
These leaves come from my aspen tree just in front of my deck. It is early spring here in Idaho and the Robins are gathering in my aspen, ceder and long needle pine trees. It brings a lot of pleasure watching them hop from the ground to obtain ceder berries from off the bottom limbs. There are now two morning doves that have joined the chores of bird song. The earth is a place of great joy to my soul. If there was one thing I am very grateful for it is the earth, its creation is a wonder.

Here is a wonderful Black mixed from Red Oxide and Prussian Blue. This is a nice limited palette
I called it Low Earth.

Wet in Wet watercolor Metods

Class Demo

For this assignment begin with:

• On a 140 lb. Arches Watercolor Paper, begin with wetting the paper with a good size watercolor brush (1 1/2" for a quarter sheet of paper, 3" watercolor brush for a full sheet) use the largest brush that you are comfortable with.  Often times students use to small a brush in wet in wet washes. 
• Be sure you have a good composition plan before you begin by sketching in your sketch book. 
• Complete a watercolor value plan in black and white.  Have passages of the light value area, middle value area ,and dark value areas. This creates patterns that unify and give structure to the painting. 
• Have your pigment or hues you have chosen ready on the palette before you begin. 

I will be using the Old Masters Limited Palette of Yellow Ocher, (my yellow), Burnt Sienna, my red) and Paynes Gray, (my blue). All other colors greens, oranges, and violets will be mixed from these three primary colors. Yes the color harmony is very muted (low intensity).
Step by step examples are forth coming. 

Taggart Lake Painting Series

Taggart Lake is a favorite family hiking area as well as Surprise Lake in the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. The Above painting is a watercolor palette of Cobalt Turquoise Light, Cobalt Blue and Nickle Azo Yellow. The red range from Winsor Red to Indian Red. A great day.
I love the striking white Granite rock in this area with the dynamic vertical pine. 

Here is another view of Taggart Lake this painting is completed with an earth palette of Ultramarine Blue, Raw Sienna and Quinacridone Burnt Sienna.  Logs and rocks are powerful patterns and unique underwater challenge.

Watercolor Flat Washes and Leaving Whites Assignment 1