Pine Lake Cottage Completed

Ah, the finished painting! I had such a great time creating this piece! Ironically, I camped at this lake as a child. As I was painting it I was reminded of how tall the trees in Michigan can grow. They produce a cool, dappled shade on the lawn and reflect in the waves of the water. I can remember the cool summer breezes off the lake, and the smell of the fresh air! I really hope this painting captured my emotions.

I have a small booklet on my etsy shop about How to Paint Trees. I have clear descriptions of how to apply watercolor in glazes to create the illusion of foliage. The booklet covers several different types of trees and includes palm trees, which I added when I moved to sunny Florida!

Click here for my etsy shop.

Cottage Painting Progress

I'm nearly done! Just a few more details and I'll be able to sign it, mat it and deliver it to my client.
This piece is feeling very good. I'm happy with the "sparkle" it seems to have and I've been able to keep the scene looking sunny. I want to add more glazes to the water to add some depth and texture. The water should be darker than what it is reflecting, so I have lots of room to glaze and play. Painting the sun spattering onto the lower parts of the trees was lots of fun.

I'll try to post the finished piece soon.

Commissioned Cottage Painting

Recently I received a request to create a painting of a little cottage in Michigan. Since I have been experimenting with new techniques most of the summer, going back to my old method of painting holds a certain comfort for me. I am enjoying the tried and true techniques which have given me such nice results for so many years.

I am using photos from the client as references. She took wonderful photos, which really helps in creating a painting of a place that I am unable to visit in person. She took views from several angles and lots of detail photos so that I understand what each of the garden objects look like. The photos were also taken in bright sunlight which shows the nice shadows and helps to define the depth and dimensions of the subject.

Here I have lightly sketched the subject directly onto my watercolor paper. This should be a very fun piece to produce!

Advanced Student Painting of Pineapple House

Mike Brothers is one of my advanced students. He recently painted this piece of a local bed and breakfast called The Pineapple House. The house is just around the corner from our gallery and teaching studio.
Mike used a wet-in-wet wash for the initial underpainting on this piece. Then he worked in the details. The wet wash makes the light on the building glow like early morning sunlight!
Great job, Mike!

Inspiring Scenery

Just another inspiring scene from Melbourne, Florida! This is another painting from my miniature series. Since we go to the beach a lot, I have decided to study the motion of the water. I am trying to capture it in small sketches. As the waves bump into the shore you can usually see right through them!

The skies here in Florida are always beautiful, too. I love how the clouds seem to hang onto the horizon line!

This little piece fit into a 4 by 6 inch frame! What fun.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Palm Tree on Indian River Lesson 8

Now I will work on the clouds!

I used a very clean, wet, number six round brush with very soft bristles. Making a small circular motion, I lifted and softened the edges with a very light touch. I used a paper towel to gently lift the wetted area. I used the same technique, only with more pressure, to lift the whiter, lighter areas of the clouds. When working on this section, note that clouds have a light and dark side, especially if they are somewhat thick and billowy. The edges should be rounded, soft and irregular. Let the painting lead you.
Don't overwork this stage, just stand back and see where you think the cloud should be lighter, here and there. If you have clouds in the sky today, take a close look at them. Notice where the lights and shadows are. Notice how the shapes look. Clouds are very forgiving and fun to paint because you can make them up as you go.

When this is dry, mix a tiny bit of French Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna in wash that is about 90 percent water and 10 percent (or less) pigment. With your number six round brush, apply a tiny bit of this mixture to shadow areas of the cloud and immediately clean your brush and soften the edges of the wash with a damp, not wet, brush. Be careful not to apply shadows that are too dark or too uniform. Clouds don't really have sharp edges, so to make yours believable, you have to have subtle edges, shapes and values.

Evaluate your work.

Hold it up in a mirror to see it with a fresh eye. If you have overworked any areas you can do some softening and lifting. During my evaluation of this painting, I felt that I had over worked the foreground, which took away from what I wanted to be my focal point (the boats and palm tree). I mixed a very wet, pale wash of Sap Green and Burnt Sienna and washed it over the foreground, making sure I used very little pressure on my brush and not stroking the area more than once. I used a number 16 round brush to keep from over working and blending too much. I liked the softening effect this had on the area. I still had some texture and value changes, but it was less focused and thus brought the eye back to the palm tree.

River Scene In Watercolor No.7

Trees. I love to paint them! Here, I have used mixtures of many yellows and greens on my palette, and I have used a number 6 round brush with a fine point. I used the Brush Dance stroke on a small scale and carefully went over the tree areas to refine the leaves. This stage is fun and it can be very relaxing to just let your brush dance over the paper. I try to pay attention to the values created by the small clumps of leaves. Each clump has light, shadow, reflected light and various patterns throughout. I forget that these are clumps of leaves on branches, but I try to focus on the patterns and shapes.
I have also used the same colors to work on the details that appear in the focal area where the lily pads are. I add shadows and variations of colors and glazes to help the viewer understand what they are. I used the same colors to add shadow and texture to the reflections in the water.