Progress on a Commissioned Painting

I'm making progress on the cottage painting. My foundational washes are all in and I have begun to add the texture and values to the trees.

The reference photos were wonderful and sunny, so I am able to incorporate a lot of color which will add warmth and interest to this big landscape painting.

I'm totally enjoying this painting as I am working in my comfort zone. It's like curling up with my favorite blanket and book on a cool afternoon.

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!

Cactus Flower Lesson 9

Today I am going back to the flower heads for a bit.

I have added Permanent Alizarin Crimson to the shadow areas of the flower heads. I worked patiently all around the flower heads, softening some edges and leaving the crisp lines at the darkest edges of the shadow shapes. Try experimenting with different reds on your palette. Some reds are cool in temperature, like Alizarin Crimson. This pigment has a hint of blue or purple and it works really well in shadow areas of red objects. Other reds like Winsor Red are more warm in temperature an have a yellow-orange cast to them. The are more appropriately used in areas where the sun or light is shining on an object.

Next, I have used Prussian Blue (very wet) in some more shadow areas. This is a very strong color and should not be used too heavily. It will deaden your painting if it is overused. I like to try to keep my glazes transparent, even when developing strong, dark values.

Cactus Flower Lesson 8

Now that I have my shadows developing nicely, I want to give them another glaze of a nice dark Perylene Green.

This is a gorgeous color that looks like a pine green to me. It has a bit of warmth to it, and it glazes nicely.

Now the shadow areas really have some punch. Notice the soft edges where the cactus leaves have soft, flowing nooks and crannies. I have applied the Softened Edge Stroke to the areas where there is a clear edge and to the edges of cast shadows. If you hold it away from you, you will begin to see the illusion of depth and perspective! This also makes the flower heads really POP!

It is really important to step away from your work occasionally and get a fresh perspective. I like to take the piece and stand in front of a mirror, or set it up in a different room where I can get about 10 - 15 feet away from it. Sometimes I turn the piece upside down to get a fresh look at the composition and to see more objectively how the piece is coming together!

Cactus Flower Lesson 6

Be sure that all previous applications of paint have thoroughly dried.

Next, I have used Burnt Sienna to warm some areas an add the under-painting for some of my shadows. This application of paint should be very wet. Don't brush too much over previously painted areas or you will dig up and stir up the pigment layers. Try to apply the wet paint for each layer or glaze with a very light touch, and quickly drop it in. Your brush should just push the puddles of wet paint around. It should barely even touch the paper, if at all. Using a delicate touch will preserve the previous glazes of color and each glaze will stay fresh and clean.

You can view previous posts to see the beginning of this lesson. Just click on the archives at the left of this page.

Boat On River Lesson 5

Now that the sky and water are dry I can add a very wet application of Permanent Sap Green with a number 10 round brush. Ask I poke the wet pigment here and there along the tree line, using varying strengths of pigment, I also leave some areas with no pigment at all. I also dab in some New Gamboge, Burnt Sienna, very lightly, and then some Perylene Green along the bottom to add weight and shadow under the trees. Work quickly, and while the pigment is still wet, use a clean, damp brush to touch the edges of the tops of the trees here and there to soften the edges. Since the trees are in the background and not a part of my focal point, I want them to be less distinct. When I soften the edges, the details are removed and the impression of trees in the distance is easily achieved.

Sunlit Coconuts Lesson 7

Using the various colors that were implemented in the previous washes from the beginning, I begin to develop the darker values and details around the piece.

Look carefully at your reference and compare your painting so far with the reference. Search for areas that require warmth in color and add the Burnt Sienna, Winsor Red and VanDyke Brown. Look for areas that can be pushed cooler and use the greens and blues. You can introduce other colors here if you like. 
Pay attention to the shadow sides of the vines and paint in little half-moon and semi-circular shapes to indicate some of the intricate depressions in the vines. Soften edges with a clean, damp brush here and there to create depth and soft details.

When softening an edge, pull the clean, damp brush INTO the still-moist pigment. If you pull from the pigment to the clean paper, you will only pull the pigment out, dilute it, and create another crisp edge. If you pull the water INTO the pigment from the dry area, the edge will be softened without dragging the pigment out where it isn't desired.

Sunlit Coconuts Lesson 6

Now it's time to build some of the beautiful colors in the coconuts! Using Burnt Sienna in a very wet mixture, I glazed a wet wash onto some areas of the coconuts where I wanted them to look warm and a bit darker. Some of the edges are crisp (painted on dry paper). Some of the edges have been softened with a clean, damp brush. I used a stronger wash of the same color on the lower coconut. The value needs to be darker, and therefore the stronger color (less water).

Sunlit Coconuts Lesson 3

The next big wash will be on the coconuts. I have puddled some clear water onto the areas of the coconuts that I will be adding pigment to. Allow the puddled water to soak in just a little to sink into the paper. This will give you more time to add colors and tip the paper, which will blend the pigments. I want to use a rather strong concoction of Aureolin Yellow and a little New Gamboge, here and there.  Since the paper is already wet it will dilute the pigments. I drop some yellows into the wetted areas of the paper. The bottom coconut is in a little more shadow, so the colors will appear cooler. I use the same wet-in-wet method to drop in some yellows with the addition of Permanent Sap Green. Again, I have used the same method to add some greens to the coconut on the very lower left of the picture. I have also added some yellows to the palm tree trunk at the right.
Don't brush too much. Put your brush down and pick up the board. Tip it back and forth and allow the water and pigments to blend with gravity. Don't let them blend too much, as this takes away the effect of the soft edges of color transitions.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 17

Continued from the previous post...

Here you can see how I have applied some of the brushwork for the fur on Scooter's face. Allow the blues to show, and use thoughtful applications of brushwork to develop the fur. Close up it doesn’t look that great, but when you step back a few feet, the eye pulls it together.

Caution! Don't overwork the piece!!!

Scooter and Riley Lesson 13

This is the next stage of an on-going watercolor lesson.

At this stage I am going back to check the entire painting for value ranges. I want the strongest values changes, the most color, and the most detail around the dogs faces, which is my focal area.

I used VanDyke Brown to develop the darker shadows around the ears, mouth and eyes. I also used Burnt Sienna to develop the mid range values around the face and in the shadow areas of the legs and tails.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 12

Using the previous color variations (see previous post), I spent several hours working around the dog's bodies and faces to develop their shapes. I used the existing puddles on my palette, with lots of water added, and a number 10 round brush to begin to develop small, fine strokes here and there to represent hair.

Don't fall into the temptation to paint every hair!!! Only paint a few strokes here and there to indicate where some of the hair may show. Be sure when applying these brush strokes to turn your paper so that you can carefully control the direction and curve of the strokes. Especially on animals with long fur, the areas of hair may curve and twirl. You may want to practice these loose, light brush strokes on a scrap paper to get the feel before trying this on your important painting.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 8

Using Prussian Blue, and a number 10 round brush with a good point, I painted in the darkest values of Scooter and Riley's faces.

Be careful to only apply this pigment to areas that you want to appear very black. Either paint around the white sparkles or first use masking to save those areas.

If you use masking, be sure to allow it to thoroughly air dry before applying any paint. These little white areas are very important to make the dark eyes sparkle and look as though they are moist and life-like.

I also used some VanDyke Brown and Burnt Sienna to begin to develop a few more areas of shadow shapes around the dogs faces and bodies.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 6

This is a continuation of our on-going lesson.

Be sure the previous washes are thoroughly dry before applying this wash. I have physically mixed Burnt Sienna, VanDyke Brown and Permanent Alizarin Crimson in a very wet wash to lay in the brown color of the base. This can be worked in very wet, again using a one-inch flat brush. To get into the nooks, crannies and odd shapes, I hold the brush straight up and down, or tip it to use just the corner of the brush. This makes the application much more efficient than switching to several different brushes during the wash.

Allow to thoroughly dry before moving on to the next stage.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 3

I often like to paint the backgrounds of my paintings first. Backgrounds are often the largest washes, and if I mess it up, I do it right from the start. It also helps me to establish a beginning value range.


Here I have mixed New Gamboge, Burnt Sienna, and Quin. Gold in a very big, wet puddle. I applied this mixture as a very wet, juicy, flat wash. I used a one-inch flat and held the brush straight up and down to paint around to top of Scooter's head.

The more you practice handing your brushes, the more efficiently you will find you can use them. Always use the largest brush you can get away with. Avoid the tiny little brushes until you absolutely must use them for the tiny details at the very end of your piece.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 2

Step Two of the Scooter and Riley lesson.

After enlarging the drawing, I scrub graphite onto the back of the enlarged image. I like to use a Chunky Graphite Stick, found a cheapjoes.com. It is a nice, soft graphite stick, which is very large, easy to hold, and covers lots of paper quickly. I use a lot of pressure to deposit as much graphite as I can. I like it to be thick and dark. Then I use a tissue or paper towel to gently rub over the graphite to remove crumbs and extra residue. If the graphite is nice and thick, I will not have to  use much pressure to trace the image onto my watercolor paper.

To apply the drawing to the watercolor paper, I align the drawing where I want it to be, then I tape one edge with masking tape. This helps to secure the drawing yet allows me to lift the paper to see my progress. I use an ink pen to do the tracing. With an ink pen, I can see which areas I have traced, I don't have to press hard which would create dents in my watercolor paper (bad!!!) and it deposits nice, thin lines to work from.

Trace only the lines you need to navigate through the painting. If you have created your own drawing, or developed some thumbnail sketches of your subject, the information you need to complete the painting with correct values and shapes should be deeply ingrained in your brain!

Lemons Lesson Number 5

Here I used some of the background mixture and added some VanDyke Brown.

I put this shadow under the plate in a very wet mixture. While it was still damp, not completely dry, but wet enough to allow the edges of the paint to soften, I added some Perylene Green to the closest area under the plate.

This is where the shadow is the deepest and darkest in value because it is the most hidden from the light source. Just a touch goes a long way. I want to keep the majority of the shadow in the brown tones.

Here you can see I have added some of these colors to the plate and bowl as these will be reflecting onto the clear and white shiny surfaces.

Lemons Lesson Number 2

Today is section two of this lesson. I mixed a puddle of paint in the large mixing area of my palette. Here you want to be sure that the puddle will be large enough to cover the entire area. If you have to stop and mix more paint, your wash will dry and be ruined before it is completed. Always mix more than you think you will need. You will see that many times you can use up the remainder of the puddle later, sometimes in another painting.

For the background I used lots of water, Burnt Sienna, Quin Gold, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, and a touch of VanDyke Brown. I used a one-inch flat to quickly lay in the wash. Don’t stroke more than once in an area as this will stir up the paper and effect how the paint lays. I wanted a nice, smooth wash for the background. Allow this to dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.

Sunflower Lesson 8

Today I am glazing more greens over the leaves, adding subtle variations in the glazes with water to create the illusion of volume and shape.
I have also used Permanent Alizarine Crimson to the bottom of the stem. I worked a very small area with rich, wet color, then quickly washed clear water along the sides to soften the edges.

Using VanDyke Brown and Burnt Sienna in separate glazes, I work in more details on the flower head and flower petals. I want to be sure that I leave some of the yellows and small bits of the white of the paper shining through to provide a sparkle and vitality to the finished piece. I used the VanDyke Brown to glaze in more shadows under the flower on the top of the stem and to the shadow sides of the stem.

I also worked a thin wet wash of Hooker's Green over the leaves to tie them together a little more.

Arches Study Workshop 7

Using a very wet wash of Sap Green, I apply a Brush Dance to the greenery. I have also worked in some Quin Gold and Burnt Sienna on the shadow areas of the building.

You learn more about my Brush Dance technique, by purchasing the Beginner's Workshop DVD. I discuss many types of wash techniques and brush work on the DVD.
To see more click here:
http://watercolorworksart.com/Classes


After the first green wash is bone-dry, I apply another set of brush marks with a slightly darker value pigment.
I added a tiny bit of Hooker's Green at this point.