Palm Tree Completed

Ah! The final piece. Let me introduce you to "Palm Splash!" I hope you enjoyed sharing in the process of this painting. I hope to be adding more soon!

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Palm Tree Wet In Wet Technique Final Steps

I have studied this painting and decided to add some glazes of color to certain areas. I used New Gamboge, very wet, to glaze some of the palm fronds that needed to be warmed up. I used Pthalo Blue and Winsor Blue to glaze some areas that needed to be cooled and/or darkened in value.

I have to step back often so that I don't overwork the piece. Sometimes I turn it upside down and step back to look at it. This gives me a fresh perspective and I can judge color, value and shapes much more objectively.

Once these final touch-ups are complete I can remove the painting from the board, sign it, and get it matted and framed!

Palm Tree Wet In Wet Technique Almost Done

The wash is completed and now it is time to evaluate whether I need another wash or if I am ready to remove the masking fluid and see what kind of magic has happened!

I believe the values are dark enough so it's time to move on. The painting must dry completely before I remove the masking.

Palm Tree on Indian River Lesson 5

At this stage, if the masking is completely dry, I can begin to apply more green values to my palm tree and to the foreground. Some colors used were Hookers Green, Quinicridone Gold, New Gamboge and Earthen Green. Because I have used the masking, I can work very wet dropping in a variety of colors and allowing them to flow and intermingle. I dry the work with a hair dryer on the cool setting (to prevent the masking from baking into the grains of the paper). Then I mask areas where I want to save this stage of greens, golds and browns.

I continue with the masking and wash process until I am happy with the value range. Mask, dry, paint, dry, and repeat. For the final values on the green areas I used Perylene Green and VanDyke Brown. With a number 6 round brush, I added soft brush strokes to the very darkest, shadowy areas.
Finally, I added some Earthen Green to the tree line in the background. While this application was still moist, I softened the edge of the tree line with a clean, damp brush to take away the crispness. I want a soft edge along this area so that it appears that the atmosphere is softening the elements that are far away. Dry thoroughly.

Palm Tree on Indian River Lesson 4

For this stage, I used a very wet mixture of Permanent Sap Green and a little Aureolin Yellow to create a lemon yellow wash for the first glaze on the trees and greenery. I applied the paint VERY WET. To the puddle, I dropped in a little Burnt Sienna here and there where the palm fronds will look more brown near the bottom of the tree. I also added a little Burnt Sienna, wet-in-wet, to some areas of the grasses in the foreground. I like to add this earthy color to my greens to keep them from being too garish. Usually in natural settings, you will see browns and golden colors within the greens. You can see how nicely the masking fluid is resisting the paint and holding the white areas. Allow to dry or dry with a hair dryer on the cool setting.
When this application is bone-dry, I apply more masking as I did in the number two lesson of this project. Do not apply masking to the damp or moist paper, as you will not be able to remove it and the lines created will not be crisp. I apply the masking to the next lightest value. For instance, the first application of masking was to protect the very lightest color of white. Now I am adding masking to protect this value of color that I just applied. I want to be frugal. If I add too much masking the painting will look contrived.
Look for the light values for this stage in the palm fronds and in the grassy areas in the foreground.
Visit previous posts to see the other stages of this painting in progress.

Palm Tree on Indian River Lesson 1

For the start of this lesson I wanted to show you how I transfer a drawing to my watercolor paper. I usually draw on a 8 x 10 or 9 x 11 sized drawing paper. Then, if the painting will be larger I have it enlarged to fit the watercolor sheet that I want to use. This piece will be transferred to a 10 x 14 inch Arches 140 lb. paper.
I scrub the back of the drawing with a Chunky graphite stick, which can be found at Cheap Joes (http://cheapjoes.com). I prefer the chunky graphite stick because it is huge, easy to scrub with, lasts forever and only costs about $2.00.
When scrubbing the graphite on the back of your drawing, be sure to do this on a hard surface. Use some elbow grease. The more graphite you can deposit onto the paper, the easier it will be to gently transfer/trace the drawing onto your watercolor paper.
Once the graphite is thickly applied to the back of the drawing, I gently rub it with a paper towel to remove any excess crumbs that could deposit themselves onto my paper. Then, I use masking tape to make a little hinge to hold the drawing in place. I also make a little pencil line from the drawing to the watercolor paper on two sides of one corner so that if I have to bring the drawing back to the watercolor paper for any reason, after removing it, I will have some marks to line it up against. The tape hinge keeps the drawing in place while I trace, but allows me to lift it so that I can see my progress.
You can use a pencil or a ball point pen to do the tracing. Be very gentle, though. If you press too hard you will make grooves in the watercolor paper and then, while painting, the pigment will settle into the grooves in an undesirable way.
If you would like to follow along with this lesson, please visit my etsy shop and purchase the reference materials by clicking on the Online Class icon. The cost for the drawing and reference photo is only $5.00. Click here for my etsy shop: http://watercolorgirl.etsy.com.

Palm Tree in Watercolor Blog Class

For those of you who may like to paint along with my blog, this piece, Palm Tree On Indian River, will be posted this weekend. For $5 you will receive the photo reference and the drawing via email. You can then follow along as we paint this picture together. The focus is going to be on how to do masking, and a short lesson on clouds.
To order your references, visit my etsy shop and choose the online class icon. Hope you can join us.
My Etsy Shop: http://watercolorgirl.etsy.com

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.

River Scene In Watercolor No.5

Here I have used some Burnt Sienna, Quinicridone Gold and some of the green mud on my palette to work along the bank of the river, add the lily pad shadows (not the pad's details) and to add a little more textured glazing in the water.

Using Perylene Green and Hooker's Green, I have added more detail work to the lily pads, the bank, the trees and the reflections in the water. At this stage, I also decided that the first application of French Ultramarine Blue in the trees was a bit overwhelming, so I used a synthetic brush to moisten and lift
(also using a paper towel to gently lift off the excess color). This softened and lightened the blue so that it is not so heavy and will be more transparent for subsequent layers.

To see the previous steps to this painting, please visit my last few postings.

River Scene In Watercolor No.3

I have added some French Ultramarine Blue to the deepest shadow areas of the trees, using the same Brush Dance as was used yesterday. The white areas on the blue are where the light is bouncing off the wet paint. I paint very wet, each little application of this stage has a little puddle that needs to dry before my next step.



Using Permanent Sap Green, a wash is applied to the water where the trees reflect into the river. This glaze should have color to it, but it should be wet enough to be transparent. Each glaze created with watercolor should be transparent, so that the paper can glow through the colors as the light shines through the pigments, hits the paper and bounces back at the viewer's eye.

River Scene In Watercolor No.2

To paint-along, please visit my etsy shop and obtain the online class at: http://watercolorgirl.etsy.com.

Using various mixtures of Aureolin Yellow, Permanent Sap Green and a touch of Burnt Sienna, apply some foliage to the sunlit areas of the trees. I call this application a Brush Dance, due to the fact that the non-working end of my brush flops, or dances around in different directions. This movement helps to keep the brushwork looking fresh and non-uniform.

Now, use a little of the Burnt Sienna, very wet, and add a small area of "dirt" to the horizon line and to the riverbank where the sun is shining on the dirt. This application needs to remain relatively light in value as we will add more color, detail and shadow later on.

To learn more about my classes and workshops, please visit http://watercolorworksart.com/Classes.

How To Paint Trees Booklet Available

I have recently updated my How To Paint Trees in Watercolor Booklet. It is chock full of techniques, step-by-step instructions and photos for painting trees in watercolor. You can now purchase this little gem on my etsy webstore. If it's sold, just send me an email and I will post it again! You can either have it shipped as a booklet or you can have it sent to you as a pdf file and print it yourself.
http://watercolorgirl.etsy.com

Painting a Pine Tree

My students often want to learn how I paint the trees in my landscape paintings. Here is a quick demonstration on how to paint a pine tree. First of all, it's important to plan ahead with thumbnail sketches and drawings to understand the way the tree grows and the different values and colors it portrays. Then I start the tree with a number 10 round brush, or larger. I use very wet paint and stroke the lightest values in the direction the branches flow. Observation is very important! This first wash was accomplished with a combination of cerulean blue and perylene green.
I build the bulk of the tree , trying to allow room between the branches for the background and additional values. I don't want it to look like a big triangle! I like the look of varying the width and length of the strokes to portray the way the branches hang. In general, on a pine tree, the branches will be thicker, longer and more dense at the bottom of the tree.

Next, I begin to add darker values to create the illusion of shadow and depth. I have to remember to paint around some of the first, lighter, layer and sometimes to paint right on top of it. Layering the paint this way creates more variation in the colors. Again the quality of the stroke is very important. The stroke must represent the way the branches hang or sway. Some pines bows swing out and up, others sort of hang down. This wash was perylene green with a touch of permanent sap green.

I continue with layers of color, using a little less each time. This shadow area was created with variations of perylene green, and a combination of permanent sap green with a bit of burnt sienna. There are so many beautiful green pigments to try, and thousands of colors can be created by physically mixing them! I think that is half the fun.

The final touches are added sparingly. The trunk is added by touching it in the blank areas that show between the branches, and then at the bottom. The branches of an evergreen are usually well-hidden under the foilage. So I stick to adding the vertical trunk, and only a little where I know it will show.

Voila! My tree. Now if this were winter, I would paint around the white snow, but since I am really looking for spring, I will stick to the green!

This is a good example of how my classes work. We usually work on a project together. I demonstrate one step at a time, and then the students practice. We work on techniques, washes, brush work, etc. using real projects to see how the techniques are applied to a painting. Lots of fun!

Check out my list of classes and workshops at: http://watercolorworksart.com/classes

I have a booklet that describes how to paint several different kinds of trees in detail, with lots of photo references, a sample project drawing to trace, and lots of information on how to paint trees in watercolor. Visit my etsy shop to view and purchase.