Soooo...who says we have to sketch EXACTLY what we see? We spent a HOT weekend in the Ozarks for my godson's wedding, and the wedding party stayed in the RV park where the bride's family camps--the rentals are FEMA trailers. Trust me, they are NOT picturesque, and short of both room and windows...I know I'd be really grateful if I didn't have roof over my head, but pretty they are not!
Morning light coming through the tall cedar trees at the edge of the campground WAS pretty, though...so that's what I zeroed in on.
I had a brand new journal for the trip, and had put some of the new tan paper in it, so took along my lightweight little gouache set. I sat on the fold-out couch near one of the windows and sketched in the AC! (As somebody said recently, in this heat my "plein air" has become "plein window" for the most part!) The Lamy Vista pen with Platinum Pigment ink in Sepia worked beautifully on this paper.
This is how it turned out...no cars, no trailers! I added a few more notes and a few touches of colored pencil and called it done.
The page on the left was sunrise over the trailer that two of my godchildren and their families were in...somehow that didn't make it into the picture.The color is truer in the photo above...
Mind you, sometimes it's fun to include reality...but I was in the mood for beauty and nature!
I like how you chose to paint in only bits of the sky around the tree - makes the light sparkle around the leaves.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jen, that's just the effect I was going for!
ReplyDeleteJust love the spread, 2 pages complimenting each other. :-)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE to see pics of your materials in action! And I'm so enjoying the book, which I started reading yesterday. No, not reading: soaking up, taking in, absorbing. Wonderful inspiration. And a delight to find that some of the featured artists are online friends! :)
ReplyDeleteThe pages came out terrifically! I love how you did the sky around the corner of the trees in the righthand picture. In this case, veering from total reality works very well!
ReplyDeleteThanks all! It was very pleasant having time to sketch...and I'm grateful the AC in our trailer worked!
ReplyDeleteI really like how the corner of sky pulls everything together so graphically.
ReplyDeleteI just started to use gouache, and I love it! Would you share your travel palette colors? Your pictures make me want to go out and paint.......
ReplyDeleteThank you both! Cathy, the colors are in notes on this Flickr image. I'm mostly pretty happy with them, but will probably switch out the alizarin crimson for Quinacridone Rose. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cathy-johnson/4156951614/in/set-72057594048423937/
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Tom and I am just starting in Watercolor and sketching. A life long passion of mine. You work is beautiful. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOn your second photo there is a blue pen over the page. I have seen this pen in a few youtube demonstrations. I would like to know what is this a pen or a brush?
Thanks and sorry for the dumb question.
Thanks
Tom
Thank you for the kind words, Tom! That's an Aquash waterbrush...the water is in the handle. I use that brand or Niji, when I want the convenience of a waterbrush, and it's not a dumb question at all!
ReplyDeleteWow Kate these are so fresh and Wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandy, they were good for me--calming!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful example of finding the serenity of nature in a less than pristine spot. There is nature everywhere, even in a potted plant on the windowsill .. or the spider than is currently living in my car.
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