Part 3, Project 2, Exercise: Painting with prepared elements

Bridge at Tatton

Close Up - Bridge at  Tatton

Close Up - Bridge at Tatton

Close Up - Bridge at Tatton

Close Up - Bridge at Tatton

Learning Log Notes:-

• Have I kept the spontaneity of the drawing, or created a new image based on the first drawing? No I really don't think I have - and this is an issue I am struggling with at the moment. When working on my one painting a day last month I really felt that by looking at the same subject matter over and over I was able to explore different viewpoints, methods and approaches. I now feel restricted by the course material, to try to accurately recreate a landscape image I am not sure if this is actually the case in the course material but my own interpretation. I would really appreciate some advice about how to progress this struggle?

• I think the things I learned in my preparatory sketches and drawings were that things are never as they first seem! I really did enjoy the practice of looking ant and exploring different elements before attempting a "final" painting, and as I look back at my learning log for previous assignments I can see that this seems to be the way I work! I think the quicker less drawn out painting and sketches have more energy and life, and if I am honest I think this is probably a feature I want to keep rather than loose.
• I found that the drawings gave me a style and approach to apply to specific features contained within the whole painting, for example the pagoda to the right in the foreground I felt was far better represented in my final painting as a result of my experimentations on my sketchbook of tone and form.
• I cant really decide if my final composition is successful or not, I am happier with it when I view it as a photograph, I have no idea why. I think choosing yet another painting including water was perhaps not the right decision, however I am happy with the way I was able to mix the greens and eventually I think I almost got the dark shadows and reflections under the bridge correct! I was tempted to work into the final painting with pen and ink, to try to give more energy, however I chickened out - not wanting to spoil it!
• I think that the colour mixing was one of the elements which I put to good use following the mixing greens exercises, and mixing the greens using the colour charts seems to have come to me fairly naturally (phew - there is so much of this course where i feel I have to force myself along!) Having said that I wonder if i could have perhaps created a greater range of greens, though I was being careful not to muddy the colours too much.
• There were clear tonal distinctions in this arrangements, and I was careful to lay these tones onto the page early on - the vibrant yellow/green of the trees in the distance, the clear icy blue of the sky reflected in the lake and the dark earthy greens of the pines and rhodedendran borders.
• As I look again at my painting I think the steps to the left of the bridge could have been omitted, these create a distraction from the overall composition I feel and Perhaps were a sign of me feeling I have to paint exactly what I see, I think I am just waiting for someone to say "its ok, paint what you want to paint". I feel that the inclusion of the bamboo and the pagoda to the front left and right was appropriate as it added to the Japanese ambience of the scene and I think these were complimentary to the rest of the composition.
• I think the key learnings have been that I do not have to include everything I see, I can perhaps crop out detail and items which I dont feel will add to the composion, although I do think the major learning point has been that preliminary sketching definitely works for me, even if it is just for my own peace of mind.
• I think the exercise of listing what I notice in the scene and listing them in the order I notices them was a very worthwhile suggestion. It helped to crystallise my thinking, I had originally thought about painting just a section of the bridge and the landscape surrounding that, however the exercise in considering elements taught me that it was the bridge that had drawn me to that landscape in the first instance, with its pleasing and restful elipse shape and therefore I should include it in its entirety. I think it would be a useful exercise for me to perhaps revisit this painting with a more limited view, just to see how half of the bridge could perhaps change the dynamic of the overall landscape view.

Part 3, Project 2, Exercise: Building a picture

I really enjoyed these preparatory elements to building a completed painting. I think the time spent sketching and experimenting with the different elements allowed me space to consider carefully the different parts which go into making the whole landscape.

Initial sketch, pencil on paper

Sketching and colour experimentation with specific elements, bridge, reflection, bamboo

Sketching and experimentation with specific elements, reflection and pagoda (deciding on picture elements)

Composition and colour decisions

Although I will go on and post the completed painting separately its interesting to see that the course material suggests that as my preparation gets better and quicker I may eventually "dispense with this process altogether" which surprises me. I enjoyed the preparatory processes more than I enjoyed composing and completing the final painting. I think I felt happy to return to a preparatory mindset, as I am not altogether sure at the moment that I "enjoy" painting outside. Although I like the spontaniety of quick sketching and painting and the energy this creates I also enjoy the opportunity to look and consider and think, which I don't feel able to do outside.

The process of looking and looking again in this exercise certainly allowed me to consider my subject matter more carefully specifically it looked at the shape of the bridge and realised the reflection was deeper than the actual bridge, the shadows reflected in the water were actually brown/green not black, the clouds in the sky were reflected in the water, it was not just uniform blue.

Part 3 Project 1 Exercise: Subject Choices

I knew that the Japanese Gardens at Peasholm Park in Scarborough would be the ideal place to paint a range of views to carry out this exercise. Scarborough is somewhere close to our heart as it is where we married 18 months ago. We had some of our wedding photographs taken in Peasholm Park and as we visit Scarborough often its wonderful to see the changing colours and seasons there.

Miriam & Richard October 2011 Peasholm Park

The idea of choosing an naming a subject prior to painting it is one which really appealed to me, I am a person who turns words and phrases over in my head, so when I have been painting previously in this and my Textiles courses there is often a title forming in some way or another! I am a little concerned however about the painting outside aspect of this course. I am not sure it is for me, it feels as though I am rushing my paintings and that I do not necessarily have the time or situation to experiment more freely with the techniques taught and learned in the earlier parts of the course, such as washes, experimenting with other elements such as salt and bleach, cling film etc. I do accept though that this section is much more about painting the environment and learning skills to paint quickly and in the moment. 

Pigeon, Pagoda, Pond

Pigeon, Pagoda, Pond

I think I was drawn to the symmetry of this particular subject matter, I seem to have managed to find another setting incorporating water....perhaps I am drawn to the peace and tranquility of the scene.

Spring Pagoda

Spring Pagoda

For this painting the combination of the pagoda and the bamboo was what appealed to me, the interesting combination of the formal lines of the pagoda contrasted with the loose informality of the bamboo. When I look at this painting I am quite pleased with the success of the shadows which I feel I have been able to recreate. I also think the fast painting approach has ensured it has retained light and freshness as I have not laboured over the painting excessively.

Bluebells

Bluebels

This was the final painting of this particular painting session. I think I have taken a more free and less formal approach to this particular study. Not all of the paper has been covered and I like the way this painting has turned out as more of an impression of the scene rather than an accurate representation. I think at time that can be a hindrance for me, I try to ensure my painting look like the "thing" they are meant to be!

Overall I felt this was a valuable exercise, choosing a title meant I could focus on the subject of that title rather than try to include EVERYTHING I could see in my painting, I think this will be a sensible principle for me to refer back to as I continue with the landscape paintings a I am not sure they are really my forte yet.

Part 3, Project 2 Exercise: Exploring greens outside

I have definitely got into the habit of carrying my painting things around me, whenever I think I will a) be seeing a different view to the ones where I live and b) will have the time to sit for an hour to paint. We made a spur of the moment trip to York so the paints came along too, fortunately I have a lovely bag which is large enough to carry an A3 sketchbook so I had no excuse not to have my watercolour things with me. As this exercise was about painting greens outside I spent some time in the gardens of York Minster where there were some beautiful early spring greens, together with dramatic shadows to be seen.

Out and About paint box and notebook

I tend to worry when I am out of the house with my watercolours that I do not have an adequate range of colours to use. I was pleasantly surprised on this trip just what I could make from the limited pans in my smaller set by simply applying the theory used in exercised 1 and 2 of mixing greens.

Initial sketch of York Minster, trees, grass and shadows

Given my viewpoint the two trees and their shadows were dominating my eyeline with the Minster being on my "horizon" I found the quick pencil sketch really helpful in creating a framework for my to lay my paints into.

Stage 1

 For stage one I painted the lighter tones of green, a combination of sap green and lemon yellow, which was quite a yellowy green for the areas where the sun was very much highlighting the grass and the small mound to the right of the right hand tree. I also painted in the stone tones for the Minster stonework.

Stage 2

In stage 2 I introduced the mid tones and greens, even here I was careful to ensure there were a range of greens used as the grass had a really variegated appearance when looked at carefully. For the window areas of the Minster I used viridian, dark blue and alizarin crimson to darken the tones as I do not have a black in my travel set, I think this is working out positively though as I think this is teaching me a better approach to colour and tone rather than simply muddying a colour with black to darken it.

Shadows and Sunshine - York Minster

 Finally I added the shadows using a combination of sap green, cadmium yellow and dark blue. Initially the shadows looked like roots, which I wasn't really happy with, so I decided to paint into the page with a watery brush to remove the definition. I then added in the swathes of purple and yellow crocuses which were bathed in sunlight.

Learning Log Notes:-

• I think the strongest aspect is the grass, I think I have managed to capture the softly undulating nature of this piece of land.
• I think the weakest aspect of this painting is the background - the Minster. I think given more time I would have liked to have built up this image tonally spending more time on the minster roof and the texture of the stonework, I also feel that I have not adequately recreated the brightness of the sunlit day - an element which was key in creating the stunning shadows on the grass.
• I think the green grid has been key in my approach to the greens, particularly with regards to the introduction of blue or red to darken the tones, leading to such great range of clear and clean tones, rather than just darkening with black.

Part 3, Project 2 Exercise: Mixing Greens 4

Photograph of bottle arrangement

Sketchbook page for testing colours

Final painting for Mixing Greens 4

I really enjoyed the way this exercise flowed from the previous one, having painted the first two bottles I was really keen to try more green mixing and putting the exercise learnings into practice. I tried to select bottles in various tones of green (I don't drink alcohol so my friends were happy to donate empty bottles!) Again as with the previous exercise I found having a scrap page to test the tones on before applying to my watercolour paper. Looking back at the scrap page I was interested to see how useful viridian was in the mixing of the appropriate colours, but looking further back to exercise 1 I can see just how many tones are based on combinations of viridian. The combinations used were viridian and burnt umber viridian and burnt sienna, viridian and yellow ochre, viridian and alizarin crimson, burnt umber and burnt sienna, viridian and ultramarine, viridian and sap green. I think the overlapping of the bottles meant I had more of a challenge for showing the bottles a viewed through glass.

Part 3, Project 2 Exercise: Mixing Greens 3

For this exercise I worked on A3 paper.

I am continuing to work on 300gsm paper for all of my exercises as I am finding the paint handles so very differently on the lighter weight paper and I want to be able to handle the paint consistently.

These are the two bottles I chose to paint :-

The bottle on the left has far more brown and green tones than the bottle to the right, that has more clear apple green tones. I was also aware of the window frame behind the bottles which gave a distorted white line two thirds of the way down the bottles.

Here is the completed painting, I found that for this exercise I made continuous use of the sample pages created in Exercise Mixing Greens 1. I also made extensive use of a scrap sheet of paper to test the various tones before adding them to my watercolour page. The watercolours I used predominantly were viridian, burnt sienna and lemon yellow, as with this combination I was able to obtain the brown green tones. I found that the method of applying paint in different mixes per the exercise notes the more straightforward (righthand bottle) I think that some of the tones became a bit "samey" through applying layers of darker and lighter tones.