Painting from sketches of the dunes

This is the first painting based on a group of sketches I did up at the dunes. This is a square 8"x8" painting from Mt. Baldy. The day I was there a heavy fog covered the entire lake front. In the distance was a factory that I'm not sure can be made out in this small thumbnail, but it I like how it reads in person. The values really matched up with my value studies and that is typically a good thing. This set the bar high for the rest in the set so hopefully these last couple keep up. This painting along with another will be in a show down in brown county coming up soon.

Lesson learned from making mistakes

The past two days have been busy here. Yesterday nothing was posted so I wanted to get something quickly done this afternoon. Quickness in watercolor is a must during certain steps but not for my entire process. It leads to many disappointments and lots of frustration. Thankfully today's trials lead me to a new discovery about my thought processes.

This painting was derived from a thumbnail I did of photos from Mt. Baldy looking toward Lake Michigan. Like the recent dunes studies I was trying to get a good map for a larger painting. The first step of this painting was getting all the shapes in there mid tones and leaving the large middle tree white because it stuck out in front of the rest. It was what drew me to do the sketch. The next step was putting in the fencing and darks among the trees. I messed up and got everything too wet which caused runs. Then to make matters worse I tried to soften the hard edges as they dried only to smear and lighten the entire mass. I took a step back and let it dry for a bit, then got to the dark tree trunks and branches. The trunks and branches didn't turn out that great. When that was done I didn't know what to do with the white trunk that I had painted over. I remembered that I had gouache so I got it out and put it on the palette. Gouache is opaque like oil and that got me interested and decided to go for it. What has kept me from using things like gouache in the past has been people telling me that some how it is inferior. It is in the same tune that I've always heard that you shouldn't add black or white to your watercolors or any other supposed rule.
Lately I've been using new methods and refining others. Sometimes it is easy to forget that what other people tell you in a field like art is nothing more than a personal preference. If you are trying to mimic or achieve similar results as someone else then you should listen as closely as possible, seeing as how there are guiding principles in art. But as far as I can tell there are no set rules. I constantly search for new artist online, in books, magazines, galleries, shows, and museums and it always amazes me how many possible styles and ways there are to do things. The amount of styles would equal the amount of artist if everyone took the time to explore and develop there own path.
Anyway I used gouche to take back the middle tree trunk and while it wasn't outstandingly successful it did give me the courage to use it in the sky and dunes which I liked. I also learned that by mixing the gouache with a watercolor you can tint it and get it closer to what you want. Now instead of looking down at gouache or any other medium for that matter, I see it as another way at getting the results you want. Will I always use gouache in my watercolors? Probably not, but it does open up new possibilities if I want the luminosity of watercolor and the opaque qualities that it can bring to the painting.

More of the Dunes

After finishing the dunes painting from a few days back, the value sketch for this study was next in line. This is a view from the top of Mt. baldy at the state dunes. There was a lot of overcast that day and it helped emphasize the atmospheric effect on the background. With this study I'm happy with how the mid and background turned out. The values and colors give the scene a sombering effect which plays well with this large industrial plant shadowing behind these beautiful dunes. The foreground didn't turn out as well as I would like. The amount of water on the paper or lack of got a little out of control as I was hurrying to get in the darks before the paper completely dried up. I enjoy the composition of the scene and think it plays out well. The trees in the foreground overlap into the mid-ground and the mid-ground trees overlap into the background. This gives the scene a soft transition from the bottom to the top which works with the horizon being where it is and the perspective from up high. I'm happy with the values and this will be a good map for a large painting.

Dunes revisted

So a couple of days ago I decided to start adding landscape elements together in watercolor again. This painting is based off a photo from the dunes paint out. I thought it was already a strong composition although now I have noticed a few things I would like to change about the layout. The biggest change I would make is the large mound and pine tree. They should be moved further down the hillside starting right where the background trees end. The foreground trees should be better defined but that's for another painting. As far as what I like about the painting, the sky is one of my favorites. Skies in watercolor can range from a simple wash to a complex series of clouds. This sky is of a sunset which I have rarely done and it turned out surprisingly well. It has a subtle gradation change and the clouds are slightly darker in value which is typically not the case during any other time of the day. The grasses are another area of interest. When a person thinks of painting grass it sounds simple and easy. It just so happens that grasses are one of the toughest things for me to paint right now. So this painting has given me a couple of ideas on other landscape elements that I need to spend some time practicing. After this painting I need to work on trees as well.

Overall I like the effect of the painting and it is fairly successful of what I was trying to show. It has the warms in the left and it quickly becomes cooler as you move to the right. The warm colors draw you in and then you begin to wonder into the cooler areas. It reminds me of my time at the dunes. It was beautiful and exotic for being in Indiana. The warm sands and lake sunset initially caught my attention but it was the trees, grass, and hills that kept calling me. Typically that warm feeling draws people together and that is where they congregate which is wonderful but eventually people seek to venture out alone for that solitary place where mysteries are waiting. I'm thankful painting allows me the time to seek out these places and ideas. With time I will become better at showing them and perhaps it will be something that others can relate to.