Europe Stuff

After speaking with our tour rep from EF this morning, I was sent these two videos for ya'll to watch.
They are both exciting and enticing and make you want to go to Europe NOW, which makes sense otherwise their advertising dollars would have been a total waste.
So I feel compelled to sent them along to you. Find them by clicking on the city names below.

Paris

Barcelona

"extra" Getting Perspective

This won't be applicable, necessarily, until next week - if at all, but there will be kudos and admiration for those that can utilize this information.
It's good stuff, for sure.

Getting Perspective - 2

So, Thursday the 12th we'll be discussing two point perspective. It's very similar to Tuesday's lesson and you'll have another simple worksheet to complete.

I know you'll all be here on the blog lapping this stuff up so here, above, is kind of what the process looks like.

The second one, above, is longer, I know, but it begins to "explain" more options that I'd like you to begin to familiarize yourself with.

Watercolor Landscape Step(s) 5 - ???

note that this example is still not finished, 

though all the steps for finishing the image, I think, are explained below

So there's a lot happening today that you need to be aware of, but I'm loading it on so I can give only reminders next week and (hopefully) you'll be done with demos/notes for this project.

1) Buildings
     color: brown, purple, orange
     technique: wet on dry
     Really we're just finishing these structures. There is a fence in front of the buildings on the right that
     we need to add, and there is some deck work (???) around the lighthouse up towards the windows.
     This is the color you want to use for that.
     Also, don't forget to add chimneys and such - you could use this color, or the same color as the
     shadows from before (blue + black).

2) Rocks - 1st and 2nd layer (see example below)
     Rocks on ground area above water & below the buildings - in the brown area. Really, we're, again,
     just looking for some texture there. Aim for variety of value, brushstrokes, and, slightly, color.
     color: orange, brown, black
     technique: wet on dry

     Rocks in water - this is the second layer on these, using the same color but with a darker value
     color: blue, black
     technique: wet on dry

3) Grassy Hill - below buildings (see example below)
     color: blue, green
     technique: wet on dry
     see notes for brownish rocks above and treat this entire strip in a similar manner while continuing
     to aim for VARIETY

4) Iceplant/Grass (see example below)
     There are two areas here, which should be defined by the difference in color you've already laid
     down - this is where you used salt texture.
     There is the greenish blue area and the greenish brown area.
     Greenish blue
     color: green, blue, yellow
     technique: wet on dry and dry on dry
     Greenish brown
     color: green, brown, yellow
     technique: wet on dry and dry on dry
     make sure you are working from top to bottom in these areas and allowing for slight variations in
     density of value and texture

5) Water
     color: blue, green, purple
     technique: wet on wet/dry
     Again, not aiming for homogenous color or technique, we just don't want the ocean to look flat.
     Really the only thing you have to be careful of is the horizon line and where you are going around
     your rocks. But definitely paint right up to these areas so that it looks like the water is going
     around and behind the rocks.

Watercolor Landscape Step "4"

Today is about a multitude of smaller steps as we have finished most of the "big" stuff.
Remember, watercolor is about layering and going from big areas with light value and little detail and progressively working towards smaller and darker and more detailed areas.

This is the order I did mine in today:

1) Shadows/Windows of buildings - including lighthouse
     color: blue/black
     technique: wet on dry

2) Rocks in water - layer 1
     color blue/black/purple/brown/orange
     technique: wet on dry

3) Trees - layer 2
     color: blue/green/black
     technique: wet on dry
     remember to not cover all of what you put on previously, we are aiming for a textured/dappled effect

4) Ground - layer 3
     color: I didn't mix these to be homogenous, but used brown/purple/black/orange
     technique: splatter
     make sure to cover your water area, and everything above that, so the splatter only goes where the
     sand/dirt and grass areas will be

5) Rooftops
     color: red/orange/brown
     technique: wet on dry
     do the top of the lighthouse as well ... and wait until the shadows are dry BEFORE attempting this

As always, test your value and color on scrap paper in the back of your study drawing book.


    

Watercolor Landscape Step "2"

After having the image sketched out; after the addition of masking tape to where the lighthouse will go; after adding rubber cement to where the whitest parts of the waves will go; do the following:

Sky, mix up a healthy amount of blue with a hint of yellow and green in it, testing your color and value, of course. With a BIG brush and clean water, get the entire sky portion of the paper wet - not soaking, but wet all the same, and then, working quickly, use that same big brush to apply your sky color to the paper.
Aim for big paint strokes and evenness.
Wet on wet helps with the even application, and since there is tape over the lighthouse, you don't have to avoid that area ... Just paint right over it.

Ground, mix up a large portion of brown and yellow.
With your big brush, use the same wet on wet technique to cover all of the ground.
As you can see in the pic, the ground below the lighthouse and the foreground all need to be covered.

Note that the color you test out on your acrap
scrap paper will be lighter on your actual painting because of the wet on wet technique - which has the same effect as adding just slightly more water to the pigment.