Friday, September 6, 2019

Painting a Detailed Scene at the County Fair

I visit the Dutchess County Fair and paint the colorful cotton candy trailer.



In the video (Link to YouTube) I offer 12 tips that help me create the illusion of detail in a relatively quick painting.

Sno Kones Trailer, watercolor and gouache over a casein underpainting.
Colors in this painting:
1. Terra rosa (watercolor)
2. Pyrrol red (watercolor)
3. Yellow ochre (watercolor)
4. Cadmium yellow light (watercolor)
5. Titanium white (gouache)
6. Ultramarine blue (gouache)
7. Neutral tint (watercolor)
8. Raw Umber (gouache)
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Materials
Pentalic Aqua Journal sketchbook
Liner brush (synthetic)
Rigger brush (squirrel/Risslon)
Winsor and Newton Series 995 synthetic flat brush
Cat's Tongue Brush, 1/2 inch
Travel brush: Connoisseur 9467
Richeson Travel brush set
Water cup
Water-soluble colored pencil
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Sketch Easel Builders Facebook site

4 comments:

Rich said...

Phew! You've really got a functioning navigation system not to get lost in all those intricacies: It's all in the pocket, finally. That walking figure in the foreground's the cherry on the cake.
Thanks once more for sharing your expertise!

Love those onlooker's reactions at the end - the way they appreciate.

Evelyn said...

Amazing painting, James, and great narration of your process! I'm struck by your strategy of putting in shadows cast by figures yet to come -- and they're my favorite part!

Néstor Domínguez said...

Great video, as always!
I would like to try priming the background of my sketchbook as well but I am allergic to casein. Could I do it with common acrylic paint or would it be better to use acrylic gouache?
Thanks a lot!!

James Gurney said...

Néstor, you can use gouache or watercolor for a priming color, but keep in mind that a wet wash superimposed over it might reactivate that paint. If you don't want that to happen, use Acrylic gouache, or gouache with a little acrylic medium.