We find a nice spot next to the water garden overlooking the lily pads and the "Lemon-Lime Gecko" elephant ear bog plant.
The painting is 4 x 6 inches and it takes about an hour and a half. I do the first washes transparently over the pencil drawing, looking for large gradations of color.
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| Tropical bog plant - Elephant ear, gouache, 4 x 6 inches |
Then I cut back into the leaf shapes with some of the dark and light reflections on the water surface, using more opaque paint. I alternate between relatively large flat and round brushes.
The colors I'm using are: burnt sienna, raw sienna, lemon yellow, perylene maroon, viridian, permanent green light, ultramarine blue, and white.
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My full length instructional video is called "Gouache in the Wild"
Wow! Your paintings never fail to impress me, but this one is exceptional.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth noting how every step of your process could conceivably be a final step. Yes, the first and second stages are ambiguous and more abstract than representational, but there is already an established and convincing foundation of color, composition, rhythm, etc. Regardless of when someone calls "pencils down" the master drawing exists in a state of beauty and completeness. Impressive work, Jim.
ReplyDeleteYou might enjoy this article on a parrot dinosaur coloration.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37376893
Thankyou. Could write a post about using gouache in the studio? I am particularly curious whether you still use the 'wet palette' to keep the paint moist.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for coming to Denver! We had a wonderful time and learned SO MUCH! As promised, here are links to a few products that my husband and I added to your portable easel design:
ReplyDeleteMagic moldable plastic to form ledges and perhaps make a few dinosaurs:
https://smile.amazon.com/Sugru-Moldable-Glue-Classic-Multi-Color/dp/B008URBC9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474125147&sr=8-1&keywords=sugru
(It's also available in other combo packs through Amazon, including all white for tinting...)
AND someone has figured out how to tint it any color your heart desires:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-USB-Flash-Drive-Clip/step2/Dyeing-sugru/
Variety pack of amazing rubberbands:
https://smile.amazon.com/Assorted-Standard-Wrapping-Exercise-Silicone/dp/B018WPZCSO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1474124827&sr=8-4&keywords=grifiti+bands
You didn't see these, but I love to use them to attach things to the tripod:
https://smile.amazon.com/Knot-Reusable-Cable-25-Piece-Pack/dp/B003B5KP4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474125591&sr=8-1&keywords=Q+knot
Thanks again for your wonderful class and lecture at Denver Botanic Gardens!