Tag: larch

Muley Doe C1919

Muley Doe 1Tutorial 01

The painting of a Muley Doe C1919 standing by a birch tree begins with a pencil sketch. You may notice that I concentrate on marking where darks are located as I begin to sketch. The intention is to make the tree and the deer shape intermingled and in a looser rendition style.

Muley Doe 2By blocking in the majority of the background with light washes allow me to reserve areas of white that will be needed later on. The tree bark and branches are the majority of the whites that I am worried about. Those along with the whites needed on the surfaces of our doe that will be shining in the light.

Muley Doe 3The next step for me is to identify where the darkest areas are at. As I begin to paint those darker areas with more opaque mixtures of watercolor, the layout seems to work out well. With a more visible mixture of watercolor, I begin to see 3D shapes begin to appear. Things begin to pop-out and show their shape.

Next

You can see the finished image on the artist gallery website here.

Birch Treeline at Slavin

Birch Meadow Slavin Conservation Distr B0920
10″w x 7″h watercolor on 140lb cold press wc paper.

Birch Treeline at Meadow

Birch treeline at Slavin Conservation District in early spring. This painting began as a Plein air day with friends from Spokane Watercolor Society (SWS). I shared in an earlier post about the outing. I am putting this post up to show you how a plein air day inspires in my studio.

Plein Air Outings

Plein air is something dearly loved by this artist. I’m not sure if it is the feeling of freedom that I feel while painting outside or is it the amazing colors, smells, and excitement that inspire me to grasp for more in any piece that begins outside.

Slavin Conserv 01

Here is the watercolor sketch I brought home with me from the outing. An idea of the colors and layout. My phone was full of pictures I took for me to work from for all the details.

Slavin Conserv 02
Meadow in early Spring, with a birch and pine treeline at Slavin Conservation District, Spokane WA.

I quickly added basic underpainting tones in the sky and meadow between the treeline when I got back in the studio. I do this to remember the feel of what I saw, till I could take the time to finish it later.

Painting en Plein air is sometimes cold or hot and a little tiring but it is always a worthwhile event for me. Not only do I get to walk and draw/paint outdoors, but I also get to see fellow artists too. There are a no better group of people than the crazily creative artists of our world. We are the people who see the beauty that others don’t notice. Unnoticed beauties that capture our heart, inspiring us to bring life back around in beautiful colors and lines, till another can basque in its discovery.

If what I have painted gives your spirit an uplifting feeling of appreciation, then I have succeeded. My heart is smiling.