This "class" is based on the popular workshops I have given over the years. I will change the subject each month or so if I get enough feedback. Please let me know if you enjoy the instruction and feel free to e-mail me a picture of your attempt of the painting (small file only please) for a critique.
HAUNTING FOREST SCENE
Done on 11x18” 300lb cold press watercolor paper
Colors: raw sienna, cerulean blue, white, burnt sienna, cobalt blue, sap green, sepia, paynes gray, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue.
Once you have your colors out, prepare paper: wet paper thoroughly by placing under faucet and running water over front and back then placing on non-porous table or board to begin painting immediately. Using a large 2” brush start with a very diluted mixture of raw sienna and white, coat entire paper. Add cerulean blue to raw sienna and go along edges only creating circle of light in center. Get progressively darker by adding more pigment starting with raw sienna and then cerulean blue, continuing to blend smooth with large brush-keep center light. Paper should still be damp---if not, add more water. Tilt to allow it to flow if it doesn’t look smooth, help it by gently stroking it with a large damp brush. About 1/3 from bottom, place a mixture of burnt sienna/raw sienna/cerulean blue using a bristle type watercolor brush (Richeson 1 ½” watercolor bristle), softly adding color so it looks like misty foliage shapes allowing some to be contain more burnt sienna. Add some around paper tops, sides and very little in middle Add cobalt blue, then add sap green to burnt and raw sienna building it up with the darker tones on top to leave original tones showing in places. Go darker still by adding sepia and continue placing foliage shapes all around. Using a small brush with raw sienna, make tall linear lines to represent tree trunks from bottom to top of paper. Use a rigor/liner brush to create a few branches with raw sienna. If the trunks/branches appear to be fuzzing out too much, stop and wait a minute for it to dry slightly. Using the bristle with a mixture of paynes gray, alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue, add more foliage concentrating most at the top. Add ground at bottom with same mixture using vertical strokes for texture. Using slanted ¾” flat or round brush with same mixture, add tree trunks, making sure they go from bottom to top. Remember to vary the sizes and shapes (make them look like trees not telephone poles!). Using the rigor/liner brush, add a few branches.
SHIMMERING SEASCAPE In Oils or acrylics. Colors: Cobalt Blue, French ultramarine blue, naples yellow, yellow ochre, raw sienna, burnt sienna, burnt umber, permanent rose, cadmium red light, titanium white Procedure: Drawing: Referring to painting, draw horizon line and placement of rocks, waves, etc., with watery neutral gray made with mixture of cobalt blue/burnt sienna or paynes gray. (Hint: Water is always level so to keep the water/horizon line straight, use a ruler, measure down from top of canvas to where water and horizon meet and place a mark. Do this on both right and left sides and in the middle then connect the marks with a horizontal line.) Sky: Using white/naples yellow/raw sienna paint lower horizon area with more white in the center. Add this same mixture to areas on the water’s surface to represent reflected light (reserve some of this color). Add very little cadmium red light to lower left of sky directly into the yellow on the canvas. Use cobalt blue/white/burnt sienna for upper sky area adding permanent rose as it approaches the lighter yellowish lower horizon area. Soften sky with dry soft, fluffy brush (hake) by gently dusting over upper part of sky. Clouds: Using cobalt blue/burnt sienna place cloud shapes and add permanent rose in some areas. Soften with dry soft, fluffy brush. Add lightest areas to tops of clouds with white/naples yellow and pure white over cloud closest to light (left center). Water: Using cobalt blue/burnt sienna at horizon line, paint distant water trying to keep horizon line straight (tip: if your hand is not steady, use a straight edge and rest the brush handle against it to paint the horizon line across the canvas). Continue adding this gray/blue mixture showing swirls, ripples and waves in the water working around the light yellows that were applied earlier. The shadows of the closest waves should be darker. Using the sky color; cobalt blue/permanent rose, paint the water where it is approaching the shore. Directly in front of that, place cobalt blue/white representing thin standing water from a previous wave. Sand: Using yellow ochre/cobalt blue/white, paint the wet sand allowing some of the blue to show in places for standing water. Soften edges where they meet. Rocks: Using ultramarine blue/burnt umber, paint in angular rock shapes. Add small amount of cobalt blue/white for texture and dimension. Final Details: Add pure white to surface of water, left center, indicating reflecting sunlight. To emphasize the wet sand and contrast, paint white in areas of the foreground sand around the rocks near center. Using a small brush, add a dark line suggesting the water’s edge.
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