Pages

▼

1/12/10

Winter

Watercolor in my Sketchbook

I have said it before - I'm all about comfort - so no, I didn't sit out there in the snow painting this in my sketchbook. A few days ago, friend Karen and I went out taking snow pictures. We took a zillion. It was COLD and sunny - perfect.

I prefer to work from my own sketches when I do serious paintings, not from photographs. So for these winter paintings I intend to use the photographs as reference for my watercolor sketches, and then use those sketches for reference for my paintings. Make any sense?

I have a tendency to get very detailed when using photographs. To keep from getting too detailed with the sketches, I do a quick contour (more or less) drawing and then use a fairly large brush, such as a #12 or 14 to block in the color. My sketchbook pages a pretty small - about 5.5 X 5, which makes about a ten inch, two page spread. A large brush on that sized paper keeps things pretty loose.

So let it snow - I'm all comfy in my studio, working from pics on my laptop, and listening to Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, J.J. Cale - you get the picture. A little too much caffeine, but that's okay.
at

6 comments:

  1. sarabayliss@yahoo.com6:37 PM

    Have you ever done a sketch or anything of the U.S. Capitol in DC? I have a client who is looking for something like that in your style of work. Just checking.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:57 PM

    I love your winter painting. Pretty, but the best thing is that you can look and look, but not feel the cold!!
    Stitching all done on blanket! Now I can sketch and paint. Oh!...the prospect sounds and feels good, (though the blanket is a 'jewel')!
    Have a good day...BJR

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carol8:10 PM

    Just enough detail! Very good!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carol Bonomo11:31 AM

    Lovely. I hope you will post painting results working from the sketch/paints as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Marj6:56 PM

    Photograph or not, that is a lovely painting--are we looking at the "back" of these homes? Looks like a great day for a bowl of Chili. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Catherine7:47 PM

    Thanks for all your nice comments!

    Sarabayliss, I have never done the U.S. Capitol.

    Marj. we are looking at the backs of these homes.

    It was a good day for chili! It was very sunny, and we could actually feel the warmth of the sun, which is a wonderful thing in Northern Michigan!

    ReplyDelete