2/6/13

Working with a Triad

Today's Demonstration  -  lower left painting
Keeping in mind that this was just a trial run, I sketched and painted this very quickly, using a large brush.  I learned from the first two sketches what I did and didn't want to do as far as lights and darks and balance.

I knew I needed to get rid of the bright white porch pillars.  In the two-color painting (on the right) I scrubbed around a bit to dull down the white, but knew the three identical shapes just didn't work, dulled or not.

For the full color sketch, lower left, I used only three colors  -  you can see them in the little mixing saucer.  The colors are ultramarine blue, quinacridone red, and hansa yellow. If I'm painting with a triad, I like to keep them separate from  my regular palette, because, without thinking, I will just start grabbing for other colors.

The colors in the painting got a little muddy, and I'm not pleased yet with the foliage at the top.  I have to do the same demonstration again tomorrow, so I'll see what I can do to fix those problems.

By the way  -  isn't that little saucer the cutest thing you've ever seen in your life?!  A friend bought some in England.  We all fell in love with them, so she called the store and had them ship some to us.  I think they are called china tinting saucers.  I really don't know what they are used for, but I thought they were perfect for triads.  The fourth space is good for keeping a neutral mix going.

2 comments:

annie said...

Thanks, Catherine. Your tutorials are so helpful.I really couldn't see what you meant by any problems in the first painting. Then I looked at the 2nd one and the third and it is surprising to me to see the difference in the last one. It's still beyond me to see things like this by myself, but I do learn
something new each time I follow one of your posts.
Annie

Catherine said...

Thanks for your comment Annie. I think playing around with triads is a good way to keep the brush moving, and keeps us creative.