Briars Mill Garden

[Yorky]

This is today's plein aire painting. I'm lucky to have this beautiful garden just down the road. The Ormskirk Artists painting club plein aire afternoon was there again.
This was done in around 2 hours tops and for once I am quite pleased with the result. It must be all the practice I am getting with trees (see watercolour forum)!
First the rough sketch for composition:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/05-Jun-2002/BriarsMillGardenSketch.jpg
Now the painting Arches 10 x 14 Rough Block.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/05-Jun-2002/BriarsMillGarden2.jpg

Doug
PS reposted lighter version

[Gavinart]

Wonderful drawing! I like the control you are gaining over the watercolor too.

I have one suggestion...

The drawing seems much freer and exciting than the painting. I think the road in perspective is not needed. When I crop the lower half it works much nicer (the painting). The drawing, I love. I think If you paint like you sketch, you will have a more satisfying result. your line quality is fun and unique...try to deliver the same on the painting.

Perhaps you have included too much in the painting....a crop is a definite bonus in this case.

Regards,
Gavin

http://www.gavinart.com

[artbabe21]

I really like this, my immediate response was why is there so much grass distracting me from the rest? In the sketch there isn't so much and it's much more appealing. I am for cropping it in tighter. Lovely gardens!
Cathleen~

[Yorky]

Thanks, Gavin,
I love sketching, but always feel they are a little rough. Here's a cropped version of the painting - is this what you mean?
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/05-Jun-2002/BriarsMillGardenCrop.jpg

Doug

[Gavinart]

Doug-

Yes! The crop works for me.

I don't think the drawing is rough at all. There is a freshness, and excitement to the quickness. I think you should look for this in your painting as well. You can buy various sized matting, pre cut....this way you do not have to destroy any part of the painting.

[CarlyHardy]

How long does it take for your sketch? I don't do this with oil painting...just a thumbnail sketch sometimes. I did try my watercolors for plein air a few times but the results were not good (to say the least!) It's a difficult medium to deal with outside!...at least for me. Drying time differs so much with humidity that I overworked the surface.

Your sketch does have a sense of freedom that the painting doesn't show...but that will come with time and more paintings!

The one thing I notice the most about this painting is the strong hedge across the center....it closes off the scene behind it. Plein air certainly offers us a lot of challenges....wouldn't you agree!!
carly

[Yorky]

Hi Carly,

The rough "composition" sketch took about 5 minutes, and the underlaying sketch for the painting took about ten minutes. A lot of detail is added with the brush, for example the trees are only lightly sketched in to get the basic shape, the windows are just rectangles, etc. I find watercolour blocks are best for outdoor work, and I don't use an easel, but I am thinking of getting a lightweight one so I can have both hands free.

Today it was very humid here, too. We has a rain shower just before we started, and within half an hour of completion it was raining again. (What's up with our weather, June is usually a lovely month?). And so the sky is invented and kept simple, but took ages to dry. The hedge is a low box hedge just a foot high, but I agree, it would have been better left out so that the shrubs could spill out over the lawn, always an attractive feature.

BTW the picture is still a little dark compared with the original.

Doug

[seejay]

Doug

Nice watercolour, but I think I prefer the sketch as well. Thanks for posting.

Chris