Home › Forums › Explore Subjects › Plein Air › First sketch of ’19 – and some lessons

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  • March 24, 2019 at 2:51 pm #471006
    tmwilliams
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        It was 50 degree (F) today, so I went down to one of my favorite painting spots to kick off the 2019 PA season.

        I started using watercolors around December with an eye toward PA work, so this is a first.

        I also screwed on some courage and sketched the scene on site…no running home with a photo to get it started.

        Some lessons:

        The sketch took more than 1/2 of my available time (an hour +/-). I need to get faster but I wanted to get the perspective right. (I also spend a good 15 minutes with a young special needs man and his mom who wanted to ask a lot of questions – but that’s more than okay.)

        I need a table. When painting with acrylic, I had my Julian 1/2 box easel. Here I had my paper taped to a small board and a little garden bench. I’ll need a table too as the ground is not a good place to place my box of brushes and palette.

        I might have stayed longer except that my brushes kept rolling to the ground

        I’ll probably take this WIP back on another clear day to do a little more work, so any C&C is welcome. 10×14 Arches 140# paper with DS paints.

        Thomas

        March 24, 2019 at 4:21 pm #803628
        Gary Mc (Trikist)
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            This is a tough subject especially with all those white window frames in the large building. Working flat on a table would seem to be a little easier for the details. Ernst & Egon (Noge) on the “watercolor gallery” both paint plein air watercolors and may give some clues. You might consider carrying a tube of white gouache for some details.

            http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2017/03/gouache-tubes-or-pans.html

            Some transparent watercolorists swear against carrying gouache but Winslow Homer and several masters did it.

            This picture reminds me of deactivated Ft. Douglas where I tried to do a few plein air water colors. I learned to steer away from small, repetitive details. You may have a steadier hand than I. Gary

            "Painting is a verb"

            March 24, 2019 at 4:27 pm #803629
            tmwilliams
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                Gary,

                Thanks. I do follow Ernst on WC – not sure I’ve seen Egon? My hand – as can be seen – is not so steady. I had the board in my lap and was working just as hard to keep lines straight as I was not to lose my brushes to the ground!

                I do have white gouache and will likely use it before this work is finished. It’s comforting to know (and I didn’t know) that Homer used it!

                This was/is a confidence builder. I’ll be happy if I can bring it to completion (flaws and all) without using a photo and the studio as crutches.

                Thomas

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