Dickie Larson's boat shed

[arizona]

MY IMAGE(S):



GENERAL INFORMATION:
Title: Dickie Larson's boat shed
Year Created: 2002
Medium: Pastel
Surface: Other
Dimension: 12 x 17
Allow digital alterations?: Yes!

MY COMMENTS:
I welcome any comments but particularly want comments on the water.


MY QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP:
Our water here is always quite dark, and usually has a dark green color. There were quite bright highlights on the water from ripples caused by our boat but I can't seem to capture the contrast of bright and dark.
Also, the actual picture seems like it's an overcast dark kind of day. How can I make it look 'sunnier". Thanks for your help.

[JustjoGA]

After deciding the source of your light or sunlight, then add highlights to the trees and highlights/shading to the building. That should brighten it up quite a bit...

[Brooke]

She is right. First you have to decide where that ol' sun is coming from so you have a clear idea of your lights and darks. looking at the trunks of the trees, I think the sun is coming from the right because the trunks are dark on the left. Then I'd suggest a quick spray of a coat of workable fixative (outside - it stinks). Then get out your darkest greens and add more dark to the left side of the trees, and then your lightest and mid yellow-green to just light green for the right side. Also, darken the left side of the shed considerably. Then consider a few cast shadows the trees are throwing on the hill. But also keep in mind that the brightest colors will come forward, so you don't have to highlight the trees in the back so much. In fact, you can make the back darker, and the front lighter. Remember, warm colors come forwardd, and cooler colors receed. Sso use cool blue greens to highlight in the back, and the warmer yellow greens in the front. You have a great picture going here, and I'd love to see you take it to completion.

[henrik]

The light is inconsistently portraid (as pointed out). I attached a version where I only slightly fixed this, but I considered the trees on the right to be in error.
I think you need to make the water much darker, and more reflective. Those highly saturated color strokes does not look good - makes it look unfinished. Try to avoid white for the highlights, always mix in some color (use a warm yellow for sunlight) - pure white looks unnatural. The trees need depth; I added darker darks here and there. To give it a sunny day look, I increased the overall contrast, and added yellow to trees, sky and barn (perhaps a bit too much here, it started to glow .

There are still some bright white patches that needs attention IMO.

You have a good composition; the main subject is off center, and there colors are united. There are some counterpoint going on (pillars/poles and rocks on beach as an example).

[cobalt fingers]

I'd suggest you study and paint from life. You will learn about water (the colors , values and temps) which will help you with the tree colors which will help with the non-highlighted water areas which will help with the highlights-it's all related. It only takes a little thing or two for the work not to work.

Study Zorn, Anders

[kjsspot]

Notice that one of the things Henrik did besides adding the building reflection, is to add deeper shadows in the water along the shore and building edge. Water will be more shaded in areas depending on light, just like everything else. Take a few moments and browse for some good water pics and specifcally notice how the shadows work.

[mallory]

Another issue addressed in the Henrik version is the relation of the lights on the building and highlights in the water. Reflected lights in water are generally a bit more gray than the light shapes themselves. In your version the highlights were brighter than the light shape in the building. The Henrik version reverses that and it seems more consistant with reality.