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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Try, Try Again

Remember the Adirondack chairs on the beach. After all my fiddling and still not liking it, I realized that I didn't even like the set up. Why if you were on a lovely beach would you be sitting facing away from the water??? Also, my biggest mistake is to try to make a finished painting with only two or three layers. I know from everything I read that this is a mistake. I try to go too far too fast (get your mind out of the gutter!! :-) My second most serious problem is that I sketch my outlines too dark and in graphite. I am going to draw my outlines in this picture in watercolor pencil.


So, I have begun again and have just laid in some rough washes that I dabbed with tissue. So far all I've done is to show where the foreground is. I see I have to be careful not to have the three areas end up as thirds of the height. I'm a little shy to do the next step, but I think I am going to go to watercolor pencils to add some interest into the sky and decide where the horizon line will be.





I am hoping to add two Adirondack chairs with their backs to the viewer, which would have them facing the water. I took a photo of the back of a chair in the side garden yesterday so I will know how to draw it when the time comes.




I am seriously considering having the sun low in the sky so I can add some reds and golds to the sky with reflections on the water, if that is not too ambitious. I will show you the progress as it happens. For now I am planning to go very slowly so I don't forget and try to get it done in the next layer.


While I was out in the yard with my camera, I couldn't resist taking a few pix of some of the things that caught my eye.








We have a family in the bluebird house.


Well, as usual, the treadmill is calling to screeching at me, so I'd better get this body moving. I think I have the whole day to work play in my art room and am hoping to get a few more gesture sketches done, start a new repurposed journal, and do a bit of colored pencil and/or Neocolor II wax pastel work on the new WIP. I hope to have something to share tomorrow.

xoxo

4 comments:

  1. It's a lovely start for the next version of your painting! I'm sort of jealous that you have those beautiful bluebirds living in your yard. The photo is wonderful. Thanks for sharing! hugs, nancy

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  2. I think your idea of having a sunset in your Adirondack chair painting would be lovely. If you and your sister are in the area be sure to stop by!

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  3. I like the way you are thinking through each stage of the painting.
    A bluebird family in a blue bird box...how lovely!

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  4. That's a good start! =) And the photos are lovely as always

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