This area will be the center of interest, so I concentrated my efforts on separating the rocks, snow in light, the snow in shadow, and the fallen trees.

​I talked about edges in my last blog and have the same situation in this painting. The hard edge that I left at the bottom of this section could present a problem. However, because most of that edge will be defined by a much darker value in the next wash, it won't be an issue.

There are still large areas of light or white at this stage. I have to be aware that they need to be adjusted in color and value as I paint them.
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Remember: all color and value is affected by the adjacent color and value.

Although this is a relatively small area of the painting, because it is the center of interest, controlling the colors and values is critical.

The separation of the shadow side of an object and the cast shadow from that object is critical to the form.
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There is always a value difference between the shadow of an object and the shadow that it casts. Also the cast shadow is darkest where it begins and gets lighter as it moves away from the object.

I like to keep the drawing simple. That leaves me room to be more creative as I apply each wash. "Drawing" with the brush is much more satisfying.

I will dominate each of my paintings with a few colors, but will add all of the other colors on my palette. My palette of colors is noted on my previous blog.

For this painting I used Quinacradone Gold, Pthalocyanine Blue, Manganesse Blue and Brown Madder. The choice of colors is dependent on my plan for the painting. I wanted very intense colors because of the bright warm light in the photo reference. I also wanted pigments that would "separate" when mixed to give me more textures in the rocks and fallen tree trunks.
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I always tell my students to read the label on the back of each tube of paint so that they know what is in the paint. Check the letters. The "P" is for pigment and the second letter is the color. PO is pigment orange, PY is pigment yellow. The number is supposed to be an indication of a particular color. For instance, I used the Daniel Smith brand of Quinacradone Gold which is PO48-Nickel Azo Yellow, as opposed to American Journey brand which is PR206–Quinacradone Burnt Orange plus PY42 Yellow Ochre (two colors mixed together in one tube).

Don't assume that colors are the same from brand to brand just because they have the same name or letter designation. http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/water.html
​is an excellent resource.

In transparent watercolor the procedure is always the same:

1. paint light to dark
2. paint large to small
3. paint background to foreground
4. paint intense to grayed
   
   

The large, light mass of the snow was painted with just Quinacradone Gold. While still wet, I continued to the upper right with some cooler Manganese Blue.  After waiting a short period of time (about five minutes) I painted the very dark upper right side of the composition. Why did I wait? So that I could create a soft edge. (Remember, drying time depends on the type of paper, and the temperature and humidity of your current environment).

​Next was the shadow side of the fallen tree and some of the rocks to the right.

​As a student I was taught to paint light to dark and for several years I painted just the light parts of the whole painting first, then the middle values, etc. I have since learned that the concept is to paint the lightest part of the lights and the lightest parts of the middle values and the lightest parts of the darks. Therefore the darks that I have painted in this first wash are not my darkest darks.

I want to create more interest in the foreground area, so I've stopped here, leaving some hard edges.
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The second step will deal mostly with that area.

Good morning,
We are still in isolation mode here in Illinois. In my last blog I shared my process of a step-by-step painting that I thought would be helpful to you painters during this time. 

Each painting is unique, so sometimes calls for a unique approach. If you followed along, you were aware that I worked in sections, rather than blocking in the entire piece–a deviation from my usual process. 

The color and value you apply to an area in a painting is influenced by the color and value adjacent to that area. Therefore, getting rid of the "white" of the paper was the first priority. In the last painting, I had to know how each section would change when I painted the next section.

In this next painting, I will return to my more traditional block-in method, leaving some white space on the first wash, but blocking in major areas of the painting.

First, thanks to Dale and Marilee Popovich for the photograph–my inspiration for this painting.

What is it about a photograph that wants you to paint it? Is it the subject, the color, contrast, or details? I chose this photo to paint because of the contrast of the lights and darks, and the temperature change of warm and cool.
No photograph is perfect in composition. So I want to make some adjustments. Remember, the elements of composition are, balance, unity, movement, proportion and emphasis-B.U.M.P.E.
​I did several sketches to create both a center of interest and the eye-movement that will carry the viewer throughout the painting. 

"On a Winters Day" was accepted into the 2020 Illinois Watercolor Society's National exhibit.
I didn't change the composition much. Just simplifying some of the details and adding some darker rocks was all that was needed. Some photographic references need more changing than others.

I will break down the steps in my next blog. See you at the easel!

Now that all of the major areas of the painting are completed, minor alterations can be made, adjusting contrast, intensity, color and detail.

First I will verify that the large areas of light, middle and dark values are correct. Then make any adjustments within each area.  If an area in general is a middle value, then all of the adjustments should be middle values. If I add a dark value to that area in may destroy its identity as a middle value. Pattern is key to making a painting work.

From there I made literally dozens of minor adjustments to finish this painting. I added details where I want to bring the viewer into the painting, suggesting more movement. To bring the viewer to the center of interest, I added some reflections in the water and did some scratching for highlights. Then I continued from the center of interest to the right, and back to the foreground to complete the painting.

The Finished Painting

I'm often asked "how do you know when the painting is finished?" My best answer is that when you are at the final stage of a painting and you see something that is wrong, then correct it if possible. if you see something that you think is wrong, leave it alone. You are done!

​This painting is completed. If this breakdown of my process was helpful to you, let me know and I will do another painting using this format. Thank you for following along!

As mentioned earlier, the success or failure of a painting happens before you pick up the brush. However, too much planning can hinder creativity.

Science indicates that the two hemispheres of the brain function differently. The left side is dominant in logic, which is important in the planning of a painting. The right side is dominant in creativity. Artists need to utilize both sides to make a painting work.

First, I had to do something with the white space on the right. I left that white because it creates movement that brings the viewer back to the foreground area. With the completion of the "oops" section, I now know what shapes to create to achieve that.

The original plan was to use the "path" starting from the lower left leading to the center of interest, as shown in the top photo. That path was going to be a flat area of grass. More of the same color would give me color harmony but not much variety.
So, instead of a grassy area, I decided to make it water. 
​There is some blue in the background, so it would still keep with the color harmony I had planned, but would add something a bit more interesting.

Methodical planning is the key to success, but for me, unintended departures along the way is the fun part of painting.

​The next step will be the final step.

As I move into the foreground, I need more contrast of value, more intensity and a warmer temperature to give depth to the painting. I decided to use some salt, a common technique used in watercolor painting to create more texture. 

Adding salt while the paint is wet will absorb the water and pigment, leaving a "blossom". You can use regular table salt for small "blossoms" or as I did in this painting, Kosher salt which makes larger "blossoms".

 The top image shows the section while it is still wet. Below is the section when dry.
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My goal was to get more texture and more contrast and more intensity. However, too much salt soaked up all of the color! Now I have a problem to solve.

To achieve my goal within this section,  all I had to do was add a little more form to the shapes created. But because I lost most of the intensity, I will have to repaint this area. The problem is the salt, which not only absorbs the water but also absorbs the sizing in the paper. As a consequence, putting another layer over that area results in a loss of transparency. The paint will soak into the paper and the underlying paint layer. So, in this case, I had to switch to staining pigments, phthalo green and olive green.

Another word of caution about the use of salt. Do not try to remove the salt before it is absolutely dry. The still-wet salt will smear and ruin the texture. Salt is very corrosive and in time will destroy the paper. You will want to remove all traces of the salt. You also want to clean your brushes thoroughly for the same reason.

​On to the next step!

This segment focuses on the middle ground of the painting, where the colors are more intense, warmer and the contrast of values is greater.

Unlike the photo reference, I want this area to be both flat and hilly with some small trees and shrubs. My brush strokes follow the form to show that.

It is important to consider the elements of form and movement. Visual movement in a painting can be created with line, edges, change of value and perspective. First, I want to move the viewer to the center of interest and then to the rest of the composition while preventing the viewer from leaving the painting. The path I am creating starts from the bottom and leads the viewer to the buildings. The darker tree values in the background attract the viewer to that area and then, as mentioned in a previous step, to the right side of the painting by use of value change.

​I left some unpainted (white spaces) on the right which I will build on to create movement to come back to where I started. 

After the middle ground was painted, I was able to paint the structures with more form and detail. The roofs that are in shadow were painted with a cooler color. The roofs in the light were painted with a warmer color. Light sides of the structures were painted with the warmest red on my palette, which is Cadmium Red Scarlet, and the shadow sides were painted with a cooler and grayer color, and the cast shadows were painted with a cooler and grayer color of the ground.

The most important area in the painting is of course, the center of interest, which in this case, is the entire cluster of buildings. The structures are small, and I'm working in transparent color, so controlling the edges is very important.

Many artists will use opaque pigments which allows them to make corrections in a transparent watercolor painting. Two of my favorite artists, Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent used opaque paint with amazing results.

So if I do make a mistake in this section of the painting I could easily use opaque paint to correct it. However, for me the challenge is the beauty of transparent layers, the most important aspect of painting in transparent watercolor.

In an example from an older painting, you can see the concept of painting "through" objects instead of "around" objects. The first wash was painted freely without regards to edges..

The edges are created in the next wash. Painting one edge is better than painting two edges. Fifty percent less work!

In the current painting, I have green grasses and red structures. These are complementary colors. Painting the green through the red structures, and then the red over that results in a loss of intensity. So, if I want intense reds, painting through is not an option.
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As you recall, I left a hard edge in the previous step. There is not a great difference in this section from that section as far as depth is concerned, so the edge should be soft. In the last step I chose to "overpaint" the edge to soften it. In this section I softened the edge very lightly with water.

The next decision to make is how I will want to handle painting the edges of the structures. I want distinct but not hard edges on the sides of the buildings, and soft edges at the bottom, so that they look like they are "in" the ground instead of "on" the ground.

​To do that I had to keep the bottom of each building wet and wait for the "sides" to dry enough so that the edge would be distinct. I will deal with the rooftops later. 

In the next steps I will be dealing with the larger areas of the painting which present different challenges!

In this painting, I will be painting around objects, leaving the white of the paper intact. Many artists will use masking fluid, a rubber cement-like substance to protect the white of the paper. I don't like to use masking fluid because I find it difficult to remove without smearing it with color, or destroying the paper.

The goals here are: to create soft edges, to incorporate warmer colors and more intense colors because I will now be working toward the foreground, and to create hard edges in the structures.

There are several ways to soften an edge in watercolor painting:
1. Scrub with a stiff brush. This is dependent on the hardness of the paper you are using. Heavy scrubbing can destroy the paper. 
2. Match the value of the edge when painting the next section. This takes a slow and careful wash that will affect the blending of the colors.
3, Over painting–painting past an edge. Because the change of value and color is not extreme, painting one section into another will leave a well-defined but a softened edge.

I want a definite yet soft edge, and softer away from the center of the composition. I painted past the edge of the first wash and carefully painted around the roof of one of the structures and then, while still wet, painted some darker tree shapes near the structure.
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​While the wash was still wet, I lifted areas behind the trees by using a dry brush to remove some of the color. Near the darker tree mass in the background, using a wet brush, I lifted a path leading to the right background and to soften some of the edges in that area. 

​The next section will deal with the same issues, painting around several small buildings, scrubbing areas to soften an edge.

My main concern in this painting is creating the effect of aerial or atmospheric perspective. Our atmosphere
is comprised of water vapor that forms on tiny dust particles in the air. The more atmosphere we look through, the more it affects how we perceive colors. Because water molecules are blue, the colors appear to be more blue as they recede further into the background.

This atmosphere is like a veil of light blue color. Looking at a dark valued color through this "veil" will lighten the value of that color. The opposite is also true.  Looking at a light valued color through that "veil" will make that color darker in value. As a result, the values of all objects will have less contrast, resulting in softer edges.

An edge is formed when two different colors or values meet. If the contrast between them is extreme, it will create a hard edge. If there is less contrast between colors or values, the edge will be soft.

As I mentioned in the first blog, I will be painting in segments as opposed to painting in my usual manner. The plan is to work from background to foreground, or top to bottom. While this approach  does not allow me to be able to keep the edges soft from section to section, it does make it easier to keep the edges soft within each section.

I want to make the colors in the background cooler (or bluer) and the edges softer. Also, because I want the background to have more movement, I will change the values from lighter to darker from left to right.
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Wetting the sections enables me to keep the edges soft in that section, and gives me enough time to control the color and values.

The problem with this approach is that it creates a hard edge at the bottom of the section. 

The next step will be more difficult because of the structures. I will have to deal with the hard edge created in the first step and then keep the edges soft in the next step while creating harder edges for the buildings.
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​Stay tuned!