Traditional Sketches & Paintings From Imagination and Life
Monday, May 25, 2009
Today a stiff wind danced across a nearby coastal valley with rolling fog dissolving edges of this tree study. Sepia & burnt sienna watercolor washes with pen & ink on hot press Sennelier calligraphy paper - a nice lush vellum like surface.
Your work is for lack of a better word Increadible! I definitely see the influence of Ruisdael. I love big skies also. Can I ask you a technical question? How do you keep the the colors from averaging into each other? I am having that problem and all of my values are losing readability. Do you let each layer dry thoroughly before moving toward the finish? Thank you for any help you can give me.
I think one approach that may help you is to start with middle value tones in your sketch and work to the extremes of the lightest lights and darkest darks when you are close to completion. You can pick a high key (lighter value range tonal scheme) or darker as a direction for your image and restrain one end of the tonal spectrum if needed. If your paintings feel 'muddy,' place sharper contrast to these muted areas. As with color you can try and experiment with broken color, which is really under mixing colors to produce variation on a family color. For example if you paint an orange, you can shift the orange hue to cool yellows on one side to almost purple red on the other. It's a huge topic but really interesting... happy painting!
Hi Erik, thankyou for the advice. It is paying off. I was wondering if you find the time, could you look at my blog and shed some light on my weaknesses so that I can work on strengthening those areas of my work? I know that it's alot to ask but I hope that you do. I really do want to be a better artist. Just looking at your blog has taught me how to draw from my influences and how to better interperet what I am seeing. Not to mention the fact that I am now hooked on watercolor and gouache:)
This is really wonderful. I do hope you can have another workshop in Northern California. Spots filled up so quickly last time around, but I look forward to a future workshop. As always, thanks for the inspiration!
Really nice work. I use Gouache white mixed with transparent watercolors a lot in my work so can really appreciate what you are doing. It really baffles folks to watch me mixing watercolors with a pallette knife. Love your work.
15 comments:
that's really awesome erik!
there's something in the pen marks that i find particularly achieved.
keep it up!
that`s really nice man..... Good sketch...!!!!!
Great sketch!!!
awesome man - do you sketch with pen first or after the wash? thanks for sharing!
I really enjoy your work Erik! It has an old masters feel to it! Loving this tree sketch! Thanks for sharing this.
-Jason
dope-ness
Your work is for lack of a better word Increadible!
I definitely see the influence of Ruisdael.
I love big skies also.
Can I ask you a technical question?
How do you keep the the colors from averaging into each other?
I am having that problem and all of my values are losing readability.
Do you let each layer dry thoroughly before moving toward the finish?
Thank you for any help you can give me.
Hi Gregory,
I think one approach that may help you is to start with middle value tones in your sketch and work to the extremes of the lightest lights and darkest darks when you are close to completion. You can pick a high key (lighter value range tonal scheme) or darker as a direction for your image and restrain one end of the tonal spectrum if needed. If your paintings feel 'muddy,' place sharper contrast to these muted areas. As with color you can try and experiment with broken color, which is really under mixing colors to produce variation on a family color. For example if you paint an orange, you can shift the orange hue to cool yellows on one side to almost purple red on the other. It's a huge topic but really interesting... happy painting!
-Erik
OMG... What blog did I get into? Sacred ground! Awesome.
Hi Erik, thankyou for the advice. It is paying off.
I was wondering if you find the time, could you look at my blog and shed some light on my weaknesses so that I can work on strengthening those areas of my work?
I know that it's alot to ask but I hope that you do. I really do want to be a better artist.
Just looking at your blog has taught me how to draw from my influences and how to better interperet what I am seeing.
Not to mention the fact that I am now hooked on watercolor and gouache:)
This is really wonderful. I do hope you can have another workshop in Northern California. Spots filled up so quickly last time around, but I look forward to a future workshop. As always, thanks for the inspiration!
Beautiful tree drawing!
Came Across you Blog, just wonted to say really grate work man =D ill keep watching.
Expressive work!
Wonderful!
Really nice work. I use Gouache white mixed with transparent watercolors a lot in my work so can really appreciate what you are doing. It really baffles folks to watch me mixing watercolors with a pallette knife.
Love your work.
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