A few weekends back I had the opportunity to visit Duke Farms and see the Coach Barn, which was open to the public for the first time in a long while. It is a rather impressive building, complete with stables and working clock tower. Constructed in 1900, the Coach Barn is where J.B. Duke conducted his day to day business. The clock is over 100 years old, and has never broken down or failed to tell the correct time.
The painting started on location and finished in my studio (I just like writing that) since the day was getting late and the bugs were biting. As you can see below, it was still a bit rough and unformed. I used several different pens to vary the line weight, trying hard not to "over work" it with unnecessary detail.
Watercolor, Pen & Ink on 140 lbs block 12x16
I set up with the en plein air easel and my niece joined me, creating her own painting. It was fun. Several people stopped over to watch us paint and ask questions, which is certainly something that never happens when I sit on a bench with a pad in my lap and sketch.
Here is the un-inked version of the painting. I had to leave it a little too rough to call it a finished work. The ink adding just the right amount of detail and clarity.
Ahem. . .watercolors are tricky. Every time I think I understand what I am doing, they bring me back down to earth.
There are certain technical points to this piece that I quite like, and of course, some that I do not. The copper tea and stump pot came out as I hoped using a glazing technique to give more depth to the colors. I mixed the greens of the grass instead of using pure tube sap green pigment. There is a nice gradation to the greens, with spots of yellow, raw sienna and darker blue-greens flowing throughout the foreground. I also drew a half inch border around the paper before starting because I have always liked how that looks in other artist's work.
Compositionally, the rooster and the teapot/stump are too close together, I think there needed to be more space between them to draw the eye around the painting. And I definitely over worked the rooster too much, the details of his feathers are lost in the layers of dark colors.
Watercolor on 140 lbs block 9x12
I often admire the legions of Urban Sketchers in their cool European cities as they dazzle with their eye popping work of old world buildings and parks. One day I will join them on an urban sketch crawl. But in the interim, I will contend myself with painting more locally. I think that Central Jersey has its own charm and appeal. That is why I am challenging myself to start my own Central Jersey Project to help me grow, but to also showcase the beauty of Central Jersey (and I will be taking a liberal view of where that actually is). Plus, it forces me to use my en plein air easel and tripod set up.
This painting is of the boat house by the Duck Pond, which is a small park (less than 2 mile area) that meanders around the Ambrose Brook, complete with its own little waterfall. This area is prone to flooding, especially after the last two big hurricanes. And, as its name implies, is home to many ducks, though none were to be seen this weekend. I think I was able to actually achieve a nice contrast between light and dark, especially in the bushes in the far ground.
Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor block 9x12
The view up from the docks to the boat house
Despite teaching biology in college, I have been accused of a having a willful ignorance of local flora (there is a running joke that I call all small flowering trees dogwoods). While that may be true to an extent, I am not that bad. But here is where I fail to disprove that hypothesis. In our side yard, we have both rhododendrons and rose of sharon growing. And of course, I call them both rose of sharon because, well, it amuses me (sad but true).
Below is a painting of said rhododendron in said side yard. This painting is a rather large and has the distinction of being the first painting on my new en plein air easel and tripod set up (see below). I was very excited to finally get to use my new kit, it makes me feel like a real artist.
Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor block 12x16
I doubt his name is Stan as I did not get the opportunity to ask him his name or what he thought of this painting. He began to pack up his stuff the moment I finished inking the picture, so I had to work fast on the color and the shadows. But judging from his Che Guevara bag and other accoutrements, I am guessing his name is not Stan. But who knows, maybe it is.
Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25
If asked, most comic nerds would say that either Barry Winsor-Smith or Big John Buscema are the definitive Conan comic book artists. And I would agree with that (especially when Buscema was inked by Ernie Chan) senitment but there is another, oft forgotten, yet incredibly innovative artist from back in the 70's. Alex Nino was an innovative artist who did some mind blowing things, from wild layouts to incredibly detailed line work.
Most of his work was in the black and white Savage Sword of Conan (SSC). In 1978, Marvel reprinted Savage Sword of Conan #6 (art by Nino) in color for the first time in Marvel Treasury Edition #19. At the time I had no idea who Alex Nino was, but I read and stared at that issue for hours on end. His work has continued to amaze and inspire me. Below is my adaption of one of the panels from that SSC story. As always, click to embiggen'.
Pen & Ink with watercolor on 200 lbs watercolor paper 14x10
Here is the picture before I painted it. As you can see, I only lightly inked it before adding watercolors. After the paint dried, I went back and add more detail in ink.
It was a windy, misty afternoon in Hyde Park when I sat down to paint this. You can clearly see the unpainted area where the clips kept the paper from flapping all around. By the time I finished, most of the Golden Gate Bridge was lost to the mist and waning sun.
I like the little details on the dock in the foreground. They were almost an after thought as I finished up, but I think it gives the picture more scale.
watercolor on paper 5.5 x 16.50
Barry Winsor-Smith may very well be my most favorite artist. His run on Conan in the early 70's was awesome. His subsequent return to Conan or a Conan inspired genre like Freebooters was nothing short of magnificent.
So when I wanted to practice using watercolor to do more comic book like art, it made since to use him as a guide. It took some research to figure out how to make decent skin tones (the key is to heavily dilute the reds and add a touch of burnt sienna). I also like how many artists (including BWS) include cool blues in the shadows. I might have over done it a bit with the blue but I think I better understand it now.
Overall, the results are not half bad, by Crom!
Watercolor and ink on 140 lbs watercolor paper 9x12
I did a simple hike in Washington Valley Park and for the first time brought tube paints along with my Pocket Palette (dried paints). It was crazy windy by the East Branch Reservoir where I set up but the sun was warm. With the wind whipping by, I had to work fast. The result was this groovy, abstract painting. I love the juicy washes in the sky and the evergreen trees using the tube paint. I can see why many Urban Sketchers bring tubes along with them on site.
Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor board 9x12
Here is the actual photo. It was so windy that the clouds were constantly changing and moving by, altering the shadows they threw on the trees and water below. While I painted, several college-aged kids hop across the little rock bridge in the foreground that was partially submerged. None fell in.
Slowly, Spring is starting to return. The weather is trying to get warmer. More and more birds are showing up at our feeder. We see robins, cardinals, finches, chickadees, bluejays and a few others I have not yet identified. And they make great subject matter.
This painting is a departure from all the landscapes I have done recently. It is always good to try something new. Plus, it allowed me to do more drawing before the watercolors, which was fun.
Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor paper 9x12
The name of this Triad is called Reflections (Blue Apatite Genuine, Deep Sap Green and Transparent Brown Oxide) and it is an apt name. What lovely granulating washes the blue apatite made for the distant mounts and the deep sap green is so lush I did use my favorite, verditer blue for the sky and water.
I like the haphazard washes and energy in the water and mountains. I also like how the sky and granulated blue mountains gives it a feel of a rainy day, which are perfect days for reflections.
Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor block 9x12
And the title also follows the great tradition of similar titles and concepts.
Okay, I might need help. Daniel Smith ran a sale on some of its really cool triads and I just had to try them. This simple painting was done with the "Low Tide" triad" (hematite genuine, natural sleeping beauty turquoise and yellow iron oxide). It is based on the sample picture that comes with the set, but I simplified it quite a bit.
It is amazing the degree of colors and shades that can be made from only three colors.
Watercolor on 140lbs paper
I have been marveling at other artists' still life paintings of late and realized that I have not done one myself in probably 20 years. And with today being the first day of Spring (although you would never know it from the weather), I figured that meant flowers.
Not that I did them justice, but they are colorful and pretty. Happy first day of Spring!!
Watercolor on 140lbs paper 9x12
The 9x12 paper is just a bit too big for my scanner and that causes some shadowing on the paper. I might have to re-scan this or take a photo of it instead.
When I went to run some errands this afternoon, there was a wee bunny just chillin' in my side yard. Imagine my surprise when he was still there when I returned, undeterred by my car pulling into the driveway in front of him. I decided to snap a few photos with my phone and paint the brave little guy's portrait.
Watercolor on 140 lbs paper 10x7
I am pleased with how the bunny turned out and the amount of detail I achieved. But I am even more pleased that I was able to layer a light wash of burnt umber and pthalo over the top of the bamboo on the side. Normally, I would not want to ruin the under drawing and left it as is. The drawing would have been all mid-tones and very boring as a result.
This winter has been tough, even for those of us who enjoy the cold. I figured since Mother Nature was teasing us with an almost Spring day (it hit over 60 degrees here) before sending us more cold, I would paint something colorful. . .and warm.
Watercolor on 140lbs watercolor block 9x12
I used M Graham watercolors for this (I bought his Shades of Summer limited edition at a year end close out sale; highland green, bismuth yellow, cobalt teal, permanent green pale and scarlet pyrrol) instead of my normal Daniel Smith. I did supplement with DS verditer blue to create a purple for the sky (I thought I would get a purple from the orange-red scarlet pyrrol and cobalt teal, but that made a nice brown I used on the beach). Funny thing is, apparently MG and DS watercolors do not mix so well. You can see the granulation in the clouds (this also happened on my palette as the mix dried). That is too bad as I like these colors, perhaps I will make a MG only travel palette.
I like the layering of colors in the beach and the dunes, probably because I allowed the paints to fully dry before laying on additional paint. . .Ah patience, it is a virue.
Okay, this one is pretty cool. I have always loved the ye olde style medical illustrations on tanned parchment paper. But it is hard to find toned paper that can handle watercolor.
So for this drawing, I made my own toned paper. First I taped a border with masking tape. Next, I toned the paper using a light wash of raw sienna and quin orange (I cannot tell the difference). I did not distribute the wash evenly, giving the paper an older, weathered look. The drawing is in free hand (using a photo reference) directly in ink (winsor & newton nut brown) using a kuretake comic book nib in a tachikawa nib holder. I love the different line weights that this nib can create.
I love the white border that is created by removing the tape, it frames the drawing nicely.
Nut brown ink on toned 140 lbs watercolor paper 10x7
Ultimately, the goal is turn the reference photo this was based on into a pastel painting. However, I needed something to paint and decided to try a color study. The orange leaves of the tree are a mix of alizarin crimson and quin gold (which I am finding is a versatile color). I muddy up the tree a bit, I am too impatient and need to let the color dry and use a wet-on-dry technique.
Watercolor on paper 10x7
I am trying to draw and paint more, it is true. But I had been trying to make every picture I do a perfect finished product. I was not spending any time just doodling or screwing around or trying something outside my comfort zone (and possibly failing). Below are some examples of me just playing around in various medium.
Believe it or not, only two colors were used for this: pthalo blue and burnt umber. I do not mix colors well and it is something I am working on. I saw another artist do a wonderful snow scene using those two colors and I knew I had to try it. I think the colors on the mountain are quite stunning. I overworked the sky too much but that is okay.
Once upon I was quite the accomplished letterer and calligrapher. I created wedding invites and seat placement cards. Alas, my skills have atrophied considerably since high school (as can be seen above). With the advent of new, high quality yet inexpensive calligraphy pens, I am looking forward to sharpening my skills. Plus it is fun.
I filled the bottom of this practice sheet with a little line work using two different weight faber-castell markers (XS and S). Then I decided to play around with watercolor and grey marker. I like the figure and his stance (how he is shifting his weight on one leg) and I like the line work on the rocks he is standing on as well as the distant mountain. Not sure if the color adds anything, but that was not the point, the point was just to be creative.
This doodle was done with several different brown/sepia inks, everything from marker to Winsor & Newton peat brown ink with a speed ball nib and even a little conte crayon for good measure. As has been abundantly clear, I love brown/sepia inks. This was just me playing with a bunch of tools that I have acquired over the last decade.
Below is some details of the page. I like the variety of lines that can be achieved with a dip pen or brush.
The reference photo I used was cropped and only showed half of the moose. Rather than fill the caboose of the moose myself, I decided to leave half a moose. It gives it a weird, ethereal vibe that I quite like, especially with the light washes.
As with the backyard tree, I used a simple color palette of browns (raw sienna, burnt umbar and van dyke brown) but added a splash of green for contrast and pop.
Pen & ink and watercolor on 246 lbs acrylic linen paper 9x12
Here is the initial sketch using winsor & newton peat brown ink and kuretake comic pen nib G model. Lately, I have been using a variety of markers to draw as they are convenient and portable. I forgot how wonderful it is to draw with a dip pen and nibs. You cannot produce the variety of weighted lines with a marker that you can with a nib. Much of line work is obscured by the watercolor washes, but that is okay. It was still fun to do them.
Pastel painting is my true passion. While I am enjoying watercolor immensely, working in pastels is where I feel most expressive. Hard to believe it has been nearly a decade since I have painted a landscape in pastels and 2 years since this.
This is another Key West sunset, taken while on a Wine and Wind sailing tour. It was a great time and a perfect end to a wonderful day. I had debated about trying this sky in watercolor, but ultimately I felt I could do it more justice in pastels. Plus, my beautiful Unison pastels have sat neglected long enough.
What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
TS Eliot
Little Gidding
Pastel on paper mounted on board 16x20
The room set up and photo reference. Since I have flattened my high school easel for my watercolor work, I am using a table top easel for the pastels. I like this new set up as it allows me to paint in watercolor or pastels, without wasting time finding my tools. If you look closely, you will notice the sky in the photo is different from the final, I felt the color gradation was too jarring and needed to be softened.
A detailed close up of the setting sun. I blended some of the colors in the clouds to give them a more atmospheric look while left the strokes in the water rougher to show motion. Notice how the grain of the pastel paper peaks thru in some areas, but not in others.
