Drawing Painting Trees in the Landscape by Nice, Claudia

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drawing & painting

  trees

in the landscape Claudia nice

Table of Contents Introduction CHAPTER 1

beginning with pencil and pen CHAPTER 2

foliage colors and techniques CHAPTER 3

creating textured tree trunks CHAPTER 4

rugged evergreen landscapes CHAPTER 5

portraying the graceful hardwoods CHAPTER 6

spring owering trees CHAPTER 7

the splendid colors of autumn CHAPTER 8

the beauty of winter contours Index About the Author

Dedication

Introduction “To every thing there is a season” … and the seasons are re ected most vividly in the branches of the deciduous trees. Spring brings swelling buds, tender leaves, and blossoms that vibrate with the hum of insects. The beauty of renewed life beckons us out of doors. Some of us are clutching cameras and sketching tools. As spring slips into summer, the deciduous trees sheathe themselves in foliage cloaks. The variety of leafy hues is almost endless. On our painting palette, yellows, blues and ecks of red are swirled together to produce olive green, chartreuse, emerald, viridian, and most everything in between. But alas, summer is eeting and before the oil paint is fully dry on our pastoral treescape, the fruit is ripening in the orchard and the squirrels are gathering nuts.

Autumn arrives with re in her hair. The trees re ect the radiant hues and excite our senses with burning color. Eagerly we dab and swish into our favorite painting medium, striving valiantly to capture the splendor of the fall scene. Subtly, leaf by leaf, the glory in the crown of the trees drifts to the ground. Winter glides in on a crystal snow ake and the deciduous trees bow before her unadorned. Each defect, twisted limb and textured length of bark is displayed for us to contemplate and set down in detail. Pencil and pen move deliberately over the paper to suggest wood grains and knotholes. When our senses weary of grays and browns, the evergreen trees come to the rescue. This is their season of grandeur. They stand like noblemen, richly-clad green boughs stretched above the sleeping earth. They add life to our drawings and paintings as we work near the warmth of the hearth, whether in home or studio, and look forward to the coming of spring.

This book is about trees and how they relate to the landscape in all seasons. It’s a guide, intended to help you get better acquainted with trees artistically, so you can relax and have fun as you sketch and paint them. Just as the seasons change, so do the moods and colors of the trees. There is not one “perfect” medium or painting style with which to depict them. Therefore, within the pages of this book, you’ll nd leaf, limb and bark techniques in a variety of mediums and styles. Choose your favorite or broaden your horizons and try them all. If nding the perfect foliage and bark hue has caused you anxiety in the past, the simpli ed color mixing charts included in each chapter and alongside each project will show you how to master the creation of color. I’ve heard it said that sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees, but by increasing your observation skills and simplifying what you see, you can learn to see both tree and forest clearly and paint them as well. I invite you to walk with me down the wooded path, through the seasons, and we’ll share the adventure of drawing and painting trees.

CHAPTER 1

T

beginning with pencil and pen

he texture of deeply grooved bark, the warped grain of weathered branches and the massed thickness of overlapping leaves can be eloquently described with the stroke of a pencil or pen. It can be done simply, using just a few suggestive lines and scribbles or worked in intricate detail, as illustrated by the drawings of the rugged r tree on the facing page. Since most pencil and pen drawings are nished in tones of gray and black, the most important factor in creating a good representation of the subject is line and tonal contrast. The mark or line made by the drawing tool is responsible for de ning the edge and overall shape of the subject, its roughness or smoothness, and its stance or movement. The darkness of the mark and how close the lines are drawn together is responsible for creating contrast of value—the relative gray and black tones in the drawing. It’s the value contrast that lends the drawing a three-dimensional appearance, by describing the form shadows, cast shadows and the surface texture. Consider the drawings of the walnut shown below. Figure 1 is a simple line drawing describing the general shape of the subject. From those few lines we can conclude that it’s a rounded, centered object divided into sections, with hard, smooth edges. Its identity is still rather vague. Figure 2 has a few additional lines, which tell us that the surface of the object is covered with smooth bumps. It’s starting to reveal itself as a drawing of a nut. In gure 3, value contrast has been added. The inner shape of the walnut, the surface shadows and texture, are now fully de ned. The cast shadow beneath the nut lets us know that it’s resting on a smooth surface.

This chapter is designed to get you started with the basics. It will show you how to turn a few pencil lines into the beginnings of a tree and how to add the texture and shadework that will bring it to life. So gather your sketching supplies and let’s get started.

Basic supplies for pencil drawing The graphite pencil is the primary tool. A common no. 2 writing pencil is ne for preliminary work and light shading. Drawing pencils range from hard leads (H and HB) to soft leads (B). An HB, 2B and the darker 4B will get you started. You may also want a charcoal pencil for quick sketches and heavy lines. A white charcoal pencil is nice for adding highlights when working on gray tone papers. Drawing surfaces range from illustration and bristol boards to drawing tablets. Look for 100 percent rag papers, which usually have the strength to withstand the repeated rubbing of pencil leads, erasers and blending stumps. For longevity, choose acid-free surfaces. You will need some kind of sharpener to renew the pencil point. Electric or manual pencil sharpeners provide an easy way of doing this, although pen knives and razor blades also work. A sandpaper block or nail le can be used to shape the lead into a chisel point for creating broad lines.

Other useful tools include paper blending stumps and at least two erasers. Heavy-duty paper stumps, and the more delicate paper tortillions, are used to smear, lighten and blend graphite lines and patches. A block eraser is needed for removing large areas of graphite, while a kneadable eraser can be formed to work in narrow spaces. MATERIALS LIST PENCILS no. 2 writing pencil drawing pencils in HB, 2B, 4B

charcoal pencil

white charcoal pencil

DRAWING SURFACES illustration board bristol board

drawing tablet OTHER SUPPLIES

electric or manual sharpener tortillions and paper stumps block and kneadable erasers

Pencil marks Although simple in design, the pencil is a very versatile tool. By changing the shape of the point or the angle at which it is applied, you can create numerous line widths. To change the value from light to dark, you can choose a softer lead, apply more pressure or overlap the strokes. The illusion of texture is created by varying the pattern of the pencil strokes, as shown below.

Stroking with the pencil point provides narrow, precise lines, while using a chisel edge or the side of the pencil will create broad lines that are good for loose sketching or lling in.

Blends and smudge Graphite smudges easily, whether or not it’s intentional. Protect your work by resting your hand on a separate piece of clean paper. Spraying nished areas with workable xative is a good idea.

Controlled smudges work beautifully to create smooth, solid areas, to make graduated blends and to soften edges. Simply rub the graphite marks to make them smear. Fingers work, but using a paper stump or tortillion is less messy and more accurate. Blended tones add a soft look to the branches of this tree, while a few nal scribble lines suggest individual leaves.

1Use quick scribble lines to suggest the contours of the branches.

2Soften the marks with a tortillion.

details such as a few individual 3Add around the outside edges of the tree.

twigs and leaves, especially

The smooth, rounded contour of these pears is suggested by following the four easy steps shown below. Use a 2B sketching pencil and a paper tortillion. A kneaded eraser can be useful in retrieving narrow highlight areas that may be accidently smudged.

Sketching distant trees At a distance the tone and texture of trees is softened. Try simplifying them as shown in these steps.

1Lightly indicate the tree groupings and major shadow areas with a no. 2 pencil and a loose scribble line.

2Use hatch marks and crosshatching to suggest the shape and texture of the tree forms. Work in light to mid-tone grays, leaving plenty of highlight areas. The greater the value range, the closer to the viewer the trees will appear.

3Smudge

and smooth the lines together using a tortillion or paper stump. Leave just a hint of outline, texture and tonal variation. The back row of trees should be less de ned than those in front.

Cottonwood Canyon | 10” × 8” (25 × 200m), graphite on paper

No. 2B and 4B pencils were used to shade and detail this drawing. The background trees are a little closer than the ones shown on the opposite page, and therefore, are slightly more detailed. Their dark shadow values provide good contrast for the foreground tree.

Basic supplies for pen and ink My rst ink pen was a crow quill dip pen with a ne nib. It provided a delicate line and was economical, but had to be recharged with ink frequently, had limited stroking direction and tended to spatter now and again. My favorite inking tool for studio work is the Koh I-Noor Rapidograph technical pen, in nib sizes .25mm, .35mm and .50 mm. It maintains a reliable line width, can be stroked in any direction and has a re llable cartridge. The drawbacks are price and maintenance—it must be cleaned on a regular basis to work properly. For eld work and quick sketching, felt tip pens can’t be beat. My favorites are the Pigma Micron or the Pitt pen. Both contain permanent ink and come in a variety of nib sizes. Buy several, as you cannot tell when they are going to run out of ink.

For a quality drawing surface, choose an acid-free paper that is recommended for pen and ink work. The surface must be polished enough to prevent the ink lines from fraying along the edges. The ink you choose is very important. There are many types available, but many are made from dyes that tend to fade over time. My favorite permanent ink is Koh-I-Noor Universal Black India Ink (3080). It is waterproof and brush-proof, allowing watercolor washes to be stroked over it without bleeding. Speedball and Higgins also make good waterproof India inks. If you are using a technical pen, make sure that the ink you choose is recommended for it. For colored ink work, I prefer Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Artist’s Ink, in transparent colors. It’s vibrant, permanent, water resistant and compatible with a technical pen. MATERIALS LIST PENS

Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph technical pen in nib sizes .25mm, .35mm and .50mm Pigma Micron or Pitt felt tip pen DRAWING SURFACE

acid-free paper with smooth nish

INKS Koh-I-Noor Universal Black India Ink (3080) Speedball waterproof India ink Higgins waterproof India ink Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Artist’s colored ink

Seven basic pen strokes

Contour Lines

These smoothly drawn lines may be straight or curved, long or short, and are arranged side by side following the shape of the object. To create darker values, the lines are moved closer together. Change of direction is accomplished subtly, using several strokes. Contour lines work well to depict smooth, rounded surfaces or to give the suggestion of motion.

Parallel Lines

Parallel lines give a subject a at, smooth appearance. When used without an outline, these lines provide a faded, hazy or distant look. They should be drawn side by side and as straight as the human hand can stroke them unaided. However, a few pencil-drawn guidelines laid down with a ruler will help keep the lines running at the same angle. Parallel lines can be drawn vertically, horizontally or diagonally, but once the direction is established, it should not uctuate. It’s all right to break long parallel lines into shorter, more manageable sections as shown in the examples at right.

Stippling

Stippled marks are a series of dots produced by holding the pen in a vertical position and applying it gently to the paper multiple times. Stippling works well to depict subjects made up of numerous small

particles, delicate translucent leaves, lichen and dusty objects. The larger the pen nib size, the more gritty the texture will appear.

Crisscross Lines

These are hair-like lines that are placed side by side like contour lines, but are allowed to cross and overlap in a random manner. Crisscross lines may be short and straight or long and curved, depending on what they are depicting. They work well to depict hair, moss, grass or weed patches.

Crosshatching

Crosshatching is accomplished by laying down two or more sets of hatch marks (resembling contour or parallel lines), which are stroked in di erent directions and intersect. Crosshatching can produce a wide variety of textural e ects ranging from semi-smooth to very rough, depending on the angle at which the lines intersect,

the size of the pen nib and the precision of the strokes. Use crosshatching to deepen shadows, depict rough tree bark and to suggest foliage clumps on middle-ground trees.

Wavy Lines

Wavy lines are long owing marks drawn side by side in such a manner as to form a rippling pattern. They are useful for depicting repetitive grainy textures such as those found in weathered wood, tree rings, thick bark plates and tree fungus. Changing the pen nib size will provide a variety of splits and cracks. Wavy lines are often used in conjunction with contour or parallel lines for shade work, and scribbly lines to form knot holes and bits of worn bark. The fungus (Red-belted Polypore), sketched below, has a wonderful, repetitive pattern that is fun to duplicate with wavy lines. However, ink lines could not catch their delicate coloration, so I added a light wash of watercolor over top.

Scribble Lines

Scribble lines are loosely drawn marks that loop and twist about in a random, whimsical manner. They may be tight or loose, short or continuous, according to the needs of the artist. When used as a

texturing technique, scribble lines provide a matted, tangled or u y appearance, which is perfect for depicting foliage clumps, undergrowth, rugged tree bark and moss. The looseness and restateability of scribble strokes makes them the technique of choice for creating quick study sketches of almost any subject.

The forest and stream landscape above was drawn using .25mm, .35mm and .50mm Rapidograph pens and lots of scribble lines. This is a very busy scene. The use of strong value contrast, and an occasional change in line direction and texture, keeps the scene from merging into a confusing mass.

Note that the foreground trees lean diagonally across the page. The scribble lines used to create them are dark and bold. In contrast, the trees on the far side of the water stand vertically, and are inked in lighter values. To provide a bit of textural contrast, the background foliage areas are worked in a scribbled crosshatch. The white trunks and bank area help to separate the background from the foreground, and provide a resting place for the eye. Parallel lines, laid horizontally, are used to suggest the stream. This change

of line texture and direction helps to clarify what is water and what is rock, banks and tree trunks.

Leaf groupings A thick clump of overlapping leaves can be a di cult subject to draw—especially the groupings that are close enough to reveal individual leaves, but too far away to draw with any detail. I’ve tried sketching them, one leaf at a time, and it doesn’t take long until I’ve lost track of where I am. The results often look sti and contrived. Demonstrated below is a simple method I’ve come up with to successfully depict masses of “middle-ground” leaves.

with a loose scribble stroke to suggest the grouping of leaves. 1Begin Although you can do your preliminary work in pencil, it will save you a

step if you jump right in with the pen. If the leaves are large and lobed like oak or maple, set down a series of random “amoeba” shapes (1a). If the leaves are rounded or elliptical, scribble in some loose oval shapes (1b). In either case, make sure that the scribble shapes mingle and overlap, and not merely touch at the edges. Outline them with a narrow ink line (.25mm). value contrast by lling in the spaces between the leaves as 2Create shown in examples 2 and 3. This contrast of dark against light will pop

the leaves forward. Tightly scribbled loops (A) will suggest moss or tinyleaved plants. Thick crosshatching (B) or wiry scribble lines running in one direction (C) will create deeply shadowed areas.

the leaf shapes with parallel lines where they overlap or are in 3Shade shadow areas (3). Look at the drawing on the facing page, lower right-

hand corner, to see how this leaf grouping looks as part of a larger drawing.

Basic tree shapes: Conifers Conifers, sometimes referred to as softwoods or evergreens, are those trees with needle-like or scale-like leaves. Although most of them retain their leaves year round, a few like the Larch and Tamarack turn golden and drop their needles in late fall. The sketches on this and the following page represent a scattering of conifers as they might look growing under ideal conditions. Note that the foliage-bearing part of the tree (the crown), is somewhat cone shaped in most of the examples. However, the angle and spread of the limbs and the shape of the trunk can vary greatly from species to species. Scribble lines work quite well to suggest the texture of these background-sized trees.

Drawing a conifer Begin by studying the subject. How tall is it? What is the shape of its outer perimeter? Do the branches reach skyward, stretch horizontally or do they droop toward the ground? Is the trunk straight or curved? Study the young California Red Fir in the photograph at right.

pencil in the height and shape of the trunk. This sapling bows 1Lightly slightly to the right.

pencil in the general shape of the crown. Note how far it 2Lightly extends down the trunk. Use pencil lines to mark where the main

branches are. Notice that not all of them extend to the outer edge of the crown. The branches that extend to the front are indicated as a line (2a) that straddles across the trunk.

the branches with scribbly patches of foliage, marking the 3Drape shadow areas a little heavier. Erase the trunk and branch guidelines as

you work, except where they cross open areas. Use a paper stump or tortillion to blend the foliage areas for a softer look.

The branches of this spruce tree are dense and thickly covered with foliage, making it more di cult to draw than the young tree on the previous page. However, the steps are basically the same. In step 3, the spruce was nished using a .35mm ink pen and lots of loose, loopy, scribble strokes.

Basic tree shapes: Hardwoods The hardwood or broad-leafed trees vary greatly in their height, their limb structure and the appearance of their trunk. The shape and density of their foliage crown also di ers from species to species. They can range in shape from the plump, circular or triangular crown of the maples, to the long, lanky appearance of the Lombardy Poplar. The trees sketched on this and the following page are a sampling of some of the common hardwoods found in North America as they might be seen growing in ideal conditions. It might be fun to make some thumbnail sketches of the trees found in your locality and see how they compare.

Drawing broadleaf trees The broadleaf tree in this photo is a mature Yellow Poplar. The easiest way to draw it or any other hardwood in full leaf is to follow the steps shown here.

1Decide how tall you want the tree to be in your drawing and lightly

pencil the outer shape of the tree into that space, including the trunk. It sometimes helps to mentally divide the crown of the tree in half and see what shape you see above and below the halfway point. The crown on this poplar tree is shaped like a half circle on top and then ares out into a larger elliptical shape on the bottom. Next, lightly pencil in the

trunk as it extends up into the tree and the main limbs. Not all the limbs may be visible through the foliage, but you can assume that each major cluster of leaves has a branch running to it. Pay special attention to how the limbs extend away from the trunk. Are they at an upward angle or fairly horizontal? the subject and sketch in the leaf groupings. Unless the tree is 2Study badly damaged, there will be clusters of leaves on all four sides. The

leaves on the back side of the tree are not drawn in at this time but will be represented as shadow areas later on. You can begin to erase those parts of trunk and limbs that will be hidden beneath the foliage. to darken the shaded parts of the foliage clusters so they take on 3Begin a dimensional look. If you plan to nish the sketch in ink, you may want to switch over to a pen for this step.

the drawing using a 2B pencil and a paper tortillion to smear 4Complete and soften some of the foliage. Note that the heaviest shadows are in the areas where you can see through the tree to the foliage on the back side. Scribble strokes add a bit of texture. This pen and ink drawing of the same Yellow Poplar tree was completed using .25mm and .35mm pens and lots of loose, loopy, scribble strokes.

This Scrub Oak is a eld study from one of my sketchbook journals. It was sketched en plein air on a chaparral slope in Arizona, using 2B and 4B graphite pencils and a charcoal pencil.

CHAPTER 2

H

foliage colors and techniques

ave you ever stood in front of a paint rack in an art store and been overwhelmed by the vast array of color choices? The range of greens alone is opulent: Viridian, Phthalo Green, Permanent Green Light, Hooker’s Green, Sap Green, Olive Green, Azo Green, Cobalt Green, Emerald Green, Chromium Oxide Green, Terre Verte and more. To add to the confusion, nature’s palette contains more shades of green than could possibly be stocked in a store. What’s an artist to do? The solution is simple: become better acquainted with color theory. With a little color mixing knowledge and six warm and cool primary colors, plus white if you’re working with acrylics or oils, you can mix and match any leaf color you come across. The rst part of this chapter will show you how easy creating color can be. Three di erent types of paint—watercolors, acrylics and oils— were used to create the tree paintings in this book and the miniature landscapes on the facing page. Each of the three paint mediums come in similar colors, derived from the same pigments. It’s the binder that’s unique for each paint type, dictating how the paint will look, feel and react as it’s applied to the paper or canvas. As you can see in the miniatures, there are subtle di erences in appearance from one type of paint to the next, even when the same painting style is used. As medium-speci c techniques are used, the di erences become even more apparent. Techniques that work especially well for painting foliage using watercolor, acrylic or oil paints are demonstrated later in this chapter.

Traditional watercolor uses gum arabic as a binder. Thinned with water, it will free- ow into any damp area it comes in contact with, creating spontaneous designs and color mixtures that can assist the artist in the creative process. The white of the paper is used to create pastels and highlights. If not overworked, watercolor paintings have a light and airy appearance. Acrylic paints use a polymer emulsion as a binder. Tube acrylics have a soft butter consistency. The paint is opaque and dries quickly, allowing the artist to layer light colors over dark and vice versa. Acrylic paintings have a heavier appearance than watercolors, with more intensity of color. Oil paint has a vegetable oil binder. It is similar to acrylics in appearance and consistency, but dries slowly, allowing time for scraping and reworking an area. It blends readily, lending itself well for subtle shade work. However, wet-over-wet color changes are di cult unless the paint is slathered on thickly. Allowing for drying time between layers, brush painting in oils can be a slow process. The compensation is the luminosity and sense of depth that can be achieved.

Mixing an array of rich color The primary colors (red, yellow and blue) in their purest state can be used to mix all other colors, with the exception of white and black. Red is the strongest and most conspicuous of the primary hues. Color mixtures containing a noticeable amount of red are considered warm. Although less dominant than red, yellow is also considered a warm hue. Blue is a more reserved hue and color mixtures containing a noticeable amount of blue are said to be cool. Among the available paint tube colors, it is hard to nd an absolutely pure primary red, yellow and blue from which to mix vivid secondary and tertiary hues. For instance, a paint labeled “Yellow” may contain a hint of red in it, making it warm. It will produce bright oranges, but any green shades mixed from it will be muted to an olive shade. The solution to this dilemma is to use six primary mixing colors instead of three. Choose a warm yellow that leans toward orange and a cool, lemony yellow that leans slightly toward green. For the two red primary mixing colors, one should be a warm, orangey red and the other one should be a cool carmine. Phthalocyanine Blue and Ultramarine Blue are a good cool and warm blue to complete the set. Study the color wheel chart on the facing page to see the warms and cools. Warm red mixed with warm yellow produces bright yelloworanges, orange and orange-reds. Begin with warm yellow and add minute amounts of warm red until the desired color is reached. Cool blue mixed with cool yellow produces vivid yellow-greens, green and blue-greens. Begin with cool yellow and add minute amounts of cool Phthalocyanine Blue until the desired shade is reached. Cool red mixed with warm Ultramarine Blue produces brilliant red-violets, violet (purple) and blue-violets. Begin with warm blue

and add in minute amounts of cool red until the desired color is reached. A medial red, yellow or blue can be created by mixing the warm and cool representative of each primary color together. Complementary colors are those hues opposite each other on the color wheel. To create lively browns, grays and shadow tones, choose a base color on the outer ring of the color wheel and blend in minute amounts of its complementary color until it reaches the desired tone. Study the line of hexagons stretched diagonally across the color wheel from orange to blue. These swatches represent a few of the browns and grays that can be produced by mixing these two colors together. Note that the intensity of the original color lessens as more of the complement is added, until the tone reaches a neutral gray in the middle. When working with acrylics or oils, I use Titanium White because it is nontoxic and is very opaque. I choose not to use tube blacks in any medium because I can get richer dark tones by mixing complementary colors or using Payne’s Gray (cool), Sepia (neutral) or Burnt Umber (warm) for my dark values. If the tube color you’re looking for is not available in your favorite brand or medium, you can substitute a fairly close color such as Van Dyke Brown for Sepia; or you can mix up enough of the color to use for a whole painting and store it in an airtight paint jar.

Color wheel chart

Mixing woodland greens The row of rich green hexagons shown directly below was produced by mixing lemony Azo Yellow watercolor with varying amounts of Phthalocyanine Blue watercolor. Additional water was added to create the row of pastel hues. (If using oil or acrylic paints, add white to produce pastel colors.) To create non-muddy shadow tones, add minute amounts of the complementary color to the green being used. Refer to the color wheel on the preceding page.

Sap Green

Sap Green, which is slightly muted and warmer than true green, makes a great base for mixing a wide range of natural-looking foliage colors. The star-shaped color chart seen below is formed from various primary, secondary and intermediate hues mixed with Sap Green. The undiluted colors are located on the outer edge of each “arm” and Sap Green is in the middle. Note how the base

colors “gray” as more and more Sap Green is added in, until they take on a similar tone near the center. The oranges and reds change more abruptly because they are farthest from Sap Green on the color wheel.

You can mix Sap Green by combining Azo or Lemon Yellow with Phthalocyanine Blue to produce a mid-range green (Permanent Green Light) and muting it with a touch of red.

mixing rich autumn browns To produce the vivid golds, russets and maroons seen in fall foliage, simply mix the yellows, oranges and reds with varying amounts of their complementary colors, as seen in the chart below (which was painted with acrylics). A shortcut to creating an array of autumn hues is to use Burnt Sienna as a base color and mix varying amounts of it into the warm primary, secondary and intermediate colors as seen in the chart at bottom.

Autumn Color | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), acrylics on canvas

This was painted in acrylics using colors created by combining complementary hues. Note the richness of the shadow tones.

Basic supplies for watercolor Quality paint, brushes and paper are the key to your enjoyment of the watercolor experience. If you are just starting out, you can get by with a no. 4 and a no. 8 round brush, three tubes of paint—a red, yellow and blue, a white dinner plate or plastic palette, a water jar, a backing board (Masonite or heavy cardboard), masking tape, a rag or roll of paper towels, and a sheet of 140-lb. (300gsm) cold press watercolor paper.

Watercolor Paper

Choose a watercolor paper labeled 100 percent rag with an acidity rating of pH neutral (acid-free) to prevent it from turning yellow. Avoid student grade paper, which is cheaper but has a hard, sti surface that actually repels the watercolor. Watercolor paper comes in sheets, blocks and tablets. Blocks are gummed at the edges and backed by a sti piece of card-board. They are useful for outdoor or classroom work. Whole sheets, 22” × 30” (56cm × 76cm) can be cut down into smaller pieces and taped to a backing board to prevent the edges from curling.

Watercolor paper comes in di erent thicknesses and textures. With proper preparation—taping, and pre-wetting and stretching of larger pieces—140-lb. (300gsm) paper can withstand complete surface saturation with minimal buckling, while 70-lb. (150gsm) to 90-lb. (190gsm) is too light for overall washes. “Rough” paper has lots of hills and valleys on its surface, which can create wonderful drybrush texture, but doing ne linework is di cult. “Hot press” paper is very smooth and is great for pen and ink work and ne brush detailing. However, smooth blends and glazes are more di cult to achieve. “Cold press” is a moderate blend of both types of papers.

Brushes

Watercolor brushes come in two basic shapes: round and at. They vary greatly in size, bers and quality. Sable hair brushes hold the

best reservoir of water, allowing greater working time. If you’re on a budget, a good synthetic/hair blend will do. Your basic watercolor brush collection should include: • round brushes in nos. 10, 8, 4 and also 2 if you love ne detail; • a ½-inch (13mm) at brush or Aquarelle with a chisel edge handle, and a 1-inch (25mm) or larger at brush if you plan to work on large pieces;

• and a ¼-inch (6mm) stroke brush or at brush for splayed-brush texturing.

Optional: • a 1-inch (25mm) squirrel hair mop for laying down quantities of water or wash • a no. 4 liner or rigger for stroking ne, continuous lines.

Watercolor Paint

Choose a watercolor paint that has rich, bright color even when thinned. The paint should mix readily and smoothly with water, with no stray pigment particles peppering the blend. Although there are many good brands on the market, my personal favorite is M. Graham. For help in selecting basic colors for your palette, refer to the color wheel chart on page 35.

Masking Fluid

Masking is the easiest way to shield and protect delicate white or lightly painted areas while darker background washes are added. It allows the artist the freedom to apply large areas of color quickly, painting right over the masked shapes. The downside is that masking can be time consuming and messy. Masked shapes will have hard edges when revealed. Almost anything that will transfer the masking uid to the paper can be used for application—a toothpick, feather quill, dip pen, a felt tip applicator or an old round brush. If you choose to use a brush, rst wet it and rub it over a bar of soap until it lls with suds. Shape it to a point and dip it only part way into the masking uid. Rinse it often, re lling it with suds each time before use. This process will extend the use of the brush as an application tool (however, do not use a brush that you are not willing to sacri ce). Make sure the masking uid is thoroughly dry on your paper before painting over it. I highly recommend bottles of masking uid that come with built-in application tubes, such as the Masquepen or Daniel Smith’s Artist Masking Fluid. They will continue to deliver a reliable line of masking uid as long as the application tubes are cleaned and maintained.

Paint Palette

Palettes need to be white so you can see the actual hues of the colors being mixed. They should be made of a sturdy material such as hard plastic, enamel or ceramic, and have an edge that will retain runaway wash puddles. Divided sections in which to store and protect tube colors are desirable. These can be created using a hot glue gun. A cover, even if it’s only a sheet of plastic wrap, is necessary to keep out pet hair, dust and whatever else might be in the air. Other useful tools include: • a razor blade for scraping; • a spray bottle for moistening paints on the palette and creating wet-on-wet texture; • a no. 2 pencil and white vinyl eraser; • various texturing tools including facial tissues, sea sponges, table salt, a stylus or toothpick and a drinking straw.

MATERIALS LIST WATERCOLOR PAINTS

M. Graham or other good brand PAPER 140-lb. (300gsm) cold press, acid-free, 100% rag paper BRUSHES nos. 2, 4, 8 and 10 rounds 1/4-inch (6mm) brush 1/2-inch (13mm) (25mm) at

at stroke

at 1-inch

1-inch (25mm) mop no. 4 liner or rigger MASKING FLUID Masquepen or Daniel Smith’s Artist Masking Fluid PAINT PALETTE white, hard plastic, enamel or ceramic palette with cover or lid OTHER SUPPLIES no. 2 pencil white vinyl eraser spray bottle of water razor blade

texturing tools such as facial tissues, sea sponges, table salt, stylus, toothpick, drinking straw

Simple

at-wash foliage

A “ at wash” is a very uid mixture of water and pigment that is brushed quickly and evenly across the surface of the watercolor paper to form a smooth, colored area of uniform tone. Small at washes can be applied to a dry surface. Before applying washes to a large area, the paper should be taped to a backing board, and the area to be painted should be moistened, with the excess water blotted away. Working on a damp surface will help the pigment dry more slowly and spread more evenly. Use either a mop brush or at brush of the appropriate size, loaded generously. Stroke across the paper horizontally, working from the top of the painting toward the bottom. Raise the top of the board a couple of inches so that the excess paint gathers at the bottom of the wet area after each stroke. This gathering of uid is called a bead. Each new brushstroke should pass through the bead to pick it up and redistribute it. This keeps the wash moving along smoothly. Important: don’t overwork the at wash. When nished, wick up the bead with the tip of a damp brush. Lay the paper at and let it dry undisturbed. A color-change at wash is produced by simply dipping the brush in a new hue as you lay down the at wash as described above. For a smooth transition, the brush should be blotted but not rinsed out between colors. To free- ow or “charge” a new color into a wet, freshly laid wash, ll the brush with the new color, lightly blot it, and touch it to the edge of the wash area. The pigment will ow and spread spontaneously, producing an uneven mingling of the two colors. If a generous amount of paint uid or water is introduced into a wash area that has begun to “settle,” a bloom or run may occur. These frilly-edged spots can add nice texture to foliage areas, even if they happen unintentionally.

Coastal Fog | 10” × 8” (25 × 20cm), watercolor on paper

In this watercolor painting, a series of at washes was used to suggest the background trees as seen through the mist. The gray color used is a mixture of Dioxazine Purple with a touch of Ultramarine Blue and Gamboge added. Each wash was allowed to dry thoroughly before the subsequent stand of trees was added.

Gazing a cluster of leaves Applying a thin watercolor wash over a dry, previously laid wash of equal or lighter value, is called glazing. It creates an “optical color change” similar to what you would see if you overlapped two pieces of colored glass on a light box. Depending on what colors are overlapped, glazes can be used to change the original color, to mute or intensify the hue, or to create rich shadow tones. Glazes that are applied lightly and quickly, with minimal brush action to disturb the underlying layer, exhibit a special vibrancy that is hard to duplicate with palette-mixed colors. The technique is perfect for portraying the foliage groupings on distant trees and the leaves on foreground branches. All the maple leaves in the painting below were painted with a basecoat of Gamboge watercolor (1) and allowed to dry completely. Then a partial glaze of Gamboge was added to some of the leaves to intensify the hue (1a). The color of other leaves was changed to a variant of orange by glazing them with a thin wash of red (2), red orange (3), Quinacridone Rose & Sap Green (4) or Burnt Sienna (5). To paint shadows on the leaves, I applied a second glaze of the appropriate complementary color: Permanent Green (6) for the reddish leaves and Dioxazine Purple (7) for the yellow leaves.

The Turning of the Leaves | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), watercolor on paper Thin watercolor glazes were used to bring out the color and texture of the foliage.

Masking Masking uid protects white paper areas or shapes within a dry wash from being covered up by additional paint layers, so you can paint background areas quickly and spontaneously and still maintain a layered look. Below is a step-by-step example of how to paint a Red Horse Chestnut branch in bloom.

out the design, indicating blossom areas to be left white. Apply 1Sketch the masking uid to these areas, as seen in blue in Step 1 (see page 41 for application techniques). Leave the masking the nal paint layer is dry.

uid in place until

2Paint the entire leaf area with a wash of Sap Green and let it dry. out any leaves that you wish to remain a pale Sap Green color. 3Mask Let dry.

a second wash of Sap Green. Charge in a darker mix of Sap 4Apply Green and Payne’s Gray to indicate deep shadow areas. This may also be added as a third layer, after the second layer is dry.

the paint thoroughly dry, and then remove the mask by rubbing it 5Let with masking tape wrapped sticky side out around your nger.

(Warning: Masking uid left on the paper for many days will be harder to remove.) The masked shapes will be hard the owers using a mix of Quinacridone Rose with a touch of 6Paint red-orange added. I used the glazing technique and applied three wash layers of the paint mix.

the hard leaf shapes by overlaying them here and there with 7Contour a pale wash of Sap Green to indicate folds and shadows.

First Snow | 9” × 6” (23 × 15cm), watercolor on paper The evergreen shrub between the tree trunks was painted using masking and multiple layers.

“throw-spray- ow” technique Foliage created with this technique is spontaneous, unpredictable and fun. Prepare your paper by pre-wetting it, smoothing it against a backing board with a squeegee or the side of your hand, and taping down the edges so that it dries drum tight. This procedure will help keep it from buckling when it becomes wet again. Mix up several generous “cream-thick” puddles of watercolor paint on your palette. I used Sap Green, Hookers Green (or Sap Green with a touch of Phthalocyanine Blue added), Sepia and a yellow-green mixture for the examples on this and the facing page.

by throwing, inging, dripping or spattering drops of paint onto 1Begin the dry surface of the paper in the vicinity of where you wish a

“foliage run” to form. My favorite method is to fully load a no. 8 (or larger) round brush with uid paint, hold the brush horizontally above the paper, and tap it enthusiastically with the other hand. A generous amount of paint fall-out should occur. Do this several times with di erent colors. the paint drops can dry or soak into the paper, lightly squirt 2Before them with water. I use an old, well rinsed-out, glass cleaner spray

bottle. It produces both large and small water droplets that make great lacy runs. Hold the spray bottle 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20cm) above the paper and spritz a couple times. The paint should spread and run, following the pattern formed by the water drops. Take care: if the water spray is too dense, the pattern will turn into a solid puddle of muddy color. can control the paint ow by tilting the backing board. If the 3You paint begins to gather and form a large puddle, wick it up gently with the tip of a damp brush. Create lighter areas by blotting the wash with a facial tissue. However, don’t try to control the ow too much. Half the fun is seeing what will develop as the drying process goes on.

the paint is dry, more foliage and shadow areas can be added 4Once by repeating the process.

a trunk and limb structure for your tree that corresponds to 5Design the foliage groupings that have formed. I used a combination of pen

and Sepia ink, plus Burnt Umber watercolor paint, to texture the trunk and branches in the painting above.

Sea sponge foliage

Stamping a paint- lled, natural sea sponge onto a dry paper surface will produce a light, airy pattern resembling a delicate cluster of leaves. Use a damp sponge. To ll it, drag it across your palette, through one or more puddles of watercolor wash. Work from the lightest color to the darkest, letting each layer dry before adding the next.

is a single sea sponge print using a Sap Green/Lemon Yellow 1Here mix.

print layers of Sap Green have been added. Dragging the sponge 2Two produces a solid area.

are 3Leaves brush.

painted here and there using the tip of a no. 4 round

4Limbs are added as seen through the foliage.

Desert Juniper Tree | 10” × 8” (25 × 20cm), watercolor with ink texturing In this watercolor painting of a desert juniper tree, the sea sponge was used as a masking tool. It was dampened, dipped in a puddle of masking uid and daubed lightly in the foliage areas. It left a delicate pattern that was preserved while I painted in the sky and background rocks. When the mask was removed, I used a sea sponge to lay down the rst layer of Sap Green foliage, then nished it with a no. 2 round brush. A pen and Sepia ink was used to texture the trunk.

Basic acrylic supplies Acrylic paint is a youngster in the world of painting mediums. It thins with water and has the quick drying ability of watercolor, but if applied full strengh, it has the consistency, opacity and rich appearance of oil paint. Acrylic is extremely strong and exible. Once dry, it cannot be reconstituted, making the clean-up of brushes and paint-spotted clothing a problem if not dealt with right away.

Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint comes in many of the same colors as other mediums, and di erent brands of acrylic paint can be intermixed. My personal favorite is M. Graham Acrylic Artists’ Color. As with watercolor, I recommend starting with a warm and a cool red, yellow and blue. For mixing convenience, add a secondary green, orange and violet (purple) to the list, along with a tube of Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber. (Add Ultramarine Blue to Burnt Umber to mix an equivalent to Payne’s Gray.) Titanium White is used frequently to lighten the intensity of the other colors and you will go through it fast. Buy a large tube.

Mediums and Varnishes

Acrylic paint thins readily to a watercolor consistency with water. However, thinning with water also weakens the polymer lm that acts as a binder. Using a gloss medium as your thinning agent will provide you with a transparent acrylic glaze that retains both its strength and character. Gloss medium and varnish can be used as a nish coat, but I prefer using Krylon Kamar Varnish, sprayed on in

several thin applications. It’s non-yellowing, reworkable and easy to use. Retarding medium is a clear, syrup-thick uid that comes in a tube. Using it sparingly, not more than 20 percent retarder in a paint mixture, will slow the drying time brie y. Using too much retarder in the mix will spoil the consistency and appearance of the paint.

Painting Palette

To keep my acrylic paints moist and workable for longer periods of time, I use a Masterson “Sta-Wet” Palette, which consists of special palette paper that rests on a wet sponge contained in a plastic tray. To preserve the paints overnight or to use out in the eld, the palette set comes with a lid and several sealable paint cups that are contained in an inside compartment.

Painting Surfaces

Traditionally, acrylic paint can be applied to the same surfaces as oil paint, that being stretched canvas or untempered Masonite. The most convenient of these is pre-stretched, gessoed canvas made of cotton, linen, silk or synthetic bers. Although acrylic is non-acidic and can be applied directly to hardboard, a layer of acrylic gesso will provide a nice, white surface to work on. Acrylic paints also adhere nicely to illustration board, canvas paper and watercolor paper, although thinner applications are advisable on these supports.

Brushes

Good quality synthetic ber brushes are the best choice for working with acrylic paint. They are cheaper than natural hair brushes and stronger, enabling them to move heavier loads of paint. They also hold up better during the clean-up process. Nevertheless, acrylic paint should not be allowed to dry in the brush. Wipe your brush frequently during use and rinse it out periodically by swishing it in clean water. If changing brushes, wipe the used brush and suspend it in clean water until you can give it a proper cleaning. A nal cleaning should take place under warm running water, working up a good lather in the brush with a bar of brush-cleaning soap. Lather and rinse until no paint tints the soap suds, then give it a nal rinse. Re-shape the bristles before setting the brush aside to dry.

Round and at brushes are the standard shapes for working with acrylics. Larger painting surfaces require larger sized brushes. Here is a list of the brushes I used for the acrylic paintings, size 16 × 20 inches (41 × 51cm) or smaller, shown in this book: • at brushes in sizes 1/4-inch (6mm), 1/2-inch (13mm) and 1-inch (25mm) • round brushes in size nos. 1, 4 and 8. Change these numbers a size or two in either direction according to personal preference

• Optional: a no. 6 lbert (a at brush with rounded edges) for daubing in leaf shapes • Optional: a no. 4 rigger brush for creating long, narrow branches

MATERIALS LIST ACRYLIC PAINTS M. Graham Acrylic Artists’ Color or other good brand MEDIUMS AND VARNISH gloss medium retarder

Krylon Kamar Varnish BRUSHES nos. 1, 4 and 8 rounds 1/4-inch (6mm) at stroke brush 1/2-inch (13mm) at 1-inch (25mm) at no. 6 lbert no. 4 rigger PAINTING SURFACES pre-stretched gessoed canvas untempered Masonite illustration board canvas paper watercolor paper OTHER SUPPLIES palette knives brush-cleaning soap water containers sponges and scraping tools

Palette Knives

Long-bladed palette knives are used for mixing large piles of paint and for scraping dried paint from the palette. A short-bladed palette knife, such as the one illustrated on the facing page, can be used for both mixing paint and applying paint onto the canvas.

Miscellaneous Tools

• An easel if you desire to paint on an upright board or canvas • Water containers—plastic food containers with lids work great • Sponges and scraping tools for texturing

Painting in acrylic layers Since acrylic paint is opaque, it can be built up in thin layers, working from a medium background hue toward the deepest shadow tones and the lightest, brightest highlight colors. Note that in this example and in the painting on the facing page, daubs of paint are arranged in such a way to suggest leaves and ferns, and the eye is allowed to interpret them as such.

1This Vine Maple branch is blocked in using a no. 8 round brush and

a mixture of Permanent Green Light and Azo Yellow muted with Burnt Sienna. Titanium White is brushed in as needed during each step to open up congested areas.

rst layer added is Quinacridone Rose darkened with a touch of 2The green. A no. 4 synthetic round brush is used to apply the paint in rough leaf shapes, taking care not to completely cover the green base color.

a brighter mix of Quinacridone Rose and Cadmium Red Light 3Using muted slightly with green, loosely daub on a second layer. This brighter layer pops the leaf shapes forward.

the third layer, add the highlight colors to give the branch greater 4Indimension. Two variations of the previous red mix are used, adding more Cadmium Red Light and Titanium White. Add a touch of Gamboge to the lighter of the two mixes. Daub in a few more leaves in the original green color mix to contrast with the bright reddish-orange hues.

Blazing Vine Maples | 10” × 8” (25 × 20cm), acrylics on canvas This stand of vine maples, glowing with fall color, was painted with acrylics in a loose, layered, impressionistic style.

Basic oil painting supplies The main thing that sets oil paints apart from the other painting mediums is its slow drying time. This is due to its oil content, which dries by oxidation rather than evaporation.

Oil Paint

A line of oil paint squeezed from the tube should have a buttery consistency. It can be used as is and applied with a painting knife or sti brush, or thinned with painting medium. Not all oil paints contain the same ingredients. For instance, they can vary greatly in what oil is used for a binder. Linseed oil, poppyseed oil and walnut oil are the most common. Depending on how much oil is in the paint, how thickly it is applied, and if a drier has been added to the mix, will determine how quickly each color will dry. I recommend starting your oil paint collection with seven tubes of paint: a warm and a cool version of the primary colors (red, blue and yellow), and a big tube of Titanium White. For mixing convenience, add a secondary green, orange and purple, along with Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber and Payne’s Gray. You will also need one or more tubes of acrylic paint for creating underpaintings, if you wish to work solvent free.

Brushes

Oil painting brushes are long-handled to make working at an easel easier. Brushes made of hog bristles are popular because they are sti enough to move a load of thick paint. When working with thinned paint or glazes, sable or synthetic brushes are preferred. You will need ats, rounds and lberts ( ats with rounded

corners). Size will depend on how large you plan to work. Start with 1/4-inch (6mm), 1/2-inch (13mm) and 1-inch (25mm) at brushes. Add one or more round brushes in your favorite sizes. Include a no. 1 round brush if you like ne detail. Choose a lbert brush in size 4, 6 or 8 depending on your stroke preference.

Oil Paint Mediums

There are many types of mediums and solvents that can be mixed with your oil paints to thin them or change their properties in some manner. Here are a few of them. • Linseed oil is made from ax seed. It can be used alone or combined with solvents to use as a thinning medium. However, it does have the tendency to yellow with age.

• Damar is a natural tree resin that is added to some mediums and varnishes. Damar medium is used to change paint consistency.

• Walnut Alkyd medium (my personal favorite) is used to thin the paint, accelerate drying time and enhance adhesion between layers. It is non-yellowing and contains no solvents.

• Walnut oil is an odorless, solvent-free medium that also works e ectively as a thinner for

cleaning brushes. It can be added to oil paints to increase the ow and slow the drying time.

• Solvents for oil paints include turpentine (sap based), mineral spirits (petroleum based) and citrus based thinners. They are often used to thin oil paint for lean underpaintings or for

clean-up. However, I don’t like to use them because they break down the paint, have a strong odor and are a health hazard. Thinned-down acrylic paints make equally nice underpaintings.

There are numerous brand-name, pre-mixed oil paint mediums available. Read the label to determine what they contain and their recommended usage. Select one oil paint medium and a thinner for brush clean-up.

Palette and Painting Knives

A palette knife looks like a narrow spatula with a rounded tip. It is used for mixing large quantities of paint and for scraping dried paint o the palette. Painting knives come in varying, trowel-like shapes and sizes. They are used for mixing small amounts of paint and for applying paint to the canvas. Large, blunt edged “scrapers” can be used to lay down a large, smooth swath of paint or to remove paint from the canvas.

Other Oil Painting Supplies

• Painting surface: gesso-coated, stretched canvas or hardboard. • Palette: a disposable paper palette or a palette board painted white. • Easel: using an easel is a personal preference, but elevating your painting surface into a vertical position will save space and help you reach the upper parts without dragging your sleeve through wet paint.

• A brush-cleaning jar with a lid and a raised metal coil to rub the brush against. Paint particles settle to the bottom of the jar and the cleaning uid can be used over and over again.

• Brush-cleaning soap, used as a nal cleaning step to remove walnut oil or solvents from the brush.

• Clip-on metal cups for holding mediums next to your palette. • Paper towels or rags for wiping the brush and knives on. Note: Oily papers and rags should be disposed of in an airtight container to avoid the possibility of spontaneous combustion.

• Clear picture varnish for applying a nal uniform protective nish to your painting after it is thoroughly dry.

MATERIALS LIST OIL PAINTS any good brand MEDIUMS linseed oil damar

Walnut Alkyd medium walnut oil BRUSHES

rounds in your preferred sizes 1/4-inch (6mm) at 1/2-inch (13mm) at 1-inch (25mm) at no. 4, 6 or 8 lbert PAINTING SURFACE pre-stretched gessoed canvas hardboard OTHER SUPPLIES palette palette and painting knives brush-cleaning jar and soap clear picture varnish

Oil pointing terms and techniques Although these techniques originated with oil painting, they can also be adapted to use with acrylics. The examples seen on this and the facing page were painted in the miniature size shown. You will nd larger sized paintings easier to work with.

Painting Alla Prima

Alla prima means direct painting. In this type of work, the painting is started and nished in one or two sittings, while the paint is still wet. This technique is quick and spontaneous, working well for those who wish to paint from life. A sketch is made on the support and patches of oil color are laid in place to ll in the canvas. Care must be taken in selecting each color that is laid down because it will a ect any color stroked over it. Each area is then worked or modeled by adding additional paint. The paint can be blended into the bottom layer or daubed on thickly and dragged into place to remain distinct. Hog bristle brushes and palette painting knives work well for painting alla prima. Mistakes are corrected by scraping or wiping away the paint in the o ending area and starting over.

Alla prima

Painting Impasto

Impasto means to apply the paint thickly to the canvas or board support. Heavy texture is a signature of impasto paintings, with bristle brush lines and ridges left by painting knives being part of the overall e ect. Impasto paintings tend to be loosely rendered, with color, texture and value contrast of more importance to the composition than the perfection of shape and detail. Note: heavy applications of oil paint dry slowly. A thick layer of paint piled on top of a layer that is only surface dry is liable to wrinkle or crack as it ages.

Impasto

Scumbling

Scumbling is the technique of laying an opaque or semi-opaque oil color over a dark layer of dry paint in such a way that some of the dark underlayer shows through. Titanium White, which is very opaque, or mixtures containing a lot of white, are most often used in the scumbling process. Resilient brushes, painting knives and even rags can be used to scumble. In the example at right,

scumbling was used to create the tree foliage and to place highlight areas in the scene.

Scumbling

Glazing

Glazes are produced by mixing drops of oil medium into transparent oil paint until it reaches a thin, uid consistency. Transparent oil paints are those colors that are marked “transparent” on the paint label and that have not been mixed with white on the palette. Glazes are stroked over a dry underpainting to increase the intensity of color, change the hue, or to create form and shadows. The underpainting can be a lighter version of the glaze color or complement it. More than one layer of glaze can be applied to an area, providing each layer is allowed to dry completely before the next one is added. The most transparent glaze layers, those containing the most oil medium, should be reserved until last.

Underpainting This pear has been underpainted with greens that are complementary to the glaze colors.

Glazing The pear was glazed primarily with Quinacridone Rose.

Useful Brush and Painting Knife Strokes

Daub and Drag Dipping the tip of a painting knife or a lbert or round brush into paint, pressing it to the canvas and dragging it slightly will produce oval or oblong leaf shapes, good for foreground foliage.

Lines Fine lines and leaf stems can be created by lightly lling the side of a painting knife or the tip of a lbert brush turned “narrow-ways” and dragging them downward across the canvas. Round brushes will also create narrow lines if the paint is thin enough to readily ow.

Pouncing Lightly slap-dabbing or “pouncing” a paint- lled round brush over a dry, darker background will produce a distant foliage e ect.

Layering Fat Over Lean

Building up a painting in carefully worked layers, each layer being allowed to thoroughly dry before the next is added, is a technique that enables the artist to lay down delicate spots of color without them blending spontaneously into the layer beneath. The result can be a rich feeling of depth and value contrast. When working in this manner, one must adhere to the fat over lean rule to avoid potential wrinkling or cracking of the paint as it ages. Paints mixed with oil medium are considered “fat.” The more oil medium added to them, the fatter they become. When dry, “lean” paint layers are less exible than fat paint layers and should be on the bottom of the stack. Therefore, the rst coat of oil color after the underpainting should have little or no medium added. Each successive coat of paint can have a little more oil medium in the mix. If glazes are used, they should be applied last. Thick layers of paint are applied over thin layers, not vice versa (glazes being the exception).

Sketching the Subject

Any non-waxy drawing instrument such as a pencil, charcoal, permanent marker (as in step 1 in the demonstration below) or thinned paint can be used to lay down the initial sketch on the support. It can simply consist of a few de ning lines or be done in great detail, depending on the needs of the artist.

The Underpainting

The idea of underpainting is to get rid of the white of the gessopainted support. The underpainting allows the artist to get a better feeling of the lines, shapes and value contrasts that will be developed as the painting proceeds. It also “tones” the ground with

a bit of color that will show through in thinly painted areas, rather than stark white. A good many artists create their underpainting using oil paints thinned with solvents to keep them lean. Because of the strong odor and toxicity of paint thinners, I choose to work solvent-free, laying down my underpaintings in acrylic paint, applied thinly. The simplest underpainting consists of an earth color such as Burnt Umber, applied in various value tones to ll in the composition (step 2, below). A second version is to lay in a thinned-down “earthy” version of each color in the appropriate area (step 3, below). If complementary colors are used for the underpainting (step 4), they can tone down the intensity of successive layers or impart a subtle “underglow” provided the successive layers are not applied too heavily. Some artists work in very thin layers and use the underpainting as part of the nal composition.

Step1—the sketch Step 2—Burnt Umber underpainting Step 3—earth colors underpainting Step 4—complementary color underpainting

Modeling the Layers Modeling, or the building up of the layers, begins with a lean coat of oil paint that has very little, if any, oil medium added to it. The layer should be applied thinly and worked securely into the support. It usually consists of dark or mid-tone values and is rather at looking (step 1, below). In fact, this “ugly stage” may appear so dull and lifeless that you may be tempted to slap some highlights into the wet paint to give it some life. Don’t do it! Whites and opaque pastel mixtures blend readily with darker colors and dry slowly. Stroking them into a wet underlayer is likely to create a thick, muddy mess. However, patches of lighter color such as a cloud area can be applied directly to the dry underpainting at this stage. The rst layer and each consecutive layer is allowed to dry completely before new paint is added. As the modeling of the painting progresses, lighter and brighter colors, and deeper shadows, are added to give the composition a sense of depth and dimension (steps 2, 3 and 4, below). Each successive layer should have more oil medium added to the paint, and it can be applied a little thicker. You will know when a layer is nished and it’s time to stop and let the paint dry, because the colors will start to blend spontaneously and get muddy. The layered painting may consist of just a few layers or many, but the last layer (step 5, below) is reserved for glazing and the application of the brightest colors and the lightest highlights.

Step 1—the rst paint layer is lean and dull. Underpainting shows through. Step 2—the second layer … lighter colors are added. Step 3—the third layer … light and dark colors are added. Step 4—the fourth layer … more lights and darks. Detailing is started. Step 5—the fth layer … nal details and highlights are added.

Painting impasto leaves in oils

1After penciling the design in place, I began the painting shown on the

facing page by mixing three tints of sky color on my palette and a variety of leafy greens, using Permanent Green Light (muted slightly with Cadmium Red) as a base color. Keeping a color swatch chart like this one with mixing notes can make the remixing of a particular paint color much easier.

I created an oil underpainting (slightly thinned with oil 2Then medium), using the mid-tone blue for the sky and the base green, mixed with a touch of Azo Yellow, for the leaf areas. The tree trunk, limbs, background and foreground were also roughed in and the underpainting was allowed to dry.

aspen leaves were painted using the greens mixed in the color 3The swatch, with more oil medium added. They were applied thickly, using the daub-and-drag method. I used a no. 4 lbert brush and the tip of a small painting knife to lay down the paint. The darkest leaves were placed rst and the lighter leaves were slathered over the top of them.

The paint was allowed to dry before the nal highlight tints were added. Sky color was used to open up areas where the leaves were too thickly grouped. This impasto application was also used to texture the tree trunks and the grasses in the foreground.

Summer Aspens| 10” × 8” (25 × 20cm), oil on canvas

CHAPTER 3

E

creating textured tree trunks

very good landscape drawing or painting has a focal point or center of interest. The artist leads the viewer’s eye to that particular area of the painting by using strong lines or shapes, vivid colors, bold value contrasts, intriguing textures or abrupt, de ning edges. Sometimes all of them come into play. Tree trunks, seen closeup in rugged splendor, make a perfect focal point in a landscape. Nature has provided them with many of the compositional elements mentioned above. Consider the eld sketch of the Madrone tree shown below, and the watercolor painting on the facing page. Vertical tree trunks provide powerful lines that grab the eye and command it to move upward. In fact, these unbroken vertical lines are so powerful that they can lead the eye right out of the painting! Note how the horizontal leaf groupings and the arched branches above the trunk intersect the eye as it travels upward and lead it to other areas of the painting. When working with tree trunks as focal points, it’s good to remember their visual strength and add whatever is needed to create a continuous pathway within the composition. That being said, let’s consider the other aspects that make tree trunks so intriguing. The vivid reddish brown of the Madrone bark is a de nite attention-getter. Most tree barks fall in a more muted range of browns or gray. What they lack in color, they make up for in texture and contrast. Each type of tree has its own signature written in the smoothness or the rugged-ness of its bark. The Madrone tree has shreddy patches of roughened ber and areas of green satin smoothness where the bark has peeled away. Other

tree barks have shaggy coats, deep ssures, thick scaly plates, sandpaper-like patina or a covering as smooth and shiny as oil cloth broken up by washboard islands of roughness. It’s a lot of fun to portray these textures and it’s the purpose of this chapter to show you how to do it in pencil, paint and pen.

Madrone Tree in the Park | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), watercolor, with the tree bark enhanced with black and burnt umber pen lines (.25mm and .35mm nibs)

Texturing with pencils and pen When the subject is trees, there is nothing more intriguing to the pencil and pen artist than a gnarly, texture laden trunk, unless of course it’s a grouping of rugged, intertwined roots. The colored pencil drawing below is of a hemlock tree growing over a Douglas r stump. Stroking style and direction, plus value contrast, are the focus of these drawings.

The pen and ink drawings on this page were detailed with .25mm, .35mm and .50mm pen nibs. A variety of strokes was used to add texture. Washes of watercolor enhance the mossy richness of the maple tree trunk at left.

Pen blending Pen blending is the technique of stroking a technical pen over a damp surface so that the ink line frays at the edges and ares out in spontaneous spots. When applied over a dry layer of watercolor that has been re-dampened, the frayed ink lines look soft and aged, blending readily into the watercolor painting. A combination of regular ink lines and pen-blended lines can create a textural e ect that is perfect for suggesting rugged tree bark shown in detail. The following step-by-step demonstration shows you how to use watercolor and pen blending to create the weather-scarred trunks of two ancient Red Alder trees.

1Begin the

painting with a light pencil sketch to set down the basic shapes of the trunks and background. Mix a light gray watercolor wash by combining a medial blue with a medial orange and adding an

ample amount of water (refer to the bark color chart on page 73). Use the pale gray wash to block in the darker areas of the tree trunk.

the sky, lake and tree trunks with a very light wash of orange 2Warm muted with blue. It should be tinted just a wee bit more than the white of the paper. Let it dry.

Stroke the deeply scarred areas of the tree trunk with a pale wash of Burnt Sienna. Add a touch of Sap Green to the Burnt Sienna to make an olive brown and use it to color the large knotted scar. The moss at the bottom of the foreground trees is painted with a light wash of Sap Green/Lemon Yellow. Block in the background areas with greens and blue-greens that have been muted by adding a little of their respective complementary color. Let dry.

the same color mixtures, work more color into the tree trunks. 3Using Detail the trees on the far shore using a slightly deeper shade of the

previous paint layer and the tip of a no. 4 round detail brush. Keep the background colors muted so that they retain a distant appearance. Let the paint dry. Use a no. 4 round brush and a mixture of blue-green and red-orange to create a leafy pattern behind the alder trunks. Keep it open and lacy, allowing lots of sky to peek through. Let dry.

the scarred and the mossy portions of the closest tree trunk 4Brighten by overlaying them with a richer mix of the appropriate color. Allow

some of the paler layers to show through. Paint in a few close-up leaf shapes at the top of the tree to break up the vertical line of the trunk. Mix up three dark foliage colors: blue-green + red-orange, blue-green + Payne’s Gray, and blue-green + Sap Green. Use them to darken the alder leaves, making sure there’s a good value contrast between the background and the tree foliage. Blend a rich horizontal streak of Phthalocyanine Blue + Sap Green muted with red-orange into the lake along the near shore and narrow lines of the same mix along the far shore.

a 1/2-inch (13mm) at brush into clean water, touch it to a 5Dip paper towel to drain away the excess moisture, and brush it lightly

across the top of the alder trunk, dampening an area a couple brushwidths wide. Begin texturing the trunk using .25mm pen lines, dots and dashes. Fill in the wide cracks, scars and knot holes more solidly. The ink lines should fray and are spontaneously on the moist surface, as shown in the diagram on the previous page. If they don’t, the paper may not be damp enough. If the ink refuses to ow, the paper may be too wet. (Note: ber tip pens do not work well for pen blending.)

pen blending the bark texture into the closest tree trunk. Let it 6Finish dry and add some horizontal “dry” contour pen lines to enhance the

folds in the bark. Add some short crisscross lines to the shadows in the moss and overlay those areas with a wash of Sap Green + Burnt

Sienna. Stroke a darker version of the gray mix used in step 1 along the left side of the tree and into the bark crevices. Ink and paint the more distant tree trunk in the same manner, but with less detail. Let dry.

thin lines of masking uid, draw long, arching grass blades 7Using around the base of the tree trunks. Let them dry. Paint the

foreground using variants of the greens, browns, and olives already used in the painting. The mown grass is a medial green (Permanent Green Light) muted slightly with Burnt Sienna. It was painted in two layers, the second layer being applied with short upward strokes of the 1/2-inch (13mm) at brush. Remove the masking and paint the long grass blades pale olive green.

Three Old Friends By the Lake10” × 14” (25 × 36cm) Watercolor, pen and ink

Watercolor and pen-blending inkwork were used to paint and texture the trunks of these Red Alder trees. Although the cut-down version of this painting (seen above in step 7) makes a nice composition, the painting seen at right in its entirety has a greater feeling of depth and openness.

The color and texture of tree bark These examples of various types of tree bark were painted with layered washes of watercolor and detailed with pen and ink. The paint was applied in three layers, allowing each wash to dry before the next was added. The ne, narrow ink lines were applied over a dry watercolor surface using a .25mm pen nib. The frayed ink lines were stroked over a layer of re-dampened watercolor (pen blending) using the same size pen.

The color chart below shows how easy it is to combine complementary colors to produce the muted browns and grays that are seen on tree trunks. Start with the base color (A) and add minute amounts of its complement (B), until the desired shade is reached. Proceed slowly: the color will change rapidly.

Painting birch trunks The birch trees in the reference photograph at right are too far away to see texture and ne detail, but they display wonderful contrast of value and color. This is the type of scene that is fun to paint in an impressionistic manner, where spots of color are used to suggest an image to the mind. It’s a good way to loosen up your painting techniques, so be as spontaneous in your application as you wish. The watercolor miniature below was painted in half an hour using a small lbert brush and free, spontaneous strokes. It captures the essence of the scene and would make a delightful journal entry. The acrylic painting on the facing page took two days to complete and was accomplished in three stages.

Reference photo

Watercolor miniature

1The initial sketch is done in watered-down acrylics.

loose acrylic underpainting is laid down to block in the 2Acolor areas and to cover the white canvas.

various

Birch Trunks | 11” × 14” (28 × 36cm), acrylics on canvas of pure Titanium White and 3Daubs make the nal image pop with color.

other bright hues are used to

Rugged bark and branches in watercolor Trees such as the Lombardy Poplar, Cottonwood, Ash, Hawthorn, Apple and Locust take on a rough, unkempt appearance as they mature, with sucker branches sprouting from their lower trunk. Here are some fun techniques that you can use to capture their rugged texture.

Bruising Bruising is the process of dragging a narrow, blunt tool such as a stylus, toothpick or old credit card through a wet wash to compress the paper and allow the pigment to gather in the depression that is formed. It works well to suggest ne, dark grooves in the bark or distant branches against the sky.

Drybrushing Paint a light wash over the trunk area and let it dry. Mix up several shades of brown or gray. Load a no. 4 round brush or small at brush with color, blot it well on a paper towel and apply the paint in random, vertical streaks. If the brush has been blotted su ciently, its coverage will be incomplete and rough looking. Let a fair amount of the underlying paint coat show through for contrast.

Masked Branches Before you start painting the tree bark, mask out the pale sucker branches that may be sprouting out of the trunk or hanging across it. One of the mask applicator bottles is perfect for this. After the trunk is painted and is dry, remove the masking and paint the branches with a light watercolor wash.

Scraping Dragging a wider, blunt tool such as the tip end of an aquarelle paintbrush handle or a scraper-edged painting knife through a damp but well-settled wash, will push the paint aside and produce light streaks with dark edges. Morning Light on a Frozen Pond | 12” × 9” (30 × 23cm), watercolor on paper Masking, drybrushing, bruising and scraping were all used to add rough texture to the foreground tree.

CHAPTER 4

E

rugged evergreen landscapes

vergreens are trees that shed their leaves gradually, maintaining most of their foliage year-round. English Holly, Southern Magnolia, Blue Gum Eucalyptus, the Live Oak family and many of the palms are evergreen. However, the focus of this chapter is on the evergreen conifers, the hardy needle-leaf or scaleleaf trees like pine, r and spruce that grow in rugged, picturesque places. Consider the landscape on the facing page. The scene is set in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, where the north fork of the Hood River can run rampant during spring oods, washing out banks and pushing boulders and fallen trees to new locations as it rushes along. Although the river is peaceful in the painting, I’ve included some evidence of its strength in the form of driftwood, under-mined roots and beds of water-worn rock. The painting is meant to tell a story. It suggests both the might and majesty of the high country. The mountain ridge in the background and the towering Douglas r trees add grandeur to the landscape. Douglas rs can reach a height of two hundred feet (61 meters), their narrow pointed crowns stretching heavenward. They often bear the scars of life’s struggles in the form of missing or broken branches. In the painting, they add “vertical lift” to the scene, framing the river and guiding the eye of the viewer to the center of interest, which is the regal mountain ridge. Step-by-step instruction for painting the same background is given on pages 86 and 87.

You will also nd information in this chapter on how to design a conifer composition. I’m headed into rough terrain, and you’re welcome to explore with me. We won’t be encountering any bears or mountain lions on this trek, but if you like adventure, try out a new medium. They are all represented in the upcoming pages.

On the Banks of the North Fork | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), watercolor on paper

Composing a landscape It’s not easy deciding just what to paint, especially in the eld where you are inundated with good material. Here are two di erent views of a wooded valley. They both feature the same grouping of Douglas r trees, which are partially silhouetted in rich, deep shadow, and would make a good focal point for a painting—especially with the sunlit shrub framed up against them. I like the large golden-green shrub in Scene 1 and the open meadow area behind it. I also like the vibrant blue hills behind Scene 2 and the shape of the r tree on the far left. The solution is to combine them into one scene. My plan is to use Scene 2 and move the main grouping of trees just left of the landscape’s midpoint, covering up some of the background evergreens. The dark shadows help to o set it to the left. I’ll move the sunlit shrub forward and place it in front of the darkest tree shadows for the greatest contrast. I now have room on the right to include the other shrub and the distant meadow. To make sure the design of the “revised landscape” will work, I make a quick pencil drawing to give me an idea of how the shapes and values will look when combined on paper.

Here are some helpful tips to remember when combining several scenes into one landscape. • Choose one main focal point or center of interest. All other elements of the composition should support or complement the center of interest, not compete with it.

• Don’t place the center of interest smackdab in the center of the scene. • Use color, dynamic lines and forms, strong value contrast, abrupt edges or texture to

enhance the center of interest. To a lesser degree, repeat these compositional elements in other areas of the painting to maintain artistic balance (not symmetrical balance).

• Make sure the light and shadows in the scenes are compatible.

• When working on location, take reference photos. The lighting and weather conditions can change rapidly. The photo view screen in a digital camera is a good emergency backup.

• Make sure that the elements being combined share the same perspective. You shouldn’t be looking down on one tree and up under a tree that is situated right next to it.

Douglas Fir Trees | 7” × 8” (18 × 20cm), watercolor on paper

Starting out simply I photographed this young cedar tree at the top of a hilly pasture. The cattle had rubbed o its lower branches, giving it a triangular shaped crown. By o setting the tree a little to the left and balancing it with a row of dark r saplings, it makes a simple but workable landscape scene. This one was painted in watercolor, but feel free to experiment with the scene using other mediums.

in the trees with at washes, applied with a suitably sized 1Block round brush. Create an open, frilly edge along the crown of the cedar tree and leave a few “sky holes” in its interior.

a slightly stronger mix of Permanent Green and Burnt Sienna 2Apply to the shadow areas of the tree crowns. Work quickly, using loose,

scribbled strokes. Shade the trunk using Burnt Umber with a hint of Sepia added.

the darkest shadow areas in the tree crowns using a mix of 3Deepen Permanent Green and Payne’s Gray. Contour the trunk a little more using the dark brown mix.

For the sake of simplicity, leave the sky unpainted. The distant hills are painted with a wash of Ultramarine Blue muted with a hint of orange. After the preliminary wash dries, add a scribbling of muted blue-green along the top of the hill to suggest a distant forest. Basecoat the foreground loosely with a wash of yellow-green and Burnt Sienna. Let it dry and add horizontal streaks of the various green mixtures to suggest tree shadows and grassy patches.

Focusing on texture The Red Fir tree and the snag in this rugged landscape are clinging to the rim of the extinct volcano in Crater Lake National Park. It’s the texture that caught my eye in this scene. To capture the coarse grain of the wood and the details of the layered r boughs, I began with an ink drawing on cold press watercolor paper, using a .30mm Rapidograph technical pen and Koh-I-Noor 3080 black India ink. Before starting the ink work, I drew the scene lightly in pencil and used light watercolor washes to block in the basic shapes and to indicate where the highlighted foliage areas were. This helped a lot when I was working on the tree branches. As shown in the closeup at right of the painting in its early stages, I used a lot of scribble strokes, along with crisscross lines ( r needles), wavy lines (weathered wood) and contour lines (branches and ground cover). The painting was completed using watercolor washes to suggest the lake and distant hills and to tint the ink work.

Red Fir on the Rim of Crater Lake | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), pen and ink with watercolor

Painting a distant forest background As you can see in the reference photo, there was a lot going on in this forest scene, but it was the distant mountain ridge that caught my eye. I liked the way its muted colors and textures contrasted with the mid- and foreground. I decided to paint it in watercolor to accentuate the feeling of open space.

1The

scene is outlined in pencil on a 16 × 12-inch (41 × 30cm) piece of 140-lb. cold press watercolor paper, paying special attention to the tree limbs that overlap the background. A tall r tree is added on

the right side to help with focus and balance. The ridge is separated into areas of light rockface, deep shadow and sunlit forest.

The sky is painted rst with a graded wash of Phthalocyanine Blue mixed with Ultramarine Blue, and applied over a damp surface using a ½-inch (13mm) at brush. A no. 4 round brush is used to paint the various sections of the mountain ridge and each painted section is allowed to dry before painting the adjoining area. The rockface areas are underpainted with a very pale tint of Dioxazine Purple muted with yellow. The rst layer is barely noticeable. After it dries, a second layer is selectively daubed on to suggest some of the darker rock areas. The sunlit timber patches are lled in using several watered-down tint mixtures of yellow-green muted with a hint of Burnt Sienna. The paint is applied using vertical strokes. Finally, the deep shadow areas are underpainted using a light wash of Ultramarine Blue muted with orange. A touch of Sap Green is charged into the middle of the two largest patches of shadow.

rather at looking patches of sunlit timber are given some depth 2The and dimension using the muted yellow-green applied previously and a new wash mixture of Sap Green muted with Burnt Sienna. Shadows are suggested with vertical streaks of the two green mixes daubed randomly throughout the forest. Make the strokes no longer than the height of the distant trees and avoid the creation of a uniform pattern.

Important note: To maintain the look of distance, the colors applied to the far ridge must be less intense (less bright) than those seen in the mid- and foreground. It should look as if a bluish haze has settled over the trees. You can accomplish this by glazing the dry tree sections with a very pale wash of the sky blue mixture.

the deep shadow areas of the ridge with a wash of Ultramarine 3Glaze Blue muted with reddish-orange. The mix should be a dull blueviolet. Leave the greenish patches in the centers of the large, dark timber areas unglazed. Let the paint dry, then apply a glaze of sky blue wash over all the deep shadow areas to unify the hazy e ect.

you 4As painted

can see in this step, the trees in the middle ground are using a layering technique and working from the lightest green tints to the darkest shades. The green tones are similar to those used in the background, but they are more intense. The shadows are much darker in value. To see this painting completed, turn to page 78.

Knife painting with acrylics Since ne details are hard to achieve using painting knives, I nd that painting with them is a good way to loosen up my work. Usually, knife paintings are associated with oils, but they work just ne to apply acrylic paint. In fact, there is less spontaneous blending, so the colors stay rich and bold. Most of this winter landscape was painted using the small, exible painting knife pictured here. To properly load it, smooth out a thin sheet of paint on the palette. Scrape up some of the paint with the edge as shown. To cover a large area, scrape up a good amount. To make a narrow line, scrape up just a little along the edge. To make rounded daubs, swipe the tip of the knife through the attened paint.

1Load a painting knife by scraping up some of the paint with the edge.

in the color areas. Use a large scraping knife to ll in the big 2Block areas like the sky. Keep this application as smooth as possible so it will be easier to paint over. The spruce tree is a mixture of Permanent Green Light and Phthalocyanine Blue muted with red orange. Add white for lighter areas.

background trees are suggested using various mixtures of Burnt 3The Sienna, Burnt Umber, Titanium White and Cadmium Yellow muted with purple. Use the knife edge to form the tree branches. Apply the lighter “tree green mix” along the top of the hill and daub it sparingly through the background. The sky color (Ultramarine Blue and Phthalocyanine Blue mixed with white) is applied between the branches; add a cloud to balance the snow patches.

a lighter, brighter “tree green mix” and the rounded tip of the 4Using painting knife, daub and drag the branch ends onto the spruce tree. Work the foreground areas using brighter versions of the color mixes used in the background.

Blue Spruce | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), acrylics on canvas In the nished painting, the nal touches of highlighted color bring the painting to life. The dry grass blades on the near side of the stream will test your ability to create ne lines with the knife.

Painting a conifer landscape in oils Driving along the Paci c Coast Highway in late afternoon, I came upon this scene. Set against the faded sea, the outline of the cli s was striking. The colors and light-play were vivid. The richness of the landscape begged to be painted in oils using a layered process. Here’s how to do it step by step.

Reference photo

1Using

thinned acrylic colors (Burnt Sienna and Permanent Green Light) and a 1/4-inch (6mm) at bristle brush, sketch the scene loosely into place. Cover most of the painting with a wash of paint except the sky. Indicate general tree shapes, main limbs and contours.

oil paint thinned lightly with medium, underpaint the sky, sea 2Using and distant blu using a mix of Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and Phthalocyanine Blue. Let dry.

Underpaint the mid- and foreground blu s using Cadmium Yellow, Dioxazine Purple, Burnt Umber and Permanent Green Light (and mixtures thereof). Let dry.

using oil paint with medium added, block in most of the trees 3Again with a no. 6 lbert brush and Permanent Green Light as a base color.

Mix green with Azo Yellow (Lemon) and Burnt Sienna separately to produce shades of yellow-green and olive. Enrich the greens in the elds. Lighten the cli face by adding Titanium White to the color mixtures used previously in step 2. Let dry.

for the steps on this page, as each additional layer of oil paint is 4Now, added, blend a greater amount of medium into the mix.

The trunks of the tall Spruce trees (left side) and the shadow area below are deepened with Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber and daubs of Payne’s Gray. The contours of the cli face are carefully brought out by mixing complementary colors plus white to make muted purples, creams, sienna beige and greens, and applying them hard edged. Let dry.

lighter, brighter mixtures of green onto the trees that are 5Daub already formed to add depth and to intensify their contours. Work the middle and background areas in greater detail, with bits of muted purple and Burnt Sienna added for color unity. Let dry.

in the small foreground trees. Do the dark areas rst and let dry 6Paint before adding the foliage. Refer to the nished painting on pages 9293 for greater detail. Begin to de ne the foreground meadow using various greens, yellow-greens, muted yellows and browns. The deep shadows are Dioxazine Purple and Ultramarine Blue or Payne’s Gray and Permanent Green Light.

nal stages of the painting, a mixture of muted purple and 7Inwhitetheis randomly blended into the clouds and sea to give color unity

with the foreground. Bright spots of Cadmium Yellow + Burnt Sienna and white, yellow-green and muted red violet are daubed into the cli , the foreground elds, and the trees in an impressionistic manner to make the painting come alive with color. Sea Blu s and Afternoon Shadows 16” × 20” (41 × 51cm), oil on canvas with an acrylic underpainting. The evergreens in the painting are Sitka Spruce and Shore Pines.

CHAPTER 5

I

portraying the graceful hardwoods n the opening stanza of his poem “The Village Blacksmith,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: Under a spreading chestnut tree The village smithy stands; The smith, a mighty man is he; With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands. Many have compared the strength, stability and rugged grandeur of that sturdy old chestnut tree to the blacksmith himself. It makes a very picturesque analogy. Although poetic words can call up a strong image, adding a tree to a landscape scene can set a mood or add grace and majesty to an otherwise at vista. Leafy boughs reaching upward against a cheery summer sky can elevate the spirit. Bend the limbs and fold back the foliage against a strong wind and a gathering storm, and your painting will have an atmosphere of power and suspense. Bow the limbs downward in a sheltering curve amidst ltered sunlight and shadow and you’ve created a restful place of solace. In a composition, straight lines command the eye to follow along quickly, while curved lines allow the observer to meander the course, taking time for contemplation. It’s important to have a good balance of both types of lines. Trees, especially mature

hardwood trees, provide wonderful, pliable shapes in the form of trunks, limbs and foliage patterns that can be arranged with free artistic license to provide just the line and shape you need, where you need it. Consider the mixed-media painting on the facing page. It was rendered in an illustrative style, beginning with a pen and ink drawing on heavy drawing paper and then tinted carefully with thin washes of watercolor in order to allow the texture of the ink work to show through. The basic scene consists of a lot of horizontal bands—the foreground and background grass banks, the stream, and the distant stretch of forest. It’s the diagonal angle of the maple tree’s trunk, the spread of its boughs and the arrangement of its foliage clumps that add the greatest variety of shapes, lines and artistic curves to the landscape. Without the tree, the scene would be sadly lacking in contrast and interest. The emphasis of this chapter is on the leafy, graceful hardwood trees and how to use them to the best advantage in your landscape scenes. Leaning Maple | 10” × 8” (25 × 20cm), pen, ink and watercolor on paper

Broadleaf

eld studies

Nothing can help you understand the contour and coloration of a tree better than sketching it rsthand. These watercolor eld studies, painted with a no. 4 round brush, reveal just how much one tree can di er from another. Even the shape and density of the leaf clusters can vary greatly. Short, dabbing strokes were used to depict clusters of rounded leaves. Long, narrow leaves were suggested using longer strokes.

Quick and easy trees in acrylics A tree, richly draped in summer foliage, has great depth and a full range of value changes. The green hues, tints and shades are numerous. As complicated as it may appear, a tree need not be di cult to paint if you de ne it with a limited palette and simple, broad strokes. Start by mixing the colors shown in this chart and place them on a wet palette. Column A The top color is a deep blue-green mix of Permanent Green Light + Phthalocyanine Blue muted with red-orange. Add varying amounts of white to make the next three lighter blue-green tints. The two light blue sky colors at the bottom are Ultramarine Blue + Phthalocyanine Blue with varying amounts of white added. Column B This is a range of six Permanent Green Light mixtures. Use Cadmium Red Light to deepen the three darker shades; add yelloworange + white to make the three lighter tints. Column C The dark color at the top is a mix of Phthalocyanine Blue + Burnt Sienna. It’s followed by straight Burnt Sienna, Burnt Sienna + white, and Burnt Sienna with more white added plus a hint of warm yellow. The little study shown on the facing page was accomplished in less than an hour, using acrylic paint applied to an 8 × 10-inch (20 × 25cm) stretched canvas with a single 1/2-inch (13mm) at brush. The technique is very e cient for working in the eld.

the darkest green and blue-green to block in the general shape of 1Use the tree. The tree in this exercise is a stout little Hawthorn with a fairly rounded crown.

in the rest of the painting using the pre-mixed palette of colors. 2Block Work quickly and loosely with broad, bold strokes. Paint “into” the contours of the tree, opening up some “see-through” areas.

the second and third green from the top in Column B to contour 3Use the leaf masses on the near side of the tree. Leave plenty of deep shadow areas to represent the dark interior of the tree. Work some shadows and mid-tones into the background areas and darken the shadow under the tree. Shade the trunk and add a few limbs using the Burnt Sienna mixtures.

The light is coming from overhead. Use the three lightest green tints to add highlights to the upper edges of the leaf masses, working from the darkest mix to the lightest. To make the foliage look light and lacy, use a sideways, undulating stroke. Add some of these lighter greens to the foreground.

4

Pointing in vivid detail As seen in the watercolor painting on the right, a tree can take up the majority of the scene and still not be the center of interest. In this case, the tree serves as a literal support for the three rambunctious boys and their tire swing.

The main colors used in this painting are a muted red-orange, and warm and cool greens, blues and browns. The yellow and blues were used to control the temperature of the greens, while the orange was used to mute them. I used the most intense hues in the clothing of the boys and repeated them in more subdued color mixtures throughout the rest of the painting. The esh tone mixtures are Burnt Sienna (Burnt Umber for the darker skin tones) mixed with a little red-orange and

muted with a touch of Sap Green. Skin is delicate, so I used lots of water in the mixes and built up the facial contours in glazed layers, using a no. 2 round brush.

Because this painting is presented in a detailed, realistic style, I worked the characters to completion before starting the tree or background. The reason is simple: I wanted to make sure I liked the way the boys looked before putting time and e ort into the rest of the painting. Once they were completed, I could plan the colors and values of the surrounding area to set them o .

the sky area with a pale at wash of medial blue mix and allow 1Paint to dry. Block in the trunk using a variety of light, muted browns with blue-green + red-orange as the base color. Apply nely masked lines and dots in the background forest area to suggest tree trunks and bits of highlighted grass and foliage. Next, the tree foliage areas are laid down using a range of cool bluegreen mixes and a no. 4 round brush. Let dry. Using short, dabbing strokes with the no. 4 round brush, stipple the background forest into place. Warmer greens and olive mixtures are used to suggest these distant trees, with the blue-greens repeated in the foliage of the midground oak and pine.

Using a ne line (.25mm nib) pen and “brush-proof” black India ink, texture the bark of the White Oak as shown. Furrows run parallel to the shape of the trunk and limbs, breaking into long, narrow sections. Ink can be applied to both a dry and re-dampened surface.

2

shadows into the oak tree. Add Payne’s Gray to darken the 3Paint blue-green foliage colors. Add Sepia and Payne’s Gray to darken the

trunk color mixtures. Allow bits of the paler undercoat to show through. Remove the masking uid, revealing delicate white shapes in the background area. Tint these with pale washes. Leave the top of the hill o -white to provide a strong horizontal line leading the eye back to the boys.

foreground consists of dry, late-summer grass, powdery soil and 4The scu ed-up dirt under the swing. I added a baseball cap and an oak

sapling at the base of the tree on the left to help balance the bold colors and strong values used in portraying the boys. Because the center of interest is so busy, this painting requires that the foreground be rather simple. Using a no. 4 stroke brush and pale, earthy washes, rough in the foreground. The pale washes are laid down in horizontal strips, working from sienna browns and dull olives on the side of the hill toward light greens and blue-greens under the tree. Lighter versions of the trunk colors are used in the bare ground areas.

Three Boys and a White Oak | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), watercolor on paper, textured in part using pen and ink

the foreground. A splayed stroke brush ( ll the brush, blot it 5Texture and gently separate the end bers) can be used to suggest patches of

grass. These should be stroked in horizontal groupings rather than equally spaced bunches. The splayed brush is also used to make shoe scu marks under the swing. Brush-spatter in various shades of brown and blue adds the nishing touch of texture to the bare ground. To create brush spatter, hold your nger or a credit card about 1/2-inch (13mm) above the spot to be spattered and parallel to the paper. Flick a loaded at brush smartly against the edge. Spatter will be ung in the same direction as the brush is being icked. The higher the nger or card is held above the paper, the larger the spatter area will be. The juicier the brushload, the bigger the spatter drops will be. With practice this spatter technique can become quite accurate.

Pointing a shade tree in watercolor Mature shade trees have lofty, spreading branches and heavy foliage that casts rich, dark shadows. When the summer sun climbs high overhead and the air shimmers with heat, both man and beast seek the coolness found beneath the boughs of the shade tree. In this pasture landscape, it’s a ock of sheep that have found comfort beneath a grand old tree. Here are the steps for painting this pastoral scene in watercolor.

1Prepare

three ample, pigment-rich watercolor puddles on your palette. The base color is Permanent Green Light. Make this puddle large. The second color is Azo (Lemon) Yellow, and the third is a dark mixture of Permanent Green Light and Payne’s Gray.

2Sketch out the crown of the tree lightly in pencil on a 10 × 14 inch (25 × 36cm) or larger piece of cold press watercolor paper. Using a no. 6 (or larger) round brush and Permanent Green Light, begin to ll

in the foliage areas in the crown of the tree, leaving plenty of paperwhite “peek holes.” Apply the paint generously and quickly to the dry paper surface. Do not work the paint into the paper, but allow it to absorb slowly. Work one foliage grouping at a time. As the paint begins to settle against the paper, charge Azo Yellow into sunlit areas and the darker green mixture into the shadow areas and let the paint ow where it will. When the foliage areas are dry, block in the trunk and limbs in Sepia or a similar gray-brown mixture.

a darker mix of Permanent Green Light + Payne’s Gray and 3Create make a thin wash of medial red and water as shown.

the deep green into the darkest shadow areas, creating both 4Work blended and abrupt edges. Glaze the red wash over the lighter foliage areas where you wish to create subtle shadows. Add a second layer of Sepia paint to darken the trunk shadows. The greens and browns used in the tree are repeated throughout the rest of the landscape.

Lying in Green Pastures | 10” × 14” (25 × 36cm), watercolor on paper

Pointing an impressionistic garden When I came across this purple-leafed Crab Apple tree in a garden of rambling red roses, I could hardly wait to capture the array of vivid colors. However, it became apparent as I studied the scene that it was going to be the plain green round shrub that drew the eye—an oasis surrounded by vibrant energy. While on location, I took several reference photos and made a quick eld sketch with a brown felt tip pen to study shapes and values.

Reference photo

In the eld sketch, I substituted a fence for the congested background area lled with people and patio furniture. It seems to work well.

A thumbnail watercolor painting helps to explore color mixtures. I learned that bringing some of the rose reds into the tree will help

balance the composition colorwise without spoiling the cool tones of the crab apple foliage.

garden scene begins with an acrylic underpainting. First, do a 1The light pencil sketch of the scene, then block it in with thinned-down acrylic paint, using Burnt Sienna, Burnt Sienna + Titanium White, Permanent Green Light, and Permanent Green Light + White. Leave the sky and roses unpainted.

now to oils, 2Switching mixtures of Ultramarine

ll in the sky area with several light tint Blue + Titanium White. Using the palest color mixtures shown on the sample palette (below left) and a small, at bristle brush, begin working oil colors over the acrylic paint. (Add a minimal amount of walnut oil medium to the mixtures at this stage.) The underpainting gives you the freedom to work loosely, guiding you as to the general placement of color. Don’t feel compelled to paint over every bit of acrylic at this stage, as the darker tones showing through provide some nice value changes. Thin daubs of very pale pink in the tree foliage and rose bushes reserve space for highlighted leaves and the roses. Let the oil paint dry.

more walnut oil medium to the paint mixtures. Using a medium 3Add sized round brush and several mixtures of Burnt Sienna plus

Ultramarine Blue, darken the shaded portions of the tree, the trunk and the heavy ground shadows. Apply the paint in unblended daubs, allowing the strokes to remain hard edged. Cadmium Red, muted with a

hint of Permanent Green Light, is used to block in the rounded contours of the rose blossoms. Daub some red into the tree foliage for color balance. Let dry.

portion of the painting can be worked on in several sittings to 4This allow the paint to dry completely before continuing. When each area

becomes too wet to proceed without the occurrence of “spontaneous color blends,” move to a new area of the painting to work on. Start with the tree foliage and work downward to help keep your hands out of the paint. A medium sized round brush is used to complete the rest of the painting. Apply the tree foliage in small, hard-edged daubs of various pinks mixed from Cadmium Red Light. Add a hint of Ultramarine Blue to the pink mixtures to give them a slightly cooler appearance. Place the darker tints rst, working toward the lightest color. In this impressionistic technique, more attention should be given to the placement of color and value than to the creation of solid-edged forms.

The eye is allowed to “interpret the forms,” resulting in lifelike depth and vibrancy. Work the background and foreground foliage in a like manner using the green mixtures shown on the palette on page 107. Add pinkish-red highlights and deep red shadows to the roses. Paint the fence using the lightest Burnt Sienna tint with yellow added; apply straight white to highlight. Place these same hues in the rose centers, on the tree trunk and on the sunlit ground. Let dry completely.

Impression of a Rose Garden | 20” × 16” (51 × 41cm), oils on canvas with an acrylic underpainting

of Cadmium Red + Burnt Sienna mixed with white and a 5Daubs touch of Ultramarine Blue are worked into the tree foliage to give it a slightly purple cast. Touches of straight Cadmium Red are scattered among the tree leaves and rose petals. Add details such as the stems in the rose bushes. Place highlights and bits of bright color here and there to unify the painting and bring it to life.

CHAPTER 6

I

spring

owering trees

n spring, thoughts turn to new growth. Tender leaves in shades of delicate green sprout from sap- lled twigs, and, of course, there are owers. Robed in pastel tones of yellow, pink, lavender and purest white, the blossoms cover the branches of the fruit and ornamental trees like an abundant gathering of tissue paper snippets. Although spring landscapes can be refreshingly beautiful in and of themselves, this chapter is dedicated to the portrayal of the tree blossoms and some new ways of presenting them. You will see how to create a “vista landscape” located at the end of an avenue of apple trees covered with snowy petals. We’ll walk through spring meadows, right up to a stand of owering cherry trees and white dogwoods, and climb into their branches. The view from this level is a breathtaking spectacle of branches, ower clusters and patches of open sky. If you’re wondering how to tame such a scene into a workable painting, you will nd the answers on pages 120-123. Now consider the oil painting of the Tulip Magnolia blossoms on the facing page. The owers are lifesize, up-close and detailed, yet you can see beyond them, through the tree and into the sky. This is a micro-landscape in which the owers become the main focus and the open blossom commandeers the center of interest. The tree branches perform the supporting role usually occupied by such earthy elements as rocks, elds, hills, dales and distant mountains. The sky is still there, although it is seen a bit out of focus and blurred to emphasize its distance. On pages 118-119 you will nd the step-by-step instructions for this painting. Below is a Tulip

Magnolia blossom painted in watercolor. Flowers look especially fresh and delicate when portrayed in light watercolor washes.

Watercolor miniature of a tulip magnolia blossom

Tulip Magnolia Blossoms | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), Oils on canvas

Painting pastel blossoms in watercolor The majority of owering tree blossoms seem to be delicate and pale in color—especially the fruit trees. It is fairly simple to paint them in acrylics or oils against a darker background. Working in watercolor takes a little more planning. The tree in the reference photo at right is a weeping cherry. I used masking uid to preserve the long, narrow hanging branches and the blossoms at the front of the tree while I painted the darker inner branches and the background. Notice the di erence in the de nition of the branches when painted against a dark green bush.

Reference photo

Weeping Cherry Tree | watercolor on paper

Reference photo

I used the spray bottle free- ow technique shown in Chapter 2 to establish the pale tree blossoms in this miniature watercolor of a owering plum tree. When the paint was dry, the background was painted around the tree blossoms to pop them forward, using at washes and charged color applications.

Flowering Plum Tree | watercolor on paper

A mixture of Quinacridone Rose with a touch of Dioxazine Purple and Sap Green, plus lots of water, was used to shade the pink blossoms.

Designing a vista landscape A vista is a distant view seen through a window-like opening or at the far end of some sort of passage, which may take the form of a tree-lined pathway, a stream, a steep-sided canyon or a street edged with buildings. The pathway and the distant focus area form a combined center of interest that is strongest at the point where they meet. Part of the allure of a vista landscape is the great depth that can be achieved. To maintain the illusion, distant forms must be simpli ed and the colors toned down. The passage leading to the vista will take up a majority of the foreground, so make it appealing. Remember that curved lines are more artistic than straight ones. Use color, contrast, texture, lightplay, interesting shapes and perhaps a gure or two to lure the viewer into the depth of the scene. The photos on this page represent a variety of vista landscapes. How would you develop them for a painting? Below are some thoughts I had.

Scene 1 Add a distant building and wild owers along the walls.

Scene 2 The foreground needs a bit of greenery or a colorfully attired person.

Scene 3 Add a walking gure to the road. Remove signs and poles.

Scene 4 Subdue the far shore a bit more to show distance. Remove the car.

Pointing a spring vista Although the reference photo at right was shot on an overcast day in fairly at light, it has the makings of a good vista landscape. The addition of some brighter color in the foreground, tweaking the apple blossoms with highlights, and darkening the cast shadows, will bring the scene back to life. I have chosen to paint this apple orchard landscape using acrylics, although with a change of technique, it could be done in either oils or watercolor.

Reference photo

main components of the scene are sketched lightly in pencil on a 1The 16 × 12-inch (41 × 30cm) stretched canvas or canvas board. Since

the trees overlap the background, the distant areas must be well established before the apple orchard can be added in. Using a at brush, block in the sky, the “vista view” and the grassy areas surrounding the apple trees. Keep it simple. Make the buildings “blocks of color” rather than detailed structures. The greens used to suggest the patchwork of elds begin with a medial green. Change the tint by adding either Ultramarine Blue, Azo (Lemon) Yellow or Gamboge. Each green mix is muted by adding a speck of red, and lightened with Titanium White. The pink trees are a mix of Cadmium Red, a touch of Gamboge, and White.

complete the sky, mix up several shades of medial blue plus 2To Titanium White. The darkest shade goes toward the top. The clouds

are Titanium White, shaded with a pale gray mixture (medial blue with orange and white added). Dab the clouds in place using a lbert brush. Thin the paint to create wispy clouds. Add the blue-gray tones to the mountains.

the background area completely lled in with color and fairly 3With de ned, the orchard trees can be roughed in. Use a small round

brush and Burnt Umber to paint in the trunks and main limbs. Mix green, Burnt Sienna and white to create khaki grays and dull browns. Use these colors to ll in the open spaces between the limbs in a patchwork pattern. These colors will represent the tangle of background branches and blossoms.

touches of lighter, slightly brighter color to the background vista 4Add to suggest rows of orchard trees and to highlight portions of the

buildings. (The light is coming from the upper right side of the painting). Use medial green, slightly muted with Burnt Sienna, and green mixed with medial yellow and white to detail the foreground orchard grass. Add a few dark green shadows cast from the trees. Mix a pale greenish gray (green, red and white) and use a small lbert brush to tap bundles of blossoms onto the tree limbs as shown.

more white to the greenish gray mixture and highlight the upper 5Add right corner of the blossom bundles so they look rounded. Mix a light

reddish brown from Burnt Umber and White and add highlights to the tree trunks and branches.

Apple Orchard Vista | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), acrylics on canvas board

straight Titanium White to put a touch of re 6Use bundle of blossoms.

ective light on each

Painting lifesize blossoms in oils The owers in this step-by-step painting are the blossoms of the Saucer or Tulip Magnolia tree. The petals are broadly spoonshaped and leathery, colored white on the inside and cream on the outside, with a bold blush of rose at the base. With a span of up to ten inches (25cm), they are some of the largest blossoms found among the owering tree species.

1Sketch the scene lightly in pencil on a 16 × 12-inch (41 × 30cm) canvas. Apply the underpainting with a thin, smooth layer of acrylics to map out the forms and cover the canvas. By using the acrylics, you can avoid a lengthy drying time. Block in the sky using Titanium White mixed with Cobalt Blue (a medial blue). Use Burnt Umber to suggest the trunk and branches, and cover the petals in Titanium White tinted with Ochre (yellow muted with a touch of purple).

the blocked-in areas using thinned oil paints. I used a walnut2Repaint alkyd medium to thin my oils to a creamy consistency. The background is painted in small patches of bluish-white to represent the sky, pale rose-pink (Quinacridone Rose + Titanium White and a hint of Gamboge) to suggest distant petals, and bits of Sap Green + Ochre mixed with white for a hint of obscure greenery. The background should have a blurred, stained glass appearance when nished. Brush over it very lightly with a soft, squirrel-hair round brush to smooth and blend it slightly, avoiding the petals and dark branches. Let the oil paint dry completely.

yellow ochre (mixed from Cadmium Yellow and Titanium 3Pale White, muted with a touch of Dioxazine Purple) is thinned with medium and used to paint the center of the ower and to shade the backside of the petals. Use more white in the mix to shade the open ower. Paint the ower bases with a mix of Sap Green, ochre and white. Let the paint dry completely. Add a touch of Cadmium Yellow to Quinacridone Rose and blend in oil medium to thin it to a glaze consistency. Use a round brush to glaze the “rose blush” onto the petals, using several applications but allowing the paint to dry between each layer of glazing.

a pale medial blue outline around each patch of background 4Glaze sky. Add white to the center of each sky patch and blend it into the

outline. Darken the twigs with Burnt Umber (thinned) and add touches of Burnt Sienna mixed with white to suggest highlights. Use Quinacridone Rose darkened with Sap Green and thinned to a glaze consistency to shade the depths of the ower center. Finish by adding highlights to the petals with thinned Titanium White or an ochre/white mix depending on which ower you’re working on. See a larger view of the nished painting on page 110.

mapping out a complex scene The photograph at right is eye-catching. The bright pink of the cherry blossoms draws you through the owering dogwood branches and deep into the scene. Although it begs to be captured in paint, this one is a challenge. It has more blossoms and branches than a no. 10 round brush has hairs! Nonetheless it’s doable—one step at a time. Although the scene would be interesting in any of the mediums, I chose to work this one in watercolor using a no. 4 round brush.

Reference photo

The palette samples shown are the main color mixtures used in the painting. The word “plus” indicates that a minute amount of pigment is to be added to the main color.

slowly from the upper left corner outward, begin outlining 1Working the dogwood ower groupings lightly in pencil. (Drawing individual

owers is not necessary and leaves too many graphite marks on the paper.) To avoid confusion, “map out” the background areas as you work, tinting them with a light wash of green for leaves or pink for cherry blossoms. Note that the background washes are not lled in solidly.

clari cation of the design is accomplished by drawing in the 2Further main branches. Make them readily visible by brushing them with a

medium dark wash of Sepia. Take care to avoid “painting through” the ower groupings that are positioned in front of the branches. Tucking the ends of the limbs behind the blossoms must wait until the ower shapes are more de ned.

the 3Once further re

various areas are established, the background can be ned by dabbing Sap Green and the yellow-green mix into the leafy areas. Leaving small unpainted areas will suggest openings between the branches. Work up to the edges of the white dogwood owers, which will de ne their outline and “pop” them forward. Use

the two palest Ouinacridone Rose hues to begin to develop the pink cherry blossom areas.

step the white dogwood blossoms begin to take shape. Using a 4Inpale,this muted yellow-green, apply subtle shadework to the ower groupings, working mostly in the lower half of the clusters. The white petals will take form against the surrounding shadows. Although few of the owers are actually detailed, Sap Green dots are used to mark the centers of some of the closer blossoms. is where the nal details are added. Using Sap Green and Sap 5This Green + Payne’s Gray, add the deepest shadows to the background.

Darken the tree limbs with a mix of the darkest green plus Sepia. Paint in the smaller branches and twigs, allowing them to reach up into the ower groupings. Place a few individual yellow-green leaves among the owers. Work in the foliage in the lighter green tones behind the cherry blossoms, and shade the pink ower clusters themselves using the darker pinks. When it looks good—stop! Overworking the scene will ruin the delicate nature of the blossoms.

Each half of the painting would work as a separate composition.

Dogwood and Cherry Blossoms | 12” × 16” (30 × 41cm), watercolor on paper

CHAPTER 7

W

the splendid colors of autumn

hen I think of the fall season, I think of eye-catching color in an array of warm harvest hues. Autumn provides the perfect excuse to jump across the color wheel from the greens and blues usually depicted in landscape scenes, to the vibrant yellows, oranges and reds. Consider the trio of little watercolor scenes on the facing page. It’s the vibrant color that draws your attention. The yellow trees are bright and sunny. The red-orange maple burns with intensity, and the row of reddish-brown ornamental trees mimic the hues of a newly-laid brick wall. It’s not hard to obtain bright watercolor from a tube or pan, but it can be challenging to maintain that pure color when mixing deeper shadow tones. Blend in the wrong hue, and poof!—the brilliance of autumn turns to mud. I can verify this from personal mud-mixing experience. Yellow is one of the hardest colors to keep clean and crisp as you lower its intensity. Stir in Black or Payne’s Gray and you will get “tincture of mold,” the color appearing in the spots of an overripe banana. For a tried-and-true shadow color, slowly mix in a little of the complement—the color exactly opposite on the color wheel. For yellow, that would be purple or violet (refer to color chart 1 at the top right on the facing page). However, don’t be afraid to experiment just a little. For a slightly warmer shadow color, use a reddish violet as shown in color chart 2.

To intensify a color, use more pigment in the paint/water mixture, or glaze on a second layer after the rst layer is dry (as

shown in color chart 3). Note how the intense red-orange leaves seem to vibrate when set against the complementary bluish-green foliage. Combining a warm base color with a small amount of its complementary color will produce a full range of rich browns. Small amounts of bluish-green mixed into red-orange will give you terra cotta and burnt sienna, as shown in color chart 4. As you have probably guessed, the emphasis of this chapter is on color—how to mix the rich autumn hues and how to use them to their best advantage in your fall landscape paintings.

Easy 3-step shrubbery in watercolor Some of the most vibrant fall colors are produced by the smaller trees and shrubs such as the Sumac, the Vine Maple and the Burning Bush. These make a great main subject or “points of color” among taller autumn trees. Here’s how to paint a bright Burning Bush in three simple steps.

1Pencil in the

general shape of the shrub and lay down a pale wash of red-orange. Let dry.

at

2Mix a yellow-green wash and dab it sporadically on the bottom half of the shrub using the tip of a no. 4 round brush. When the paint is almost dry, randomly dab a second layer of red-orange around the green and up into the bush. Use a well blotted round brush. Let dry.

in a bit of shadow to give the bush 3Dab indicated. The trunk is painted with Sepia.

depth using the colors

Burning Bush I 14” × 10” (36 × 25cm), layered watercolor washes

Creating a fall fantasy tree This is a free- ow watercolor project in which the paint takes some of the responsibility for the creative process. Using the throw-andow technique described step-by-step in chapter 2, the paint is applied to a dry surface and then sprayed lightly with water. The result is a spontaneous paint ow that charges from water drop to water drop and mingles into lace-edged foliage. The element of surprise is part of the fun.

1This step is done

in several applications; let each layer dry before adding the next. Begin with drops of Azo Orange, Cadmium Red Light, Burnt Sienna, and Sap Green, taking care not to “drown” an area with two much paint. Leaving some white unpainted areas will add a delicate look to the foliage. For a nal touch, dab in a few leaves of Cadmium Red Light mixed with Dioxazine Purple, using a round brush.

the foliage areas are dry, a creative trunk and limb structure 2When needs to be designed to support the crown of the tree. As you can see

here, the leaf system in my tree crown stretched right across the top of the painting. I needed a thick trunk to support it. The way I envisioned it in my imagination is shown in gray. Note that the trunk is not positioned smack-dab in the center where it would tend to cut the scene in half. Green crisscross pen strokes add texture to the grass.

branches to help tie the foliage areas together. In the photo 3Add below, you can see how the trunk and limbs are simply outlined and textured using a pen and Sepia ink. Allow the underlying washes in

each area to show through and in uence the formation of the lines. This will help maintain the loose, whimsical feel of the painting. Leave some spots of green or sienna-orange unworked to represent leafy vines climbing the tree. To see the completed fantasy tree painting, turn the page.

Mist and Autumn Fire 9” × 12” (23 × 30cm), watercolor with pen and ink This tree was created from imagination, guided by the whimsy of freely owing watercolor washes.

Painting with depth and vibrancy in watercolor To achieve vivid coloration in watercolor, you must start with clean, bright hues. Those rst washes need to be intense enough that their hue is readily apparent. The majority of colors used in the underpainting should be secondary colors, purely mixed from two primary hues. Study the color mixtures in the preliminary painting at right. The light, bright, yellow-orange is laid down rst and allowed to dry. The orange and the red-orange are daubed on next with the tip of a no. 4 round brush. The green birch leaves and foreground foliage are painted around the orange maple leaves; take care not to overlap the two tones so they maintain a crisp, clear edge. The blue sky is added using a at brush. Last of all, the muted greens and purples are added. These dark, low intensity colors seem to sink into the painting and pop the more vivid colors forward, providing a sense of depth. The greater the value contrast is, the greater the three-dimensional e ect will be.

In the last stages of the work, glazes are used to shape and intensify the foliage and to deepen the shadow areas. The underpainting is allowed to show through as much as possible to keep the work light and bright. Overworking will atten the scene and dull the vibrancy of the colors.

Birch and Maple Trees | 14” × 9½” (24 × 36cm), watercolor on paper The bright fall foliage in this watercolor painting is loosely rendered using a round brush daubing technique and bright layers of glazed washes.

Enhancing autumn color This photo of a maple tree was taken just as the leaves were starting to turn color. The greens of summer were still visible, but had taken on an olive overtone, speckled here and there with russet and burnt orange. I liked the shapes and value contrasts in the reference photo, but felt that the color range lacked pizzazz. What it needed was color enhancement. To accomplish this, I took the four main colors from the reference photo and brightened them (see the palette samples below). With the addition of Ultramarine Blue + Titanium White for the sky, these color mixtures became the base colors for my painting. All the other colors used in the painting were derived from them. Although this scene would work well in any medium, I chose to paint this landscape in oils. Just ve oil paint colors were needed to complete this project: Azo Yellow, Quinacridone Rose, Sap Green, Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White.

Reference photo

Base Color Mixtures Deep maroon Mix Ultramarine Blue with Quinacridone Rose to produce a rich, dark blue violet. Add Azo (or Lemon) Yellow a little at a time to mute and deepen the tone. Bright olive green Start with Sap Green and add a touch of burnt orange mix (Azo Yellow + Quinacridone Rose) to slightly mute the hue. Lighten with Titanium White. Bright burnt orange Start with Azo Yellow and add just enough Quinacridone Rose to turn it to a medial orange shade. Quinacridone Rose has enough blue in it to produce a burnt (muted) overtone in the orange mixture. Bright orange sienna Add a touch of Ultramarine Blue and a little more Quinacridone Rose

to the basic burnt orange mixture to turn it to a rich red-orange “brick” color. Take it slow, it won’t take much to turn it brown!

the preliminary shapes and values onto a 12 × 16-inch (30 1Sketch × 41cm) stretched canvas using a brown acrylic paint mixture

applied with a 3/8-inch (10mm) at bristle brush. Any dark reddishbrown acrylic tube color will do, or the brown can be mixed from Ultramarine Blue, Quinacridone Rose and Azo Yellow. Thinned oils may be used for this as long as you let them dry thoroughly before continuing.

the bright olive green mix (see facing page) and Sap Green, 2Using block in the foliage areas. Continue to use the 3/8-inch at brush for this step and most of the rest of the painting to maintain a loose, painterly quality to the landscape. Let dry.

in the sky areas using Titanium White with just a little 3Paint Ultramarine Blue added. The clouds (Titanium White) are painted up

to the sky and overlapped at the edges. As the clouds descend to the horizon, blend in a small amount of the sky color to tint the white. Blend a touch of the bright burnt orange mix (facing page) to the lower edges of the clouds to add a blush of autumn color. Open up the foliage areas by painting the clouds into the branches of the tree. Add Titanium White to the bright olive green mix to make a slightly lighter shade. Use it to add highlights to the green tree foliage. Create a light yellowish olive green by adding a little of the base burnt orange mix to Sap Green and lightening it with Titanium White. Make a medium and a light value mix. Use all the green mixtures mentioned above to block in the lighter areas of the ground foliage. Let dry.

a burnt sienna brown by adding a little Ultramarine Blue to the 4Mix basic burnt orange mix, or use the tube color if you have it. Work it

into the tree branches where the orange leaves will be most prominent, and into foreground areas at the base of the blackberry brambles. Paint in the white fence using a smaller at or round brush, shading it here and there with touches of sky blue. Don’t make it overly detailed. Let dry.

up a good amount of the basic bright orange sienna color 5Mix described on page 134. Use the 3/8-inch (10mm) at brush to daub

it loosely into the tree branches and foreground foliage as shown. In most cases the paint strokes will be representing clumps of leaves rather than individual ones. Exaggerate the color, applying it more liberally than seen in the reference photo on page 134.

long brushstrokes to combine some of the smaller, previously laid 6Use patches of orange-sienna paint into large areas, especially in the

upper part of the tree. Add Titanium White to the basic orange sienna color used in the previous step to create two lighter hues. Lay these lighter tones into the orange areas of the tree and foreground foliage to add patches of highlight. Work some of the lighter yellowish olive green mix (described on page 135) into the tree foliage to represent leaves that are beginning to turn color. Using the side of the at brush, stroke some olive-yellow and light orange-sienna grasses into the foreground.

The Color of Autumn | 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), oil on canvas, rendered in a loose, impressionistic style

CHAPTER 8

D

the beauty of winter contours

uring the rigors of short, cold days and gusty winter winds, most of the deciduous trees lose their leaves. Stripped bare, the trunk and branches of the older trees reveal all the trauma life has sent their way. Twisted branches, bent limbs, knots, scars and deformed trunks speak of a hard life well lived. The artistic eye is quick to see beauty in the unusual lines and shapes found in the weathered form and appreciates the abundance of texture. The emphasis of winter trees is not color so much as contour, value contrast and the suggestion of texture through stroke variation. Pen and ink is the ideal medium for depicting the rugged beauty of scarred bark and contorted boughs. It lends itself well to the depiction of intricate detail and the creation of strong value contrasts. Therefore, pen and ink is the main feature of this chapter and discovery is the theme. What do you see when the veil of leaves is removed? Is the bark riddled with woodpecker holes or covered with frilly patches of lichen? Has a raccoon made his home in a hollow bole or a bird nested high in the limbs? As you can see in the pen, ink and watercolor painting on the facing page, I discovered a robin’s nest in the cupped branches of a young tree. In fact, there were three of them, from three consecutive years, stacked one on top of the other. It was an interesting tangle of limbs and dried grass. Just the sort of challenge that makes my hand grab onto a pencil and pen and get to work. When the reference photo is compared to the drawing, you can see that I stuck pretty close to the actual scene, eliminating only a

few twigs and adding a feather for a point of interest. A wash of watercolor in browns, grays and snow-shadow blue added winter crispness to the painting, although it also made a nice statement in black and white. Most important, I had fun doing it. In the winter I bundle up, take reference photos, and then retreat to my warm studio for the creative process. With a dog curled up at my feet, a mug of hot chocolate nearby and the attitude of a visual explorer, I allow myself the freedom of artistic adventure. What develops is not as important as what I learn from it and whether or not I enjoyed myself in the process.

Reference photo

Winter Nest | 10” × 8” (25 × 20cm), pen and ink drawing overlaid with watercolor washes

Drawing trees with pen and brush This close-up drawing of a young tree began as a light pencil sketch on 140-lb. (300gsm) hot press watercolor paper. This paper is polished enough to maintain smooth, crisp ink lines. It also has the absorbency required to add washes of watercolor if desired. I used a technical pen with a .25mm nib size for all of the pen work.

1Begin with pen and ink. Use contour lines to suggest the smoothness

of the bark. They curve slightly as they wrap around the limbs. In areas where the limbs are straight, place strips of masking tape along the edges of the branches to create a boundary to work against. Begin each stroke on the masking tape and carry it across the limb. When the tape is removed, you’ll have nice, even edges, requiring only a hint of an outline. The bird’s nest is a tangled weave made up of dried grass and mud. Trying to draw each piece of intertwining straw would be time

consuming and confusing, so take a shortcut in sketching it. Using masking uid in a bottle with a narrow applicator, draw in the grass bers of the nest. Don’t concern yourself with how they t together, since you are merely preserving the space they would take up. The masked areas, seen as faint yellow streaks in this photo, can be seen more clearly in Step 3.

the areas between the masked bers of the nest using India 2Darken ink diluted with water into several values, ranging from light gray to black. Apply it with a no. 4 round brush, making sure that the palest washes are painted on the sunny side of the nest.

the ink is dry, the masking uid can be removed by rubbing it 3When with masking tape wrapped around a couple of your ngers, sticky

side out. With the bers of the nest revealed as white outlines, the next step is to decide which ones are on the outside and which ones tuck under.

a .25mm ink pen to de ne the edges of the grass bers and to 4Use narrow down any that are too thick. Leave grass pieces on the sunny

parts of the nest white, while shading those in the shadows with parallel lines. Add a few more branches and the ink work is complete. At this stage, it could stand alone as an ink drawing or watercolor washes could be added as shown on page 138.

Some notes on the composition of this project:

The design of the drawing has an awkward area in the form of the main branch. It is a very strong, straight line that is located almost in the center of the composition and stretches from the bottom to the top, threatening to divide the scene in half. Thankfully, nature solved this dilemma by providing the bent branch on the right side. It adds “weight” to the right side of the drawing and entices the eye to follow along its lines rather than straight up the center of the limb. It also acts as a counterbalance to the heavier appearance of the shadow-darkened nest and branches on the lefthand side.

Capturing details with pen and ink The bole of the rugged tree below spreads out like the arms of an octopus. It has a variety of interesting textures ranging from springy patches of moss to brittle shreds of bark. Use a technical pen with nib sizes .25mm, .35mm and .50mm and all seven pen texturing strokes (shown in chapter 1) to draw it. The drawing at right begins with a pale wash of ink diluted with water. Brush it onto a sheet of heavy drawing paper with a no. 4 round brush and allow to dry. Ink detailing is then stroked over it using a technical pen with a .25mm nib.

Just for fun This project is for those days when you’re feeling just a little wild and adventurous! It starts with a drop of ink wash and turns into a burly knot at the end of a large tree limb, covered with o -shoot branches called “suckers.” Some trees have a whole crown of these types of boughs, especially if mature limbs have been improperly cut back or “topped.” They make interesting textural subjects in winter scenes.

1Lightly pencil-sketch a tree shape on a 12 × 16-inch (30 × 41cm)

sheet of hot press watercolor paper. The branches should be thick enough to appear sturdy and end abruptly as if they had been trimmed back. (Refer to the tree shape shown in Step 3.) Mix a couple drops of permanent India ink in a small puddle of water to make an ink wash. The darkness of the wash will depend on the inkto-water ratio. Place a rounded drop of ink wash at the end of one of

the limbs and blow it upward with a pu of air from a drinking straw. The straw should be positioned just below the ink drop and raised about 1/2 inch (13mm) above the paper. If the “pu ” is strong enough, the ink drop will scatter into several thin branches. Keep blowing the ink along until it reaches the desired height or the drop runs out of liquid. To change the direction of the branches, change the angle of the straw. It’s a good idea to perfect your pu ng technique on a scrap piece of paper rst. Continue the process until all the limbs end in ink-wash “splat marks.”

ink wash or a wash made from black watercolor to block in the 2Use larger tree branches and the trunk. A round brush or small at brush works well for this application. Make sure all of the “splat marks” are supported by a limb. The tree should appear full, with branches in the back as well as the front and sides.

a .25mm, .30mm or .35mm pen nib and permanent black India 3Use ink to unite, de ne, and texture the various parts of the tree. Add

knotholes, bumps and burls wherever whim and creativity suggest. I used mostly loose scribble strokes for texturing. The tree may be further enhanced with thin watercolor washes as seen in the nished painting on the next two pages.

Late Winter Garden 12” × 16” (30 × 41cm), mixed media on hot press watercolor paper This mixed media painting incorporates ink wash with straw-blown texturing, pen and ink, watercolor, colored Pitt brush pens, and touches of pale blue and white acrylic paint.

Tree studies in watercolor A simple watercolor sketch, drawn with a no. 4 round brush, works well to capture the basic structure of a tree—and perhaps a little of its personality. These winter tree sketches were painted on hot press watercolor paper using a limited palette of two colors (see the Color Mixing Chart below). Hot press watercolor paper absorbs liquid quickly, which tends to leave hard edges. Hard edges make bold statements. Don’t be afraid to use them when de ning the winter contours of your tree!

When sketching in watercolor, use the rst wash, which is very pale, to block in the basic shape of the tree. Use bold, wide strokes to indicate the structure of the trunk and larger branches, rather than trying to draw them in outline. Long gesture strokes, those which follow

the contour of the branches, will help you better understand the overall form. After the rst wash is dry, apply additional layers to establish form and depth. Value contrast is the key to developing a threedimensional appearance.

Limited palette winter landscape This simple watercolor scene featuring alder trees can be painted using only four colors: a medial blue (a mix of Ultramarine Blue and Phthalocyanine Blue), Burnt Sienna, Sap Green, and Dioxazine Purple, and combinations thereof (see the palette sample at right). Use a 1/4-inch (6mm) stroke brush and a no. 4 round brush for application.

1Sketch the scene in pencil and paint in the sky and ground shadows using a wash of medial blue.

the earthy grays and browns created by mixing two base colors 2Using together, paint the distant hill, the rocks and the trees. Keep the

strokes loose, allowing the paint to ow and mingle. Maintain areas of white on the trunks.

Snowy Fields and Alder Trees | 12” × 9” (30 × 23cm), watercolor on paper

in the deep shadows using the dark purple-brown mixtures. Add 3Paint branches to the distant trees and a few details in the foreground to

complete the painting.

Starting with a watercolor study The photograph of the weathered cottonwood trees (at right) was taken in mid-winter in a cow pasture. I liked the way the creek water re ected and intensi ed the blue of the sky, complementing the orange-browns and grays in the scene. There is a nice range of lines and shapes—some straight and some artistically curved. The value contrasts are strong, creating shadow and highlight pathways for the eye to follow.

1Excited to see how this scene might look as a painting, I made a 9 × 6-inch (23 × 15cm) watercolor value study, blocking in the mid-tone and dark areas and leaving the paler areas unpainted. The browns and grays were mixed from Cobalt Blue with varying amounts of orange added. The blue water is a mix of Cobalt Blue and Phthalocyanine Blue with a hint of orange stirred in to mute it just a bit. The paint was applied with a no. 4 round brush and a 1/4-inch (6mm) at brush.

Note that open spaces were left for the larger branches that cross in front of the tree trunks.

the way the design was developing and decided to 2Ia liked miniature painting. Using the same color mixtures as

nish it as before, I added some pale washes to ll in some of the white areas and a light Cobalt Blue/Phthalocyanine Blue sky. A richer orange-brown was

daubed into the foreground and the dark-value areas were deepened with a second wash of paint.

next step was to add some details and texture to the tree trunks. 3The To suggest the deeply furrowed bark, I added a little Sepia into my

brown mixtures and drew vertical grooves into the trunk with the tip of my round brush. Using the same color mixture, I deepened the value of the ground and tree shadows. The limbs that crossed over the trunk

were lightly outlined along their bottom edge and re ned. Background branches were added using tones of blue-gray.

complete the “Winter Cottonwoods” watercolor painting, I added 4To gray brush along the horizon, deepened the color and shadows in the

creek, and detailed the foreground with dabs of leaf color and patches of Sepia Brown shadow. It took just over an hour to paint from start to nish.

Winter Cottonwoods in Oils | 20” × 16” (51 × 41cm), oil on stretched canvas In this oil paint version of the cottonwood trees, the rusty old wagon wheel was added to provide a well de ned center of interest, and to avor the scene with a bit of “farm nostalgia.”

Index Acrylics knife painting with, 88-89 supplies, 52-53 as underpainting for oils, 60, 118 versus other mediums, 32 Autumn scenes, 124-137 enhancing color, 134-137 fantasy tree, 128-131 three-step watercolor, 126-127 vibrant, 132-133 Background blurred, 118 distant forest, 86-87 mapping out, 120 Bark aspen, 15 knotholes, 145 pen techniques for, 15-17 reddish, 65 rugged, 68-71, 76-77 smooth, 15, 140 texturing with “brush-proof” ink, 101 various colors and textures, 72-73 various textures, 65 in winter scenes, 139

See also Texture(s) Blossoms dogwood and cherry, 120-123 painting in watercolor, 112-113 tulip magnolia, 110-111, 118-119 Blue Gum Eucalyptus, 73, 96 Branches masking, 46, 76 tying foliage together with, 129 Vine Maple, 54 See also Limbs Broadleaf trees, 26-29 eld studies, 96-97 in landscapes, 94-95 quick acrylic, 98-99 Browns, mixing rich autum colors, 38-39 Brush(es) acrylics, 52-53 oils, 56 splayed, for grass, 102 watercolor, 40 Burning Bush, 126-127 California Red Fir, 24 Cli s, 90-93 Clouds

dabbing in, 115 giving color unity to, 92 in oils, 135 Color charts autumn browns, 38 bark colors, 73 Sap Green, 37 swatch, 62 wheel, 35 woodland greens, 36 Color mixing, 33-38 acrylics, 98 autumnal colors, 38, 125, 132 oils, 134 watercolor studies, 148 Colors autumnal, 38, 124-125, 134-137 complementary, 34 and composition, 106 esh tones, 100 tube, 34 Color theory, 33 Complementary colors, 34 Composition balance of straight and curved lines, 95 color, 106 conifer landscape, 80-81 ensuring balance, 141

simple, 82-83 Conifers, 22-25, 78-83, 90-93 Contour lines, 15, 67, 139, 140, 142 Contrast foreground and background trees, 13, 19 in leaf groupings, 20-21 line and tonal, 7 in winter scenes, 139 Crab Apple, 106-109 Desert Juniper tree, 50-51 Distance maintaining look with glazing, 86-87 and vista landscape, 114-117 Douglas Fir, 72, 79, 80-81 Drawing. See Sketching Drybrushing, for rugged texture, 76 Eastern Black Walnut, 97 Edges blended and abrupt, 105 hard, 91, 108, 148-149 lacy, 128-131 open and frilly, 82 Evergreens. See Conifers Fence, 108, 136 Field studies, broadleaf trees, 96-97

Fir needles, 84-85 Flat wash, 42-43 Flowers dogwood, 120-123 roses, 106-109 tulip magnolia, 110-111, 118-119 See also Blossoms Foliage clumps, 18. See also Leaf groupings colors and techniques, 32-33 at-wash, 42-43 masking, 46-47 scribble lines for, 18, 20 sea sponge, 50-51 summer, 98-99, 100-103, 104-105 vibrant, 132-133 See also Flowers, Grass, Leaves “Foliage run,” 48 Foreground, simple, 102 Forest, distant, 86-87 Garden, impressionistic, 106-109 Glazing drying between layers, 119 intensifying foliage with, 132-133 to maintain look of distance, 86 oil, 59 watercolor, 44-45

Grass crisscross pen strokes for, 128 painting with knife, 89 suggesting with splayed stroke brush, 102 using masking uid for, 70 Greens, mixing, 36-37, 134 Hardwoods. See Broadleaf trees Haze, 86-87 Hills, distant, 83, 85, 150 Impasto, 58 painting leaves in, 62-63 Inks, 14 Ink wash, 144-145 Lake, 85 Landscapes composing, 80-81 vista, 111, 114-117 See also Autumn scenes, Spring scenes, Summer scenes, Winter scenes Layers acrylic, 54-55 drying in between, 119, 128 fat over lean, 60 modeling, 61 oils, 90-93 for tree bark, 72 Leaf groupings, 20-21, 28

sketching in, 28 strokes for, 96, 98 versus individual leaves, 136 Leaves glazing, 44-45 painting impasto, 62-63 See also Fir needles Light source, 99 direction, 81, 116 Limbs extension, 28 overlapping in background, 86 tucking behind blossoms, 121 Lime tree, 31 Lines curved vs. straight, 114 ne, creating with knife, 88-89 narrow, 59 See also Pencil marks, Pen strokes Madrone tree, 64-65 Masking uid, 41, 46-47 for branches, 76 for creating grass, 70 in detailed watercolor, 101 to draw nest, 140-141 for rugged texture, 76 with sea sponge, 50-51

for weeping branches, 112 Meadow, foreground, 91 Mediums using in layers, 91 See also Acrylics, Oils, Pencil, Pen and ink, Watercolors Mountains evergreen landscape, 78-79 as forest background, 86 See also Hills, distant Nest, 138-141 Ocean, 90-93 Oils for conifer landscape, 90-93 lifesize blossoms in, 110-111, 118-119 supplies, 56-57 terms and techniques, 58-61 wet-on-wet, versus other mediums, 32 Orchard, apple, 115-117 Paint characteristics, 33 mixing. See Color mixing See also Acrylics, Oils, Watercolors Painting with knives, 88-89 working downward, 108 Painting knives, 57

Painting styles impressionistic, 54-55, 74-75, 90-93, 106-109, 135-137 illustrative, 94-95 realistic, 100-103 Palette acrylics, 52 complex watercolor, 120 impressionistic garden, 107 limited, 148-149, 150-151 oil, 57 shade tree, 104 summer scene, 100 vibrant autumn, 132-133 watercolor, 41 Palette knives, 53, 57, 88-89 Palo Verde tree, 31 Paper acid-free, 14 cold press, 86, 104 hot press, 144, 148 watercolor, 40 See also Drawing surfaces, Painting surfaces Pasture, 105 Pears, 11 Pen and contrast, 7 outlining and texturing with, 129

Pen and brush, drawing trees with, 140-143 Pen and ink capturing details, 142-143 creating textured trunks in, 67, 139 supplies for drawing, 14 Pen blending, for textured trunk, 68-71 Pencil and contrast, 7 creating textured trunks with, 66-67 supplies for drawing, 8 Pencil marks, 9 blends and smudges, 10-11, 12 hatching and crosshatching, 12 Pen strokes, 15-19 Pink Flowering Dogwood, 97 Red Alder, textured trunk, 68-71 Red Fir, 84-85 Red Horse Chestnut, 46 Rocks, 150 Roses, 106-109 Sap Green, 37, 134-135 Scrub Oak, 30 Seasons. See Autumn scenes, Spring scenes, Summer scenes, Winter scenes Shading, with overlapping lines, 11

Shadows, 101 dabbing in, 126 rich, 38-39 with vertical streaks, 86 Sheep, 105 Shore Pines, 92-93 Shrub as focal point, 106-109 three-step painting process, 126-127 Sitka Spruce, 72, 92-93 Sketching in acrylics, 75, 90, 135 for oils, 60 pen and ink, 19, 21, 25, 29, 31 pencil, 68, 86, 104, 115, 118 in thinned oils, 135 watercolor, 148-149 Sky, 86, 115 background, 119 with clouds, 135 painted with knife, 88 Snow. See Winter scenes Softwoods. See Conifers Spray bottle technique, 48-49, 113, 128 Spring scenes, 110-123 complex, 120-123 with owering trees, 112-113

vista, 115-117 Strokes long, 136 oil, 59 pen, 15-19 pencil, 9-12 watercolor, 132-133 Sugar Pine, 72 Summer scenes, 98-99, 100-103, 104-105 Sweet Cherry, 73 Texture(s) creating in trunks, 65-67 u y, 18 as focus of landscape, 84-85 furrowed, 72 grainy, 17 gritty, 16 impasto, 62-63 of leaves, 96 mossy, 16, 18 pen techniques for, 15-17 rough, 16 rugged, 68-71 satiny, 73 scaly, 72 shreddy, 72 smooth, 10-11, 15 in winter scenes, 139

Texturing strokes pen, 15-19, 142-143 straw-blown, 144-147 “Throw-spray- ow” technique, 48-49, 113, 128 Tonal contrast, 7 Trees autumnal, 128-131 distant, 12 owering, 110-111 foreground, 91 with pen and brush, 140-143 with “suckers,” 144-147 watercolor studies, 148-149, 152 See also Foliage, Leaves, Shrub, Trunk(s) Tree shapes and types alder, 27, 150-151 apple, 26, 106-109 ash, 66 aspen, 15, 26, 62-63 birch, 27, 66, 74-75, 132-133 broadleaf, 26-27 cedar, 23, 82-83 cherry, 73, 112, 120-123 chestnut, 27 conifer, 22-25 cottonwood, 12-13, 27, 152-155 cypress, 23 dogwood, 97, 120-123 elm, 27

eucalyptus, 73, 96 r, 6-7, 22-24, 72, 79, 80-81, 84-85 hardwood, 26-27 hawthorn, 98-99 hemlock, 23 hickory, 27 juniper, 23, 50-51, 72 locust, 27 madrone, 64-65 magnolia, 27 maple, 15, 26, 67, 94-95, 134-137 oak, 18, 27, 101-103 pine, 15, 18, 22-23, 72, 92-93 plum, 113 poplar, 26 redwood, 22 sequoia, 22 shade tree, 104-105 spruce, 22-23, 25, 67, 72, 88-89, 90-93 sycamore, 27 tamarack, 22 walnut, 97 weeping willow, 26 willow, 96 Trunk(s) birch, 74-75 creating textures, 65 textured, 72-73 thick, 128 See also Bark

Tulip Magnolia, 110-111, 118-119 Underpainting, 59, 60-61, 62, 75, 90, 107 acrylic, 107, 118 pure secondary colors, 132-133 Value contrast, as focus, 66-67 Vine Maple, 54-55 Vines, 129 Vista landscape, 111, 114-117 Walnut, 7 Washes at, 42-43 free- owing, 131 vibrant, 132-133 Water creek, 154 lake, 85 ocean, 90-93 stream, 19 Watercolors birch trunks, 74 layers, 128 painting with depth and vibrancy, 132-133 painting pastel blossoms in, 112-113 painting shade tree in, 104-105 and pen blending, 68-71 rugged bark and branches, 76-77 supplies, 40-41

techniques, 42-51, 102 tree studies, 148-149, 152 versus other mediums, 32 in vivid detail, 100-103 Weeping Cherry, 112 Weeping Willow, 96 White Oak, 101-103 Winter scenes, 88-89, 138-155 with limited palette, 148-149, 150-151 Yellow Poplar, 28-29

Drawing & Painting Trees in the Landscape. Copyright © 2011 by Claudia Nice. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 2890963. First Edition. Other

ne North Light Books are available from your favorite

bookstore, art supply store or online supplier. Visit our website media at www.fwmedia.com. 15 14 13 12 11 5 4 3 2 1 DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA BY FRASER DIRECT 100 Armstrong Avenue Georgetown, ON, Canada L7G 5S4 Tel: (905) 877-4411 DISTRIBUTED IN THE U.K. AND EUROPE BY F&W MEDIA INTERNATIONAL, LTD Brunel House, Forde Close, Newton Abbot, TQ12 4PU, UK Tel: (+44) 1626 323200, Fax: (+44) 1626 323319 Email: [email protected] DISTRIBUTED IN AUSTRALIA BY CAPRICORN LINK P.O. Box 704, S. Windsor NSW, 2756 Australia Tel: (02) 4577-3555 Edited by Kathy Kipp Designed by Wendy Dunning Interior layout by Laura Spencer Production coordinated by Mark Gri n

Metric Conversion Chart To convert

to

Inches

Centimeters 2.54

Centimeters Inches Feet

multiply by 0.4

Centimeters 30.5

Centimeters Feet

0.03

Yards

Meters

0.9

Meters

Yards

1.1

About the Author Claudia Nice is a native of the Paci c Northwest and a self-taught artist who developed her realistic art style by sketching from nature. She is a multi-media artist, but prefers pen, ink, and watercolor when working in the eld. Claudia has been an art consultant and instructor for Koh-I-Noor/Rapidograph and Grumbacher. She represents the United States as a member of the Advisory Panel for The Society Of All Artists in Great Britain. Claudia has traveled internationally conducting workshops, seminars and demonstrations at schools, clubs, shops and trade shows. She operates her own teaching studio, Bright-wood Studio (www.brightwoodstudio.com) in the beautiful Cascade wilderness near Mt. Hood, Oregon. Her oils, watercolors, and ink drawings can be found in private collections nationally and internationally. Claudia has authored more than twenty successful art instruction books. Her books for North Light include Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink; Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor; Down by the Sea with Brush and Pen; and her latest book, How to See, How to Draw, published in 2010. Flowing into Spring 16” × 12” (41 × 30cm), watercolor on paper Although it is still winter, the lighter green tones in the conifer boughs and the milky, “snow melt” hue of the river foretell that spring is on its way. Several weeks after this landscape was painted, the river ooded over its banks and some of the young evergreen trees were swept away. Not only did my brush record a beautiful scene, but I captured a moment in time that will never be the same.

Dedication I dedicate this book to my father, Rodney Leo Salzer, who as a onetime logger and a skilled woodworker, taught me to appreciate trees.

Ideas. instruction. inspiration. Receive a FREE downloadable issue of The Artist’s Magazine when you sign up for our free newsletter at artistsnetwork.com/Newsletter_Thanks.

These and other ne North Light products are available at your local art & craft retailer, bookstore or online supplier.

Visit artistsnetwork.com and get Jen’s North Light Picks! Get free step-by-step demonstrations along with reviews of the latest books, videos and downloads from Jennifer Lepore, Senior Editor and Online Education Manager at North Light Books.

Art Techniques

draw & paint

realistic trees in all four seasons

Bestselling author and naturalist Claudia Nice is back with another studio essential for every landscape artist. Drawing & Painting Trees in the Landscape features Claudia’s best tips and techniques for painting trees of all kinds in their natural settings—from the majesty of mountain evergreens to the delicate pink blossoms of cherry trees in spring. With her inspiring artistic style and in-depth visual instruction, Claudia starts with the basics, showing you how to break down reference photos and open-air vistas into simple shapes, colors and textures. Follow along as she skillfully guides you through every step of creating vibrant compositions anchored by glorious trees and foliage, including: * Drawing and sketching techniques for mapping out successful compositions * A variety of basic tree shapes you can reference and copy, featuring more than 40 conifers, hardwoods and deciduous trees

* Proven color mixes for painting an array of vibrant hues—from the many di erent greens

of foliage to the soft pastels of spring blossoms—using watercolor, oil, acrylics or mixed media

* Step-by-step instructions on drawing and painting important details, such as the weathered

textures of bark, the sculptural shapes of bare branches in winter, aged mossy trunks and more

* Techniques for working smart in any medium, such as using simple watercolor washes for

distant foliage, adding details with pen & ink, and “knife painting” in oils for interesting dimensional e ects

Whether your goal is to make accurate eld sketches for your journal, paint what you see on your travels through the countryside, or just capture familiar views of your own back yard, Claudia makes the process fun, easy and satisfying. Like a walk in the woods, with every step you’ll relax, enjoy and learn something new.

Also available by Claudia Nice: How to See, How to Draw: Keys to Realistic Drawing