To glaze or not to glaze, this is the question.

Here is my watercolor picture of Winter Wonderland. If you had an opportunity to visit Swallow Falls State Park in Maryland then this picture would look familiar to you. This waterfall is much wider in real life but to improve composition I decided to narrow it a little. This trick let me bring trees that grow on the opposite sides of the river closer together and create a nice opening for the misty background forest.

            At a first glance the picture looked finished but after a while I noticed that it was lacking the depth. Since Winter sceneries are mostly white it is hard for us artists to emphasize shadows, and shadows add the depth.

In such situation simple glazing can improve the picture. Glazing is a well-known watercolor technique that involves painting wet-over-dry picture.  Because watercolor pigment, even when dry, is not fixed to the paper, glazing needs to be done very gently. To do so, I used a very soft and large brush. I loaded it with diluted paint. I mixed previously used indigo and crimson red and started darkening the background and carefully avoiding areas that needed to be white. Then I added shadows to mid-ground snow covered trees. Finally I added an extra layer of paint to the water at the bottom but left the waterfall foam and yellow reflection untouched.

The idea of glazing can sound frightening because it involves painting over a picture that is almost finished and full of details. But if glazing is done properly it brings loose elements of the picture together and simplifies busy compositions. 

So, to glaze or not to glaze?  Definitely glaze!

How to find an art inspiration?

Let’s say you have time, and you want to create some art. Your studio is cleaned, your materials are well organized, and you have desire to make something nice. There is nothing else to do but art. Unfortunately, instead of submerging into the creative process, you realize that you don’t know how to start. Something very important is missing. The inspiration.

They say that you can find inspiration everywhere and this is true. So let's look for it.

First, leave your studio because there is nothing interesting there. Walk away from your computer, drawing from old photographs is not that thrilling. Real subjects are much more inspiring.

 At home the best place to find something attention-grabbing is your kitchen. You have constant supplies of fresh food there. Fruits and veggies, bread and meat are perfect subjects to paint. They are rich in attractive form and color. Look at them with fresh eyes, cut them in half to find what is inside, make slices or simply take a bite. Create an appealing composition by moving the elements quickly. Highlight them with a good source of light. Working close to the window is the best but artificial lamps are also helpful. Quickly you will find that even in the comfort of your home you can find a lot of ideas for fantastic drawing or painting.

For me though the best way to look for inspiration is outdoors. There, the possibilities are endless. Your backyard, neighbor's doorway, old trees, rocks, buildings, parks, rivers, lakes and mountains.  Everything is just waiting for you to discover it. Move around to find the best angle for your composition.  Don't be attached to the first idea.  Draw several quick sketches and then choose the best one. Strive for progress not for perfection. Take reference photos. You can finish your art outside or bring it back to the studio. Notice how refreshed you feel by stepping away and meeting with your art Muse. 

After such an experience you will soon be reworded with a beautiful drawing or painting.  Pablo Picasso once said "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" so lets go for it.

Beef up the Composition

In late December I visited Canaan Valley in West Virginia. It’s a very beautiful and peaceful place and if you are an outdoor person you’ll love it too. Walking through the woods and meadows was a real treat for me. Because it was too cold to stay in one spot and draw I took a lot of pictures while hiking.

Here is a scene that made me freeze for a moment. This sight had a lot of attractive features but also had a few distracting elements. In my rough sketch below you can see how I handled the components to create a more exciting composition. The drawing was done with a graphite aquarelle and washed over with water. This helped me see the tones and the lighting better.

The creek was my focal point so I decided to cheat a little and make it a bit wider and brighter. The trees along the stream had trunks covered with lichens light in color. To emphasize that brightness I positioned them in front of the darker conifers. The unbalanced tree trunk and the footbridge were grabbing attention away from the stream so I didn’t put them in my drawing at all. Also, I decided not to paint the tall trees in the background to simplify the setting.

At first I covered the tree trunks with masking fluid. I wet the entire paper and applied the diluted mixture of ultramarine blue and burnt umber for the background. I added yellow ochre to the mixture to achieve a nice green color for trees in the distance. To create the soft look I started painting while the paper was still wet. For the foreground I used burnt sienna and a touch of purple. After these first two washes I waited for my paper to completely dry. Then I painted the closer fir trees and pines with the same mixture yet more condensed. Next I removed the masking fluid that covered the trunks. I painted their edges gray and green to create a feeling of roundness. The grass was done by a lot of negative painting. I completed the painting by adding shadows behind the trees.

I really enjoy painting details and I have to remind myself constantly not to over do it. 

Go to my YouTube Chanel to see the video of painting process

https://youtu.be/-1O7356g0ME

Summer in the Garden

Frosty Birches

I think my little kitty is buying this one.
This simple watercolor sketch was done with two colors only. Ultramarine blue and yellow ocher. 

The Alps in Clouds

My painting was inspired by a fabulous photo gallery by Jose Antonio. If you would like to see more of the beautiful Switzerland mountains and historic sites go to the website.
When I was looking at the original photo, first thing I noticed was the low clouds and the mountain peaks above. That gives the scene an unusual look and dynamic. Most of us know how quickly such scene vanishes. Thanks to Jose - the author of this photo for sharing the moment with us. I wounder what happened next. The clouds went up and cleared the view or maybe quite opposite, they covered everything with a mist. In the high mountains you never know.
Because I'm painting with watercolors I left the white of the paper to represent the lightest parts of the clouds. Sticking to the rule "the less is more" I tried not to over do this part of the painting. I think I succeeded in this.

The painting process of this picture is on YouTube