Sunday, August 17, 2014

Drawing You Say

It was perfect.  Shade, a picnic table, moderate temperature, sunshine.  a high vantage point.  Well, not exactly.  Couldn't see the subject through the big Maple tree.  So I got some exercise in sneaking and returning to sit and draw.  Have to sit these days.

High Above the Harbour, Lunenburg

Now, I do a fair amount of drawing.  I try to get it mostly right even though it is not usually my primary concern.  During the sketch and subsequent hour of painting here I know something was pretty wrong.  Didn't have time or strength to correct on site.  After all, its probably mostly right (couldn't see the subject but you know).

After I got home I had to do some investigation.  Here is the gist of what I found.

Drawing Check - Simple

Even without seeing the subject I knew the areas that were probably wrong.  Easy to correct on the second wet.  My constant drawing at least warned me.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Going Light

So between treatments I'm going east to paint, relax, and explore, 8 days.  Gotta go light.  Can't walk too far and have to sit to paint.  Oh well, do what you gotta do.  Cut the chair, shorten the paint supply etc.  Here is my total kit.

About 4 pounds

Roll of paper towels, 5 brushes in protective tube (Flat Hogs Bristle, #4,#6,#8x2,#12), dippers to hold mineral spirits for cleaning, palette knife, small bottle mineral spirits, pencil, grey view finder, sketch book, 10 canvas boards in two sizes - 8x10, 11x14.  Six tubes of paint.  And my Traveller paint box and extension by Good Omen.  Works great!

Top row are my primaries for this trip;
Alizarin Crimson - RGH Paint
Cad Yellow Medium - Blue Ridge Paint
Ultramarine Blue - Michael Harding Paint
These paints limit my high Chroma colour mask.  Landscape is primarily low chroma.

These paints will broaden the high chroma colour mask.  I can always dull them down.
Cadmium Orange Deep - Blue Ridge Paint
Viridian - Rembrandt -  I use this weak tinting green as another blue, mix with ultramarine.

I start my palette with the primaries.  If I need more cool colour I add the viridian - beauty greys with alizarin.  If I need more warm add the cad orange deep - beauty greys with ultramarine.

Titanium White - Michael Harding Paint

Last Minute Decisions

I decided to replace the Cad yellow with the less intense Yellow Ochre also by Blue Ridge. Save me some mixing and I don't expect to see much intense yellow.  Then I decided to take this travel tripod that folds up like a robot.  Adds a couple of pounds.

Soon see how all this works.