Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 15

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 15

 

            I got a bit further than I thought I would over the past week. I made

changes to the evergreen trees on the left, completed nearly all of the waterfall, added more of the frozen creek near the bottom and began painting in the hemlock tree on the right.

            Ever since I completed the evergreens on the left, something bothered me about them. The heavy burden of snow just didn’t seem right. Even though it appeared real, it didn’t seem so to me. Maybe it was the amount of snow. I checked other reference photos, but couldn’t isolate and define my problem with it. Maybe it was just too much snow, although heavy, deep snows appear everywhere else in the painting. The amount of white on that side also was a departure from the much darker forms I had in the value and color sketches. I eventually decided that the snow on the branches had to be reduced and broken up into smaller pieces. That would also increase the dark values I originally planned for that side.

Using the same colors used previously for the foliage, I went back in and started breaking up the large masses of snow into much smaller ones out near the ends of the branches. Much of the left side in the shadows was left untouched, but the front and right sides were reduced considerably. So, much of the snow that lay on interior branches was eliminated – as if the wind had kept the snow from piling up on the branches. In places I added white gouache to indicate snow near the tips of the branches. To help give a three dimensional look to the trees, I also added lighter greens, indicating sunlit tips. By the time I finished re-working the trees, I felt better about their appearance. There was a more real look to them.

I had already painted in much of the snow and rocks in lower left, but continued refining it by intensifying the colors and adding more detail. A little more grass was added and some darker colors were added to increase the three dimensionality and form.

Next, the area to the right of the large rock at the bottom received attention. That area, mostly frozen but still having some water flowing is irregular and bumpy, as the water continues to move down stream. I added layer after layer of winsor blue and paynes grey to define the course of the water flowing through and areas where the sunlight sparkled on the surface. By adding the darker tones, even though they are broken up and still contain much white, the sunlight on the snow on the large rock becomes more obvious. It is interesting how the play of lights against darks will bring out seemingly dull areas.

The Mill itself needed to stand out a bit more. I think the shadow side was not dark enough, so I added a couple more glazes of paynes grey. The glazes had to be done quickly to avoid dissolving the detail already there.

The waterfall was extended next. Using the same techniques and colors (winsor blue and paynes grey) as the rest of the falls, I painted in the rest of it across to the tree on the right. At the same time I finished up the large rock just below the Mill. The rocks were first layed in with paynes grey, then finished with a combination of French ultramarine blue and burnt umber, with some yellow ochre for highlights.

The hemlock tree on the right was added last. Here, I used French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, with some permanent rose, to get an almost black color, and painted in the trunk and branches. Although not all the branches are in, I wanted to get a feel for the foliage, so I painted in some of the masses to see how it worked. The hemlock needles were painted in with a ultra round brush, using ultramarine, hookers green and yellow ochre.

The painting is nearing completion. I’m hoping another week. I’ll continue to finish the trees on the right and then see what needs final touches.

 

Work in Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 14

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 14

            I was finally able to get some time in this past weekend to do some work on the painting. I finished up on the conifers on the left and made some progress on the snow, rocks and frozen creek on the bottom left. More paynes grey was washed in over the area just below the conifer tree and I also darkened the grasses a bit. I built up the shadows in the snow with winsor blue and some paynes grey. The darks of the rocks were first painted in with paynes grey and then later finished with a combination of raw sienna, raw umber and some yellow ochre. The lighter areas of the bigger rock were accomplished by lifting some color before it was completely dry. Stippling of darker paint on the rock helped add some texture.

            The sunlit portions of the rocks facing the sunlight received very light washes of new gamboge but otherwise were left completely devoid of any color. The juxtaposition of slightly darker shades of paynes grey and winsor blue made the sunlit snow on the rocks seem brighter. All it takes is a little darker value next to white to bring it out.

            I’ve purposely left detail in some areas unfinished until the later stages of the painting to see what changes might be necessary as I relate one area to another.

            I’m going to continue my way across the painting from left to right, working in the still unfrozen water just to the right of the big rock at the bottom. I’ll also continue with the waterfall, working toward the right. Then I’ll start working in the trees on the right.

Work in Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 13

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 13

             In the last week I’ve begun work on the fir trees on the left. I was anxious to get them in because they impact the mass of shrubs under the bridge. The abrupt stop of the shrub mass on its left edge was bothering me and influencing my opinion of the painting. With nothing else as dark the shrub mass was commanding too much attention. By adding the trees the eye is led further left, and the abrupt end of the mass is eliminated. The darks continue to move left until stopped with the large fir tree on the bank of the creek. I’ve added more snow on the tree than I first anticipated because I didn’t want a huge dark mass that might have proved too important, taking attention away from the Mill. As it is, with the snow laden branches, I think it becomes important enough, but (I hope) not too important.

            I used both masking fluid and white gouache for the snow. I started out masking out areas of snow on the trees, then painting the darks of the foliage, but eventually I added more white here and there with gouache later as I fine-tuned the snow. In some cases it wasn’t the right shape, in others there wasn’t enough or wasn’t placed just right. After looking at reference photos, it was necessary to make changes – and keep making changes – until I was satisfied. It’s still trial and error. In painting the masses of snow on the branches it’s important to keep in mind the underlying form, the branches that the snow is laying on. Those branches give form to the snow, so, even though you can’t really see the foliage very clearly, it is giving shape to the snow laying on top of it. You can’t just put in a blob of snow and color it. So, that is why I keep re-working the forms until they look correct- so they look like there are branches underneath. When I draw in and then paint the snow I have to feel the branch under it. If I don’t, I have to analyze it and make changes until it feels and looks right.

            The foliage is a combination of French ultramarine, hooker’s green, yellow ochre and cadmium yellow. In the darkest recesses I added permanent rose to the mix. I left the interior and unlit left side the darkest and added lighter colors to bring out some of the branches.

            Many purist watercolor artists frown on the use of gouache – or any other white paint. They feel that proper planning and preservation of the white paper is the path to follow. I admire their viewpoint and even their skill at being able to do that – and have it come out right. I feel too restricted following that mantra. In some ways I wish I could, and it still bothers me a bit to use white paint (and I will continue to strive for less white paint), but I still make changes to my paintings as I progress through them and need to add more white when necessary.

            At this point the upper one third of the largest tree is the most complete. The smaller two trees to the right are in various stages of completion. I’ll work my way down the large tree, adding, re-examining and re-working any area that doesn’t feel right. I’m hoping to have those trees complete by next posting.

 

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 12

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 12

            After getting in most of the waterfall, I felt that I would get to work on the left side. The bank of the creek as well as the evergreen trees would be the focus of my efforts for the next couple of weeks. The mass of shrubs on the bank below the bridge was also bothering me. There was still something about the shrubs that I was unhappy with but I couldn’t quite put my finger on. And I still can’t. I’ve tinkered with it, breaking up the snow, adding more detail in the form of leaves. All that has helped, but I’m still troubled by them.

            As you can see, I’ve worked more into the lower left corner. Still working with winsor blue and paynes gray, I began to define the contours, irregularities, bumps and depressions associated with the bank. I started to define the large rocks on the creek edge. This was done by slowly building up the values, checking carefully the nuances in the shade patterns on the forms. At times I’ve had a tendency to want to rush a bit faster with darker washes but I’ve resisted the temptation to go too fast. I may be too cautious, but I still feel slowly creeping up on the desired value and detail is preferable. It is easier to add detail than to take away an overly heavy wash.

            In this past week’s session I also added much to the area just below the falls – the area where the water normally spills into a pool before rushing on down the stream. Underlying rocks and buildup of freezing water causes the formation of more interesting textures. The running water still causes small valleys and slits as it falls to lower levels and that still gives the feeling of movement, even though much of the falls is frozen. You can still see how the water runs off the edge onto the rocks below and how it flows over and around underlying rock formations. The forms of the rocks are still there, just covered with ice.

            The spots below the fall where liquid water still flows was more paynes gray than blue. I indicated small ripples by leaving streaks and spots of light value.

            After the values and shapes on the creek bank were complete I added the grasses that still poke out through the snow. For that I used a mix of yellow ochre, raw umber and raw sienna and a liner brush. Then I went back in with paynes gray to darken the spots where the grasses emerged from the snow.

            These areas are not finished yet. I will be deepening the values where necessary. For instance, the liquid water at the base of the falls needs to be darkened somewhat. I think the grasses on the bank could use a bit more work. In fact, more subtle detailing is needed as I go forward. After that I will tackle the fir trees on the left.

 

 

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 11

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 11

            Last week I discussed detail in my paintings and put forward an argument for why detail needs to be saved for the most important areas. Detail in the main subject is important because it keeps focus in that area. Detail elsewhere can be distracting. That argument makes sense – except I have a great deal of trouble working under that premise. When I looked at the painting up to the point I had attained I felt there was something wrong, and that probably I had added too much detail, but then it occurred to me that there wasn’t enough detail. Not enough detail? That goes against everything I had convinced myself of. I added a bit more detail to the deciduous tree and more to the snow laden evergreen shrubs on the creek bank. That seemed to help! At the same time I looked through paintings by other artists to see how they handled details. An artist who I truly admire is Carol Evans. She lives and paints watercolor scenes on the pacific northwest coast. As I looked through her paintings, I became aware that the ones that really caught my attention, the ones that I was most impressed with, were the ones that had a great deal of detail everywhere. Although my paintings have not yet reached the impressive richness and complexity of hers, the style of our best paintings is similar – emphasis on detail. That seems to be when I’m happiest with my work. Loose brushwork has a place in my repertoire – maybe pen and ink and watercolor – but not in my watercolor or colored pencil. I’ve learned something about myself over the past couple of weeks.

            After adding more branches to the deciduous tree, I put more detail into the evergreen shrubs (probably rhododendrons) on the creek bank. I broke up the snow masses some by adding more foliage. The shrubs also needed to be a bit darker, so I used a mix of French ultramarine and burnt sienna to darken the shadows. To highlight leaves here and there I used a mix of yellow ochre, new gamboge and hookers green.

I lightly penciled in the frozen waterfall. Then I added very light washes of new gamboge and permanent rose up on top of the waterfall next. All the detail on the waterfall was done with a combination of winsor blue and paynes gray. Most of the work was done with winsor blue but paynes gray was layered on to produce darker shadows. I did not mix the two colors but layered them separately. It took many layers to get the darkest values.

By next week I should have the waterfall completed over to the trees on the right and I’ll be starting on the snow and ice area below the waterfall.

 

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 10

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 10

            Using the full scale drawing as a guide I first drew in the large shrub in front of the Mill. Then, I masked out some irregular splotches to indicate snow. When the masking fluid was dry I painted in the foliage of the evergreen shrub using a small round brush and a mix of hookers green, yellow ochre and winsor blue. I varied the mix to keep the mass from having a uniform color. After the shrub was painted in I removed the masking fluid.

            Because the foreground hemlock blocks out part of the shrub mass, I painted in some rough shapes to indicate the fine needle foliage of the branches and painted in a few branches as well. The branches were painted in with burnt sienna, raw sienna and winsor blue, the hemlock foliage with hookers green, lemon yellow and a bit of winsor blue. I want to keep the foliage on the lighter side so that I don’t overwhelm the Mill with a huge dark mass. I’m depending on the dark tree trunk and branches to stop the viewer from running off the right side. However, I’m not 100% sure at this point about how dark to go on the foliage. I’ll have to wait and see when I get to that part.

            Next, I started painting in some of the snow down below the Mill. There, I first washed in some very light tints of permanent rose and new gamboge in the sunlit spots. When dry, I started in with the shaded areas using winsor blue and, in the darkest areas, paynes gray. The tones were built up slowly by adding more and more layers of blue until I felt they were dark enough. I was careful to avoid getting any color on the tops of the masses where the sun was hitting them directly.

            Moving toward the left I penciled in the distant shrubs just below the bridge and then painted them in with the green- blue mix mentioned before.

            The big mass of shrubs below the bridge came next. The shrubs were first penciled in to get the general shape and contour. Then I used masking fluid to block out areas of snow. Using the green mix, I painted in the shrub mass. Once again, I varied the tone of the green by varying the colors, to give some form to the shrubs, indicating the dark shadows here and lighter leaves there. After the shrubs were painted in I removed the masking fluid and finished up edges here and there. Winsor blue and a bit of paynes gray were added to the snow to give them some three dimensional form.

            At first I made the more forward part of the shrub mass a bit lighter than the mass further back – and wasn’t happy with it. I felt the whole mass needed the same tone, so I darkened the forward part more. That seemed to help. I also didn’t want too much green to show. Darkening the mass helped that, too. By adding more winsor blue and burnt sienna I was able to darken the mass sufficiently.

            The deciduous, bare tree in front of the bridge was painted in with a combination of winsor blue, burnt sienna and raw umber, and using both a pointed round and a script brush to get the thin branches near the top.

Once finished, I felt the tree lacked real character but also had to tell myself that the tree was not the center of interest. One problem I have is treating each item that I paint as a special subject, needing special treatment. If I were to make the tree very interesting it would draw attention away from the Mill, which is, after all, the center of attention.

 

            As I look at the painting at this point I have mixed feelings about how it is presented. Although the shrub mass and snow look realistic, I wonder if there should be less detail. Less detail in everything except the Mill. I had this same problem when working on the bare tree. I felt the tree needed to be more interesting. I think that was wrong. When involved in painting an object, I forget about everything else around it, and focus on making that object look real and detailed. I think it’s necessary, when developing the composition, to determine also what level of detail each area of the painting should get, and keep that in mind when progressing through it. If I put detail into everything, then everything becomes more important. Even though I’ve composed the painting to focus on the subject, I don’t want to draw attention away from that subject by having highly detailed objects all around it. So, I think, as you move away from the center of interest, I think the detail should also decrease. Otherwise, the painting gets way too busy. Everything should look realistic, but the detail should decrease. There needs to be a balance, however. I don’t want everything too out of focus compared to the subject. As I continue with this painting I’ll have to evaluate each element and decide whether to increase or decrease the detail. Everything relates to everything around it.

So much to think about.

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 9

Work In Progress: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Update 9

Painting the Mill is definitely the most interesting part of the project so far. It’s the focus of all the work. It’s the focal point of the painting – the main reason for the painting. It’s the subject that will have the greatest detail and – I hope – attention. The final photo in last week’s Update showed the penciled in Mill. Before painting the building I re-drew the Mill and bridge in detail because the Mill is the focus of the painting. A detailed drawing will make the painting much easier.

After adding another layer of the gray mix under the race I started on the Mill. First I layed down an undercoat to get a basic color for the Mill. Here, I mixed yellow ochre, burnt sienna, raw umber and burnt umber, made a light, watery tint and put down an undercoat. Once dry, I drybrushed in varying combinations of the same colors over the outside surface of the Mill to indicate aging and weathered wood. The wood on the Mill, depending on its exposure to the elements, over time turns from the rich reddish brown color to silver gray. It doesn’t all turn color at the same time, so after years of weathering, there is a wonderful mix of reddish browns, yellow browns and silver gray, spots and stippling, streaks and smudges. This is what I try to imitate with drybrush and wet in wet techniques.

After adding the color I used a small pointed round brush and a darker mix of the browns mentioned above to line in the horizontal siding on the left end of the Mill. Rather than make all the lines uniform (which would be dull) I made them irregular and skipped a bit, indicating rough, uneven surfaces and edges. I kept the upper edge of the line straight but made the lower edge irregular to indicate rough shadows. I also did not use a straight edge but did them freehand, adding more interest to them.

Next, the windows and doors were painted in. I used the same mixes and brush to paint the window and door trim in. To indicate depth, I used a darker color to line in the shadowed parts. When all of the outside parts were finished, I put in the dark window panes and doorways and shading under the eaves of the roof and under the window sills. For that a mix of winsor blue and burnt sienna gave a nice dark, near black, color. It was necessary to use a magnifying glass to paint in the window panes, leaving the mullions visible.

Although the back half of the left side and the back of the Mill have board and batten siding, indicating them with paint entails the same process as with the horizontal siding. I used the same color mixes to indicate weathered wood.

Once the siding was pretty much finished, I put a glaze of the gray mix over the shaded side of the Mill. At that point I wasn’t sure how much to darken it, so I left it at that. I could revisit the shading later. I didn’t want to go too dark right away because I needed the Mill sides to be easily differentiated from the background.

The water race was next. There, again, I used the same brown mixes to put in the sides and their bracing boards. After working the race, I painted in the lower, stone base, of the Mill.

After stepping away from the painting for a day I went back to look at the shading and decided another coat was in order. There wasn’t enough difference between the sunlit and shaded sides of the Mill. But if I did that I’d also have to darken the background behind the Mill and Bridge. So, I did both. This time I added another glaze on the shaded side of the Mill with Paynes grey, keeping the shading to the blue side. Adding the glaze loosened the underlying paint, so I had to go back over the detail again, after it was dry.

The supports and water wheel were next in line. The brown mix was used for the supports. Here I made sure, as with the other boards, to indicate the light and shadowed sides. The water wheel is a different color, however. There’s a bit more red in it. For that I uses a combination of permanent rose and burnt umber. (You may be wondering how I can see all this detail in the photo, and I don’t blame you. The truth is, I did some research online and came up more photos of the Mill. This helped greatly. I was able to see more of the siding, the water race supports and the stone bridge supports. All this adds to the richness of the Mill). I was careful to work around the snow on the race, the fence and the water wheel. (Not real careful because I did use white gouache where needed to bring out the white snow where necessary).

The bridge is an important part of the painting. The combination of dark and white lines help lead the eye to the Mill. I painted in the posts and railings with a mix of burnt umber and winsor blue, using a straightedge. This is where carefully drawing in the structure beforehand pays off. You can easily make a mistake with the spacing and it will show up later. I was careful to leave in the white of the snow on the railings but did use gouache white on the post tops.

A further glaze of the gray mix was added to deepen the shadows on the wheel and the lower part of the Mill, as well as under the platform near the door on the right side.

Lastly, I painted in the stone supports holding up the bridge. Burnt sienna, burnt umber, raw umber, some new gamboge made for some nice browns. I dabbed them in to indicate stones and added shading to define edges. Also used the same mix to paint in the low stone wall below the supports to the Mill race.

Just to see how the building would look I started adding some snow near the Mill. Though not completely finished I put in enough to suggest the snow on the roof, the race, the bridge, window ledges, signs and under the race. Here I used winsor blue and added some indigo blue in the shadows.

From here I’ll begin to work my way forward, painting in the frozen waterfalls, the stream banks, shrubs and trees.