I decided that before I start a new painting of these lily pads at the C-6 Dock at Nimisila Reservoir, I should review the paintings I have made so far. I realized over the weekend that I’m not painting the actual scene anymore, I’m painting some kind of analog of what I saw and felt…… Continue reading Nimisila C-6: Study Review
Category: Year 2
Farm Road: End of Year 2
So… my second year of watercolor is over. As an attempt to measure my progress, I decided a while ago that I would paint the Farm Road painting each year. Last year, the results were pretty remarkable. When I compared last year’s painting to the painting I made when I first started, I saw a…… Continue reading Farm Road: End of Year 2
Nimisila C-6: #14
Well folks, this is the last painting of my second year of watercolor! This is number 14 in my studies as I prepare for a painting that I’ll be making on a full sheet. I think I’m close, but I want to try again, with more wet in wet work in the peninsula, and any…… Continue reading Nimisila C-6: #14
Nimisila C-6: #13
You know that famous saying, “The thirteenth time’s a charm.” Maybe it’s lucky number 14? Before I get into the painting, I wanted to show the sketch, and a little thing I did to my easel this weekend. Easel Hack I have this drafting compass from Rachel’s Pappy that I use all the time. I…… Continue reading Nimisila C-6: #13
Nimisila C-6: #12
This is my attempt to paint this scene from Dock C-6 at Nimisila Reservoir. If you are curious about my previous attempts… Attempts 1-4 are here. Attempts 5-7 are here. Attempts 8-9 are here. Attempts 10-11 are here. Number 12: OMG… I think I’m getting close. So I decided to try to follow the recipe…… Continue reading Nimisila C-6: #12
Nimisila C-6: #10-11
Dang. These are hard. Number 10: I didn’t bother to go back in and paint the flowers on this one because I knew it wasn’t going to be a finished version. I like the way the water is rendered in this one, but like all the others, the lily pads here are quite dark. I…… Continue reading Nimisila C-6: #10-11
Nimisilla C-6: #8-9
I decided to try the painting of the lillies at the C-6 boat ramp at Nimisila Reservoir again today. If you want to see the evolution of this one, the first four paintings are discussed here, and paintings 5-7 are here. Nimisila C-6: #8… Yuck For this painting I wanted to try to focus on…… Continue reading Nimisilla C-6: #8-9
The Tree You’re Looking For: #2
I decided that I’m sick of painting the same kind of thing over and over. Or rather, it’s not that I’m sick of it, it’s that I am stagnated because I’m always doing the same thing. So I decided to try something abstract. mmm… *burp* Ok – what a righteous failure. Yeah. It’s awful. it…… Continue reading The Tree You’re Looking For: #2
Nimisila C-6: #5 – 7
How? HOW?! How did Monet do water lillies so much justice? And how does Joseph Zbukvic achieve similar perfection in his paintings? I clearly do not know. I tried to paint the scene from Nimisilla Reservoir dock C-6 again today. I think I’m getting closer, but I’m still not entirely sure how to represent that…… Continue reading Nimisila C-6: #5 – 7
Nimisilla C-6: #1-4
I went out to Nimisilla Reservoir today to try some Plein air painting. I am not happy with any of the results, so I tried again at home, and I’m not happy with that either. I don’t feel like doing a full write up on another failed painting, but I am committed to posting even…… Continue reading Nimisilla C-6: #1-4
James & Verna’s Barn
My friend Branden grew up on this farm in Dalton, Ohio. His dad and mom, James and Verna, still live there, and Branden lives a few miles away. The last time I was with Branden, we went to his parents to get a live trap for a skunk that made its home under Branden’s shed.…… Continue reading James & Verna’s Barn
Winter Grape Vine: #4
I have another photo that’s been sitting in my pile of photos I want to paint for several months. This was taken in Gnaddenhutten Ohio, just after sunrise in November. There was a hint of ice frost covering everything, and it was windless, quiet and still. I took this photo, and really like the geometric…… Continue reading Winter Grape Vine: #4
Wave Crash
Ok … GUYS! I’m proud of this one. That means if you don’t like it, shut up. Because I’m fragile. Call me a snow flake, a wuss, whatever. I don’t care. I just know that I like this painting, and I almost never actually like my work. If you tell me why it sucks, I…… Continue reading Wave Crash
Collette’s Happy Place
My mom has a friend in Arizona who wanted a painting of a photograph that her daughter took of a place where she likes to camp. It was a challenging photo, but I’m pleased with the final results. The photo is beautiful, and a really interesting composition. This is very different from what I normally…… Continue reading Collette’s Happy Place
Ray Hendershot Exercise: Birch Trees
Tonight, I painted the next exercise in Ray Hendershot’s book. I don’t know why Birch trees feel like a very trite subject to me – but they do. I think every painting of birch trees is essentially the same thing – masked off trunks with something colorful or dark behind them. I think Ray Hendershot…… Continue reading Ray Hendershot Exercise: Birch Trees
Dock at Deer Creek: #1
This painting is my attempt to recreate a photo that I took one morning just after sunrise at Deer Creek here in Ohio. I went fishing in the morning, and stopped for a moment on the dock to take some pictures. One of my favorite photos was this one: After a few weeks of having…… Continue reading Dock at Deer Creek: #1
Ray Hendershot Exercise: Fully Foliated Trees
The next exercise in Ray Hendershot’s “Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors” is to paint fully foliated trees. This exercise demonstrates what appears to be a great strength of the pedagogy in this book. The distant trees exercise is useful for this exercise, but it isn’t necessary. Because Mr. Hendershot encourages us to paint loose representations…… Continue reading Ray Hendershot Exercise: Fully Foliated Trees
Ray Hendershot Exercise: Distant Trees
I purchased a book by Ray Hendershot entitled “Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors.” I appreciate how Mr. Hendershot manages to achieve the impression of a photorealistic image, but includes just enough Impressionism to give the composition a level of emotion that I feel photorealistic paintings often lack. (Steven Kozar does an excellent job of proving…… Continue reading Ray Hendershot Exercise: Distant Trees
Caldwell Hillside: #1
I haven’t painted in a while, in large part because I haven’t felt inspired by the ideas in my head. There is a photo I have had in my recent photos that I’ve wanted to paint. The photo wasn’t great in terms of composition, but the memory of the scene was very strong. I remember…… Continue reading Caldwell Hillside: #1
Not Watercolor
It seems as though my motivation to paint lately is non existent. Or rather, I have a desire to paint, but I can’t think of what I should paint. You’d think this would be a great time to practice some drills, or experiment with new things I’ve never tried, maybe try abstracts, or *gasp* oils……… Continue reading Not Watercolor