Along the Bosque

The little test painting I did on the Fluid brand watercolor paper got me all cranked up to do it right.  Getting atmospheric perspective was tough to impossible on that paper, and I have to do it again.  I dug out a sheet of 140 lb. Arches paper to try it out on.  If I can pull it off this try, great, if I have to start again, I won't have wasted an expensive piece of paper.

The distant wooded shapes, first layer. This is a full sheet of Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper. 

My favorite grey is a mixture of Pthalo Blue and Sepia.  When I want a distant, cool grey I use more blue in the mixture, and conversely, for a warm grey just increase the sepia.  If I want deep darks, use less water.  It seems to be a go-to mixture for me more and more.

Middle ground tree shapes- shaping up!  Sorry... 

As this painting goes along, I'm enjoying the muted colors I've chosen.  A similar palette to La Bella Durmiente, it seems to give a quiet sense to the scene.  After teaching a couple hundred kids all day, a sense of quiet is medicine to this frazzled lady's mind!


Thanks for stopping by- Alice