I’ve painted on the first day of the year since I can remember. It’s one of my most consistent traditions which often leads to a creative discovery. No matter what happens in my life I can always turn to my trusty brushes and paints.
A Perfect Day to Paint
On New Years Eve we had a good amount of snowfall so I knew the first day would be the perfect day to snuggle indoors and paint. When it started to snow I painted a watercolor sketch in my art journal to decide on the theme of my painting.
It was freezing outside so I chose a blue palette and since I just received the Daniel Smith Blues hand poured watercolor palette, it was the perfect time to experiment. It’s amazing how much I could do so much with only six shades of blue!
A Simple Color Palette
I chose an Ampersand cradled Gessobord panel to paint on. It’s sturdy painting surface and texture is great for detailed work. I decided on a simple color palette of Phthalo Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White and Carbon Black. A tiny amount of Primary Magenta was added to mix a variation in the blue tones.
The birds and branch were drawn lightly with a mechanical pencil. Major shapes were blocked by painting the background with a bold Phthalo Blue wash.
Find the Darks
I painted the background in a mid toned color of blue gray over the brighter blue then blocked in the birds and branch. Once I established the mid range values I began to look for the darkest values and painted them with a mix of blue and black.
Bring Out More Light
Since the general design of the painting is complete I can relax a little. This is the time to add details, bring out highlights and create more darks. The hardest thing for me to is when to stop a painting. I often put a painting away and come back to it later. I’ll sign and varnish after I have lived with it for a little while.
Create a Strong Composition
Working with a limited color palette was a bit of a challenge but well worth doing! I believe focusing on light and dark values created a stronger composition. Painting monochromatically is new and my first creative discovery of the year.
I have committed to making this a year of creative discoveries and am looking forward to sharing them with you.
Discover Your Creative Potential
Join me at the Sedona Arts Center for my Creative Discoveries Crash Course! It’s a four session course designed to energize the inner artist while trying new techniques in a supportive atmosphere. Most of all, it will be a lot of fun as we discover and grow our creative potential together. If you would like more information regarding the course, please contact me.