Update of the class

The first photo is the outcome of this week's class. Last week, I changed two primary colors and created another set of swatches with Arizarin Crimson, Cobalt Blue, and Yellow Ochre. I used this new palette this week. As you can see in the first photo, we brought a black&white photo to paint from. Not only to focus on values, we are also considering color scheme of the painting, like two complimentallty colors, monotone, or sprit-complimentally colors. I'm trying to "split" green or yellow-green. But it's hard to make yellow green with these primary colors I've chosen. At this moment, I'm just focusing on values. Once I filled all areas I'll think the next step. We'll continue this painting next and last two weeks.

Losing Forcus and Attraction?

As I keep focusing on mixing colors and filling up more areas, I started feeling the painting is no longer attractive and interesting as it was before. Why? Colorwise, it's supposed to be much closer to the real ones or at least to the reference photo.
I can think of a couple of possible causes of this. I think I started ignoring color changes and transitions in the area I painted with the same mixed color. Before acquiring the skill to mix a proper color, I needed to put thinner layers of different colors again and again over the same area, which unintentionally resulted overlaying effect and inconsistency in color even in a small area. This, I think, was causing unexpectedness of colors and was turning to colors in the favorable way.
Also, I forgot about value changes and didn't pick up darker part carefully.

I guess I need to step back and go back to my instinct to re-inspire myself and finish this piece. Otherwise, this will become one of dullest painting I've ever done.

Almost Final Stage

Getting close to the end. The rest is:
- shadow part on the neck
- mane
- white body part
- some highlights on hay straws
- some visible tree trunks and branches
- mouth part
I may need to wait a couple of days. I don't want to mess up with wet paint at this stage.

Applying Neutral Colors to Mountains

After coming back from east side of the mountains, I spent quite a chuck of time to apply those neutral colors I created in the class to the mountains and far-range plateau. I think I'm done with those areas. To see how I did, you need to click the photo to enlarge. By the way those far mountains are called as Stuart Range.
I also changed colors of the sky. I could have tinted lower sky much more to match the value of far mountains. But I wanted to wait until it dries up. It's getting thicker now.
Next step would be finishing mid section.

Cle Elum River

This Valentine's Day Saturday, I went to Roslyn then Cle Elum Lake and set up my field easel at Cle Elum River a couple of miles upstream from the lake. The road along the river was mainly open only for snow mobilers. I parked my car at the end of theirs along the road. Then walked down to the river side. Snow was icy below the surface. I slipped a couple of times befer getting there. But at the time I left, about 3 pm, it was walmer and thinner layer of snow was melted because Sun broke out.
Anyway, I still couldn't figure out how I paint ripples of water. The stream was not slow despite of the look of this painting. I guess I should have made the river darker with more colors. Maybe next time.

Painting Shiny Metal Objects

At the class this week, we painted another still life. Main focus was the colors of reflected object on shiny metal surface. I could paint most of the thermo-like pot, but couldn't finish fruit basket like object as well as red cloth underneath it. You can see only reflection of the red cloth on the side. One more bottomless tin cup like object was on the left hand side as you can see only drawing.
As always, I failed to put a proper color on the back ground (left edge). I needed to correct it based on instructor Jane's suggestion.
Next week, we'll be mixing another set of colors with earth tone, raw or burnt umber.

Time to go thicker

I'm almost satisfied with the shapes of the horse. But before start finishing the main subject, I need to decide the way to complete the ground behind the horse. I think I'm going thicker from here. I don't want to be dealing with too much detail of the ground and grass because they're just background. They should be less focused and help moving viewer's eyes back toward the horse, at the same time providing them comfort by providing context to the main subject. I may try some experimental way for it.

Mixing Neutrals

At a glance, you might not recognize the difference from the colors shown in the blog on 1/21. But quite different actually. These three sets of colors, from top to bottom, were made of three sets of complementary color combinations; yellow and violet, blue and orange, red and green.
We expanded our palette, primaries, secondaries and tertiaries, to fives steps of neutral colors between two opposite sides on the color circle. Then we tinted those 5x3 colors with titanium white as you can see.
So, the key thing I've learned so far, which was different from what I'd been long believing, was mixing colors is not addition but subtraction between original colors. It leaves only common colors to reflect, or to be seen. Therefore if the all elements of the original colors are perfectly even between three ideal primaries, red, blue and yellow, the mixture results in black.
We'll be painting still life next week with all colors we created so far.