Painting the weather

A series of four demonstrations on painting the effect of weather that occurs in the four seasons will be posted in the coming weeks.

Spring

 The weather in springtime can  start with the winter cold still with us, so early spring can be portrayed with late snow  also frost and mist.

I have choosen early morning  midspring for the demonstration. there are patches of frost in the shadows, and cold but bright sunlight shines on the rest of the  fields.

Drawing component

I make several sketches of the subject the same size as I intend to paint the picture to find a composition that pleases me enough to want to paint it.

Placing the sketch underneath a piece of watercolour paper on the light box I carefully draw a refined drawing using the sketch as a guide.

  By using this method to place the drawing onto the watercolour paper I have a pristine drawing with no alterations to spoil the paper

First Wash

This verigated wash that I used for the sky and background trees consisted of three primaries  Pthalo blue ,Crimson, and Indian yellow.

These three colours also enabled me to mix on the paper some green for the distance trees and a sugestion  of warmth under the Cyprus trees.

This dilute wash would leave me plenty of leeway to lay other washes as the painting progressed. 

Second Wash

the colour to the consistency of milk for the Cyprus trees and diluted it for the background trees.

Reserving the white paper with masking fluid for the daffodils in the bottom right corner and still using  the same three colours I washed in the middle and foregruond.

I then applied a wash of yellow green mixed from the yellow and blue that was on my palette .

When this was damp but not dry I dropped in a blue green also mixed with the same two colours 

Squeezing out some Burnt sienna and Burnt umber I painted the large tree  mixing the creamy colour on the paper

I diluted

Third Wash

After using  Pthalo blue   for the cast  shadows of the sheep, and strengthening the form shadows on the trees I removed the

masking fluid on the daffodils bottom righthand cornet

 Finishing touches

Adding my sixth and last colour of raw sienna I painted the Black faced sheep using the sienna with a touch of the pthalo blue to sive the impression

of shadow on their sides being careful to retain the white highlights on the backs .

The faces and legs was painted using burnt umber mixed with the pthalo blue.

A touch of Indian yellow applied here and there gave reality to the daffodils.

When checking the painting I relized that the large tree need to lighten in value.

 I did this with permanent white mixed with a little pthalo blue.