Become Friends with Your New Painting Subject - Painting and Drawing Tips

Do you like to Walk?  I am a walker.  I like to walk along forested trails, preferably ones that have water near by.  

Trumpeter Swans on the Water - Matted 11 x 14, $____

My walks are more of a wonder, well that's what my daughter says.  I am not trying to get my 10,000 steps but rather I like to look about. Max loves to do that too.  I want to see what is growing, what birds are around, listen for sounds, enjoy the colours.  This time of year is great for colours on the trees, salmon in the river, mushrooms in the undergrowth and an eagle or heron waiting by the water's edge.  

And of course like all artists I take reference pictures.  

But Good Reference Pictures do not necessarily mean a good painting.  

Swans out on the bay, Comox Valley, BC

To paint a good painting of your subject you need to know more about it.  You need to understand what attracts you to the subject and develop a plan to bring that inspiration to life.  This is easy to do when your subject is a familiar one.  But when you embark on a new subject you need to become friends with it.  Get to know it.  

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Special Note: 
I will be giving an Artist Talk at the Semiahmoo Library, 1815 152 St, Surrey, on Thursday, Nov 7, 1-2pm.  An Interactive Presentation on "Bringing Nature into Your Sketchbook/Journal".  FREE - Register 604-592-6900  as part of Artswest Show in the Library.  

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How to become Friends with Your New Painting Subject

1. Do some research: 

I like to paint and draw wildlife.  So when I capture great pictures of a new bird or animal I do a bit of research.  I find out its name, habits, its likes and dislikes.  There is no point painting a bird in a west coast winter scene when he would be normally migrating south.  You might not realize the mistake but for sure your 'birder people' will.  I also find learning more about my subjects helps me in naming my pictures and thinking about little details that will enhance it. 
 

Swans - My Value Study

2. Prepare a few studies: 
I was recently doing some work with swans.  I have some awesome pictures of the Trumpeter Swans that migrate to the Comox Valley in winter.  They are a beautiful sight.  One, many on the west coast do not see. 

I first did a graphite study to get a feel for painting swans.  Since they are white it can be a challenge to infuse values and colour into their body. 

Swan: Little Lady - Matted 8 x 10 - Loved the softness 

Then I experimented with a few different approaches using a similar colour palette.  It was really interesting to see how a slight change in value or colour could totally change the outcome.  

Swan: In the Sunlight - Matted 8 x 10 - Really Pushed the Values

What I learned: 

As I worked through my small studies I learned a lot about painting my Swan. 

- I realized I was very timid and reluctant to get really dark with my shadows

- I liked playing around with different colours in the water.  Making me realize, tt really didn't have to be just blue

- I gained an understanding of how to change my background colours and carry that ambient light into my Swan. I liked how she seemed to really 'fit' into the environment I had created. 

- I became more aware of the subtle values needed to make the body round and interesting.

Spends some time to become friends with your subject.  It is surprising the things you will begin to notice. 

Special Note: 
I will be giving an Artist Talk at the Semiahmoo Library, 1815 152 St, Surrey, on Thursday, Nov 7, 1-2pm.  An Interactive Presentation on "Bringing Nature into Your Sketchbook/Journal".  FREE - Register 604-592-6900  as part of Artswest Show in the Library.  

Upcoming Show and Sales:       Looking Forward to Seeing you there

Nov 16 & 17 - Heart to Home Show - 12-4pm.  Surrey Art Gallery, 13750 88 Ave, Sry. 
Great selection of One-of-a-Kind Art & Crafts made by local artists.
 

Nov 30 - Dec 22 - Artswest Showcase of Art - Gallery Hours: 11-5pm Wed to Sun.  Landmark Pop-up Gallery, 15140 North Bluff Rd, White Rock.  I will have a full selection of Fine Art, cards and Prints. 

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

  

Wendy

How to Take GOOD NATURE Reference Pictures on the Trail: Painting & Drawing Tips

I love to go on Nature Walks.

My favourite are trails that wonder through different terrains with a variety of vegetation and have  water. 
 

Wendy at Kay Dubois Trail - Quadra Island, BC

Of course, on any walk. there is a strong urge to take pictures.  Believe me, Apple could get rich on the storage fees I pay to save my pictures.  It seems no matter how rigorous I am when I get home, I can't seem to delete them.  Even the ones I know are bad!

So I have a new strategy.  Take GOOD pictures.  This means Have a Purpose. I know, you are going to say, You Always HAVE a Purpose.  By Purpose, I don't mean 'Take nicely composed landscapes'.  

There is more to be DONE to make those Photos good Reference Pictures. . . ;

*************** Special Note: *************** 

Time to REGISTER: Enhance Your Drawing Skills 

Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom) 
$75 Before Oct 8, $90 after
Medium: Ink & Watercolour

Join Wendy to learn new drawing skills with this playful pair, Ink & Watercolour.  See below for more info.  Contact Wendy to Register

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See my YouTube video with more discussion and examples on this topic: 

How to Make Interesting Landscape Paintings  
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Can't you just see a Seagull on this driftwood or use it as a mini- environment.  I love that plant growing there.  

First of all, consider what you want to do with those pictures.  When I hike along a trail I am always looking for interesting settings to place my birds and animals.  Often my bird photos do not have natural settings so I need to find some for them.  The other thing I look for is interesting nature environments. What is your purpose for your pictures?

Think about the lighting.  This is particularly important if you are mixing elements from several photo sources.  Depending on the time of day and sunlight, there will be different shadow patterns in your photos.  Yes, you can 'imagine' the shadows as you integrate the material from each photo but really, nothing compares to seeing the 'real' thing.  

Very interesting Negative Space and love the misty rain in the background

Look for interesting Shapes and textures.  Sometimes it can be overwhelming in the summer to find interesting pictures.  Everything is green!! I look for interesting shapes and textures.  For landscapes I like to take pictures that have interesting Negative Space.  I liked the misty rain in the background of the picture above.  It was really nice to see but very wet for me. It really poured after I took this photo and it was a good 15 minutes back to the truck!!

Place a model in the setting to give a sense of size to elements in the photo

Think about proportion: This is especially important if you are thinking of adding a subject to the photo when you paint it. Having the size of the bird or animal match the scale of background you are putting him in can make or break your picture.  I often use people, my dog or even a glove to give myself a sense of size. This really helps when I am later working on the painting. 

Good Fishing - Caught this great shot of an eagle eating a fish and put him on this rock in the bay.  

Take more than One Picture: If I know I want to use this picture for a painting I will take extra pictures.  Zoom in and Zoom out.  This information can be very useful when you want to add things like: more vegetation, other types of plants, logs, stumps, etc.  The material in the other photos will represent what would be in the area and it would have the same light and shadow patterns of your main reference. 

Taking pictures is great fun on the trail, and even more so if they prove useful for your creative process.  

*************** Special Note: 

Time to REGISTER: Enhance Your Drawing Skills 

Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom) 
$75 Before Oct 8, $90 after
Medium: Ink & Watercolour

Join Wendy to learn new drawing skills with this playful pair.  See below for more info.  Contact Wendy to Register

***

See my YouTube video with more discussion and examples on this topic: 

How to Make Interesting Landscape Paintings  

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Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

  

Wendy

5 Ways to Make Interesting Landscape Paintings

What makes an Interesting Landscape Painting?  How can you make it stand out? 
Why does the eye find it pleasing? 

2024 - Cloudy Day on Hicks Lake - Who knew a few rocks and things could be so interesting?!

As I was sketching up at the Lake this summer I had lots of time to consider this.  The reason, several days of cloudy weather.  There was no bright sunlight to create interesting shadows to catch the eye.  It seemed everything was just GREEN or GRAY.  I was there to sketch, so sketch and paint I did.  

2024 Cloudy Day on Hick's Lake - Not tooooo Exciting, eh?! 

*************** Special Note: *************** 

Time to REGISTER: Enhance Your Drawing Skills 

Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom) 
$75 Before Oct 8, $90 after
Medium: Ink & Watercolour

Join Wendy to learn new drawing skills with this playful pair, Ink & Watercolour.  See below for more info.  Contact Wendy to Register

***

See my YouTube video with more discussion and examples on this topic: 

How to Make Interesting Landscape Paintings  
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 It was at this point I realized I needed a different approach.  As I worked I began to study the things that really affected the success of my landscape.  Let me describe the things I noticed. 

2024 Cloudy Day on Hicks Lake - Working Sketch

 5 Ways to Make Interesting Landscape Paintings.

1.   Focus on line, shapes and textures - This I found key to keep my attention.  Walking and boating along the shoreline, I was attracted to areas with diversity: scraggy stumps and logs; rocks of various sizes and shapes; scrawny little branches; twigs peaking out between rocks.  Things that when grouped together in a painting offer interest in line, shape, and texture.

Interesting Negative Space is MUST for any Successful Landscape

2.   Consider the Negative Space - This really helps in the layout.  Deciding what must stay and what can go.  Not every rock needs to be included.  Maybe the brushes need to be thinned down.  Looking to see the negative space you create in you painting can go a long way to improving the composition. 

Note the Dark Empty Shadows - they make big dark holes in your composition

3.    Pay Attention to Shadows and Light - Here was the challenge for me, as with a cloudy day, there are only dark shadows.  Well, according to my photograph, anyway.  But if you are painting from life you will see lots of very subtle value changes that you can use to enhance your work. Fortunately, I was painting from life.  

Note some of the interesting things you can add to those dark places.  It's surprising how different the view is when working from life.  

Once you have finished, take a step away and review your shadows again.  Make sure the values are working.  

4.  Create depth with Layers -  By depth, I mean the 3 planes of your painting - Foreground, Mid-ground and Background.  By layering, I am referring to the things in the painting that overlap each other.  The rocks are a classic example of layering. But there are other things that are layered as well: branches over rocks, water over rocks, even my log in the water is on and behind my rock.  
I like to look for ways to add more layers to each plane to create more interest.  For example adding those little plants between the rocks suggests a layer between them. (see above) 

Note the layers created with the water, then rock, then log then water/air suggested behind

5.  Create more depth with Suggestions - I love the ‘Power of Suggestion’. It is the magic of creating.   A simple mark or line can suggest so much.  Check out my paint marks in the ‘sky/water’ area behind the rocks and the log.  The shapes suggest space behind the rocks creating more depth in the background.  Try covering up that area and you will see what I mean. 

Sure there are other things that can help make interesting Landscape Paintings: subject choice; drawing skills; colour choice.  But checking out these tips before getting too invested in your painting will contribute to your success. Have fun with your painting. 

*************** Special Note: 

Time to REGISTER: Enhance Your Drawing Skills 

Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom) 
$75 Before Oct 8, $90 after
Medium: Ink & Watercolour

Join Wendy to learn new drawing skills with this playful pair.  See below for more info.  Contact Wendy to Register

***

 I have a YouTube video with more discussion and examples on this topic: How to make Interesting Landscape Paintings
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 Online Classes coming in October

Enhance Your Drawing Skills using Ink & Watercolour

Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom)

Ink & Watercolour love to Play together. Using pen and watercolour, this series of lessons will focus on developing your drawing skills: Light and Shadows, Edges, Relationships and Composition.  Wendy will pull from elements of nature and urban settings for her subject material. 

Cost: Early Bird $75 Before Oct 8, $90 after  Contact Wendy to Register

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

  

Wendy

5 Secrets for Painting Rocks Hiding under the Water - Painting & Drawing Tips

What is your AWESOME Experience?!

Paddling on the water, sunny skies, calm waters, a sense of Peace everywhere.  That’s mine. 

I love my summer trips to the lake.  Even on rainy days.  Oh, BTW, it’s raining now, so I am in the trailer writing this blog post.  😢 

Rocky Cove on the Shoreline - I had a great Shady spot to study the rocks in the water. 

But yesterday the sun shone . . .

One of the things I did was settle by the shore and paint rocks!  Not just any rocks, the rocks that were hidden away under the water.  It was a challenge.  Even more so in watercolour.  You only get 1 chance to get it right!!

*************** Special Note: 

Time to REGISTER: Enhance Your Drawing Skills using Ink & Watercolour

Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom) $75 Before Oct 8, $90 after
Ink and Watercolour love to play.  Join Wendy to learn new drawing skills with this playful pair.  See below for more info.  Contact Wendy to Register

 I have a YouTube video with more discussion and examples for painting those rocks: Painting Rocks Lying Under the Water.   
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When I really started to look at the situation I discovered many secrets.  

5 Secrets for Painting Rocks HIDING under the water: 

Depending are how close you are to the underwater rocks you see different things - surface reflections or submerged rocks.  

1.    Rocks are there but not visible:  It was interesting to see this pile of rocks in the water.  I was in my kayak and from a distance you could only see the reflection of the rocks about the water.  As I got closer there was a mix of reflections but also rocks visible under the surface. When I was nearly by the rock pile the reflections disappeared and only the rocks were visible under the water.

Mossy Rocks: Shadows, hide some rocks while other rocks can be clearly seen

2.    The Colour of the rock changes when wet or dry: This is probably the thing you notice the most.  Dry rocks are often light coloured, bleached by the sunlight. 

Rocky Ledge - Rock colours change depending on whether they are dry or wet 

While the submerged part of the rock is darker.  This may be quite a subtle change for lighter-coloured rocks, but dark black rocks may be a charcoal colour when shaded and dry but very dark under the water.  Choose your colours accordingly as you paint them. 

Trickling Water - Sun, Shade, Wet or Dry, rocks are not all the same colour

3.    The Edges of Rocks change: This is a more subtle change for the rocks.  The dry rocks have sharper edges for their markings and if they have sharp edges, those will also be crisp.  The rocks under the water will have softer edges.  Shadows may be dark but the edges soft.  This varies with the distance.  

Rocks near and far - Colour and Edges vary with perspective.  

     The closer they are in the foreground the crisper the edges, but they soften considerably when they appear in the background. If you paint a soft wash of colour over the rocks it will dull and soften their edges.  You can use a wash of water to soften the edges if you do not want to change the colour at all. 

Sunny Rocks at Hayward Lake - Edges of Rocks can disappear in the distance

4.    Water surface tells a story: As you paint what’s under the water, remember water has a ‘surface’.  The surface of the water may have small bits floating on it - bugs, bubbles, twigs.  If there is any movement in the water, it will have ripples.  These will reflect light from the sky, sunlight, . .   Whatever the light source is.  The ripples on the surface will have sharp edges if in the foreground.  Even a few ripples will create the illusion that something is below the ripple. 

Mossy Rocks by the Water - Ripples and Shadows on the surface can bury the rocks

5.    A bead of white appears: This is something your photos may not show but you will see in life. On the shadow side of the rock or object as it meets the waterline there will be a bead of white.  The reflected light on the water surface as it reaches up to the object.  

Rocky Cove on the Shoreline - Bead of white complete the Illusion of Rocks hidden under the water

 *************** Special Note: 

Time to REGISTER: Enhance Your Drawing Skills using Ink & Watercolour

Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom) $75 Before Oct 8, $90 after
Ink and Watercolour love to play.  Join Wendy to learn new drawing skills with this playful pair.  See below for more info.  Contact Wendy to Register

 I have a YouTube video with more discussion and examples for painting those rocks: Painting Rocks Lying Under the Water.   
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Painting rocks under the water is like a magical illusion.  You are making a flat surface (the paper) appear to have multiple layers and depth.  Paying attention to a few details will make your illusion more successful. 

 Online Classes coming in October

Enhance Your Drawing Skills using Ink & Watercolour
Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom)

Ink & Watercolour love to Play together. Using pen and watercolour, this series of lessons will focus on developing your drawing skills: Light and Shadows, Edges, Relationships and Composition.  Wendy will pull from elements of nature and urban settings for her subject material. 

Cost: Early Bird $75 Before Oct 8, $90 after  Contact Wendy to Register

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

  

Wendy

Creating Loose, Lively Skies in Watercolour - Paint & Drawing Tips

Creating a loose lively sky in watercolour is not for the faint hearted.

You have to be brave.

You have to be prepared.

And you cannot dilly-dally.

But. . . .It's worth it!! 

A Great Day to Ride - SOLD 
Billowing Clouds add lots to this Mountainous View.  wc on 300lb Opus Paper

Loose lively watercolour skies are one of the most magical things that only watercolour can do. 

Sweet Peas & Driftwood - SOLD  
Even a touch of colour can create clouds and set the mood.  wc on 140lb Arches 

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Special Note: I have a YouTube video with more discussion and examples for this topic - Capturing the Sky in your Sketchbook 

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 So what does it take to make one of those lovely skies. . . .

1.  Decide on your colours:  I like to use at least two different blues, a warm blue and a cold blue in my skies. You can also sneak a little bit of yellow or pink into the sky to warm things up and add more interest.  But for starters try 2 colours.

 2. Mix your paints: make sure you have a good puddle of each colour so that you’re not trying to mix in the middle of painting your sky. 

Baker Hiding in the Sky Line - Matted 5 x 7 $130
Note the 2 different blues in the Sky - wc on 140lb Arches

 3. Wet your paper:  make sure your paper is damp not sopping wet where you want to paint the sky.  

 4. Test your colours: make sure your puddles of colour are not too creamy and dark. Remember,  your paint will be diluted by the water on the paper and will dry lighter than it looks when wet. You may want to do a few practice pieces to see how dark you want it.  You only get one chance.  This is not something you can fiddle with. 

 5. Think dark at the top and light on the bottom of your sky area.  

 6. Lay your paper flat: 

Tidal Pool - SOLD 
It is important to let the colours move and settle on their own.
wc on 140lb Arches  

 7. Start at the bottom with your light blue:  You want to use a nice soft wash brush and make your brush dance across the lower part of the sky.  Try and leave White spaces and do cloud like movements with your brush.  Let your paint swirl around on the wet paper as you move up to the top.

 8. Grab your darker blue:  As you move up in your sky, start grabbing some of your darker blue. It isn’t necessary to clean the other blue off  your brush.  Let the two colours mix as you continue the dance with your brush. Finish the top with your darker blue.  

Sketchbook: Sky & Tree at Miracle Beach
That drop of Teal Blue added a real Spark to this changing Sky
mixed media sketchbook

 9. Drop in a bit of dark:  if your sky is light, it’s always interesting to drop in a little bit of a dark.  To do this, make sure your brush is damp and collect a little bit of your darker blue.  Gently drop in a bit of this dark colour onto your wet sky. Give it a swirl in your wet surface and then leave it. No blow dryer. Just let the sky dry on its own.

10.  Add a few horizontal lines: When things are dry, I often drop in just a few thin horizontal clouds to give my sky more depth.  The edges will be a harder than your other clouds so they really stand out.  They should be just a touch darker than the other clouds.  

Note how the Horizontal Lines add more depth to the Clouds

A note of caution before you start.  The paper you use will have a great deal of affect on how your clouds work out.  Some papers grab the colour which makes it hard to get those soft wispy edges. Others float the colour and they end up mixed together and you loose all your beautiful shapes.  You need to practice a bit with your paper to see how it will respond. 

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Special Note: I have a YouTube video with more discussion and examples for this topic - Capturing the Sky in your Sketchbook 

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 Not too late to try Outdoor Sketching!!!

Outdoor Sketching 2.5hr Classes this summer 2024 -
August 8 & 15, 10-12:30pm – 2.5 hr.  $60 Max. 3 per group.  Local parks in N Surrey & Langley Contact Wendy  to register.  I am available for private bookings as well. 
I look forward to going 'out sketching' with you.  

Online Classes coming in October

Enhance Your Drawing Skills using Ink & Watercolour
Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom)

Ink & Watercolour love to Play together. Using pen and watercolour, this series of lessons will focus on developing your drawing skills: Light and Shadows, Edges, Relationships and Composition.  Wendy will pull from elements of nature and urban settings for her subject material. 


Cost: Early Bird $75 Before Oct 8, $90 after

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

  

Wendy