Some days the Stars are not lined up. And your plans fall apart!!
I was up at Hicks Lake camping. And of course planning to hike, kayak, read, swim and paint. Not always in that order.
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| Quiet Cove on a Windy Day - Hicks Lake, 2026 |
On Day 1, things fell apart.
I woke up to a chilly, cloudy windy day. No swimming. No boating, Can't relax by the lake reading. And one can only hike for so long. So painting it was. (You probably wonder why I hesitated. While with the cloudy skies, there were really no shadows which makes a nature painting not very exciting.)
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| Our Little Cove on the shore of Hicks Lake |
But off Max and I went to find a spot to paint.
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There is a YouTube video with further discussion on colour mixing to accompany this blog post: Sketching Hicks Lake, 2026
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We found a great, little spot by the water's edge. (Painting by water is one of my requirements when up at the lake) It was tucked out of the way from the winds and a sandy spot for Max and I to set up on.
There was an interesting mixture of plants and mossy rocks in our little cove. I figured I was good to go.
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| Setting up the background and foreground of the Sketch |
I set up and started drawing. I found I was able to make an interesting sketch. I definitely perked up when I finished that part.
It was when I started to paint that the trouble started.
My usual mixture for grey was burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. This gives me a nice grey which leans towards blue and looks really nice as a light gray when thinned with water. The trouble is it is a very cold mix and I did not have many warm colours in the setting to balance the painting. The skys were very cloudy. Everything had the same kind of gray look.
I needed a NEW grey.
I started to play around with my colours a bit and remembered that I had read an article about making different greys. (It's funny how you can get caught up in your same colours and forget there are other things that can be done. That definely was me that day.)
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| Trying out my Warm Greys on the Rocks |
In actual fact you can make greys out of many of the colours by adding their compliment. Sounds easy, eh?! But as with everything in watercolour painting there are a few tricks.
It is tricky to mix 3 colours and get them to move in the direction you want. I started with my cool yellow, ultramarine blue and permenant rose. Of course when I first mixed the yellow and blue I got green. The compliment of green is red and so I added the permanent rose. No problem, right?!
The problem is in the mixing. It is fiddly to get the right proportions of each colour. You will find it is too green, so add more red. Then it is too purple, so add more yellow. It is too brown so add more blue. You get the idea. But at the same time you are mixing, you are also seeing some of the other possiblities with this mixture. You will get a gray that is warm and yellowish, or cool with a pink tone or really cool with blue tones. Thinned with water the greys will become lighter and with a thick mixture of pigment, they become quite dark.
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| I glazed over the grey to change the values |
Even though the mixing takes time, the results are well worth it.
You can mix other greys working the same way. Take a yellow, blue and red and mix away. It is best to use basic colours rather than premixed colour and their complement as you may end up with mud. But having said that, go ahead and try it. Use your paints from your regular palette and see what it\\they will do. I use mostly transparent colours as I want to use the gra\eys for glazing. (I am a glazer when it comes to using watercolours. Not everyone is.)
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| Note the variety of values and tones of the warm greys |
In the end, my painting time was great. I found I learned a few things. I enjoyed the process. And best of all, the sun was out by late afternoon and I got to go out in the water too!! Even went for a swim. ☺️
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