Major Change !!! Added a New Colour to my Palette - Painting & Drawing Tips

Do you have a Basic Palette?  

A collection of colours that are your 'Go To' colours? 

CHICKADEE: WINTER WHISPERS - 11 X 14,  $600 Varnished Watercolour on Wood Cradle 

 

As an Outdoor Sketcher, you know you must pack light and work quickly. Light, weather and life keeps you on the go.  So a small well set up Travel Palette is vital to your success.  

Several years ago I moved to my present Travel Kit - see My Really SMALLmendous Art Kit.  It has proven to be Amazing!  My palette is small enough for light weight travel and big enough to meet any challenge.   I have used it while balancing on a rocky ledge, floating in my kayak, and relaxing comfortably on an airplane. It has come through with flying colours.  

My Trusty Paint Palette - notice the 1 empty pan

The most important element of my travel kit is my paint palette.  It's where the main action happens. It holds 12 paint pans.  But as you can see, one is empty.  I have left it that way for some time.  Unsure of what I wanted to put there.  

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*** Further discussion can be found on my YouTube video: Great News!! A new Colour for my Travel Palette 

*** Looking To Join Me for Online Drawing Lessons? 3 Live Online Classes in February. See below for more information

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Yes, I use other colours besides these when painting in my studio but  . . .

You know what it's like.  You pull in a new colour for those one or two paintings.  The colour works for them but then you don't seem to use it again for awhile.  It seemed very important to me to find 'the right colour' to fill that spot.  

Well I found it!!!  

The winner is "Payne's Gray" (PG).   I can't say it was a new colour to me.  It has certainly been in the mix on my large studio palette. But I seemed to always shy away from it.  I was concerned I would end up with 'mud' when mixing it with other colours.  I would now like to apologize to that Gray.  I was wrong. 

Note the Great Greens, Purples and Browns

It really come to the forefront when I was looking for a quick dark.  In Outdoor sketching you often do not have time to mix a lot of colours. The instant 'blacks' that I tried were just too black and didn't seem to mix well with my other colours.  (I know we all have our own preference for how we depict  shadows.  Often I want them warm and I just found the blacks too cold)  I found that Payne's Gray gave me a great dark and also one I could 'push' in any direction: warm or cold.  

Loved the mixes with the blues and reds, both mixed and glazed over

Payne's Gray mixes really well with my other colours in my palette.  Most of the colours are transparent, non-staining colours. Adding PG to them muted the hues.  I especially loved the new blues, browns and greens I could quickly mix

.  

Rocky Shore on Gabriola Island - Note the great variety of greens in the tree.  

By itself, PG presents a lovely variety of blue to gray hues that can be both warm and cool.  But when the paint is thick, it gives a really dark colour. 

As a person that loves to use lots of glazing with my watercolours, PG responds really well.  Check out the branch that my Chickadee rests on, in my painting at the top of this post. ↑↑↑ Look at the lovely gray it makes for the branch and note the rosy colouring in the shadows.  So Neat.  

I would love to know what some of your "Go To" colours are.  

See Below my Online Drawing Classes for February 2024 and let me know if you are interested in my Outdoor Sketching Classes this summer or the all inclusive 4 Day Art Retreat,  June 21-24

Enhance Your Drawing Skills

Come Draw with Me 

“I attended an online drawing class from Wendy. I loved it and learned so much. She is very thorough and provides terrific feedback on your works of art. I highly recommend it.”

Ready to Enhance your Drawing Skills and Explore new Mark-making Techniques in a relaxed, fun setting? 

During your Lessons You will:

- Learn when it’s best to erase and when to wait

- Dive into the little Secrets that make drawing a success

- See how light can transform your subjects

- Make friends with your inner critic and make it work for you

- Nail down that perfect perspective and proportion

- Use lines, shapes, and shadows to guide your viewer’s eyes and keep them engaged in your work

Online Drawing Classes

Feb 15, 22, & 29, 2024, 5:30-7:30pm (PT)

Early Bird $75 Before Feb 12, $90 after

Contact Wendy toRegister 
Gift Certificates Available 

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

6 Tips on Painting with an Itsy-Bitsy Palette - Painting and Drawing Tips

Do you dream of sitting by Trevi fountain in Italy and sketching?

Yes, it’s fun! It’s something that I like to do. Not just sketch but PAINT.

An ITSY-BITSY PALETTE with brush - 12.2 x 7.3 x 2.3

BUT to do that, you need AN ITSY-BITSY PALETTE. And painting with that itsy-bitsy paint palette can be a challenge!

5 Tips to Get that ITSY-BITSY PALETTE working for you:

***Further discussion and examples are available on a YouTube version of this post: How to paint with an Itsy Bitsy Palette.

1. Have a bigger Paint brush: The paintbrush that usually comes with Itsy Bitsy pallets are too small. They are meant for dry brushing. Your wash for a sky will end up streaky and patchy. A round brush size 6 or 8 with a point works well for portable sketchbooks up to 9 x 12 inches. Make sure the brush has a bit of fullness to hold paint and water for a wash. One that collapses and stores in your palette is even better.

   

   Put a large drop of water on each colour to rehydrate the paint
   
   

2. Drop Water onto each of your colours: Before you start your sketch, drop a bit of water on each of the colours in your paint tray and close it. This will help to soften your colours and they will be ready for you. You might consider carrying a small spray bottle if you feel your paints are constantly dry when you need them.

   

   Mixing a Puddle of Green to work with

3. Pick a Starting Colour: Decide which colour to start with. This time of year, green is everywhere so I tend to start with it. One section of my tray is for my green mixes. The other tray becomes my blues/pinks/yellows.

   

   Note the Green Puddle has several different greens in it.  

4. Use a premixed colour to speed things up: This is particularly true with Green. I use Sap Green (a pre mixed colour) then push it to warm or cool by adding blues or yellows, even some red. As you’re mixing draw it away from the main puddle so that you have space for more than one kind of green.

   

   Note the different colour puddled areas in the mixing area.  

5. Move around your Sketch: If you have a colour that goes in several places paint all of them before moving on. Your mixing space is limited and so once a colour is done, you will need that spot to mix new colours.

   

   If you need a spot of pure colour clean a spot for it. 

   
   

6. Keep your paint tray mess. Often my second tray has bits of left over colour I need for a little shot of detail. I seldom clean the whole tray but if I need a pure spot of colour I will clean a small spot for mixing.

A few Test Runs at home is definitely a good idea. Having everything in working order when you are on your Sketching Adventure is key to success. With a little practice you will really enjoy the freedom that little palette gives you.

***Further discussion and examples are available on a YouTube version of this post: How to paint with an Itsy Bitsy Palette.

DROP-IN & CREATE!!! - Aug 28 &  Aug 31, Sept 4 - 1-3pm 

Beecher Place, 12160 Beecher St. (Crescent Beach), Surrey 

I am excited to offer this perfect opportunity for you to bring your own projects to life in a supportive and inspiring atmosphere. Max 3 Cost $20. Contact Wendy to Register.  

Upcoming Events: 

Art Treo – Classes/Show/Sale

Aug 26-Sept 13, 11-5pm Daily
Beecher Place, 12160 Beecher St. (Crescent Beach), Surrey 

Enhance Your Drawing  Skills Class - Sunday, Aug 27 & Sept 3, 10-12pm  $50

Creating Your Own Colourful Silk Scarf - Friday,  Sept 1, 1-3pm  Supplies Incl $50

Working with Acrylic Inks, Sept 6 & Sept 10, 1-3pm $50

Drop-In & Create, Aug 28 &  Aug 31, Sept 4, Sept 5 & Sept 9, 1-3pm Bring your own projects $20

 Register: Doris 604-476-3515, Wendy  604-314-2232

Awesome Opportunity - Artist Retreats in the Shuswap

September 15-18, 2023

Join me for 4 DAYS of Outdoor Sketching, nature walks, deck and beach time, creative conversations, gourmet meals and simply relaxing 

Your Hosts, Joanne Denis and Myself.   Cost: $450 single room or $300 shared room
Art instruction, transportation (from Lower Mainland), meals and lodging included (Bring your own art supplies.  Space is limited to 8-10 attendees, Register Early with Joanne Dennis. 

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 Steps to Find Patterns of Colour in an ALL GREEN LANDSCAPE - Painting & Drawing Tips

Adventures are calling you! Time to get OUT THERE and have some fun. Swimming, boating and hiking for sure but at some point you will want to sit down and Paint.

The Beaver Den - Colours in an all GREEN WORLD

The wonderful part of summer is that flowers are bright and beautiful. The mountains are shining in the sun and the trees are no longer bare. Everything is encased in a sea of Green. It’s wonderful!

But that GREEN can be awful!!!

Beaver Den on the Island - Surrounded by GREENS

Everything is green. So how do you find your way. It's all GREEN.

*** Here is a link to my YouTube video that further explores this topic: Finding Patterns of Colour in an ALL GREEN LANDSCAPE.

I just came back from a camping trip and and of course I was encased in the GREEN World. As I painted a little island that held a beaver den, ways to fight the GREEN began to emerge.

Pencil lines to find the main shapes and patterns - changes in values

Here’s how I Attacked THE GREEN’S:

1. I looked for subtle changes of values. These signal a change in vegetation.

2. I looked for patterns. Those value changes make shapes. Those are my keys to see patterns that are different colours. As I sketch in the scene with my pen, the shapes created around the value changes are more prominent. Of course you can do this all in pencil. But you know me, I like to get my pen in there too.

   

   Ink Sketch - Notice the different shapes that match the different values of green 

   
   

3. I pushed the colours. If a value is light green, I add yellow to it to make it even lighter. A glaze of Colbalt Teal Blue cools it but keeps it light and airy. If the value is a mid-value I add hints of reds and blues to it. Red warms it up, blues cool it down. Thus creating more colours in the scene but still keeping with feeling of green.

4. I thought about colour temperature. Some shapes are warm while others are cold. You can see in my picture the low bushes are facing the sun and have a warm airy feeling. While the taller bushes are effectively shaded by their height. These are cold. I look for those spots throughout the picture.

   

   Adding the Colour - notice the shapes have different colours of Green

5. I introduced new colours. I dropped a touch of red into the shadow areas. No, there was no red there. But I always seem to feel that there should be a touch of red when I am painting so much green. (This is a me thing. Do you have a 'me thing'?) I repeated the red as more of a rusty brown in the background foliage and in several spots in the shadow areas. My own rule is it needs to be in 3 spaces minimum so it 'blends in' to the painting. I dropped in some blues - the sky, the water, and that loggy, looking rock in the middle. I used some purples in the shadows mixed with the red and one of the blues I used. Thus keeping the colours cohesive and yet adding a new colour.

   

   Finished Picture feels green but in fact has blue, red, purple and yellow

Yes, That GREEN WORLD is a challenge to paint but give it a try. You will really be pleased with the results.

*** Here is a link to my YouTube video that further explores this topic: Finding Patterns of Colour in an ALL GREEN LANDSCAPE.

DROP-IN & CREATE!!! - Aug 28 &  Aug 31, Sept 4 - 1-3pm 

Beecher Place, 12160 Beecher St. (Crescent Beach), Surrey 

I am excited to offer this perfect opportunity for you to bring your own projects to life in a supportive and inspiring atmosphere. Max 3 Cost $20. Contact Wendy to Register.  

Upcoming Events: 

Art Treo – Classes/Show/Sale

Aug 26-Sept 13, 11-5pm Daily
Beecher Place, 12160 Beecher St. (Crescent Beach), Surrey 

Enhance Your Drawing  Skills Class - Sunday, Aug 27 & Sept 3, 10-12pm  $50

Creating Your Own Colourful Silk Scarf - Friday,  Sept 1, 1-3pm  Supplies Incl $50

Working with Acrylic Inks, Sept 6 & Sept 10, 1-3pm $50

Drop-In & Create, Aug 28 &  Aug 31, Sept 4, Sept 5 & Sept 9, 1-3pm Bring your own projects $20

 Register: Doris 604-476-3515, Wendy  604-314-2232

Awesome Opportunity - Artist Retreats in the Shuswap

September 15-18, 2023

Join me for 4 DAYS of Outdoor Sketching, nature walks, deck and beach time, creative conversations, gourmet meals and simply relaxing 

Your Hosts, Joanne Denis and Myself.   Cost: $450 single room or $300 shared room
Art instruction, transportation (from Lower Mainland), meals and lodging included (Bring your own art supplies.  Space is limited to 8-10 attendees, Register Early with Joanne Dennis. 

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