Introduction
For my first full watercolor painting in a while, I was thinking of painting a riverbend. It would be mostly from my imagination. Yes, I’d have different photo and other art references to help, but I wouldn’t be copying from them directly.
I went forward into the unknown. Toward the middle, I realized this wasn’t going to be my best work at all, but I needed to still push forward. I wanted to practice as many things as I could, trying to find the best solutions to my dilemmas, figure out what worked best for my skill and tastes.
Self-Critique
I tried a few different techniques.
I practiced atmospheric perspective. This is evident in the background trees. This part seems to have been one of the few things that worked out the best in this painting.
I mixed a very light wash, dulled slightly with complementary colors. Atmospheric perspective means that objects get grayer and lighter the farther objects get. Eventually, things get bluer as well the farther you go, but I judged that not necessary for how close the farthest trees still were.
I tried to develop my shape language. The way I simplify and interpret foliage.
Unfortunately, you can see that many of the crowns of the trees and the bushes are either blurry or muddy. I didn’t succeed here, but I experimented as much as I could.
In one instance, I was trying to paint around certain leaves that would remain light and shimmering as you sometimes see in foliage in sunlight.
While this seems to be okay, I feel like I don’t want to use it in the future. Just not what I like.
In another instance, I practiced glazing. I would paint several layers in an attempt to develop depth of color and paint in a careful, controlled way.
Unfortunately, this has resulted in a little bit less definition to things and didn’t create the effect I really wanted.
Although, pushed as far as I could, I decided to call it when I messed up a wash of the central pine trees.
Conclusions
Well, these things happen. I wasn’t sure where I was going to go with this one, but I was kind of hoping I could pull it off. But it’s been too long away from watercolor to expect a perfect first try.
I didn’t give up, however. At least, not until I got everything I could out the experience.
Like I said, I kept going to see how far I could take it, and assess myself. If I couldn’t make a pleasing painting, then I was at least going to figure as many things out for the next attempt…