Rainstorm on I-5
There was rain on I-5 this afternoon around Los Banos. It was heavy and the cars ahead of us kicked up quite a bit of it making it seem as though the rain was more intense than it actually was. I don’t know that I captured it in this sketch but I had fun trying.
This is a gouache and watercolor sketch.
On Our Way
We got a very late start, finally leaving San Diego well after dark. I sketched a bit as we drove north through LA and think I captured the feeling of night driving on a freeway. I used my phone and flashlight to take a photo of the sketch as we lurched along and think the poor quality of the photo somehow adds to the night feeling.
This is a watercolor pencil and gouache sketch.
My Fresh Palette
Mixes from My Fresh Palette
We set off tomorrow for a five-week trip with the above gouache palette, a small set of transparent watercolors and drawing supplies. After much indecision and an incredible number of paint swatches, I finally committed to 12 gouache colors for my traveling palette. The colors are Yellow Ochre, Lemon Yellow, Permanent Yellow Orange, Flame Red, Primary Magenta, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Deep, Prussian Blue, Cypress Green, Terre Verte, Sepia and Burnt Sienna.
When I paint with transparent watercolor on white paper, the white of the paper shows through so there is no reason to use much white paint. The opposite is true for painting with gouache on black paper, the black of the paper shows through and there is not much use for black paint. However, with gouache I use a lot of white because it brightens up the color. One problem I had with my last palette was keeping the other colors out of the white well. On this new palette I no longer have the white well at all, just a dab of white on each paint well. I hope this keeps the colors bright and clean.
Chart for a Fresh Palette
I am much more likely to do an activity that I am set up for and sketching away from home is no exception. If it takes too long to get ready I sometimes end up not sketching away at all. A minimal set of supplies sufficient for my plans with a lightweight bag that keeps them handy helps me get out the door. In January I began using an old Cotman palette to hold my gouache paints. With a few water brushes, a sketchbook and a pastel pencil I can be set for the day in minutes.
I needed to freshen up my little palette. I had run out of cobalt blue, muddied some of the colors and was not getting enough range in my greens. Additionally, there were two colors I rarely used at all, black and rose. So today I spent a lot of time thinking about the 12 best colors for my small palette.
The chart above helped me think through this problem. I have settled in on Yellow Ochre, Permanent Yellow, Leaf Green, Permanent Yellow Orange (not shown), Flame Red, Primary Magenta, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Deep, Cypress Green, Terre Verte, Sepia and Burnt Sienna. All the paints are Holbein Artist Gouache. I add white to each of the pans as well so I guess this is a 13 color palette.
At home I usually squeeze out fresh paint on a paper palette and then throw away the unused paint when the painting is done. Fresh gouache paints make the best colors but it is just not practical for sketching on the move.
A Sideways Look
My high school art teacher made a big impression on me. I still remember many of her sayings from 50 years ago or so. One I think of nearly every day is that there is no such thing as a painting that cannot be fixed, but there are plenty of paintings that artists gave up on. For the most part, I find this to be true for me. If I am persistent enough I can get most of my sketches to a point where I am OK with them.
This sketch is an example. I began it last week and then abandoned it, thinking the errors were too significant to overcome. This evening I noticed it again as I leafed through my sketchbook and I imagined my old teacher saying, ‘finish it’. I put it on my easel, made changes to the hair, skin and background, and, just like she said, found that I do like it after all.
This is gouache and pastel sketch on black paper.
The White Dress
Our purpose today in our figure painting class was to show the dimensionality of white by using pastel shades of complementary colors. Although we were to do this with just one pair of complementary colors, I somehow used both red and green as well as yellow and purple.
I sketched with watercolor and charcoal in class and produced a white dress on a misshapen model. It was not until I got home and adjusted the proportions of the model with Procreate that I began to like this sketch.
Playing Street Ball in the Spring
This started off as a sketch of the flowers in my yard, similar to the sketch I did last Wednesday of the daisies at Cabrillo National Monument. I wanted to capture the mounds of flowers against the curve of the street.
I was pretty much finished when my young neighbors came out to play ball. Their energy captured my attention; they were so springlike as they played ball. I wanted to add them into the sketch but was worried that the balance would be broken by this unplanned addition. I am glad I added them.
This is a gouache sketch.
Deliberate Sketching 