Winter Landscape Workshop

I recently attended a watercolour workshop conducted by Marion R. Anderson of Alder Creek Studio.
www.marionAnderson.ca 
 
The morning was spent learning how to mask area's with masking tape, something I had never done and applying salt to a wet wash, a technique that was popular 'back in the day' but I had never really tried.
You have ZERO control over what happens ! 

 It's a waiting game as to when you add the salt wait too long and you get nothing to early and it overpowers the field.
This was my first and only attempt I was quite happy with the result. 
Not so much with the tree's ! 
I'm going to go back in to add a few branches I think

Although the masking technique worked quite well next time I will try to avoid the straight line of the tape.


This was on Saunders Waterford 200lb Hot Press about 8x10



The afternoon was a 'practice what you learned' session which I got so carried away with I completely forgot the salt !

Oh well I was pretty happy with the resulting watercolour 

Half sheet (!) Arches 140lb cold press that is a big piece of paper for me!

This is the result:

 Again the tree's were masked with tape, cut a little more carefully this time.

The cottage and railings were a result of negative painting (something else I was trying) 

All-in-all a great day of learning with a bunch of like minded people, many of my sketchy friends attended.
Next workshop is about using 'Alcohol Inks' that should throw me way out of my comfort zone!

Alan

Sketching by the Grand River

Yesterday my friend Constance and I spent much of the day sitting by the Grand River sketching the vista before us.

Sunny with a cooling breeze, lots of dog walkers to offer nice comments a grand day out!

First up was a pencil sketch of the old cedars ( Channeling Marianne Coleman ) I was going to add ink but decided against it.

Then I made a new sketch in ink this time and added watercolour to ground it. This was my favourite of  the day.

Something completely different I chose the yellow flowers a few feet from where I sat, I have no idea what they are but they called to have their portrait painted..

Time vanished, it's like being in a time machine when you sit to sketch, 'poof' hours disappear in the blink of an eye. It was time to pack up and head back but not before stopping for a quick sketch of the old bridge that was at the entrance to the old Simms Estate, it was all apple orchards but is now sprouting million dollar homes ...

Yeah the perspective got away from me but it is after all a 'quick sketch' :-)

Photo references and this will help me recreate it

This series was also a challenge for the H.P paper I used, the name of which completely escapes me..
It was imported from England by Constance and is amazing here I used pencil, ink, and watercolour and it handles it all with ease :-)

As soon as I find out the maker I will amend this post!

***EDIT***
The paper is  Saunders Waterford HP 200 lb

Alan

More Lessons learned..

A group I belong to on Facebook has a 'challenge' running, I missed January but did the February challenge.
A photo is given and everyone puts their own spin on it, there are no winners nor losers but  instead you can learn a lot from others interpretations, here is mine;

Country Lane

I am reasonably happy with it, some bits more than others :-)


I also followed a video where the artist used a credit card to scrape out rocks in a landscape. Once you get the 'dampness' right it works quite well..

Babbling Brook

Alan

Arches 140# CP paper,
W&N watercolours,
QoR Watercolour,
Signo white gel pen,
Noodlers Carbon Black,
Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen,
 Escoda Prado Brushes,
Escoda Reserva Kolinsky Sable Brushes,
Curry's pallete knife,

It's Never Too Late to Learn..

Yesterday I attended a watercolour workshop put on by The Urban Sketchers of KW:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/UrbanSketchersWaterlooRegion/

and presented by Hasib, one of our members:

https://www.facebook.com/Shaheedh/photos?lst=100003579202742%3A1182874175%3A1483886478

A day full of information and friendly banter, boy the time went fast!

I learned two major things ( and a great deal of smaller things!)

#1 Use more pigment !! (Professional paints by Windsor and Newton and Lukas)

#2 Loosed up by using bigger brushes !! (Escoda Synthetic and Kolinsky Sables)

Alan

Wolf Howl Pond ..finally ..

.. done!

Well almost.

I'm going to live with this for a while, I see a few things that need treaking already :-)

Canson 9" x 12" XL series watercolour paper

This Old House ..

This old stone house is boarded up now, no doubt awaiting the wreckers ball, so I decided to depict it as it was, lit up as the sun sets, a warm fire in the fireplaces, joy and laughter echoing from inside, when it was someone's home..

The third in a series ..

C&C always welcome

Alan

Barn on Elmira Rd

Another from my short drive around the block (about 10km) last weekend.
This one is located on Elmira Rd.
A slightly different approach this time pen (sepia ink) and wash
Same paper as before

C&C always welcome :-)

Something new ..

Golden, the oil and acrylics company recently released a line of watercolours.
Curry's have them on sale ...

I bought a set of six "High Chroma" colours that is composed of what I call the New colours (Quinacridone Gold, Pyrrole Orange and other fanciful names) as opposed to the traditional colours (burnt umber, raw sienna.etc)

I started with new paper well actually it's not paper (as in made from pulp or cotton) but
crushed rock ..Terraskin, produced by a Canadian Company.

I abandoned the watercolour fairly quickly and reverted to a more traditional cold pressed paper.

More on the Terraskin later.

I quite like the new colours especially for Autumn leaves, I think there will be more coming along :-)


9" x 12" Beinfang Watercolour pad 140lb cold pressed
Golden QoR High Chroma watercolours

Oh and new brushes !

Escoda Prado sizes 16,10 and 8 (I love their sables and these synthetics are not to be sneezed at either. :-)

Yes everything is on sale at Curries !
Alan