Painting Watercolor Washes - Creating Mood in a Painting

Here is a recent watercolor that I have completed of a foggy, grey day at the Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse located at the mouth of the Connecticut River in Long Island Sound. There is a small pond near Katherine Hepburn's old house in the Fenwick section of town that overlooks the lighthouse and that is what I have painted here in this watercolor.

In the watercolor class that I teach at Artisans Harbor in Saybrook , CT we have been practicing washes and the painting here I started with a nice grey wash of raw sienna first and then a mix of ultramaine blue and raw umber to create the moody background. This watercolor is all framed in a double off-white mat with a thin gold frame and can be viewed at Artisans Harbor on Main St. in Old Saybrook, CT or it can be shipped. The painting price is $250.

If you have any questions about the painting please send along an email.
Thanks, PJ

Next Step in Watch Hill Sunset - Painting the Sky and Water

The next step in painting this large canvas is to paint the background using my initial sketch as a guide. I started painting the sky and water and continued moving forward in the painting. The composition is already done from my previous step so I use that to lay in the color. I follow the values or the light and dark areas of the painting that are done with the burnt sienna paint. The color looks a little more blue than it really is. When photographing paintings it is difficult to get the same color as the painting. I will try and get a better photo in the next step. Check back to see how the carousel painting of the flying horses at Watch Hill, Rhode Island progresses.

Next Step in Seascape Painting of Two Girls Playing at the Beach

My previous post on this painting was on August 18 and you can read that here /pjcook.blogspot.com/2010/08/painting-seascape-of-two-girls-playing-at-the-beach.html. As you can see here I am continuing to refine the painting, adding more and more detail. While painting I always keep in mind where my light source is. In this painting the light is coming from the right side of the canvas.

In this closeup of the girls notice how I keep the highlights and shadows consistent with the light source. This is important if you are looking to create form in the figures. So remember to keep the light source in mind throughout the entire painting. I will be working on this painting this week and should have it finished soon so check back to see how it progresses.