Pt 3, Pr 2, Ex 2 – Sketchbook Walk.

A sketch book walk to and interesting route that you are familiar with. Nearing the end of autumn, with the leaves still on the tree and at their most intense golden colours I had to make it down to a nearby gardens called Fletcher Moss. These small botanical gardens are set on a steep bank full of winding cobbled pathways, a pond, and the most beautifully hued trees, plants and shrubs in a controlled overgrowth of tightly packed ordered chaos….just like nature I guess. It was raining in the morning on the day I had decided to go and I wouldn’t have another chance before the leaves dropped, so I as a last resort if it was still raining I would have to take photos in the rain and just reproduce them.

Towards the afternoon the clouds broke and as I arrived early afternoon there was not a cloud in the sky. Clear colbolt blues shone down on illuminous reds, yellows and auburns, the air was the perfect crisp late autumn freshness and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect sketchbook walk.

Crammed full with different textures of leaves and water, cobbles, stairs and shrubs I took a walk around noting some views of interest. Pleasant as it was I did have a job to do and noted down a good number of spots of interest before walking around again to take some pics and notes.

The main things I was looking out for was four scenes with four different natures to them. Four unique atmospheres or auras, so as I wandered around I came across four that took my attention.

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Because of the colours and the quick nature of drawing outdoors I opted for a limited palette of watercolours using only the three primary colours, red, yellow and blue. I was also planning to use either a brush pen and/or a black biro to fill in any detail I could. I also noted down the feeling and atmosphere of each site as I was looking for something a little unique with each one.

(1) The first scene I chose was looing up the gardens from the pond in front of some huge lily like plants. The sky had opened out and the flanks were full of radiant yellows and reds. I noted kaleidoscopic hues of warm colour contrasted onto a cool crisp autumn air, still, calm and perfectly peaceful with a slight sense of awe as the foliage towered above.

I started to sketch blocking in the major shapes, then working from the background mixing the paints to get the general jist of the colours.

I then worked back into them with more of a representation of the foliage with lighter or darker tones as required then balanced the picture up as I saw fit. At this point I originally wanted to add detail with a fine liner and a biro, but looking at it I wasn’t sure if it would ruin it. I liked the playful textures and colours that weren’t complicated with detail, giving it a fun, innocent look. However I did decide to start working into it with the biro and was actually pleased with how it was going, although I still wanted to retain the playfulness of it, so I only gave detail to the immediate foreground, successfully giving the picture a sense of depth and interest without either ruining it or having to stay there until midnight. I was happy with the result.

(2) The next scenario differed with the addition of the pond, a path, bench and railings. As the first one was purely foliage this seemed to give a bit more context to the shapes,

textures and orientation. Writing notes from each view as I took in the atmosphere I mentioned of this scene, leaves littering the still reflective surface of the water, serene and fresh from the evening it had a warming homely smell of pine in the air. The gardens, being on three levels, but only small in width carried the laughter of other people enjoying the afternoon, it was the perfect setting to do some sketching.

It was interesting to only use three colours as it gave a unified feel to the picture, but could also justify the brilliant colours without complicating the scenery. I was able to work fast in mixing the paints which complimented working outdoors, and I was able to use the biro to darken, or draw attention to certain areas. I wasn’t sure how these pictures were going to start, evolve, or end when I began, but when they stated to take on an almost abstract collage air, I felt that that expressed the atmosphere very well. So I continued with it.

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(3) In contrast to the rainbow colours of the previous sketches I discovered a a set of stone stairs almost hidden in the ferns. It twisted up and around under a low overhanging fern which gave it a rather mysterious, luring quality. Mostly greens and greys I concentrated on the dark mystical aspect of the scene. A kind of ominous gateway to the top level of the gardens where you can see the whole it in all its awe.

As the stairs were quite muted in hue I concentrated on the biro work more than in the previous sketches, and bringing out its individual character. I also found that I was getting more confident with the water colour, being able to get a more accurate representation of the different characteristics of the foliage.

(4) For the final sketch I was walking towards the exit from the lower tier and looked back to see a long set of steps serving as a way out from the top tier. Thinking this would serve as a nice finishing sketch I noticed the hue was more subdued in a warming sense. The evening was coming to a close and there was a slight pleasant chill in the air. The voices had subsided and a peacefulness had too its place.

By now I found myself mixing the water colour thicker and thicker as I was able to create impressions of the leaves by the way the paint was behaving. This added more depth when I put a second layer over it, giving it more depth. Something else I discovered was how to lighten the colour without a white. I was using blue to darken and yellow to lighten, but the would only lead to a change in hue, but in the last picture I realised that in the thicker paint I could run the brush handle through it and it gave way to the paper as well as illuminating the foliage.

This will be a great technique to explore with an array of mediums to create texture and contrast as I guess using different implements with give varied results. As for the biro in the final sketch I kept it to a minimum and let the textures and golden hues shine through. I think the handrail leading the eye to the middle of the scene gives the impression that it gets swallowed up into the foliage of colour and wonder.

Critique.

Working outside with water colour was a lot of fun. It lent itself to a fast pace and keeping the palette to three colours really challenged me, but also forced me to make split decisions as to what to add to get the desired effect. My judgment wasn’t clouded with three choices of one or the other colour, it was a case of red and yellow for orange, yellow and blue for green in complimenting quantities, or for an earthy ochre, equal red and blue going heavy on the yellow, or a burnt umber equal red and yellow with blue as the darkener.

I practiced these little rules before I went out so I could fluidly get a decent representation of the colours without any fuss. Plus the afternoon/evening was perfect for it!