Vainting the American Scene in Watercolor

Rocky Coast

Painting theAmerican Scene

in IVatercolor

by yredric Sweney

REINHOLD PUBLISHING CORPORATION • NEW YORK

© 1964 REINHOLD PUBLISHING CORPORATION

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AK1ERICA

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NO. 64-22427

DESIGNED BY FREDRIC SWENEY

TYPE SET BY GRAPHIC ARTS, INC.

PRINTED BY HALLIDAY LITHOGRAPH CORP.

COLOR PRINTED BY THE COMET PRESS, INC.

BOUND BY PUBLISHERS BOOK BINDERY

Dedicated to our American heritage,

to our beautiful and varied land,

ami to all things that make Iwmg worthwhile,

but especially to my son. Bill, and my wife, Ruth.

O u. o rva I ('^ 1-^ i-^ ^

Color Illustrations

rocky coast

covered bridge

touch of autumn

winter evening

blacksmith's shop

blue ridge mountains

cypress swamp

southern quail hunt

shrimp boat

big grass

net fisherman

LIVE OAK

FIVE PALMS

GRAIN ELEVATOR

CHURCH OF THE MESA

CANYON COUNTRY

GIANTS

OLYMPIC FOREST

DISTANT PEAKS

GARDEN OF THE GODS

GRAND TETON

FISHING THE WHITE WATER

WINTER ALONG THE BLACK CREEK

THE YELLOW BUS

SAWMILL

CARPENTER'S GOTHIC

2

19

19

30

31

41

41

52

52

54

54

71

71

71

73

73

92

94

111

111

113

113

132

132

134

151

Contents

'Introduction 9

7he East and the South 10

COVERED BRIDGE 11

TOUCH OF AUTUMN 15

EVENING FLIGHT 20

TROUT STREAM 23

WINTER EVENING 26

blacksmith's SHOP 32

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS 36

CYPRESS SWAMP 42

SOUTHERN QUAIL HUNT 44

SHRIMP BOAT 48

BIG GRASS 53

NET FISHERMEN 55

LIVE OAK 59

FIVE PALMS 63

GRAIN ELEVATOR 67

Jbe Southwest 72

CHURCH OF THE MESA 74

CANYON COUNTRY 78

GIANTS 82

Tbe H'est Coast 87

MONTEREY CYPRESS 88

DRIFTING FOG 93

OLYMPIC FOREST 95

OREGON COAST 98

7he West 102

DISTANT PEAKS 103

GARDEN OF THE GODS 108

TOP THE WORLD 1 12

GRAND TETON 114

7he TAidwest 118

GOLDEN HARVEST 119

FISHING THE WHITE WATER 125

WINTER ALONG THE BLACK CREEK 128

'J^iscellaneous 133

SAWMILL 133

THE YELLOW BUS 137

THE OLD BARN 142

REFLECTIONS 144

carpenter's GOTHIC 149

"Materials ami li'orkiug Procedures 154

7he Use of the Camera 1 56

Color Valelte 158

Bibliography 160

Independent Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Georgia.

Congregation organized in 1755.

Introduction

of all the edifices built by man none can compare

with the great cathedral of the outdoors given us by

the Creator. Many of us have enjoyed the stately

trees of our forests, the heights of our mountains,

the wind-swept vistas of the plains, the pine woods,

sloughs, and bayous of the South, the wind-lashed

shores of our coasts, and other beauties of the land,

and have longed to put the scene on canvas or paper.

This book records many scenes which I have wit-

nessed with pleasure, and I hope it may be of value

to others who wish to paint the American landscape.

Although the primary purpose of the book is to

guide the art student and the hobby painter, it is

hoped that more experienced artists will also find

much value in it.

The plan of the book is based roughly on the idea

of a painting tour of the country, with specific infor-

mation on the land forms of certain regions. The

tour begins in New England and travels southward

through the Appalachian mountains and along the

Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. There are paintings

of a modern city, an historical village, and a variety

of landscapes that are typical of these areas of the

East and South.

Our painting trip then takes us through the mesa

and canyon country of the Colorado Plateau to the

Pacific Coast. After painting representative land-

scapes from California to Washington, we turn in-

land to the jagged, awe-inspiring Rocky Mountain

region, and then eastward to the Superior Uplands

and rolling lowlands of the Midwest. The last few

paintings bring us back to the mountains and coastal

areas of the East.

Although it is not always possible to see the re-

gions we would like to paint, a wealth of visual ref-

erence material is always available in books, maga-

zines, and travel brochures. Of course, it is more

satisfying to visit distant places and paint them on

the spot, or from material gathered there, but if you

are unable to travel, there is no reason to refuse to

make use of the material that is available. A fertile

imagination stimulated by reading and photographs,

can be the foundation for many interesting water-

color landscapes.

It has been assumed in writing this book that the

reader already has a basic knowledge of how to

handle the watercolor medium. The text and the

progressive photographs reveal the author's approach

to each subject, the reasons for the use of certain

techniques, the palette for each painting, and the

manner in which the picture was painted. A com-

plete list of colors, working tools, and equipment are

given at the end of the book. There is also a bibli-

ography of books that could be of value to any artist

who wishes to learn more about the geography and

geology of the country. Several good books are also

listed for the benefit of readers who may wish funda-

mental instruction in watercolor procedures.

J/^e East and the South

The eastern and southern parts of the United

States from New England to Florida and across the

Gulf Coast to Texas provide a wide range of inter-

esting subjects for the landscape painter.

The Appalachian mountain system, which extends

from southern Canada to Alabama, includes such

famous and beautiful ranges as the White Moun-

tains, the Green Mountains, the Berkshires, the Cat-

skills, the Alleghenies, the Blue Ridge, the Black

Mountains, and the Great Smokies. These eastern

mountains have been worn down by erosion so that

their contours are generally rounder and lower than

the mountains of the West which are much younger

geologically. The highest point in the Appalachians,

Mount Mitchell in the Black Mountains of North

Carolina, is only 6,684 feet high, less than half the

height of many western peaks. However, the Appa-

lachians have a scenic grandeur of their own that

changes with the changing seasons, and ranges from

the brilliance of autumn colors in New England to

the flowering of mountain laurel and azaleas in the

southern mountains in the spring.

To the east the mountains descend to the rolling

piedmont, or foothills, and then to the coastal plain,

a vast lowland that extends along the Atlantic Ocean

from Cape Cod to the Florida Keys and then along

the Gulf Coast into central Texas. This great coastal

lowland includes large areas of fertile farmland, great

salt marshes, eerie swamplands, acres of pinewoods,

and miles of beautiful sandy beaches. Several of the

country's largest cities and busiest harbors are also

located along the eastern seaboard. In addition, the

area is rich in historical traditions of the colonial and

Revolutionary periods.

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10

COVERED BRIDGE

Old wooden bridges are still found in many places

in the East and Southeast, but this one was in New

Hampshire. The large rounded boulders and rocks,

which are characteristic of the New England land-

seen throughout the Northeast, half hidden in woods

and fields, and scattered like random stepping stones

in shallow streams.

After trying several compositional sketches, I de-

tz> jr r\^ T )T L" I^EA/ SK-STC//

scape, are glacial debris. The continental glaciers

that once covered this part of North America

scoured the land forms, loosening rocks and soil

which were picked up and carried along by the sub-

glacial ice. As the ice melted when the glaciers began

to retreat at the end of the last ice age, many large

rounded boulders were left behind. They can be

cided on this three-quarter front view of the bridge

showing the cross-bracing on the side. The gently

cascading stream leads the eye to the rectangular

shape of the bridge, which is surrounded by the

ragged outlines of trees. The rounded shapes of the

rocks provide a visual contrast to the straight lines

of the bridge.

11

The sketch below shows how the vertical posts

for the cross-bracing of the bridge were projected.

Once the overall size of the bridge had been deter-

mined and the principal lines established, the first

rectangle, A,B,C,D, was estimated and drawn. Then,

by drawing crossed lines from A to D and from B to

C, the center of the rectangle was located. The cen-

ter line CL was then drawn through the center of

the crossed lines and extended for the approximate

length of the bridge. A diagonal line was next drawn

from D through the point where the center line

crosses the vertical line AC to the line that forms

the roof's edge. A line dropped from this point to

the base line of the bridge established the next ver-

tical post. This process was repeated until all of the

necessary vertical divisions were drawn. Each rec-

tangle was then criss-crossed to complete the brac-

ing of the bridge. Each rectangle is thus slightly re-

duced in proportion to the preceding one, and a

depth of perspective is established.

The sketch was then enlarged to finished size,

which is twelve by sixteen inches, and traced onto

the watercolor paper. Masking tape was used to pre-

serve a clean white edge along the borders of the

drawing while the rest of the picture was being

painted.

The sky usually establishes the tone and atmos-

phere of the scene in a landscape painting. For this

scene I used a slightly overcast sky to contrast with

the metal roof of the bridge. The sky area was damp-

ened with a sponge until the paper stayed wet, then a

thin wash of aureolin was flowed onto the paper

with a large brush. Washes of cobalt were added

next, followed by touches of French ultramarine

blue. It was necessary to keep the wash of aureolin

quite pale. If it had been intense, the sky would have

appeared too green. Vandyke brown and raw umber

were used to paint the bridge, with suggestions of

the sky color in the washes used on the roof. When

the young maple tree had been painted, using raw

sienna, Winsor red, and Vandyke brown, the paint-

ing had reached the stage shown in the photograph

at the top of the opposite page.

In painting the rounded forms of the boulders in

the stream, I was reminded of the glacial action of

earlier times, but I was also aware of the continuing

process of stream erosion that determines the present

shape of the rocks. A combination of raw umber,

12

n^miMk

13

cobalt blue and burnt umber was used to indicate

their color and white highlights of paper were left to

accent the forms and to draw the observer's eye to

the stream, which leads in turn to the bridge, which

is the main point of interest.

In adding the autumn colors of the trees it was

necessary to take care that the area underneath the

bridge did not become too strong, since this would

have weakened the strength of the bridge form in

the overall design.

When the sloping bank to the right of the bridge

had been painted in, using sap green, burnt umber,

and a thin wash of raw sienna, the picture had

reached the stage shown at the bottom of page 13.

To complete the painting, the stream was washed

in, the small falls being indicated by brush strokes

made in the direction of the current. Some of the

tree and sky colors were added to the reflections in

the water, and the cast shadow of the bridge was

painted. The finished picture in color is on page 19.

14

TOUCH OF AUTUMN

This painting was based on a photograph of a

mountain landscape in Maine. In order to dramatize

the contour of the mountain, which was sculpted by

glaciation during the ice age, I decided to use only

the central section of the photograph as the basis for

my composition. By using a bright sky behind the

mountain, the mountain itself was placed in partial

shadow. This use of backlighting subtly emphasized

the contours of the mountain and at the same time

helped to prevent an excess of brilliant autumn col-

ors in the foreground, a constant danger in autumn

landscapes.

Clumps of paper birch trees, which are typical of

this area, were indicated on the left, and an oak on

the right. A winding stream rather than the lake

shown in the original photograph was used to lead

the eye into the picture. The eye next follows the

contour of the oak tree to the sky and then goes on

to the crest of the mountain which is the main point

of interest.

Carbon pencil sketch for "Touch of Autumn." The edges were softened with a paper stump.

15

THE WHITE OAK

All trees are somewhat similar, but each has an

individual beauty of its own. Some are straight and

clean-bodied. Others are crooked and gnarled, un-

attractive to timber cutters perhaps, but full of char-

acter for the artist. Such a tree was needed for this

painting.

Since the white oak plays only a supporting role

in this landscape, it was not necessary to do a heavily

detailed preliminary study. However, the overall de-

sign of the tree was important to the composition

of the painting. Since the foliage of the oak is used

to lead the eye vertically in a zigzag path to the sky

area, the design of the tree had to be kept very simple

and not cluttered with unnecessary leaf detail. The

small sketch of the tree form in the lower right-hand

corner reveals the abstract design of the foliage.

16

THE PAPER BIRCH

The sweep of the birch trees emphasizes the di-

rection of the stream and helps to carry the eye

toward the white oak. Since the main feature of the

landscape is the mountain, and the accent is on its

contour, too much detail in the painting of the trees

would weaken the main subject. TTierefore, the

birches are treated more as a color mass than as in-

dividual trees.

There are many varieties of birches, but the ones

in this painting are paper birches. Although the

paper birch is found throughout the northern United

States and Canada, it is often associated with NewEngland. It is a thin, delicately leaved tree with a

creamy white or ivory white bark marked with hori-

zontal lens-shaped ridges. Although birches some-

times occur singly, they are more often seen growing

in clumps and clusters.

In sketching birches it is necessary to understand

the structure of a single tree and also of a mass of

trees. The small simplified design at the right of the

main sketch reveals the overall shape of the mass.

Although only a section of it will appear in the final

painting, the tree or group of trees must be treated

as a unit. A third dimension must be maintained. The

branches should not appear to project just to the

right and left of the main trunk. The whiteness of

the tree trunks must be subdued or the strong con-

trast will tend to detract from the other elements of

the painting.

I began the actual painting of "Touch of Autumn"

by brushing in Maskoid wherever I wanted to pre-

serve areas of white bark as contrast for the back-

ground of fall color. I then dampened the sky area

and painted in thin washes of cerulean blue and co-

17

bait blue, carefully leaving white paper where the

oak tree was to be inserted.

A dark mixture of French ultramarine blue and

burnt umber, with a touch of alizarine crimson, was

used to paint the mountain, and after it had dried a

wash of sap green was glazed over the whole area.

The white oak was painted next. Working from

light to dark, I painted the nearest foliage first, then

progressed to the distant foliage leaving the main

mass of the trunk and branches clear of color. The

trunk was then washed with a grayed tint of cobalt.

The smaller branches were produced by scraping

into the dark area with a small knife. The contour

of the bank of the stream was then indicated with a

very dark and not too wet paint.

The foliage of the large birch in the upper left-

hand corner was painted with washes of raw sienna,

raw umber, and a dark mixture of ultramarine blue

and burnt umber. Alizarine crimson, raw sienna,

Winsor red, and sap green were used for the color-

ful mass of the background birches. Then the whole

area was covered with an overall wash of aureolin.

After it had dried, the Maskoid was removed and

color was added to the tree trunks.

The grassy areas were completed and the direc-

tion of the slope of the bank was indicated. The rip-

ple of the water was suggested by dry brushing, a

few remaining darks were added, and the painting

was completed.

18

CuN'LKLD Bridge

Touch of Autlimn

19

EVENING FLIGHT

Years ago when I was a small boy there was a

wonderful pond where we used to play a form of

ice hockey called "shinny." There were muskrat

houses along the banks, and small patches of open

water where ducks would rest. At twilight the pond

took on the soft, muted violets and blues of a cold

winter evening. "Evening Flight" is reminiscent of

that pond and its colors. The composition is drawn

from memory. The mallard ducks landing on the

water add a touch of life to the scene and establish

the size of the pond and the trees.

The sketch, reproduced here actual size, reveals

the simplicity of the design. It is based on a flat letter

S, with the birds and pond boxed in by the trees, and

a sweep of snow in the foreground. In this painting

the trees are used primarily as a decorative element

and have little individual importance. The sketches

of the ducks were made to help decide on their par-

ticular attitude of flight and their arrangements in

the picture. If too much emphasis had been given to

the ducks, the landscape could easily have become

a story-like illustration.

In painting the picture the pond was washed in

first, using cerulean blue in the foreground and co-

balt for the distant ice. Then the bank of snow in

the background and the background trees were

added. I painted the trees with a combination of sap

green, burnt sienna, and raw umber, taking care that

the values did not go too dark. The trees in the fore-

ground, which were painted next, were kept very

dark with only slight touches of green to lighten

them.

The snow in the foreground was added, using a

red-violet mixed from burnt sienna and Winsor vio-

let. Then the ducks were painted in, starting with

the dark areas and finishing with a light red-violet

wash.

Using a medium-size brush I added some of the

20

21

smaller trees and branches, making sure that the

branches were painted from the back toward the

front so that the tree forms would overlap. Brambles

and ground brush associated with wooded and

swampy regions were also drawn in.

The open water in the foreground was painted

next using a dark mixture of French ultramarine blue

and sap green, with blue strongly predominant. An

appearance of wetness was established for the edges

of the thin ice along the water. The dark silhouettes

of the two ducks on the open water establish the

surface of the water which is in deep shadow. A few

small branches poking their way through the snow

were added, and the picture was completed.

?w»-X»?y

Evening Flight

22

TROUT STREAM

This tumbling, cascading trout stream was filmed

with an Smm movie camera in the mountains of

North Carolina. The mountains of the Southern

Appalachians were not affected by glaciation, but

over many thousands of centuries, heavy rains have

rounded off the sharp peaks, washing down rocks

from the higher elevations, grinding rock against

rock until they no longer have sharp edges, filling in

the valleys, and giving the slopes a gentle profile.

Very little of the underlying rock is visible. The

banks of the trout streams are covered with ferns

and a variety of other plants, and flowering dog-

wood, mountain laurel, and rosebay rhododendron

are seen in profusion throughout the countryside.

In working out the composition for this painting,

I found that the eye had a natural tendency to follow

the direction of the current, and the falls left center

helped to keep the eye from wandering off the page.

The problem was to get the viewer back to the start-

ing place. A lighter value was established in the water at the point of intersection of falls and rocks, and

this white area, bracketed by dark areas, forces the

viewer to look back to where the stream enters the

picture at upper right.

In painting the picture the dark rocks, which give

the painting much of its strength, were painted in

first. Notice that the rocks to the right of the picture

are more rounded than the formations to the left, and

that the rounded rocks have a much greater covering

of moss than the ones across the stream. Sap green,

burnt umber, and French ultramarine blue were used

for the dark of the stones, and a warming wash of

burnt umber was brushed over the whole area. The

sunken log jammed between the stones and the swirl

of water in the foreground were painted next. Burnt

sienna and burnt umber were used for the log which

serves to tie the bottom of the painting together and

helps to develop the rhythm of the composition.

The dense wooded area across the top was first

washed in almost as a solid unit rather than as indi-

vidual tree forms. The colors used were sap green,

burnt umber, French ultramarine, and raw umber.

When this was dry, some of the tree trunk forms

were wiped out with a sponge. A brush dampened

with water was used to lift out some of the pigment

23

for the smaller branches, and still finer branches

were scraped out of dampened areas with a knife.

The distant trees and the dark blue of the far-away

mountain were painted next. After all of this was

dry, a fine brush was used to draw in some branches

and to point-up the landscape.

With most areas of the painting under control,

attention was directed to the rushing water. The

cast shadows on the surface of the water were

painted with cobalt tempered with burnt umber.

Cast shadows should not be confused with reflec-

tions. Since the water is in turmoil and has been

aereated to a white froth, the shadows are on its

surface. If the water had been clear and still, there

would be surface reflections, but the shadows would

be seen on the bottom of the stream. The flow of

water was painted with green-brown and a mixture

of cobalt and French ultramarine blues. White paper

was left to indicate the highlighted surfaces of the

many currents and eddies.

24

Trout Strham

25

WINTER EVENING

A stroll along the ice-lined shore of a lake in Cen-

tral Park, with its backdrop of skyscrapers and apart-

ments, inspired this painting of New York City. At

the time I had no camera or sketching pad with me.

Later, when I returned home, I decided to paint the

scene as I remembered it. Although I had no first

hand visual notes, I had excellent guidebooks and

postcards to serve as reference material.

One guidebook showed a view of the lake looking

toward Fifth Avenue. The scene apparently had been

photographed in early spring since the level of the

lake was quite low, and there were few leaves on the

trees. Although this view interested me, I wanted to

paint the park as I remembered it. I had seen it in

late winter, mantled in snow. There had been ice

along the shore, but most of the lake was open water.

I had seen waterfowl sunning and preening them-

selves in the warmth of the noonday sun at various

places along the shore, and a few leaves still clinging

to some of the trees. The guidebook photograph

provided the architectural detail for the background,

which, however, had to be greatly simplified in the

painting.

In deciding on the composition, the first step was

to make a small sketch incorporating some of the

information I had noted in the park with the back-

ground suggested by the photograph. A covering of

snow and ice was indicated in the sketch to estab-

lish the proper season. Although I had viewed the

scene at noonday, I decided on a late twilight setting

for the painting to emphasize the violets and blues

of winter. This lighting also eliminated most of the

minor details in the buildings and permitted a more

impressionistic approach to the background. When

the small sketch was completed, it was enlarged to

final size.

26

Before attempting to paint this watercolor, I de-

cided to make a simplified value study to be sure

that I understood the construction of the various

elements in the scene, particularly of the large ar-

chitectural forms. Since I had decided on an overcast

sky as well as an early evening twilight, the color

scheme would be neutralized and simplified. Tonal

values, on the other hand, would be far more critical.

The bridge, walks, and ice-covered shoreline were

designed as simple forms, to direct attention to the

point of interest, which is the grouping of small fig-

ures and the lights at the end of the inclined walk.

Since most of the bushes were covered with a mantle

of heavy snow, they could be drawn quite simply.

The dark lake waters were treated as a single unit,

and the only major reflection indicated was the arch

of the bridge. The curving line of the trees intro-

duced a sweeping action and helped create the illu-

sion of depth. The birds on the ice, which are of only

minor importance, were kept in a very low key.

The large areas were drawn with

square-sided Conte crayon sticks, the

smaller forms with charcoal pencils.

27

In executing the large wash for the

sky, the paper was kept constantly

wet. Dry spots could have left un-

pleasant areas in the washes.

When I was ready to begin painting, only a few

sections of the study were traced onto the paper. I

wanted to keep the main washes clean, and I did not

feel that detailed pencil lines of the buildings were

needed. With too many confining lines, there is often

a tendency to tint in the areas rather than to paint

them freely. When additional guiding lines are de-

sired, they can always be traced onto the paper later.

With the drawing in an inverted position, the sky

portion was washed in with a mixture of burnt um-

ber, alizarine crimson, and cobalt blue. The washes

were begun at the contour line of the snow on the

bridge and walkway and were continued to the bot-

tom of the paper, which would be the top of the final

picture. The space underneath the bridge also re-

ceived a slight wash of the same color.

The large dark shape of the apartment building

on the right was painted in with the same color com-

bination. The wash was run from a dark top to a

lighter base to indicate the reflected lights of the

distant street.

The snow area was then thoroughly wet, not just

dampened, with clear water, and cobalt and French

ultramarine blue were floated into place. I took spe-

cial care to prevent hard edges from forming, so that

the snow would have an overall softness. Accents

were applied later. The dark blues and greens of the

open water of the lake were added next, and in this

case some hard edges were needed.

When the sky washes were in place and the snow

cover had been indicated in a general way, the

shadow sides of the distant buildings were painted.

28

An overall wash was then laid over each building,

with variations in color separating the building units

from each other. After the washes were dry, I damp-

ened a small oil brush with water and scrubbed out

small window areas, which later received a tint of

aureolin.

In painting the scene 1 decided to add two extra

street lights that had not been in my original sketch.

I felt they were needed to help convey the idea that

land existed beyond the top of the inclines. They

also helped to increase the depth of the picture. To

achieve the glow of the street lights 1 used the damp-

ened oil brush to wipe out some of the color that had

already been applied, then I erased with a typewriter

eraser until the near-white of the paper was un-

covered.

The dark areas of the two birds on the water were

painted in, and then the white of the snow goose was

scrubbed in and its form indicated. Next the trunks

and branches of the trees were painted, with faint

darks of sap green and raw umber to indicate the

light tips and branches of the trees. Other branches

and bushes were also indicated.

Finally, I added the small figures. Most of the

figures are silhouettes and are for atmosphere only.

However, the figure in the red coat, which provides

the only spot of brilliant red in the scene, is the ac-

cent point for the whole painting. With the final

addition of flashes from the street lights, which were

erased with the thin edge of a typewriter eraser, the

painting was completed. It is reproduced in color on

page 30.

29

Winter Evening

30

4JwkX»->

Blacksmith's Shop

Costume Study for "Blacksmith's Shop"

31

BLACKSMITH'S SHOP

As I walked along Prince George Street during

a brief visit to the restored historic city of Williams-

burg, Virginia, the blacksmith's shop attracted my

attention. The clang of metal against metal and the

beat of hammer against anvil took me back to my

boyhood when I used to pause and watch the black-

smith shoe the farm horses, and I could smell again

the hot metal as the smith plunged the forged horse-

shoe into a tub of water to anneal it. Although there

were many other interesting shops, I decided on the

blacksmith's shop as a subject for a watercolor.

Since there was little time and no opportunity to

make watercolor sketches, I photographed the scene

for future reference. Additional reference material

was gleaned from a movie that had been made of the

shops, costumes, and landmarks of the village.

Later, when I was ready to paint the watercolor,

I went over all of the material I had collected before

attempting to compose the scene. A rough pen sketch

was made quite small, and then a finished pencil

study, in which all of the details were drawn, was

made the same size as the projected painting. In

working out the composition, the silhouette of a

building, which does not exist in the actual village,

was added in the left side of the picture in order to

prevent the observer's gaze from wandering off the

page.

32

The elm, a tree common to Williamsburg, is an

important element in the composition of this water-

color. The foliage of the elm is used to bridge the

space between the blacksmith's shop and the corner

of the building on the left-hand border. This softens

the key area and adds warmth to the painting.

The elm is one of the largest of the trees that grow

in the Atlantic states. Its shape, as shown in the sim-

plified sketch, is similar to a narrow inverted cone,

but near the top the branches flare outward in grace-

ful arcs, the tips pointing toward the ground.

The oak in the right foreground with its heavy

base and, in this instance, symmetrical trunk is used

to curve the vision toward the point of interest. The

leaf forms of both trees were kept very simple in

design so that they would not detract from the

buildings.

When I was ready to begin painting, 1 traced a

few basic lines onto the watercolor paper, and taped

the borders. The sky area was saturated with clear

water and a light value of raw sienna was washed

into place. While this was still wet, a thin mixture of

cobalt and raw umber was painted into the darker

portions of the sky. Care had to be taken to keep the

edges of the building white and the edges that would

outline the elm tree soft.

A quick study I had made of the printer dehvering posters

was added to the scene to force the movement of the com-

position toward the lighter area of the building and so

control the direction of the line of vision.

33

Although the figure of the blacksmith in the doorway of

the shop is rather small and sketchy, I made a separate

sketch to study the stance of the figure and the costume.

The roofs of the buildings were painted next,

using a very dark mixture of French ultramarine,

Payne's gray, and cobah blue, with a touch of burnt

umber. These darks established a tonal key and the

rest of the washes were related to them.

A subdued blue was used for the shadow sides of

the buildings, then the trunk of the oak was painted,

followed by the dark grassy area. As the step-by-

step photographs show, the forms of the windows.

the woman, the fence, and the flowers were still

white.

The lighter areas of the street were washed in and

the darks of the chimneys were added.

Next the siding of the building received a light

wash. The cast shadow of the planking was indi-

cated with a thin wash of Payne's gray, and the long

shadows across the building were washed in with a

combination of cobalt and raw umber. The corner

near the street light received a light wash of aureolin

to help intensify the suggestion of sunlight in the

picture.

The figure of the woman near the house was

added. Her costume was treated in an impression-

istic manner since she was a part of the painting but

not of major importance.

The hollyhocks and the dark ground foliage in

the distance were painted, then the window details

were begun. When the windows and doors were

completed, the tonal value of the street was lowered

to increase the effect of sunlight. The figure of the

blacksmith was indicated in the background, then

the figure of the printer crossing the street was

added. The printer's dark blue coat provides an im-

portant accent in the foreground. Like the costumes

of the woman and the blacksmith, the printer's cos-

tume is treated in an impressionistic manner. How-

ever, it is slightly more detailed since he is nearer the

observer.

Although the trees still had to be painted, the pic-

ture was beginning to have a semblance of unity. The

bricks were indicated on the chimneys, which then

received an overall wash of raw sienna to which a

touch of Winsor red had been added.

The sign shaped like a horse's head was painted,

and the lettering on the large sign was indicated, but

not legibly enough to attract more attention than it

deserved.

With practically all of the dark areas and most of

the details painted, the trees were lightly brushed

into place. This foliage was treated quite simply with

not too much detail. Only a few leaf forms are shown

against the dark areas of the roof and the sides of the

building.

A few minor touch-ups of white were added for

accents, and the watercolor was completed. The

painting is reproduced in color on page 31.

34

35

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS

This scene in the southern Appalachians is a com-

posite based on a number of charcoal sketches made

from a movie taken along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The grove of trees made an interesting unit and

could have been the focus of the picture, but I felt

that the small cabin down in the valley, surrounded

by fields and patches of corn, would be more typical

of the area. Since oaks, hickories, maples, and hem-

locks are often found on the lower slopes in this

area, and spruce and fir are more typical at higher

levels, I decided to indicate both types of growth.

The dark trees along the ridges represent the darker

spruces and firs. To add to the illusion of the depth

of the valley, I felt an out-cropping of rock at the

base of the grove of trees was needed to establish a

stepdown to a flat, level plane. The gate and stone

fence indicated in the large pencil sketch were elimi-

nated in the painting because they conflicted with

the main point of interest, which is the plume of

smoke drifting upward from the small cabin in the

valley.

In painting a picture of this type, which can be

quite complicated, the work will flow along smoothly

if it is handled in small segments, and care is taken

to maintain proper value relationship.

The basic lines from the pencil study were traced

36

37

on the watercolor paper, and the border was taped

to preserve a clean edge. The sky was handled very

simply. The area was first wet with clear water, then,

while still wet a wash consisting of cerulean, cobalt,

and a thin mixture of Davy's gray was quickly

painted in. To tie the sky to the land and to increase

the depth of the picture, the cloud form was pur-

posely incorporated with the principal mountain.

Cobalt was used in varying values to indicate the

distant mountains, and the edge of the fog in the

valley was softened with a small sponge.

The back side of the ridge, from the fog area near

the tree foliage to its crest, was brushed in with a

mixture of cobalt and French ultramarine. Payne's

gray, burnt umber, and light washes of raw sienna

were added to indicate distant bald mountains and

open fields.

In painting the nearer fields, which were treated

as individual elements, lines of trees were used to

separate the fields and to establish perspective lines

which emphasize the sweep of the ridge into the

distance.

38

Blue Ridge Mountains

Cypress Swamp

41

CYPRESS SWAMP

The bald cypress is one of the most unusual of the

many trees that forest the great swamplands of the

southern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. When young,

the bald cypress has a symmetrical pyramidlike top,

with up-turned branches and drooping cones and

needle-bearing branchlets. With time, however, its

appearance changes. As an old tree, its foliage re-

sembles an inverted pyramid, wide, and slightly

rounded at the top and narrowing down to a long

tapering trunk. Near the bottom, the trunk flares into

a wide, buttressed base that seems to disappear into

the water. The root system of the tree sends up

steeple-shaped projections, known as knees, which

seem to anchor the tree more firmly in the swamp.

The sketch, drawn with Conte crayon and charcoal,

shows the geometric shape of the base of the tree.

Cypress trees are usually shrouded with Spanish

moss, which is a grayish-green epiphyte, or air plant,

and not really a moss at all. Spanish moss, which is

almost an emblem of the South, can be treated quite

freely. It grows in great profusion, hanging from the

branches and even clinging to the trunks of the

trees.

In painting "Cypress Swamp," an overall wash of

dark greens, blues and red-violets was laid in, termi-

nating in the blue of dark water at the bottom. While

the colors were still damp, the rays of the sun were

sponged in, and the soft form of the moss was indi-

cated, as shown in the enlarged detail on the oppo-

site page.

A few of the heavy buttressed tree trunks were

painted, using browns, deep violets, and a mossy

green. Some of the Spanish moss was painted in next

with a neutralized violet and a gray-green. Each of

the moss-covered trees was then individually

brushed in until all were completed.

The areas for the lily pads were sponged out and

a dark green was painted in. When this color was

dry, the shapes of the pads were drawn with a color

matching the blue of the water. Opaque white was

used to paint the egret to avoid sponging and scrap-

ing out the blue of the water with a knife.

Individual branches projecting at right angles from

the trunks were carefully drawn. Then aureolin was

washed over the light areas of the whole picture to

tie them together, and the painting was completed.

42

^%

43

SOUTHERN QUAIL HUNT

The bobwhite, or quail, is hunted extensively in

the low country of the Atlantic Coastal Plains, from

the Carolinas through Georgia and into Florida. Al-

though the "bird," as it is called there, is found in

many northern and mid-western states, it is usually

thought of as a true representative of the South, and

as much a native symbol as corn pone, grits, and

black-eyed peas.

Scattered pines, bull grass, broom sedge, gum, cy-

press, and bay trees cover large areas of the coastal

plains in the Carolinas and Georgia. Florida, al-

though it has its share of pine woods, and cypress

and gum trees, also has several varieties of palms,

waist-high palmettos, and large areas of wire grass.

The bobwhite may be found in a number of differ-

ent settings, and a painting of a quail hunt could be

set in broom-straw fields, open pine woods, pasture

lands, or along the brushy edge of a field. However,

I decided on a sharecropper's garden and corn patch

with open fields in the background and occasional

pines to lend contrast.

The pine tree, which is very common along the

southern coastal plains, usually grows quite straight

and tall, although it is sometimes seen growing in

grotesque fomis and shapes. The photograph at left

shows a grouping of pines similar to those in the

painting "Southern Quail Hunt." A clump of young

trees are bunched in the center foreground. The

taller trees on either side and those in the distance

are mature trees which play host to the ever-present

Spanish moss.

Notice that the lower branches of the pines are

nearly parallel to the ground, but toward the top of

the tree the branches gradually change to an upward

direction. Notice also the delicate proportion of the

branches to the size of the tree trunks.

44

A thumbnail sketch (reproduced larger than the

original) established the location of the pines, the

fami house, and the outbuildings, the general place-

ment of the hunters, and the main sweep of the ac-

tion lines. However, in this first sketch, the trees to

the left of the painting are so over-powering that the

eye is not led to the house and the hunters. Also,

zines are good sources for this type of reference

material.

Before beginning to paint, I drew the house and

outbuildings, and the hunters and the dog and traced

them onto the watercolor paper.

A palette of yellow-browns, blues, and earth col-

ors was chosen before the first wash was laid in order

since the tree masses are almost ecjual in area, the

composition appears too formal in design. In the

painting itself, the trees were reduced in size. This

improved the composition and gave the landscape

the open, spacious feeling that 1 wanted.

Even though the hunters and their dog are greatly

simplified in the final painting, I gathered authentic

reference material for the scene before beginning to

paint it. The outdoor magazines and sports maga-

to suggest the time of year when quail are hunted

down South. Greens play only a minor part in this

painting.

After the house, the hunters, and the dog had been

traced onto the paper and the border had been taped,

the sky area was thoroughly soaked with water.

While it was damp, the soft fonns of the clouds were

brushed in with a combination of burnt sienna and

cerulean blue. The blue sections of the sky were then

45

washed in with cerulean blue, taking care to preserve

the white edges of the clouds. The color of the un-

dersides of the clouds and the blue of the sky were

allowed to meet to help give the feeling of atmos-

phere.

The lower part of the picture was then dampened

and mixtures of raw sienna, Vandyke brown, and

raw umber were washed quickly into place before

hard edges could form. The washes were swept right

over the hunters and the dog since they would be

painted in later with darker and more opaque colors.

The brushy section to the left of the hunters was

indicated with a combination of burnt sienna and

Vandyke brown.

Before going further with the painting, an electric

hair dryer was used to help dry the background

trees, the sky, and the grass areas. Using a dryer

helps set the washes quickly so there is less danger

of getting undesirable water spots or runs.

The distant trees were painted with cobalt and

French ultramarine blue, and light touches of ceru-

lean blue, and outlines of the trees were silhouetted

against the sky. The area between the trees and the

grass was allowed to blend together. After drying,

this section was sponged to remove some of the color

in order to suggest the hazy look of far-away trees.

While painting this background I was careful to

maintain a changing value from dark on the left to

light on the right. This helps to give an illusion of

depth to the landscape.

As the photographs of the painting in progress

show, I had run washes over the hunters and the

dog and over the tree areas and had painted around

the house and outbuildings. It had not been neces-

sary to preserve any of these areas with Maskoid.

The underlying washes would not conflict with the

work to be done later on the hunters and the trees,

and the shapes of the buildings were fairly simple

and presented no problems.

A combination of burnt sienna, raw sienna, and

46

Vandyke brown was used for the house and its out-

buildings. The tin roof was indicated with a thin

wash of cobah and the ribs of metal were drawn

into place.

The dead oak was drawn, and its covering of

moss indicated. A stiff round-pointed oil brush was

used to scrub the plume of smoke drifting lazily up-

ward in back of the farm house. Dark bushes were

added close to the house to help create an illusion of

depth between the house and the background trees.

The pine trees to the right of the picture were

added next. First, the middle distance trees were

painted, then the larger, foreground trees. A fine,

long-haired brush was used to draw the thin, smaller

branches. In painting the pine trees to the left, I kept

the shape of the foliage more abstract so that it

would not detract from the hunting scene.

The corn patch was painted literally from the

ground up. Using a mixture of Payne's gray and

Vandyke brown, 1 washed the furrowed rows into

place. Then the stalks were drawn, working from

the back toward the front so that they overlapped.

The long leaf forms of the corn were painted, using

transparent darks and some opaque color passages.

At this stage I decided to move the dog to a posi-

tion directly in front of the hunters, and I added

some brush between the hunters, in order to separate

them. Otherwise, it might have seemed that the one

was going to shoot the other in the leg. The dog and

the hunters were painted with dark transparent col-

ors and some opaque colors.

The fence posts around the corn field were indi-

cated with a dark brown, and while they were still

wet, highlights were scraped in with a small knife.

The smaller areas of underbrush and trees were

painted, and washes of greens were flowed over some

of the grassy areas so that they would not be too

even in color. A few touch-ups and the painting was

completed.

"Southern Quail Hunt" is shown on page 52.

W^.>i

V \i

SHRIMP BOAT

Name any bright color and you will find it in the

picturesque riverfront district of Savannah where

the shrimp fleet docks.

The shrimp boats are a colorful sight with gaily

dyed chafing gear hanging over the drying nets.

There is always some activity to paint, whether the

boats are docked, or are coming and going to dry

dock to be repaired or painted. The big problem for

the artist is not what to paint, but what part of the

scene to paint.

The divided dock that parallels the Wilmington

River was like a magnet to me. After careful study

I decided to center my interest at that point. The

shrimp boat is seen through the gap in the dock, and

the distant view of the curving river provides an

interesting background.

Since there wasn't time to paint a landscape on the

spot, I took a series of photographs as reference

notes. When I looked at them later, I was surprised

to find that the barnacles on the piling indicated quite

a difference in the height of the tide. Since the tide

was low when I took this photograph, the river bot-

tom was covered with flotsam. This was later used

to add interest to the foreground of the picture.

I made a small sketch of the scene to establish a

general pattern for the composition, and after it was

enlarged I made detailed studies of the boat, and

individual sketches of the figures to be used in the

painting. I also made studies of the perspective of

the dock, to be sure that the water remained flat. Afinal working tissue was made and then the compos-

ite chisel-edged pencil study reproduced below was

48

drawn of the entire scene. The composite drawing

was made the same size as the watercolor and was

traced onto the watercolor board.

This painting was designed to move from a dark

foreground to a light background, and the lighter

areas were painted first. After the borders were care-

fully masked with tape, the sky section was damp-

as possible. In painting the point of land across from

the docks, all the colors of the distant shore were

muted so that the feeling of a misty atmosphere per-

vaded the scene and a sense of depth was established.

With the far shorelines established, the strong,

dark forms of the near piling and dock were added,

using very thick paint and dry-brush technique. The

ened and a pale wash of cerulean blue was brushed

in with the color darkest near the top of the picture

and almost white near the horizon.

After this was dry, the contour of the far right

shore was painted with an extremely pale tint of co-

balt and sap green, neutralized with raw umber. The

broad sweep of the river was painted next with a

pale cerulean blue. Using a wide brush and as few

strokes as necessary, the washes were kept as simple

loose handling of the piling, contrasted with the tight

rendering of the distant shores, also helped establish

perspective and depth. The planking of the adjacent

dock was then indicated with a few simple free

washes of Vandyke brown and raw umber.

Before painting the boat, it was necessary to mask

the piling and figures on the dock with Maskoid.

When the Maskoid was dry, the main divisions of

the boat were painted and some of the detail found

49

in the rigging was indicated. The chafing gear, which

appeared to be made of frayed rope which had

been dyed a brilliant rose-red, was next washed

into place. After these washes were dry, the dark

red trimming, the dark areas in the stern of the boat,

and the second boat were painted.

As the enlarged details of the painting in progress

show, the brushstrokes used in painting the cabin

and hull of the principal boat were made across the

forms and not with them. This method, also used on

the second boat, established the shape and construc-

tion of the boats.

The green-yellows and yellow-brown of the reflec-

tions were painted next, and were kept very simple

in form. Vandyke brown, raw umber, and French

ultramarine were used in combination to paint the

mud bottom with its generous supply of flotsam.

After a stiff oil brush had removed some of the

greens and yellows of the boat's reflections in the

water, the reflections of the sky at the base of the

piling and some wave ripples were added.

Finally, the figures on the dock and the shrimper

coiling his lines on the boat were inserted. These

figures help to establish the scale of the picture. The

enlarged progressive photograph on page 51 shows

the kind of brushstrokes that were used in drawing

the figures.

The painting is reproduced in color on page 52.

50

51

Southern Quael Hunt

Shrimp Boat

52

BIG GRASS

Along the Atlantic Coastal Plain where the edge of

the land meets the sea and its tides, there is a vast

expanse of saltwater marsh. Meandering streams

and rivers seek their outlet to the ocean through

miles and miles of marshland. There is a high and

very dense growth of bull grass, but only a few trees

are in evidence. This is the land where distant flights

of birds are seen, where the rail is hunted, and where

migrating flocks of winter birds find sanctuary.

When I first viewed this area, I wanted to paint a

watercolor of it. A quick thumbnail sketch estab-

lished the main theme. The design was based on a

pyramidal form, which seems to explode near the

fisherman poling his boat on one of the many water-

ways. This pyramid, boxed by the sparse trees on

each border and the movements of the clouds in the

sky, leads the eye to the point of interest.

The fisherman and his boat were sketched on the

watercolor paper, the horizon was placed, and a few

trees were indicated. Then the paper was soaked

with water and an overall wash of aureolin was

flowed across the sky area. While this was still very

wet, areas of raw sienna and Winsor red were added.

The paper was then rotated so that the cloud forms

could more easily be painted starting near the hori-

zon and finishing near the zenith of the sky. This

made it possible to give the higher clouds a firmer

edge, thereby increasing the feeling of height.

When the sky was completed, the grassy areas

were painted, using burnt sienna for the main areas.

The distant trees were drawn into place, and their

tree trunks and leaves were indicated. Then the dark

area of the water and the fisherman and his boat

were painted. A long-haired striping brush was used

to define the tall stalks of weeds and the small

branches that grow along the banks of the waterway.

Some highlights were picked out with a knife.

Others, particularly in the leaf forms of the tall tree,

were added by sparse use of tinted opaques. A few

heavier accents were necessary on the tree trunks to

complete the scene. The completed painting is repro-

duced in color on page 54.

In simple designs such as this where

there are few objects to indicate

depth and perspective, it is necessary

to keep a very close control of values.

53

Net Fisherman

V.)M

-f^p^'m

r

54

NET FISHERMEN

The west coast, or Gulf Coast, of Florida is

fringed with rivers, bayous, and bays, and a chain of

off-shore islands extending almost the full length of

the coast. Within the protected waterways of this

sweeping coastline are many picturesque fishing vil-

lages. These villages, with their collections of drying

nets, their colorful iishing shacks, and the blue skies,

white clouds, and hosts of pelicans, gulls, and other

sea birds found in Florida, provide many excellent

subjects for watercolors.

This painting of a typical Florida fishing village

was mae from scenes photographed with an 8mmmovie camera at Cortez, on Anna Maria Island near

Sarasota. The colorful natter's boat with its green

hull, orange trim, blue stern, and yellow umbrella

was photographed in one of the nearby channels.

The boat was added to a scene from a nearby village

to establish a strong point of interest. A second build-

ing was also added, near the center of the picture, al-

though it does not appear in the actual scene.

A quick sketch established the plan for the paint-

ing. Sweeping cloud forms point toward the larger

shack, and its roof-line directs the eye toward the

yellow umbrella and the point of interest, which is

the netter's boat. The piling that overlaps the green

hull also forces the eye toward the point of interest,

as does the direction of the bills of the pelicans and

the angles of the wings of the soaring gulls. The fact

that the yellow umbrella is surrounded by dark areas

also forces the eye to the netter's boat. In addition,

the hull of the larger boat stops the eye from wander-

ing off the page.

'^

55

Before painting the scene, individual studies were

made of many of the details of the scene based on

movies taken at different times and different places.

Some of these studies are shown here.

The sketch of the fishing shack shows a typical

shack built on piling driven into the sandy bottom of

the bay. The shacks tend to swing and sway and sag

in the middle a little as they begin to show their age.

Loose shutters are also a tell-tale sign that time has

marched on, as are barnacles on the pilings. Since

this picture was made at low tide, the rounded, ball-

like forms of the barnacles are much in evidence.

The sweeping line of the drying nets adds interest to

the otherwise monotonous front of the building.

The yellow umbrella on the netter's boat is quite

intriguing, but makes you wonder what would hap-

pen if a quick gust of wind were to blow. Most of

these boats have built-up splash boards because they

frequently go into the gulf and have to run the heav-

ier seas of the inlets and bars. The coffee can over the

exhaust stack of the boat in the lower right-hand

sketch keeps the rain out of the stack. The pelicans,

posing somberly in the sketch, were painted very

simply in the watercolor.

After drawing in the main outlines of the scene on

the watercolor paper, the contours of the buildings,

boats, and birds were protected with Maskoid. The

sky area was wet and then an overall wash of aureo-

lin was applied. While this wash was still damp, a

mixture of French ultramarine and cobalt was

56

57

painted into the sky and left to dry. As the painting

dried, a granulated texture of blue developed. How-

ever, it was not objectionable in this case.

When the sky was dry, the Maskoid was removed

and washes of Vandyke brown, French ultramarine,

raw umber, and burnt sienna were applied to the

buildings. The step-by-step photographs on pages

57 and 58 show how the watercolor progressed at

this stage.

Before painting the water, a coat of Maskoid was

applied to all of the boats in the immediate fore-

ground, the umbrella, the figure, and the piling. This

made it possible to paint the water areas in big

sweeping washes. Without the Maskoid, spotty, in-

dividual washes would have been necessary. French

ultramarine, cobalt, sap green, and a small amount of

Vandyke brown were used to lay in the first phase

of the local color, the reflections of the boats, and

the surface of the water. These washes were carried

directly over the areas that had been painted with

the Maskoid. After these washes were dry, the edges

of some of the reflections and the broad wave mo-

tions created by the passing boat were indicated.

Before removing the protective film of Maskoid, the

basic form of the large boat was painted.

The local colors of the boats, hatches, piling, and

nets were painted next. In painting these areas it was

possible to work on one section while another was

drying since most of the washes did not interfere

with each other.

A tinted opaque was used to add texture to the

water and nets and for some of the highlights on the

piling and lines to the boats. Although some artists

do not believe in using opaque colors in a watercolor

painting, I see no harm in their use at times. If used

extensively, they may sometimes detract from a

painting, but there are other occasions when their

use will enhance rather than detract from the total

effect.

With all of the washes dry, final details, such as

the figure, the small wavelets, the birds in the sky,

wires and lines, and the silhouette of the distant

palms on the far shore, were added. A few additional

highlights were scraped into the paper with a knife,

and the painting was completed. It is reproduced in

color on page 54.

58

LIVE OAK

The live oak is another tree commonly associated

with the South. It is a true native of the Atlantic and

Gulf Coastal plains, and is found from Virginia to

California. The majestic size and overall span of the

tree is most impressive. Although it seldom exceeds

sixty feet in height, the diameter of its trunk may be

from six to eight feet. Generally this great trunk di-

vides into a few large branches, which may extend

horizontally as much as seventy-five feet from the

trunk. This is a greater span than that of any other

American tree.

The foliage of the long, sweeping branches of the

live oak grows upward, and is usually associated

with the crown and outer reaches of the limbs. This

tree, like the cypress, is host to Spanish moss which

grows in long, graceful strands beneath its heavy

branches. The tops of the long branches of some

older trees have a covering of delicate ferns as well

as of moss.

The photograph below, which shows an average-

sized mature live oak, served as the model for the

painting. This particular tree grows along a slow-

moving Florida stream. Its boughs curve in graceful

arcs over the black waters and white sandy banks

of the stream. The foliage of the native cabbage

palm directly in back of the live oak should not be

confused with the leaf forms of the oak. The light

areas, which can be seen on the trunks of the tree in

the photograph, are brilliant red lichen.

Before attempting to paint this typical Florida

scene, a careful study of the live oak was sketched

on location. The study, drawn with terra cotta and

black Conte pencils and crayons, was made quite

large. Because of its size and scattered forms, the

live oak is sometimes difficult to draw. It is necessary

to project one form into another in a graceful and

pleasing manner, so that the viewer is not aware of

too many abrupt changes of directions.

Other oaks growing along the same bank were

left out of the drawing and the painting. Some of

59

their root systems had been undermined by flood

waters and had fallen into the stream, and would

have confused the composition of the landscape. It

was also necessary to rearrange the graceful forms

of the Spanish moss so that they contributed to the

unity of the composition. The moss was drawn with

the sides of the Conte crayon sticks, then smudged

slightly with a stump in order to preserve a uniform

gray value.

The stream was indicated, with the darkest area

near the base of the tree trunk. The foliage and dis-

tant background were outlined, and the sketch was

completed.

In painting the landscape, the preliminary outlines

of the live oak were kept to a minimum. Only the

contour of the main trunk was sketched before the

washes were applied.

A pale cobalt was flowed into a previously wet

sky area, then allowed to dry before the painting of

the tree was begun. The boughs of each trunk sec-

tion were painted freely with a fully charged brush.

Since the painting was not confined by guide lines, it

was possible to paint the graceful arcs and curves of

the branches with rhythmic brushstrokes.

When the main branches had been painted, the

smaller limbs and twigs were added, drawing from

the thin outer twig to the heavier boughs. Each form

was painted wet into wet. This technique, which

allows the colors to flow together, establishes a con-

tinuity within the picture.

Before painting the river, the area was thoroughly

wet with clear water. Then a mixture of Payne's

gray and cobalt was introduced. The wash was al-

most a solid dark color in places, but was lightened

near the border. After it had dried, the wavelets

were indicated, and the small patch of light on the

60

J^4^-

61

water near the bend of the river was lifted out of the

color with a stiff, round-pointed oil brush. The dis-

tant shore of the river's bend and the blocked-out

forms of the trees were painted with a mixture of

sap green and cobalt, neutralized with burnt umber.

An accent of green at the base of the tree defined

the ground level and helped to indicate the height of

the ground above the river.

Then a soft wash of cobalt and burnt umber was

applied to the white sandy foreground at the base of

the tree. While this was still wet, the grassy areas

were indicated with a neutralized sap green. After

the grass areas had dried, their edges were accented

with darks in order to establish definite planes in

the ground level.

The light and dark drapery of the Spanish moss

was painted next. First the top border was painted,

and the moss was kept a solid form although it did

not appear that way in the photograph of the actual

tree. The other sections of moss were treated like

the flying wings of a stage setting, each extending in

different directions from the main boughs of the

tree. When this phase had been completed, minor

foliage forms were painted in subdued colors that

would not draw undue attention to them.

The silhouettes of the distant trees were painted

with sap green to which touches of raw sienna had

been added, and the dark silhouette of the jumble of

brush in the lower left corner of the painting was put

in with a thin, long-haired brush.

The three figures were added in order to give the

scene a point of interest and to provide an accent of

red for the greens in the landscape. The figures also

establish a scale for the picture and add a touch of

human interest to the scene.

The painting is reproduced in color on page 71.

62

FIVE PALMS

The photograph below was taken on a side road

leading to one of the field barns of a celery farm, a

short distance inland from the west coast of Florida.

The stark, geometric form of the farm building

provides an interesting contrast to the explosive

fronds and stalks of the trees and grasses, which

immediately suggest a sub-tropical scene. The high

grass to the right of the road towers higher than a

man and the palm trees help to give a sense of scale

or dimension to the overall scene. The gently curving

road directs the vision to the building, which is the

main point of interest in this landscape, and the tin

roof of the building, which is actually rust color,

provides a touch of muted reds to accent the scene.

63

The rough pencil sketch is based on the photo-

graph on the preceding page but a number of changes

were made in order to focus attention on the build-

ing, which is the center of interest, and to create a

more effective composition. The changes in the di-

rection that the road takes were made more positive,

angling first toward the building, then pointing di-

rectly at it. Its final turn was lost in the cast shadow

of the building.

The palms were moved to form a backdrop for

the building, and their drooping, pointing fronds

were designed to direct the eye to the building. The

wires, which did not show up in the photograph,

were used in the drawing because they add an inter-

esting pattern to the scene. However, in the sketch I

let the tall stalks of the grass overlap them to prevent

the eye from wandering out of the picture. The wires

lead the eye to the pole, then down the single wire

to the building. The cast shadow from the tall grass

was carried across the tracks of the dirt road to help

frame the building, thus forcing the eye toward it.

Finally, the foliage of the distant palms was sketched

in as an overall pattern for the scene, rather than as

individual studies of the trees.

Although the palms are treated quite simply and

play a secondary role in this painting, it was neces-

sary to have a clear understanding of their construc-

tion before painting them. There is not a lot of detail

64

in the painting of the palms, which were treated in

an impressionistic manner, but the direction of the

growth of the fronds is clearly indicated.

The scene was sketched on the watercolor paper

and the borders were taped before the blue sky wash

was executed. The sky was handled freely without

too much attempt at form except for a crisscross

motion to give a sense of movement. This simple

treatment was necessary so that the sky would not

be too distracting, particularly since the foliage would

be quite busy.

The strong darks of the grassy patches of the road

were drybrushed with heavy pigment, then softened

with a damp brush. By painting the grass in this man-

ner, it was not necessary to hurry the washes. Even

though the heavy pigment may dry on the paper, it

can always be softened at a later and more conveni-

ent time.

The front of the farm building was painted with

65

an intense French ultramarine, and its shadow was

carried across the road. This strong contrasting treat-

ment made the sunlight appear very brilliant, whereas

soft shadows without contrast would have indicated

a cloudy sky.

A damp sponge was used to soften the edge of the

sky where it touches the horizon and where the firm

stalks of the grass overlap it. A sponge may be used

to achieve certain effects that are not possible with

a brush.

The pole was drybrushed in and the growth of

vines applied to it. The pattern was more important

here than the details of the form.

The form and pattern of the tall grass was painted

quickly and practically completed in one operation.

Painting it this way gave it a certain snap and direct-

ness that could not be achieved by laboriously paint-

ing individual stalks and fronds. The foliage of the

palms was treated in the same manner, as were the

large leaf forms at the base of the palms. When tree

trunks had beenindicated, the painting was complete.

The color reproduction of "Five Palms" is on

page 71.

GRAIN ELEVATOR

Grain elevators such as this are found in many sec-

tions of the country. Along the inner edge of the Gulf

Coast, where the land begins its gradual rise toward

the high plains of the interior, grain elevators dot the

countryside. Spaced about ten miles apart, they may

be seen strung out, reaching toward the horizon.

The gas station was added to the scene to give depth

to the picture and to establish the size of the grain

elevator. The composition of the painting was worked

out in the pencil sketch reproduced below.

The sketch was then enlarged to the full size of the

watercolor, and the perspective, which is a one-point

67

perspective in this case, was rechecked to be sure it

was accurate.

As few lines as possible were traced onto the water-

color paper, and the borders of the painting were

taped. After Maskoid had been applied to the out-

lines of the buildings and the distant horizon, water

was flowed onto the sky area until it was soaking wet.

A wash of raw sienna and aureolin was then painted

over the whole area. A heavy wash of burnt umber

and cobalt was applied next, using a sweeping mo-

tion that gives a rhythmic movement to the painting.

Before this had dried, touches of Winsor red were

dabbed in to complete the sky.

A graded wash was used to define the vertical cor-

ner of the rectangular building. Then a tint of Winsor

red was painted over the entire side of the building

and cobalt was added in the lower section of the

tower to heighten the color.

A touch of French ultramarine along the horizon

marked its location and the contour of the distant

tableland.

-""^A series of vertical -washes on the silos and the

Quonset building established their rounded contours.

After these washes were dr>', a series of horizontal

banded washes, painted over all of the buildings,

suggested the metal plates used in their construction.

These washes also helped to carry out the perspective

of the landscape.

In painting the ground most of the brushstrokes

were made in the direction of the perspective planes

of the picture. The trees in back of the gas station

were painted and then the building was indicated.

The local colors of the ground were completed and a

directional wash of Davy's gray was used to paint the

planes of the road, and the traffic streaks. When the

telephone poles and the fence were added the paint-

ing took on a forceful depth. With the addition of a

few minor details, the picture was finished. It is re-

produced in color on page 71

.

68

pr

P"

69

While your washes are drying, take advantage

of the time to draw small on-the-spot sketches.

They can be used to suggest details for future

paintings.

70

Live Oak

Five Palms

Grain Elevator

J»"ii»v—

•

71

The Southwest

The colorful canyons and tablelands of the Colo-

rado Plateau offer many spectacular views for the

landscape painter. Throughout this vast area of about

130,000 square miles are such striking formations as

the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon,

and the Painted Desert. In addition to the brilliantly

colored and strangely eroded land forms, there are

mission churches of the Spanish colonial period, par-

ticularly in southern Arizona and New Mexico, and

interesting remains of the cliff dwellers, a pre-Colum-

bian Indian civilization. The Navajos, Pueblos, Zunis,

and other Indians of today's Southwest also make in-

teresting subjects for paintings of that part of the

country.

THE FORMATION OF A MESA

Before discussing the next painting, which is of an

adobe church nestled between the towering rocks of

a mesa, it may be well to study how a land form of

this kind evolves.

A "mesa" is a land form that is more or less cir-

cular in design with steep sides and a nearly level top.

A built-up "apron" of loose materials extends out-

ward from its base. The block diagram illustrates

how the mesa is carved out of a larger plateau, or

tableland.

The level top of the mesa was at one time part of

a plateau which consisted of areas of weak and hard

cap rocks. As streams began to gnaw at the weaker

sections of the level surface, small gullies were formed

(1), which in turn became deep enough to be called

canyons (2) . These canyons extended in various

directions. The loose soil that was washed from

around the hard cap rock formed aprons (3) at the

base of the canyon walls. The gullies and canyons

cutting into the tableland grew larger and more nu-

merous, and sections of the plateau eventually were

isolated from the rest (4) . As erosion continued to

wear away the existing plateau, only a series of small

mesas (5) remained.

72

Church of the Mesa

Canyon Country

73

CHURCH OF THE MESA

The inspiration for this painting was a church in

New Mexico. Again, there was not enough time to

paint a landscape on the spot, so movies and still

photographs were taken to be studied at a more con-

venient time.

In the painting the height of the mesas was in-

creased, and the road was added to lead the eye into

the scene. However, the proportion, color, and con-

struction of the church, and the color and formation

of the layers of sedimentary rock were derived from

movies of the original scene.

The first thumbnail sketch was made with a felt-

tip pen to explore the abstract design of the picture

74

and the placement of the church. Since the size and

location of the church near the left-hand portion of

the picture made the surrounding mesas appear too

small, the first sketch was discarded.

A second composition was made with a chisel-

edged layout pencil. The proportion of the church

and its placement nearer the center of the picture is

much better. The road and the fence were added to

lead the vision to the point of interest. A distant range

of mountains also increased the depth of the picture.

The sky was simplified so that it would not detract

from the church and the mesas.

A final sketch was executed with Conte crayon

sticks and pencils. The size and proportions of the

mesas were changed again, and a house was added to

the left of the church. There were no other buildings

near the church in the actual scene, but a little artistic

freedom was exercised.

A final tissue was made to the working size of the

painting. The foreground of the third sketch was

used, but the height of the mesa was taken from the

second thumbnail because it seemed to have more

"eye" appeal. The direction of the high cloud for-

mation was changed, and the contour of the distant

mountain was altered to accent the horizontal planes

of the landscape.

75

The drawing was traced into position on the water-

color paper, using as few lines as necessary, and a

coat of Maskoid was applied to the contour of the

main rock formation. When this had dried suffi-

ciently, the sky area was wet with clear water and

thin washes of a neutralized cobalt and French ultra-

marine were brushed into place, taking care to pre-

serve the white areas. Since the whole area had been

wet, the washes of blue slowly seeped into the white

sections, forming soft edges on the clouds.

After the sky had dried, the Maskoid was removed

and the dark of the rocks to the left of the picture

was painted. The pigment was kept quite thick for

this phase of the watercolor. The road, the grass, and

the embankment were completed, then the walls of

the church and house and a few fence posts were

indicated.

The distant rock cliffs were painted with horizon-

tal brushstrokes to suggest sedimentary rock strata.

The slope of the aprons of the cliffs and the far range

were painted quite simply with only a few directional

washes.

After the bank and gullies had been indicated, the

large fonns of the mesa were painted with vertical

strokes in the direction of the perspective of the land-

scape. The background of trees and the fences were

drawn, and the red accents of the roofs of the build-

ings were added.

Since a number of large forceful washes were nec-

essary for this painting, fairly large brushes were

used, as the photograph at the bottom of page 11

shows. The retoucher's bridge, which is being used

in the same photograph, provides a rest for the hand

when working over large drawings. It also prevents

the oil from the skin from getting on the watercolor

paper, which can have disastrous results when ex-

ecuting washes. This is a particular problem in warm,

humid weather.

A full color reproduction of the painting appears

on page 73.

76

77

CANYON COUNTRY

To paint the richly colorful desert country of the

Southwest, the artist needs a completely new palette

of colors.

In place of muted greens, blues, grays, and browns

used for scenes of the eastern mountain ranges and

the Atlantic seaboard, a rich palette of intense blues

and blue-greens, deep and vibrant magentas and vi-

olets, potent, glowing reds, oranges, and yellows is

needed to paint the dramatic desert and canyon land-

scapes.

The backdrop for this landscape painting is the

awe-inspiring country of the upper reaches of the

Painted Desert, east of the Grand Canyon, with its

miles and miles of gaily colored cliffs of multicolored

sandstone.

As I approached the little park that is a resting

place for travelers on their way to the north rim of

the Grand Canyon, I was surprised to see rows of

poplars fencing the area from the hot desert glare.

In the distance Navajos tended a flock of goats and

sheep at a waterhole. This interesting touch of desert

life became the main theme of "Canyon Country."

THE POPLAR

The poplars that encircle the small park were

probably planted as a decorative windbreak. They

are Lombardy poplars, one of the most distinctive of

the family of trees that include the aspen and cotton-

wood. The Lombardy poplar was introduced into

this country from Eurasia, and its tall, thin spire-

shaped tops are now seen from the Atlantic coast to

the Pacific. It is a tree of rapid growth, and though

shortlived, it spreads rapidly once planted. The bark

is deep-furrowed at maturity.

The characteristic form and anatomy of the Lom-

bardy poplar is shown in the two sketches at the

right. 5»<hA/v.

78

The composition of "Canyon Country" was

worked out in the sketch below, made with a Conte

pencil and stick. The first important line of the de-

sign was the contour of the distant cliffs. A strong

convex form was decided upon for the sweep of the

cliffs against the sky line. A concave line would have

shown weakness, which certainly would not be ap-

propriate for this country.

A basic quality of the whole area which had to be

maintained was spaciousness. The far-away cliffs

sometimes appear quite close due to the clarity of

the air, but a feeling of tremendous depth is there

and should be preserved in painting the area.

The crests of rock were drawn so they would stand

out sharply against the sky, presenting a clear outline

unobscured by heavy trees and bushes. Ground dips,

rolls, and planes were indicated to give a feeling of

extreme distance between objects. The rising apron

at the base of the cliff also helps to indicate the great

expanse of land.

Since the poplars provide a contrast. of green ac-

cents to the hot earth color of the landscape, I took

great care in placing and spacing the trees. The size

of each tree was carefully gauged so that no two trees

would appear to be the same height, and a few were

extended beyond the border of the picture. To indi-

cate variation in height, the foliage of each tree was

made a different width so that the observer will tend

to estimate the height of each tree by its width in

relation to the width of the other trees.

The waterhole and the group around it is the main

point of interest in the landscape, and the fence con-

fines the vision to this area.

A tissue was made of the entire composition, and

a special tissue was made of the Navajo woman on

the white horse and the goats and sheep. The out-

lines of the trees above the horizon line were only

lightly indicated. Otherwise, an excess of carbon on

the watercolor paper might have smeared when the

sky washes were applied later.

The photograph of the partially painted water-

color shows the few outlines that were necessary to

guide the rendering of the goats, the sheep, and the

Navajo herdswoman.

79

The crisscross cloud formation in the sky was ex-

ecuted by thoroughly wetting the paper until it

stayed damp, and then applying a wash of French

ultramarine near the zenith, which graded to cobalt,

and then to cerulean at the horizon line. The wash

near the horizon was sponged to a soft finish to pre-

vent hard edges that might conflict with the contour

of the cliffs.

The deep erosion lines of the red cliff were drawn

in, and then the entire cliff area was saturated with

alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, and raw sienna. The

apron at the base of the bluff was painted with a

mixture of raw sienna, chrome orange, and Vandyke

brown, and foliage accents were indicated along this

ground elevation.

Next, horizontal washes were brushed across the

plain between the cliffs and the waterhole. These

were kept to a series of simple values, with a few

darker ridges indicated to suggest depth and per-

spective in this area.

The extremely dark foliage of the poplars is a

mixture of sap green, French ultramarine, and Van-

dyke brown. These darks were executed in a dry-

brush manner with very heavy pigment. The edges

were softened later with a damp brush. The high-

lights were indicated with sap green, then a thin

wash of raw sienna was washed over the whole tree.

In painting the surface of the waterhole, its flatness

and wetness were established by drawing a few re-

flections and keeping most of the brushstrokes hor-

izontal.

The trunks of the trees, the fence posts and the

ground foliage were added, then the heavy, dark

foliage of the poplars to the right of the picture was

80

painted. As the enlarged progressive photograph

shows, there is only a slight difference in value be-

tween the highlights and the darks of the foliage.

The forms of the goats, the sheep and the horse

were painted next. The overhead lighting made it

possible to indicate the shapes of the animals with

only a soft grayish wash. Little detail was needed to

paint their conformation.

The typical Navajo dress, a brilliant blue velve-

teen, was painted in two values, light and dark and

the patterned skirt and blanket were painted without

emphasizing forms. Too much detail in these areas

might have detracted from the overall simplicity of

the landscape.

The precipices in the extreme distance were kept

to a simple value. The fence posts in back of the rider

and the grazing animals were painted with heavy

pigment, then their highlights were scraped in while

the paint was still wet. A few desert plants and a sug-

gestion of ground clutter were added, and the paint-

ing was completed. It is reproduced in color on page

73.

81

GIANTS

While watching the last rays of the setting sun

winding and twisting their way up the colorful rock

walls of the "Three Patriarchs" formation at Zion

Canyon, I met a family from the Netherlands who

were seeing the natural wonders of the United States

for the first time. They already had seen the Teton

and Yellowstone country, Monument Valley, and the

Yosemite, Bryce, and Grand canyons. Their hobby

was mountain climbing, and they had climbed many

of Europe's mountains, including the Matterhom,

but they were enthusiastic about the spectacular

scenery of the United States.

Looking at the sheer walls of Zion Canyon, a lav-

ish display of colored cliffs, some a half-mile in

height, it was hard for me to imagine any scenic

grandeur to surpass it. Time and erosion have ex-

posed the remains of a great desert that has been

solidified into multicolored Navajo sandstone which

glows like red fire in the deep narrow canyon of

Zion. This dramatic backdrop of varicolored rock

was the inspiration for "Giants."

The only way to approach a dramatic subject like

Zion Canyon is with broad, sweeping strokes, and

strong contrasts of values. In making the preliminary

study for "Giants," intense dark values were used

for the vibrant reds and light values for the soft grays

of the upper planes. Slashing strokes indicated the

direction of the rock strata. The composition was

designed to carry the eye upward to the tree-capped

escarpment of white rock at the very top.

82

Preliminary study for "Giants.'

83

In painting the picture, Maskoid was first applied

to the rocky outline touching the sky, then the paper

was wet thoroughly and a series of blue washes were

brushed in with French ultramarine and cobalt. Be-

fore the colors had dried, some of the excess pigment

from the cloud area was wiped out with a damp

sponge.

While the sky wash was drying, the area of the

large rock mass was wet and painted. An intense

burnt sienna was used for the dark mass which can

be seen in the first of the step-by-step photographs.

As the painting progressed to the lower sections of

the formation, the color was gradually thinned, using

an arcing, rotating brush motion, until only a light

value remained. Since the paper was still damp, the

wash retained its softness. After it had dried, a few

planes and accents were indicated to give stability

to the form.

/

84

The next series of washes established the base of the

landscape. The dark rocks to the left were painted with a

combination of Payne's gray, burnt umber, and sap

green, with a highlight of raw sienna. In painting the

rocks and earth that form the embankment extending

toward the right border of the picture, care was taken to

leave white paper at their base where the small stream

would be added.

The washes for the tall, vertical dark wall of rock on the

right border of the picture and the cross-bedded strata

at its base were applied with brushstrokes made in the

direction of the grain of the rock. To preserve the appear-

ance of the grain of the sandstone rock, the brushstrokes

were not smoothed out. The silhouettes of the trees were

added to give scale to the landscape.

85

The lighter mass to the right of the dark rock was

painted next. A mixture of Payne's gray and burnt

sienna was applied using the brush like a chisel. Alarge brush was used for these washes so that they

would be strong and forceful. A smaller brush could

not have achieved the same effect, and might have

produced a wash that appeared to be dabbled on.

Since the gigantic rock forms had to be painted at

a single sitting, a clear mental picture of the effect

wanted was necessary before the brush touched the

paper. The minor accents play only a small part in

the overall result.

The lofty craggy cliffs that form the skyline were

indicated with very simple washes since no detail

could be seen if the cliffs were viewed from the can-

yon floor. These washes were made with an almost

pure Payne's gray, slightly warmed with touches of

raw sienna.

A few trees were added in the crevices and fissures

of the rocks and along the skyline, and the painting

was completed.

The color reproduction of "Giants" appears on

page 92.

1^

.f,^^,^

7he West Coast

r—~^. ~,.ato

The West Coast does not have an extensive coastal

plain like the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the East

and South. On the contrary, the Pacific coast is lined

with steep, vertical bluffs, imposing headlands, and

mysterious sea grottos carved out of the cliffs by

countless storm waves. The hills and mountains seem

to leap from the sea and the coast has few bays and

harbors to break its scimitar-shaped shoreline.

Inland from the coastal ranges that extend north-

ward from southern California to the state of Wash-

ington, are a series of valleys including the great

central Valley of California. To the east of the val-

leys many of the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and

Cascade Mountains rise to an altitude of 10,000 feet

and more.

This Western coastal region offers a great variety

of interesting landscapes for the painter. There are

verdant rain forests, snow-capped volcanic peaks,

colorful cities like San Francisco, the farmlands of

the Central Valley, the dry, desert sands of Death

Valley, and the strange rock formations of the long

wave-battered coast.

87

MONTEREY CYPRESS

The wind-sculptured Monterey cypress is native

to a very small area along the California coast around

Monterey, south of San Francisco. The trees cling to

existence with tenacity, their roots anchored in gran-

ite and their trunks torn and twisted by roaring gales.

This perpetual battle with the elements gives the

Monterey cypress the picturesque shape and special

beauty that is such a delight to draw and paint. Under

cultivation the grotesque charm is lost. The trees that

served as models for this painting were seen on the

rocky shoreline of Carmel Bay, not far from Mon-

terey.

These sketches were made with a combination of Conte

pencil and crayons. After the simple outline was drawn,

the extremely heavy darks were put in. Then the hghter

values were added. ^ --^

88

Instead of working out the composition of this

painting in a small sketch, and then enlarging it to

painting size, I took a completely different approach

in composing the tree arrangements for this water-

color. Each tree was sketched individually first, tak-

ing care to preserve the simplified. Oriental appear-

ance that is characteristic of the Monterey cypress.

An outline was then made on tracing paper of the

picture size, which is 12" high by 16" wide. The

sketches were placed under the tissue and moved

about until a pleasing arrangement was achieved,

then each tree was traced into its proper position.

The final composition is a composite scene which

records my emotional reaction to the area, rather

than a photographically accurate representation of

any one spot.

When the sky is an integral part of the landscape,

it is usually the first section to be washed into place.

In this particular painting, the first sky wash did not

turn out as I had intended, so a second attempt had

to be made. It is not always possible to lay a satis-

factory wash and there is no reason to be ashamed

to throw a bad start in the wastebasket and begin

over. We learn from our failures as well as from our

successes.

On the second attempt the sky wash was painted

with French ultramarine and cobalt. After it had

dried, a slight tint of aureolin was flowed over the

whole area to hold it together and to soften the at-

mospheric effect. The dark distant mountains were

painted with a heavy Winsor blue, and a pure wash

of French ultramarine was used for the highlights of

the headlands. These blues make an interesting color

sequence when played against the intense greens of

the foliage.

The foliage was painted from dark to light in a

very direct manner. The two top segments of foliage

that contrast against the distant headlands were com-

89

pleted first, then the surface of the water was painted.

Since the value of the water was lighter than the

cypress leafage which would overlap it, it was painted

in a continuous strip right across the foliage area.

This made it possible to give a more uniform appear-

ance to the waves. When the water's surface had

been painted, the mass of foliage silhouetted over the

bay was added.

Since the strong visual movement created by the

cloud direction and the trailing edges of the foliage

forces the eye to move from right to left, the darks of

the needles and the tree trunks were purposely kept

to the left to prevent the vision from wandering off

the page.

Before the near shoreline was painted, the shapes

of the tree trunks were covered with Maskoid. Dark

greens combined with simple washes of sap green

defined the near foreground. When these washes

were dry, the Maskoid was removed.

Warming washes of burnt sienna mixed with

Davy's gray were used on the rocks, and additional

patches of burnt sienna were flowed over some of the

grassy areas.

Dark, heavy blue pigment was used to draw the

small branches and twigs projecting from the main

tree trunks, and touches of cobalt were added to ac-

cent the highlights.

In some areas the darks were too solid in the shad-

ows, so an oil brush was used to scrub out lighter

patches.

With the addition of a few minor indications of

ground clutter and branches seen in the foliage the

painting was completed.

90

Monterey Cypress

91

Giants

92

DRIFTING FOG

Fogs saturate the air of the Pacific Northwest

Coast almost constantly during the dry summer

months. Within this heavy fog coastal belt from Ore-

gon to San Francisco are the redwood forests. Giant

redwoods are usually found within twenty miles of

the coast, and seldom more than fifty miles inland,

since they need the sea-born moisture of the fogs to

survive the dry summer season.

The painting below shows a typical stretch of

coastal terrain, covered with redwood trees and

patches of drifting fog.

The sky was washed in with French ultramarine

blue near the zenith and cobalt near the horizon.

While this was still damp, the ocean was indicated

in the distance.

The drifting fog was painted with a mixture of

Davy's gray and Winsor violet. While it was still

wet, a dampened sponge was used to soften the

edges and to carry wisps of fog into the sky.

The different planes, or ground levels, were indi-

cated and the spires of the redwoods were added.

This was done in sections, and each section was com-

pleted at one time. After the paper had dried, a few

sharp tree contours were drawn in.

The zig-zag road and a few buildings were added

to give scale to the painting, since the height of the

few vignetted trees was not clear. The road was

scrubbed in with a flat oil brush, and the houses and

buildings were then sketched in. When a few dark

accents had been added to solidify the direction of

the road, the painting was finally considered com-

plete.

Drifting Fog

J$^^^^

93

Olympic Forest

94

OLYMPIC FOREST

The Olympic rain forest, which covers part of the

coastal range in the state of Washington, receives

about 12 feet of rain a year. Because of the heavy

rains, the trees grow to tremendous sizes. Some of

the largest trees in the United States grow there, in-

cluding a Douglas fir with a diameter of almost 18

feet, a red cedar with a girth of 21 feet, and a western

hemlock 9 feet in diameter.

In a forest that is nourished by so much water,

the foliage is dense and very few rays of the sun

touch the earth. Only an eerie green light pervades

its fastness. Moss is everywhere. It trails from trees

and shrubs, climbs tree trunks, and lies inches thick

upon the ground. Fallen branches and tree trunks

are soon covered by moss and fern.

This painting of the Olympic rain forest was made

as an experiment to see if it would be possible to

paint the deep interior of a forest, showing the tre-

mendous size of its giant trees without using people

or animals as a yardstick to show scale. Since any

attempt to show the full width of the trees in the

foreground would prevent the imagination from pon-

dering the size of the trees, I decided that only a

partial section of their trunks would be illustrated.

The fallen branches and the smaller growths of young

trees were used to provide a contrast for scale. By

forcing the eye to span a small pool of water and look

into the misty distance, a sense of perspective and

depth was established that creates a scale for the

whole scene.

The basis for the composition of "Olympic

Forest" is a V formed by the large trees on

either side of the picture and by the crossing of

their root systems and the criss-crossing of the

fallen branches in the foreground. The line of

vision may follow any combination of lines

until it terminates at a point, but eventually it

will come to rest at the only horizontal plane

within the picture, the forest pool. The pool,

and particularly the reflection in the pool, is

the focus of interest.

95

While the paper was still wet from

the wash of the yellow-green toner,

the darker forms of the trees were

painted freely, and accents were add-

ed. The painting was then placed in

a flat position and allowed to dry.

Since it was impossible in a picture of this kind to

make a tracing of tree forms and still maintain a wet

freedom to the washes, it was necessary to keep a

clear mental picture of effects wanted on the final

painting. The first step was to cover the painting area

with a wash of sap green and aureolin to create the

effect of an overall saturation of greenish light within

the forest.

96

The heavy, drooping foliage of the trees was ap-

plied next. The large 1 '/t" flat brush illustrated on

page 155 was fully charged with plenty of pigment

and water, and the color was brushed back and forth

across the foliage area. The paper was tilted sharply

so that the heavy pigment would flow toward the

bottom of the page, thus creating a deep shadowed

effect. The heavier forms of the fallen branches on

the ground and the dark shadows were handled in a

similar manner. When these had dried, the pool and

its reflections were painted. Then the distant trees

were indicated with a series of lighter washes.

To give the impression of detail to the

forest, a number of smaller brandies

were freely painted in. These conif-

erous branches, particularly those

that grow close to the ground, have a

slight droop to them.

When the bold form of the rock

near the pool's edge and a few over-

lapping branches had been added,

the painting was completed. It is re-

produced in color on page 94.

97

OREGON COAST

The wave-battered Oregon coast is marked by a

series of rocky points that jut out into the sea with

small sand beaches washed by rolling waves and

foaming surf between them. Some of the rocky pro-

montories are crowned with evergreens, some are

bare, and the twisted and gnarled skeletons of lifeless

trees are scattered along the beaches. Often the only

sign of life is a lonely clam digger. These are the ele-

ments that went into this painting.

Once the subject matter was decided upon, several

small abstract designs were drawn and larger sketches

were made from the best of the thumbnails. Before

the final composition was drawn, additional trial ar-

rangements were made of the elements at the full

size of the painting, then the final tracing, which is

reproduced, was completed.

The sandy beach framed by driftwood leads the

eye in a zig-zag manner toward the point of interest

and the figure silhouetted against it. The line of vision

is pulled seaward by the smaller rocks, or sea stacks,

and landward by the flight of gulls. The sketch was

executed with Conte pencil and crayons on tracing

paper, the same size as the painting.

For this watercolor the sky was painted on a com-

pletely dry surface, using a combination of Davy's

gray and cobalt, with slight touches of raw sienna.

The watercolor paper was inverted so that the pig-

ment would run toward the zenith. This permitted

control of the cloud gradations.

The first wash was painted at the horizon. While

it was still damp, the second wash, covering the mid-

dle section of the cloud bank, was blended into it so

that the two sections would tie together.

The third sky wash, at the zenith, was painted

98

after the other two had dried. Letting this plane over-

lap the second wash with a hard edge helped to

achieve an aerial perspective in the picture.

With the sky washes completed and dry, the dis-

tant headlands were painted in a reasonably light

value with raw umber and French ultramarine. The

dark accent of the foliage was a very dry mixture of

Hooker's green dark and Vandyke brown. The sea

stack to the left of the painting was painted with the

same color combinations as the distant headland, but

with an additional greenish glaze.

Before the large rock mass was painted, the figure

of the clam digger was re-penciled for clarity, then

covered with Maskoid. After this was dry, the heavy.

dark forms of the rock were painted, using a com-

bination of French ultramarine and Vandyke brown.

These forms were blended from their dark edges to

a lighter value so that their reflected light and color

could be indicated. The middle-tone colors were

painted next, with washes brushed in the direction

of the rock striations. To avoid a static appearance,

some edges were kept soft for contrast. This was an

application of the rule that "for every hard edge

there is an opposing soft edge," a technique that

usually produces an atmospheric quality.

The small section of cliff to the right of the large

rock mass was painted next, and then the Maskoid

was removed from the figure.

99

In painting the beach, a feeling of sand and its wet

edge had to be maintained. The area was first wet

completely with clear water. Being careful to see

that it stayed wet and did not develop any annoying

dry spots, I flowed a wash of raw sienna over its

surface, and a gradual gradation of raw umber was

added to give depth to the beach.

While this section was still wet, an outline of co-

balt was painted along the edge of the sand where it

meets the sea to give the effect of wet sand and wave-

lets reflecting the sky.

While this was damp, a few flat planes of water

were painted in the immediate foreground with co-

balt and Davy's gray.

The two rocks projecting from the waves were

completed, using the same procedure as for the other

rocks. Then the strong darks defining the contours

and planes of the driftwood, the heavy logs, and the

100

stump were painted using a very heavy pigment of

Vandyke brown and French ultramarine. Lighter

washes of raw sienna, raw umber, and sap green were

used for the highlights and the middle-tone areas.

The darks were blended into these washes to achieve

a pleasing softness. Accent touches for the twigs,

broken branches, driftwood, occasional stones, and

beach litter were sketched, and the highlights were

picked out with a small knife.

The free forms of the crashing waves were painted

and the patches of seaweed on the beach were indi-

cated using a drybrush technique.

The birds, which are needed to force the eye back

toward the point of interest, were added. A few areas

were lightened and their edges softened with an oil

brush, and the brilliant, foam-speckled areas along

the rocks were scraped out with a sharp frisket knife.

The finished painting is reproduced below.

Oregon Coast

101

Tl^e West

Although it is difficult to say v/here "the west"

begins or ends it certainly includes the Rocky Moun-

tain system which extends through parts of Wash-

ington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado,

and New Mexico. The rugged range includes many

snow-capped peaks over 14,000 feet, most of them in

Colorado. These jagged Rockies were sculptured by

valley glaciers that formed between mountain ridges

and in some areas glaciers are still at work.

The simply drawn block diagram illustrates the

general confonnation of the Rocky Mountains. Agently risingWestern slope terminates in saw-toothed

crests while the Eastern- face is precipitous and is

marked by hogbacks of resistant layers of rock.

Many of the most scenic sections of the Rockies

are included in national parks, among them Glacier,

Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain

national parks. In addition, there are many interest-

ing old mining towns, some of them now ghost towns,

which make good landscape subjects.

102

DISTANT PEAKS

Approaching the Rocky Mountains from the Great

Plains, the Front Range, which is about 200 miles

long and about 40 miles wide, can be seen rearing its

crested heads above the flatlands. Behind the Front

Range, the snow-capped peaks of the main body of

the mountains stand out boldly against the cobalt

sky. In Estes Park, Colorado, which is in the midst

of Rocky Mountain National Park, you are sur-

rounded by towering mountain scenery that includes

many of the highest peaks in the country. More than

80 named peaks in the park are at least 1 1,000 feet

high. There are 43 peaks between 12,000 and 1 3,000

feet, and 16 peaks between 13,000 and 14,000 feet.

The granite walls of Long's Peak, which is the high-

est in the park, rise to 14,256 feet above sea level.

Driving along the winding mountain roads, you

find a changing panorama of high mountains, lakes,

forests, flowered alpine meadows, sheer cliffs, and

rugged gorges. Along the Trail Ridge Road, which

reaches an elevation of 12,183 feet, way above tim-

berline, you can even see a stretch of alpine tundra.

Although it was an unforgettable sight, for a water-

color landscape I preferred the more truly dramatic

views that you get when you are down in the valleys

looking upward toward the peaks.

The view that I selected for this watercolor of the

Rockies was seen near a section of the Trail Ridge

Road called Hidden Valley. Although it was early

June, snow had fallen the day before, and the peaks

were covered with a white mantle which made an

excellent backdrop for the evergreens.

Naked trees, their bark destroyed by fire or by

disease, stood out, stark and glistening, against the

deep green foliage of the ponderosa and lodge-pole

pines. In the immediate foreground a fallen forest

monarch provided a red contrast for the dark greens

of the foliage and forest floor.

Before the watercolor was begun, I decided to add

a pair of mule deer to establish a scale of size and

provide a contrast to the rest of the scene. Instead of

the mule deer, I could have used elk, which are often

seen feeding in the highlands meadows, or bighorn

sheep, which are occasionally seen at Sheep Lake and

near Milner Pass. However, in this case, I preferred

to use the mule deer which are common to the whole

Rocky Mountain area.

The original sketch for the water-

color was confined to broad planes.

The deer were not indicated in this

first sketch, but were drawn in later.

103

This Conte crayon sketch of the pon-

derosa pine was made to famiHarize

myself with this tree before painting

it into the landscape. The sketch

shows the sweep and general struc-

ture of the heavy branches of the tree.

The ponderosa pine is a giant among pines, and it

covers a wider range of area than any other cone-

bearing tree in America. The ponderosas of the

Rockies do not reach the 200-foot heights of the pon-

derosa in the Pacific Northwest, but they are still

gigantic compared to the pines of the eastern moun-

tains.

In the Rockies, the ponderosa pine generally grows

between the 6,000 and 9,000 foot level. The bark on

large, old trees provides quick identification, since

the large, smooth plates are a cinnamon red. Pon-

derosa pines are often found in groves in which the

trees are quite evenly spaced and of about the same

age. Fires started by lightning tend to keep the pine

groves thinned out so that the trees do not crowd

each other.

104

Before the cloud and sky forms were washed in,

the contours of the distant mountain peaks, the en-

tire shape of the ponderosa pine, the dead tree trunks,

and the shapes of the deer were coated with a thin

application of Maskoid, and the borders of the paint-

ing area were covered with masking tape.

The sky area was wet thoroughly with a sponge,

and then a wash of raw umber and French ultra-

marine was painted in to give fonn to the dark clouds

and the distant, solid cloud bank that defines the

snow-capped mountain. While this was still wet, a

few touches of cobalt were washed in between the

clouds to indicate open breaks in the cloud cover.

A light French ultramarine wash, tempered with

Vandyke brown, was painted on the dark side of the

distant range to give it form, and a sweeping raw

sienna wash gave motion and form to the alpine

meadow. The yellow-brown color was used because

the meadow's new spring growth was not yet evident

in early June.

A mixture of Hooker's green dark and French

ultramarine was used to paint in the middle-distance

mountains. These darker greens were blended into

the raw sienna, then a final touch of burnt sienna

completed this section.

A hard edge was left by the Maskoid on the pon-

derosa pine, but i knew it could be softened by dry-

brushing the needles to overlap the white area and

the clouds. If this had not been planned, the hard

edges usually could have been softened with a clean,

soft sponge dampened with clear water. This usually

works well if the sponge is wiped from the white area

into the color space, using a very light and delicate

touch, and taking care that the sponge is only damp.

^"**w*»»h^^;

\\

105

The dark green silhouettes of the evergreens that

separate the near foreground from the alpine meadow

were added, using a palette of sap green and Hooker's

green dark, with accents of French ultramarine. Very

little water was added to this pigment mixture, but

after the paint had dried, the edges of the thick pig-

ment were softened with a small brush. This is han-

dled in much the same way as if the thick pigment

were being prepared for use on the palette by wetting

it with water. However, in this case you work on the

paper instead of on the palette. A rounded pig-bristle

oil brush was dampened with clear water and the

highlights were scrubbed into place. Additional high-

lights were wiped in by a gentle application of a small

sponge used in the same way you would use a water-

color brush.

A warm color wash was applied to the foreground,

across the masked shapes of the fallen tree trunk, the

deer, and the trunk of the ponderosa pine. This wash,

as can be seen in the progressive photograph, was

carried in back of the pine in order to increase the

depth of the immediate foreground. When these

washes were thoroughly dry, the Maskoid was re-

moved completely.

The sweeping masses of the ponderosa pine foliage

were added, using a drybrush technique. The darks

a

106

were put in first with very thick paint. Thin washes of

sap green were then applied over them and to the top

surfaces of the foliage, and the lights and darks were

blended together.

The cinnamon-red trunk was painted next, putting

in the darks first, then the highlights. Some of the

boughs were scrubbed in with an oil brush, and a

matching opaque color was used to paint the smaller

branches and twigs.

The row of young evergreens in back of the pon-

derosa pine was added, and then the rest of the fore-

ground, including the fallen tree trunk.

A series of grayed opaques was mixed to give vari-

ety to the values of the dead trees which are an inte-

gral part of high mountain scenery and help to accent

the landscape.

The composition was designed so that the eye

begins with the deer, then bounces in a zig-zag hori-

zontal manner through and around the foreground

evergreens, then to the meadow, finally reaching the

snow-covered peak. The ponderosa pine pulls the

eye back to the foreground, and the process begins

all over again.

When the fallen branches and twigs scattered over

the ground had been added, the painting was com-

plete. It is reproduced in color on page 111.

107

GARDEN OF THE GODS

The huge uptilted red and white sandstone rock

formations near Colorado Springs are apdy named

the "Garden of the Gods." An Easter sunrise service

is held in an open amphitheater set in natural rock

forms that suggest cathedral spires. These vividly

colorful rocks are especially beautiful in the early

morning and in the late afternoon when the sun casts

long shadows over them.

The sketch reproduced was made from one of the

crests looking toward the Gateway Rocks. The black-

and-white study of the rock formations was made on

a large tracing pad, approximately 16"x22" in size,

and was executed with the flat side of Conte crayon

sticks. Bold darks were drawn first, then the crayon

was softened by smudging with a chamois.

Each spirelike rock form was completed before the

next formation would be drawn. Some highlighted

areas are the original white of the paper, others were

picked out with a kneaded eraser. Only the moun-

tains in the far distance, and the patches of dark

evergreens give a scale to the towering sandstone.

When this tissue was completed, a tracing was

made and transferred to the watercolor board.

Before beginning to paint, the contours of the rock

108

formations were coated with Maskoid, largely to pre-

serve the lighter values of the sandstone which would

be close in value to the blue of the sky.

The sky area was then wet completely with clear

water, and a series of pale washes of French ultra-

marine and cobalt were flowed over the surface un-

til a pleasing arrangement of cloudlike forms was

achieved.

A combination of Winsor violet, burnt sienna,

Vandyke brown, and sap green was used to paint all

of the dark foreground rocks. The right-hand con-

tour of the main rock structure was painted first with

a continuous running dark. Before it had dried com-

pletely, both of its edges were softly blended, using

a wash of burnt sienna. Working toward the lefthand

border, each section of the rock formation was care-

fully built up, painting the dark first, blending its

edges with burnt sienna, then enhancing its color

with tinting washes of Winsor violet and sap green.

Areas that had become too dark to receive the tinting

washes were scrubbed lighter with a rounded oil

brush. After these main washes had dried, the smaller

cracks, fissures, and eroded segments were drawn,

and the solid base that supports the large form was

indicated. Highlights were either scrubbed into place

or scraped with a knife. Each segment was practically

completed before going on to the next, so that full

attention was given to each part as the picture pro-

gressed.

After the strong dark forms of the foreground were

109

completed and the contrast key of the painting had

been established, the tremendous rock structure in

the middle distance was begun.

The same procedure was followed in painting this

series of rocks as for the previous ones, except that

they were painted in a much lighter key. The palette

was changed to a combination of burnt sienna, raw

sienna and raw umber, with a few touches of Van-

dyke brown for accents.

The grass and foliage area at the base of the mid-

dle distance rocks was painted, and then the large

rock between the two sandstone monoliths in the

right foreground was finished.

The far distance was painted, using a middle-tone

blue with touches of green and dark accents. The

winding road and the paths in the distance were in-

dicated, and the silhouettes of evergreen trees, and

the planes of the surrounding mountains were added.

When flights of violet-green swallows, which were

continuously darting about the rocks in search of

food, had been drawn in, the painting was completed.

It is reproduced in color on the opposite page.

110

DiblANI PliAKb

Garden of tho Gods

S«r'iV)=V

111

TOP O' THE WORLD

This watercolor of high mountainous country is a

composite of two scenes that were photographed

from the highway that twists through the Powder

River Pass in Wyoming. The foreground of the paint-

ing is a close-up view of part of the snow-covered

rock formation in the background. In working out

the composition of the painting, I felt an additional

plane was needed to give depth to the scene, so I

decided to combine the two views in one.

French ultramarine and cobalt were painted over

a wash of aureolin for the sky. Raw umber, burnt

umber, and sap green were combined to define the

rocky forms. The distant range was painted with

French ultramarine and Winsor violet, and the im-

mediate foreground is a combination of sap green,

burnt sienna, burnt umber, and Winsor blue. The

blue cast to the shadow areas of snow was painted

with pure Winsor blue.

The Powder River Pass, 9,666 feet above sea level.

is the highest mountain pass in Wyoming that is kept

open for year-round travel. The town of Buffalo at

the foot of the pass is near the site of the Dull Knife

Battlefield, where the last major battle of the Indian

campaign was fought.

r

Top o' the World

112

Grand Teton

FiSHiNr; TUF White Watfp

113

GRAND TETON

The towering peaks of the Teton Range in north-

western Wyoming have been so carved and scoured

by ice, wind, and water that almost all of the overly-

ing sedimentary rock has been eroded away. The

sheer wall of ancient rock that is exposed on the

eastern face of the Teton Range is a cross-section of

the earth's crust. The geological history of Grand

Teton, which at 1 3,798 feet is the highest peak in the

range, is visible in the volcanic cap which tops 3,000

feet of sandstone, shale, and limestone, and a deep

bed of the most ancient crystalline rock.

This painting of "Grand Teton" was made from

a movie that had been taken on the spot. However,

in planning the composition the over-abundance of

detail in the film was simplified because it would have

been too distracting.

The panoramic pencil sketch, which was made to

study the composition of the painting, shows the

weathered faces of Grand Teton peak and neighbor-

ing escarpments. Glacial outwash and alluvial fans

lie between the ridges and extend toward the mor-

aines left by retreating ice. The large plain in the

foreground, which is called Antelope Flat, is covered

with glacial sand and boulders. Since the glacial out-

wash is too porous to support a heavy covering of

trees, the principal form of vegetation is sagebrush.

The Snake River, which flows through the fore-

ground in a twisting curve, leads the eye into the pic-

ture and eventually to Grand Teton, which is the

main point of interest.

The pencil drawing was carefully traced into po-

sition, the border taped, and a coating of Maskoid

'*%/

J^

114

applied to the contours of the mountains before the

painting began. I planned to paint the sky in three

distinct, successive stages, without any lapse of dry-

ing time between. Since the treatment was to be quite

fluid, I had to have a clear mental picture of each step

in advance so the painting would follow in proper

sequence.

ture. The paper was then tilted toward the left so

that the moist pigments would slowly run toward

the horizon, creating the effect of a blowing storm.

When the colors had run as far as I wanted them to

go, the paper was laid flat and dried with a hair

dryer.

Heavy, thick strokes of ultramarine were chopped

W

,K!3«2SgBiQ«iSi5i&S^«&^^^

The sky area was first wet thoroughly, then a wash

of cerulean blue was applied. While it was still wet,

a wash of cobalt was painted so that it would overlap

the distant sky. Before the paper could dry, a thicker

pigment of French ultramarine blue, tempered with

Vandyke brown, was applied near the top of the pic-

into the darker recesses of the mountains to establish

a strong definition of planes, and intermediate shad-

owed planes on the mountain sides were then

painted. These forms established a solid foundation.

The whole range of peaks was then painted in the

same manner, working from left to right.

115

The progressive photographs of the painting show

how the series of built-up washes defined the planes

of each peak. When these washes were thoroughly

dry, the lines that indicate the horizontal flat of the

glacial moraine were drawn in with a heavy Hooker's

green dark.

A path of light values was left to lead the eye from

the river's bank to the base of the main peak. Next,

a series of over-all values was washed over each

mountain. Each wash was made a little darker in

value than its neighbor so that the outermost peaks

were the darkest, and the lightest was Grand Teton.

In order to show the hard form of the mountains,

very little blending was done at the edges of these

washes.

A thin wash of raw sienna and aurcolin was then

flowed over the face of the central peak to soften its

atmospheric effect, and to provide a contrast of

warm light against the deep blue-violet tones of the

other mountains.

An indication of the distant forest and trees was

drawn to give scale to the scene, and structural

planes were washed into place on the alluvial fans

and outwash. The entire flat area at the base of the

mountains was covered with sap green, and touches

of raw sienna, burnt sienna, and raw umber were

used to draw the sloping banks of the winding river.

The horizontal surface of the river was indicated

with a few pale blue washes.

The eroded banks of small rises and dips in the

116

left foreground were painted with a series of warm

colors to contrast with the greens.

When all of the forms in the flat area had been

indicated, small treelike dabs of dark green were

scattered over its surface and a few final touches of

raw sienna were added.

One thing to be remembered about a scene such

as this is that the air is extremely clear at high alti-

tudes and the distance to objects is very deceiving.

When 1 checked the scale of distance on the map, I

discovered it was approximately eight miles from

Grand Teton Peak to the place from which this scene

was viewed.

The painting is reproduced in color on page 113.

117

7he 'Midwest

The Midwest may be defined in several ways but

it can usually be considered to include most of the

region west of the Appalachians and east of the

Rockies. This takes in the rolling plains of the cen-

tral lowland, the wilderness lake district of northern

Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the Great Plains that

rise slowly to the base of the Rockies. This vast area

includes many of the country's major cities and in-

dustrial areas, but it is noted primarily as a region of

small towns and rich rolling farmlands. Its bountiful

crops of wheat and corn have made it "the bread

basket of America."

118

GOLDEN HARVEST

Great golden fields of wheat rippling in the warm

autumn sun ripe for the harvest, are the subject of

this typically American scene.

Like a mother hen and her chicks, the white clap-

board house is set in the midst of a cluster of out-

buildings and a barn, and the whole group of build-

ings is the hub of a gigantic wheel of grain fields.

In planning the picture I worked from a series of

photographs. A simple pencil sketch was made to

establish the composition of the scene, then the per-

spective of each building was plotted. The barn, the

house, and the outbuildings in the foreground project

from only two perspective points to the horizon. The

old building in back of the barn does not visually

parallel the rest of the buildings, but is turned so that

it has its own set of perspective points on the horizon.

The fence in the left foreground indicates the

slope of the hill and suggests that the viewer is look-

ing down on the farm. The trees towering above the

house, but well below the viewer's eye level, help to

indicate the height from which the scene is observed.

The fields receding toward the distant horizon give

tremendous depth to the landscape.

The scale marked to 100 on the pencil drawing

shows how the level of the viewer's eye above the

ground plane was determined. This measurement

also established the horizon line. Using the front of

the house as a yardstick, and assuming that the ridge

of the roof is approximately 25 feet above the

ground, a line was projected vertically. The line was

then divided into 25-foot segments, as shown in the

drawing, and eye level was estimated to be about

1 00 feet above the level of the ground.

Before beginning the painting separate studies

119

were made of the house and its outbuildings and of

the large barn in order to gain a better understanding

of their construction. The outline and contour lines

were sketched in first, then broad chisel-like pencil

strokes were drawn in the direction of the various

planes of the buildings. Both sketches are primarily

value studies, with some attention to the placement

of cast shadows. The handling of the values of the

roof of the barn illustrates the rule: "Dark against

light, light against dark, dark against gray, gray

against light, but never dark against dark or gray

against gray." Each value deser\'es sufficient contrast

to maintain its place in the painting.

The blue sky above the horizon was painted first.

120

121

then the golden fields in the distance, the middle-

ground, and the hilly foreground were washed in

with combinations of raw sienna, raw umber, and

burnt sienna. These three planes quickly established

the color and value key of the painting.

The shadow sides of the house and outbuildings,

and the stained woody exterior of the barn were

painted next. The sides of the white buildings re-

ceived a light mixture of Davy's gray and cobalt,

and the barn was lined with vertical washes of Van-

dyke brown and raw umber to simulate weathered

boards. When these were dry, the gray metallic roofs

of all the farm buildings were washed in.

The clothes flapping gaily in the breeze were

painted next. The blowing clothes w'ere introduced

to permit the use of some accent colors in a land-

scape that is dominated by yellow-browns, rose-

grays, and greens. The clothes were painted in sharp

reds, blues, and whites.

The Lombardy poplar trees, which are often

planted as a windbreak in the plains area, were

painted next in strong dark pigments, as were the

evergreens, poplars, bushes, and grassy areas around

the house. Then the remaining white areas were

painted in a broad manner.

When these washes were dry, each field section

was detailed with indications of stacked wheat, and

contoured rows and planes. This detailing was ex-

"^ag«g«^

122

In this enlarged detail of the house and outluiildings the

cast shadow of the clothes on the washline can he seen on

the ground. The chickenlike shapes between the fore-

ground buildings were first indicated with a heavy dark

pigment, then the light areas were picked out with a knife.

The drybrush technique which was used to paint the rows

of grain are clearlv visible in this enlarged detail of the

upper right-hand section of the painting. The grain was

painted with a combination of raw sienna and raw

umber. Vandyke brown was used for the dark roofs of

the distant buildings, and their sides were scraped out

with the side of a rounded knife blade.

Barns have a universal appeal, and

often the barn is the largest and

sometimes the most important build-

ing on a farm. This detail shows the

barn and much of the equipment

and activity around it. The animals

and standing figures, and the wind-

mill, wagon, and other farm equip-

ment were painted as simple silhou-

ettes.

123

GoLDF.v Harvest

ecuted from the far distant horizon to the foreground

of the landscape, so that each successive plane or

detail overlapped the former plane or detail.

Minute details such as the fences, animals, figures,

and farm equipment were added and the painting

was completed.

The earthy golden yellow of this landscape is raw

sienna. Although it is not a pure yellow, it can be

lightened in value sufficiently to carry well at a dis-

tance. The dark greens and the location of the strong

ground shadows indicate a noon day sun that is very

intense. Although the painting appears to be filled

with a great deal of fine detail, it was actually painted

in an impressionistic manner.

124

FISHING THE WHITE WATER

Although I have spent many enjoyable days fish-

ing in northern Minnesota, the basis for this painting

was a clipping from an old magazine showing a par-

ticularly wild and frothy cascade on one of the rivers

that roars out of the Northland. Since 1 had many

color slides and black-and-white photographs taken

in and around Lake of the Woods, it was not difficult

to gather material for the watercolor, and having

seen the country firsthand made the painting a little

easier.

Knowing that the Northland has its share of both

sunny and rainy days, 1 had to choose the type of

weather which would dramatize the picture best. 1

decided to use a series of low, dark clouds normally

associated with a sweeping weather front to lower

the ceiling, and help focus the eye on the fishermen

and the main chute of the cascade.

A quick pen sketch was made to establish the

composition. The rounded forms of the cascading

water which repeat the rounded rocks of the fore-

ground were used to "box" the vignetted shape of

the fishermen and their canoe as they skirt the rough

water from the chute. Trees leaning toward the point

of interest and the patch of calm water also draw

attention toward the fishermen.

The sky area was dampened and a thin wash of

125

cobalt was painted into it. While this wash was still

wet, the clouds were indicated by slowly dragging a

very heavy mixture of French ultramarine and raw

umber across the sky, letting the pigment seep into

the still moist cobalt wash.

While the cloud washes were drying, horizontal

darks were indicated in the cascade with very direct

strokes, then left to dry. Light horizontal washes of

green were drawn across the top planes of individual

sections of the cascade, then the edges were softened

and blended into the strong darks with an oil brush.

Light, bouncy patches of foam and water were next

dabbed into place behind the fishermen.

The low-lying hills and trees in the distance were

painted to define the distant shore. Next an overall

wash of raw sienna and burnt sienna was flowed over

the entire foreground. While it was drying, accent

darks of burnt umber mixed with French ultra-

marine were added, and the wash was allowed to

dry.

The dark silhouettes of the trees that frame both

borders of the watercolor were completed, and then

the canoe and fishermen were painted. The light

flecks of spray and the wavelets sparkling on the

cascade were put in with opaque pigment or were

scratched out with a knife.

If a painting of this type is to appear authentic in

detail, attention must be paid to certain technicalities.

In this scene, for example, the canoe is a "guide's

model" with a low bow which will not act like a sail

in windy and choppy waters. The positions of the

men in the canoe are important. The man in the bow

sits far enough forward to be ahead of the forward

thwart. The guide, in the stern of the canoe, is posi-

tioned so that he appears to be kneeling, which is a

safer position for paddling a canoe than sitting on

the seat. The duffle and gear is not piled too high in

the canoe since that could lead to disaster in rough

water. Finally, the action of the guide's arm and

paddle indicate that he is steadying the canoe while

his partner nets the fighting fish. Such technicalities

do not have to take the life out of a painting, but can

add to the authenticity of the scene.

The painting is reproduced in color on page 113.

126

127

WINTER ALONG BLACK CREEK

Not far from Lake Erie a small creek, called Black

Creek, slowly meanders its way through the gently

rolling Ohio countryside on its way to the lake.

From spring through summer and autumn the creek

makes gentle sounds as it swirls and ripples and cas-

cades along, but it is briefly stilled when winter cov-

ers it with ice and a frosty blanket of snow. A late-

rising winter sun warms the trunks of the trees along

its bank and casts interesting shadows across the

frigid surface of the now silent creek. Such a scene

is the subject of this watercolor.

The twisting landscape offers two separate paths,

the frozen creek and the rutted road, to the point of

interest which is a hilltop farm in the middle dis-

tance. The farm, which is only sketchily indicated in

the thumbnail composition sketch below and cannot

be seen in the black and white progressive photo-

graph, appears in the color reproduction on page 1 34.

In working out the composition of the painting

one of the two paths to the point of interest had to

be made predominant or the picture would have

lacked cohesion. Emphasis was therefore placed on

the creek because its frozen surface provides a plain

contrast to the cluttered, chopped-up surfaces of the

rutted road and the gullied hills. The dark trees

covering the hills also intensify the effective sim-

plicity of the creek's design.

As the line of vision seeks to go around the far

bend of the creek, it is forced to wander up to the

dark silhouettes of the wooded ridge and then rests

on the light accented red barn.

The first wash of cobalt was brushed across the

This quick thumbnail composition,

sketched with a pen, was enlarged to

the final size of the watercolor. As

few lines as possible were traced on

the watercolor paper for guidance in

painting the forms.

128

creek, and while it was drying, the far bank near the

right-hand border was completed. The road and its

heavily-cut tracks were then painted in a continuous

wash. Some of the ruts were allowed to bleed into

soft edges, while other areas were sharpened after

the paint had dried.

thoroughly dry, the hard-edged shadows cast by the

trees were painted. These radiating shadows estab-

lished the horizontal plane of the creek. Some of the

cast shadows of the trees, including those of trees

that are out of the picture area, were carried across

the road to the immediate foreground. These shad-

The sloping banks were painted next, using raw

umber with touches of raw sienna and Vandyke

brown, and dark contrasts to help define the steep

grades. The warm tones were needed to provide a

pleasing contrast to the cold blues of the road, the

creek, and the shadowed hills.

When the paper surface of the creek area was

ows prevent the vision from escaping out of the pic-

ture by providing opposing lines to the main direc-

tion of the road and creek. They also tie the road

and creek together as a single unit.

Some of the hard white contrasty areas were

softened by gendy scrubbing and blending with a

round-pointed oil brush.

129

The sky was soaked with clear water until it

stayed wet, then a wash of aureolin was brushed in,

grading from white at the horizon line to a deeper

yellow near the top of the painting.

While this was still wet, long flowing sweeps of

dark winter clouds were painted with a combination

of Vandyke brown and cobalt. The paper was then

turned slightly so that the darkened clouds would

move gently sideways while the paper was still damp.

When the sky was dry, a deep French ultramarine

blue was flowed over the entire shadowed section

of the distant hill. While this was quite wet, heavy

dark pigment was worked into the wash so that it

would seep slowly into the blue. Before the paint

had thoroughly dried, a dry oil brush was used to

roughen the contour of the wooded hills, and a few

quick strokes indicated the snowy areas on the crest

of the ridge.

Strong, bushlike shapes were drawn on the slopes

of the road which dips toward the creek and spark-

ling highlights were scratched out or picked out with

a knife.

When the dark posts of the guard fence and the

span of the ruts had been rendered, the picture be-

gan to have scale.

The steep, snowy bank to the right of the creek

was painted next with some depth to the snow, as

though it had drifted or slid down the slope to the

edge of the creek.

The distant ridges seen beyond the bend in the

road were painted with simple washes of ultramarine.

After the trees silhouetted against the skv had

130

been drawn, the bam and house shapes were com-

pleted. Then darkened trunks and branches were

drawn in the deep blue shadows of the hills.

The entire bank to the right of the creek was

covered with the silhouettes of large and small trees.

No attempt was made to show any form in the trees

which play only a supporting role and should not be

too interesting. When the trees on the bank were dry,

the tall saplings that form the right border were

sketched. After the twigs had dried, a few quick dabs

of clear water softened the paint sufficiently so that

some detail could be suggested in the dormant tips.

The fence posts that follow the hill to the left of

the road were drawn next. Then saplings in the

creek's bottomland were sketched, and the large,

spreading tree in the left foreground was completed.

A few twigs were vignetted against the white road,

and the watercolor was complete. It is reproduced

in color on page 132. '^''^laKSsw^'"^"

131

Winter along Black Creek

The Yellow Bus

132

Miscellaneous

SAWMILL

This painting of a sawmill is based on a movie

taken on a back road in the Appalachian mountain

region.

The high pile of dark yellow sawdust against the

interesting dark silhouette of the mill caught my at-

tention as a good subject for a small industrial land-

scape. Although the scene was photographed in the

summer, I decided to paint it as a winter scene, ex-

perimenting with composition, values, and late eve-

ning wintertime lighting.

The composition for the painting was developed

in the quick pen sketch reproduced below. A simpli-

fied snow-covered foreground provides an eye-

catching contrast to the repetitious pattern of the

rounded cut ends of the distant logs. The vision then

passes over the log pile to the silhouetted shape of

the mill, and centers on the figures vignetted against

the snovs'. The dark planes of the sawdust pile and

the plume of smoke from the shack direct the vision

back to the two figures. In addition, the planes of the

wooded slope force the eye back to the shack, and

from there it jumps to the larger dark shape in the

maze of the supporting timbers of the building, and

finally back to the figures.

Only a few lines had to be drawn on the water-

color paper since the washes, particularly those in

the foreground, would be handled in a free manner.

The only line traced for the foreground was its con-

tour. The whole area was wet with clear water until

it stayed soaking wet, then a juicy pigment of Davy's

gray and cobalt was flowed over its surface. How-

ever, care was taken to preserve quite a bit of the

white paper.

Washes of French ultramarine blue were intro-

133

3\V>:N»:\"

Sawmill

134

duced to the shadowed areas, and the edges of some

of the lighter areas were wiped with a damp sponge

to give the snow forms some solidity. Otherwise the

snow would have looked mushy.

Before this wash had dried, a few heavy color

accents were drawn into place to indicate some of

the forms and planes hidden by the snow.

While the wash area was drying, additional darks

were added to give a substantial conformation to the

pile of logs.

The rich, warm color of the cut end of the log was

painted next, and the reflected sky color on the un-

dersides of the large tipped log was indicated with

French ultramarine blue.

Before laying a wash of this type, you must have

a clear mental picture of what must be done. Once

started, there is usually no convenient stopping place.

The wash must be completely finished, including all

the accent touches, at a single sitting. The fore-

ground wash, which took no more than a few min-

utes to render, is shown in the first progressive

photograph.

An intense wash of French ultramarine, tempered

with Vandyke brown, was laid over the further pile

of logs, leaving some sharp accents of white paper.

When this wash had dried, the deep yellow at the

ends of the logs was indicated with combinations of

raw sienna and burnt sienna, then the values were

lowered with blue.

A coat of Maskoid was used to protect the roof

135

form in front of the sawdust pile while the sawdust

pile and its mantle of snow were completed, as shown

in the second progressive photograph.

The brooding winter sky was painted with very

dark ultramarine blue and Vandyke brown, and a

small patch of cobalt was allowed to show near the

horizon.

Dark greens, browns, and deep blue were used to

paint the forested slopes, then the small shack with

its patches of snow, and the flat ground in back of

the mill were painted.

The lazy plume of smoke drifting from the shack

was scrubbed out of the dark sky with a round-

pointed oil brush. While this area was still damp, the

contrasting dark smoke was added and blended into

the lighter smoke.

The extremely black forms of the sawmill and its

machinery were painted with a combination of Van-

dyke brown and French ultramarine blue. The small

light accents showing against the roof form were

scraped out with a knife while still damp.

The muddy road between the piles of logs, power

line poles, and the silhouetted figures were indicated

and a few lines were drawn to suggest scattered

bushes and wires. The painting is reproduced in

color on page 134.

136

THE YELLOW BUS

The broken-down old school bus was serving as a

catch-all for tools and equipment in the midst of a

gravel and asphalt plant. Although it was partly

hidden by road building equipment, you could not

help but see its bright yellow frame. I decided to

paint a watercolor of the bus right then. I completed

the painting on the spot in approximately three hours

despite a pall of blowing dust, a very hot sun that

dried the pigments too quickly and interfered with

the execution of some of the larger washes, and the

constant threat of rain. There was no shady area in

which to work so the painting had to be done in the

sun with a constant glare that was broken only oc-

casionally as the cloud cover increased.

The photograph below was taken from the spot

in which the watercolor was painted and shows the

scene just as it appeared. The light blue station-

wagon was left out of the painting because it hid too

much of the interesting background and because its

color would have conflicted with the bright yellow of

the school bus.

The painting of "The Yellow Bus" was handled in

a very impressionistic manner with no attempt to

produce a realistically detailed picture.

MMtUMiAMai

137

In painting watercolors outdoors, I like to have a large

water container like the gallon jar shown in the photo-

graphs on this page. This one has a wide neck and holds

plenty of water so it is possible to wash brushes thorough-

ly. A portable drawing board furnishes a stable support

for the watercolor paper when working outdoors. A sec-

ond stool makes a convenient work table. The hand sup-

port is especially useful for protecting the watercolor

paper from perspiration from the painter's hand on hot

and humid days. I like to place my watercolor palette and

mixing tray in the position shown in these photographs.

The mixing tray is the standard butcher's tray used in

meat markets. These trays of heavy white enamel are

very useful for mixing large washes.

138

Before starting to paint, the illustration board on

which the watercolor was to be done was taped to

the drawing board so that it would not slide around,

particularly when it was necessary to tilt the paint-

ing.

The broken sky and cloudy areas were cjuickly

sketched into place, using a combination of Davy's

gray and cobalt. No preliminary drawing was needed

for this wash which was handled in a free manner.

After it had dried, a few construction lines were in-

dicated for the skyline contour of the buildings and

the machinery. When the bright yellow of the school

bus and some of the darker, heavier masses of con-

struction were added, the painting had reached the

stage shown in the progressive photograph on this

page.

A conglomeration of scattered gravel, patches of

beat-up grass, loose stones, and heaps of blackened

gravel were painted in the foreground as a series of

progressive planes terminating near the far buildings.

>^^;>5&^25tii^

139

After the large washes had been completed, the

drawing was untaped from the board in order to

facilitate the easier handling of smaller areas.

The road-building machine in front of the yellow

bus and other pieces of machinery and equipment

were added, then the sharp silhouettes of the tele-

phone poles and the heavy power-line poles were

sketched in freely. The top of the crane which shows

against the skyline provides a contrast to the heavy

vertical direction of all the poles and towers. Some

of the smaller washes were lightened by scrubbing

with an oil brush. Then the power and telephone

lines were put in with a small striping brush, and the

painting was complete.

It is reproduced in color on page 132.

140

^^.

Many picture possibilities exist in any given paint-

ing location as these three photographs showing

other aspects of the scene that served as inspiration

for "The Yellow Bus" illustrate.

Each reveals interesting angles and contrasting

textures, and the scene itself presented many color

possibilities. The subject could be handled in a tight

or loose manner depending on the personal inter-

pretation of the painter.

141

THE OLD BARN

This old barn with its sagging roofline and de-

crepit frame had a nostalgic air that appealed to me.

The scene was rural and autumnal, the landscape

hilly but not spectacularly mountainous. It was im-

possible to get near enough to make close-up pic-

tures or sketches, but I was able to get a series of in-

formative photographs with the telephoto lens on my

camera. These later served as the basis for the pencil

sketch at right and the painting reproduced below.

The sky was painted with pale cerulean blue

Swi^V'^y

142

washes, then the barn was indicated with a combina-

tion of Davy's gray and cobalt. When these washes

were dry, the holes in the roof and siding were

added.

The trees in back and to the sides of the barn were

painted next, using raw sienna, Winsor violet, and

burnt sienna, with dark green for the evergreens.

The distant mountains were indicated with a wash

of French ultramarine and Winsor violet. When it

had dried, the distant trees were painted or

scumbled in.

The road with its muddy puddles of water was

painted with a combination of raw sienna, raw um-

ber, and Winsor violet. While the area was still

damp, dark reflections were put in with Vandyke

brown pigment.

Accent planes of burnt sienna were painted over

the fields to show depth and variety of color. The

left foreground was painted a soft green to relieve

the overall yellow-brown of the surrounding fields.

The small stones in the road were added with

heavy brown pigment. While it was still damp, sharp

highlights were picked out. Then the dark accents of

tree silhouettes, the section of rail fence, and the wire

fences in the foreground were put in.

To relieve the overall grayness in the lower left

corner of the roof additional light planes were added

by dipping a knife blade in clear water and then

slowly scraping the highlights into position. This

method does not disturb the previous washes and

helps to avoid annoying water spots. With this final

touch-up, the landscape was completed.

143

REFLECTIONS

This scene of a small pond surrounded by trees is

based on the photograph at right which was taken

not far from Sarasota, Florida. The foliage is typical

of the southern coastal plains region, but the main

elements of the scene could be found in many sec-

tions of the country. The main problem presented

by the scene is the painting of reflections mirrored

on the surface of a pond.

It is easy to be confused by the difference between

reflections and cast shadows on water. A reflection

is a mirror image on the surface of the water. The po-

sition of the reflection is determined by the location

of the object in relation to the water. The abutment

of the bridge, for instance, is reflected in the water

directly beneath it, as is the foliage along the shore

of the pond. Objects that are farther from the water's

144

surface, like the man on the bridge or the tops of the

trees, are reflected so that they appear the same dis-

tance below eye level in the reflection as they are

above eye level in the landscape. Naturally, if the

surface of the water is disturbed in any way, the re-

flection will be distorted.

Cast shadows are seen on the surface when the

water is opaque, or on the bottom of a pond or

stream if the water is clear. The position of the cast

shadow is determined of course by the angle of the

sunlight. It is sometimes possible to see a reflection of

an object as well as its cast shadow upon the water's

surface. However, the day must be sunny and the

water dirty or opaque to make this possible.

The quick watercolor sketch at left was made on

the spot to be used only as a guide for the painting

which was done in the studio.

The first progressive photograph shows the sky

145

146

after it had been given a wash of cerulean and co-

balt. The cloud forms were wiped out with a clean,

damp sponge. Then, while the paper was still moist,

the darker undersides of the clouds were painted.

While the sky was drying, the foreground was

covered with a graded wash, running from near

white at the horizon to a blue at the bottom of the

picture.

The distant trees seen beyond the small bridge

were next painted, then the bridge and its support-

ing wall and reflections, and finally both of the pine

trees at each end of the bridge. The mass of foliage

and some of the foliage reflections were indicated

and the watercolor had reached the stage shown in

the progressive photograph below.

The water was painted in varying degrees of cool

and warm greens, retaining the blue reflections of

the sky in the water.

The rest of the foliage lining the banks of the

147

Reflections

pond was painted, and after these colors had dried

sufficiently, the tall trees to the left of the bridge were

sketched and painted. The red-shirted figure and his

reflection were next, then the house seen beyond

the road to the right of the picture. All of the small

boughs, branches, and twigs were drawn in with a

sign painter's fine striping brush.

When all of the reflections had been indicated, a

flat oil brush was dampened and a few horizontal

strokes were made over the water's surface to lighten

it and to pull the edges of the various colors together.

A reflection is usually lighter than the object re-

flected. A few disconnected darks in the water gave

motion to its surface. Finally, the fishing line and the

splash of the fighting fish were drawn, and the paint-

ing was completed.

148

CARPENTER'S GOTHIC

Ornate old houses of this type, so popular at the

turn of the century, are still seen in small towns

throughout America. They are excellent examples of

the advent of the machine age when carpenters be-

came so engrossed with the novelty of the handsaw

that they ran wild designing and cutting frets, cut-

149

outs, and other gingerbread trimmings for roof lines.

The placement of the house in a composition of

this kind is very important. The observer should not

be so far from the house that its details are lost, since

these are the main theme of the painting. However,

if the house is viewed too close, a perspective distor-

tion may occur. This composition was designed so

that the vertical line of the house and the trees at the

right-hand border are counteracted by the diagonal

sweep of the sky and the placement of the picket

fence. The opening in the fence provides an optical

pathway into the picture.

150

Carpenter's Gothic

151

A watercolor painting of this subject could be

handled in either a tight or a loose technique, but in

this case I decided to use a loose approach. It was

not necessary, therefore, to draw all of the fine detail

of the gingerbread, so only a simple, sketchy outline

was traced onto the watercolor board.

In order to create an intriguing atmosphere, I de-

cided to paint the scene in a moonlight setting. The

front of the house was illumined by a nearby street

light to accent its construction.

After the oudine forms of the house had been

traced in, its contour was coated with Maskoid.

Then the sky area was wet with clear water and a

heavy dark wash of Winsor blue and Vandyke

brown was painted in. This wash was allowed to run

into interesting cloudlike shapes, then left to dry.

The painting had now reached the stage shown in

the first progressive photograph.

The Maskoid was removed and the brick-red

color of the roof was painted with a combination of

burnt sienna, alizarin crimson, and Vandyke brown.

The dark portion of the roof was drawn with brush-

strokes in the direction of its slope.

The sides of the house were painted, using Winsor

blue, tempered with Vandyke brown, and a slight

value separation was maintained across the front of

the building. The value differences, running from

dark to light, are more pronounced on the shadow

side of the house. After the sides had dried, a tint of

aureolin was flowed over the entire area. This gave

a slight greenish cast to the building.

The background trees were completed and an

overall wash was laid across the foreground. This

stage is shown in the second progressive photograph

on page 153.

The details of the windows and shutters were

152

added and the curtains were painted with a tinted

opaque. After the blinds had been painted, a knife

was used to scrape highlights in the frames ol the

panes. Then the boxlike decorations over the win-

dows, which are typical of the design of this era,

were completed.

The vertical siding, also a trademark of the period,

and the shadowed sides of the weather stripping

were indicated. Then the front and side doors were

painted with heavy darks. The architectural con-

struction of the front door was drawn, and its high-

lights were indicated with opaque washes.

The loose form of the flower bed and a few

patches of red blooms were sketched in next, and the

small porch with its decorative fencing was painted

with several values of opaques. A patch of light strik-

ing a corner of the very ornate second floor porch

accents the upper corner of the porch and helps to

clarify its design. The lower porch has a simple rail-

ing which is similar to the fence that borders the

street. The sidewalks were completed, then the yard

fence was painted. Although a gate is usually found

on fences of this type, it was left off to avoid block-

ing the optical path to the house.

The mass of foliage along the front sidewalk was

completed next with a combination of transparent

and opaque washes.

The divisions of the fringelike ornamental design

of the roof's edge were not measured into equal

spaces. They were made visually, then painted with

opaques, using varying values of light and dark to

avoid the monotony of repetition of a single value.

The silhouetted trees in the background, the tele-

phone pole and wires, and, finally, the television an-

tenna were added. This last touch brought the house

up to date, and provided an obvious contrast be-

tween the earlier architectural era and the present.

The painting is reproduced in color on page 151

153

Tiiateriats and Working Vrocedures

All of the watercolors reproduced in this book

were painted on the new D'Arches watercolor hoard,

a 100% handmade rag paper mounted on heavy

cardboard. There are other good brands and types

of watercolor paper, of course, but this particular

paper is well suited to my working habits and to the

kinds of paintings being done for this book.

The brushes and other materials that I use are

standard equipment for most watercolor painters.

The accompanying photograph shows sponges,

knives, kneaded and typewriter erasers, Maskoid

and opaque white, all of which are mentioned

throughout the text in references to specific painting

procedures. The array of brushes 1 use includes a

1 V2" flat house painter's brush, various sizes of Japa-

nese and red sable watercolor brushes, and several

flat and rounded oil brushes.

One of my own personal innovations is the water-

color palette which is used to hold four china mixing

trays with their pigments. It is made from two ob-

long aluminum cake or cookie pans that are avail-

able in most hardware and dime stores. Each cake

154

pan measures 15'/:" x \0W \ 1

", and one of the pans

holds four china trays, each of which measures VV-i" x

4V4" X Vs". The other pan, fitted with an ordinary

drawer handle that will not rust, is used as a cover.

The china trays do not quite fit into the bottom of

the pan, so a thick cushion of old towels is placed

under them to raise them higher. The towels can be

dampened with water at night and the pigments will

stay wet while the tray is covered with the lid to pre-

vent evaporation.

The two aluminum pans are fastened together

with two brass bolts passed through the holes drilled

at the ends of the cake pan. The bolts are tightened

with wing nuts. A gasket made of thin strips of air-

foam and glued to the edge of the lid keeps the pans

airtight. An eyedropper is used to wet the pigments

in the trays. It does the job faster and better than a

brush. The handle centered on the lid makes it easy

to carry the palette in a level position.

A wooden strip called a retoucher's bridge is an-

other handy piece of equipment that may not be fa-

miliar to every watercolorist. It is used to keep the

artist's hands from touching the paper, and is espe-

cially useful in hot, humid weather. The wood strips

may be cut to any desired length. Small blocks of

wood attached to each end of the strip raise it above

the level of the painting and provide a guide and rest

for the artist's hand. Two of these bridges are shown

in the photograph with the palette.

A third piece of equipment that 1 find very handy

is a combination mixing bowl and a water jar. A jar

of the type that instant coffee is packaged in is placed

in a large mixing bowl, and both vessels are filled

with water. When full of water the inside jar is too

heavy to float. The outer bowl is used to clean the

brushes, and the inner jar holds a supply of clean

water. A large white-enameled butcher's tray is used

for mixing large color washes.

i

li B ar#

155

7he Use of the Camera

Throughout this book I have frequently men-

tioned taking photographs as reference material for

paintings to be done at a later time. Although some

artists still scoff at the idea of using the camera in

connection with their painting, the idea is not new.

As long ago as 1720 Canaletto used a mechanical

optical device called the camera obscura as an aid in

laying out the perspective and architectural details

of his world-famous paintings of Venice and Lon-

don. A modern version of the camera obscura is used

by many commercial artists today.

Although the French Impressionists may never

have used cameras themselves, they were influenced

by the art of the camera in painting their "candid

views" of the life around them.

Today many artists have found that a camera is a

useful piece of equipment. It can be extremely help-

ful in gathering material for future work in the stu-

156

dio, particularly on trips where time is limited. In the

time it would take to make even a quick sketch or

two in the spot, it is possible to record many aspects

of a scene with a camera. I have found a 35mm still

camera and an 8mm movie camera equipped with a

telephoto lens especially useful.

An important point to remember in using the

camera, however, is that it should not be used as a

substitute for drawing ability. To make a habit of

tracing pictures from photos or projections is to mis-

use the camera.

Experienced artists are aware also that the camera

often distorts objects and scenes. Photographs can

lie, or at least mislead, and should never be accepted

as absolutely accurate. In painting from photographs,

as in painting on the spot, the artist must always ex-

ercise his own judgment.

157

Color Vateite

The choice of color is very personal. Every artist

has to experiment with colors until he finds those

that satisfy his own needs.

The following chart reveals the complete list of

colors used for each painting reproduced in this

book. Not all of the colors were used in every paint-

ing, but it is evident from the vertical rows of check-

marks that certain pigments were used over and

over, others only occasionally. Each landscape dic-

tates the range of pigments needed to paint it, but

the artist also selects his colors to express his emo-

tional approach to the subject.

The best way to find your own choice of colors is

to experiment constantly, approaching each painting

with an open and discerning mind. Eventually you

will find your own color palette.

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Bibliography

The following books are recommended for those

seeking good reference material on the American

landscape

:

Face of North America by Peter Farb (Harper

& Row, New York)

.

The American Heritage Book of Natural

Wonders (American Heritage, New York)

.

Readers interested in more technical information

on the geology and geography of the country will

find the following books useful:

Introduction to Geography by Henry M. Ken-

dall, Robert M. Glendinning, and Clifford H.

MacFadden (Harcourt, Brace & World, New

York)

.

Introduction to Historical Geology by Ray-

mond C. Moore (McGraw-Hill, New York)

.

Among the many books available on basic water-

color technique, the following are particularly rec-

ommended:

Ways with Watercolor by Ted Kautzky

(Reinhold, New York)

.

Painting Trees and Landscape by Ted Kautzky

(Reinhold, New York)

.

Watercolor Made Easy by Herb Olsen (Rein-

hold, New York)

.

Whitaker on Watercolor by Frederic Whita-

ker (Reinhold, New York)

.

Watercolor Demonstrated by Ernest W. Wat-

son and Norman Kent (Watson-Guptill, NewYork).

160