In the green hell – spring foilage is out!
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Spring and spring landscapes are a big temptation and a source of frustration for painters…trouble is spring foliage does drive people to tears! Unless you do not care and just love to dabble happily with your colours as I did on this beautiful sunny morning in the woods. The fresh greens of spring are overwhelming to say the least. I wanted to capture the impression of getting a shower of green from all sides somehow no matter what.
A couple of things went terribly wrong as usual, but, may be not visible for everybody, I was gifted with a number of ideas and inspirations how I could go on further in coming days with putting down thin layers of colour instead of fully opaque brush strokes. Perhaps I should mention that I use ca. 500 ml of water during each session, about 2/3 of that I guess will end up on the paper.
This almost monochrome green hell is nevertheless also a study in contrast. Those amorphous colour splashes contrast with the clear shapes of the two dominating trees, which at the same time are in a quantity contrast too. The second little trick is the contrast between the big trunks in the front and the distant,small ones in the background on the right.
How to draw a tree- Publication on Blurb
Forest diary- the sketchbook re-print on Blurb
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on 5. May 2011
The painting captures that essence of green all around really well and the way the light changes from canopy to forest floor. Quite different greens from earlier sketches. Just as our eyes start to tire of one colour palette, along comes a fresh new one to play with.
on 7. May 2011
I been reading your site for awhile, you had me hooked when you linked to the paper titled ” The Germination of the German Nation” hardly ever get a pun like that in a paper’s title. I’ve never posted a comment and thought that it was about time to let you know that I enjoy your blog. It’s not only green, around here (southern New England), at least, not yet. The trees are in flower, bud, seed, and early leaf. Red, pale orange, yellow ocher, a kind of “bronzey yellow green” and all sorts of pale greens related to but not the same the greens of summer. Spring always seems to be in a hurry, so I guess I better get out there and see what I can do.
on 7. May 2011
Hello, I like these trees you did the folige is wonderful whay brush did you use? and how do you make your marks for this folige?
Linda
on 8. May 2011
Hello Kevin, thank you for your comment, it is great to get a confirmation that such a link is appreciated
. The greens over here already merge to the dull more or less summer green. I hope you had a good outdoor session!
on 8. May 2011
Hello Linda, you can see my brushes here. I usually start with the biggest brush and then I use smaller and smaller sizes.
The foliage in this sketch is a wild mix of free splatters and more precise brush work. As to water colour I can recommend Rowland Hilder books. The one without image “Starting with watercolor” is a gem, it explains watercolor for beginners. It is a small book which covers the subject in a very comprehensive way., really value for money from my point of view.
on 13. May 2011
Hello, Kevin, Thank you so for this information and for taking the time for me. I will try this book. Have a great day,
Linda