Watercolor Artist – October 2019

30 Watercolor artist | OCTOBER 2019

a subject and then work from the photograph. But

there’s a danger, in that relying too heavily on photogra-

phy can actually stop you from taking the time to look. If

you don’t take the trouble or experience the occasional

discomfort of working outside, or at least spend time

looking out in the open, you’ll never see all there is to

see in terms of color, tonal relationships and the little

details that make all the diff erence to your composition.

Working From Life

Most cameras can’t cope with the tonal extremes that

the average landscape presents. Cameras invariably

overexpose the sky and/or underexpose the area below

the horizon line. Th at means that skies will lose color

and tone, and shadows and darker areas will be too

dark. Taking the time to stand and stare—or to sit

down to sketch or paint—will tell a very diff erent

story: softer contrasts and color where you wouldn’t

expect it. Taking this plein air approach allows you to

see so much more, and painting is about seeing—or,

even more—about what you want other people to see.

Working on the spot does bring a host of problems

that have to be solved. It means sometimes having to

cope with heat or cold, with onlookers and occasionally

wildlife. It frequently isn’t easy—but then painting isn’t

meant to be easy, and work produced under somewhat

I regularly go beating

for the local shoot with

a dog and a sketchbook.

Apart from the fact that

I love working a dog, this

is an opportunity to be

out in the woods and

surrounding countryside

in winter conditions.

I painted Stearsby

Beaters (watercolor

on paper, 14x20) in the

studio from a very basic

sketch of beaters and

dogs standing around in

the snow awaiting

instructions. It was very

cold, and the afternoon

sky was an extraordinary

color. I went back the fol-

lowing day to get more

detail on the tree shapes.

trying circumstances often turns out

to have a vibrancy and sparkle about

it that’s lacking in a carefully worked

studio piece.

In the right outdoor conditions,

there’s nothing nicer than settling

down to paint for a few hours, but

often the location or the conditions

aren’t very accommodating. If the

weather is too bad for painting, it’s

worthwhile just taking time to stand

and observe. (If you want to take a

photo too, that’s fi ne, just don’t let it

be a substitute for looking.) Try to

analyze the colors, the tones and the

shapes so that you can remember

them hours later. Th en ask yourself:

Why this scene? What is it about the

location and moment that attracts me?

What’s the point of interest? How do

I turn it into a painting?

To Start

With a Sketch

I live in the wilds of England’s North

Yorkshire countryside, and my home