ACRYLIC – Project: Safe Harbor

I started out this last class by fixing something I wasn’t happy with and that was the area under the pier. I felt I had it too dark and I wanted to see some light from the other side of the pier.

I was using a #4 bristle brush but you can use a similar size sable if it works better for you.

I mixed a color similar to the color of the water behind the boat, it does not have to be an exact match, just similar in color and value, value being the more important of the two. I used white with a touch of blue and green and only applied it in a couple of small dabs near the end of the pier next to the bow of the boat. It doesn’t take much to suggest the other side of the pier so do not get carried away.

I also changed the color of the water under the pier by mixing more blue, a touch of purple and a little green and a little that color I just mixed to slightly lighten it because I wanted the color a lot darker but not as dark as I had it and more on the blue/green side. Remembering it is water, I used horizontal strokes to apply the color to the area.

I also worked on the building on the pier adding light to the sunny sides and some texture to the shadows. Since your buildings might be other colors from mine, you will use a lighter warmer color than the color you have on your building, for instance: My brown building in the front I mixed yellow with a touch of orange or sienna then I dry brushed the color onto my building. Dry brush means that not only have you dried the brush to get out all of the water from cleaning it, but after you load it with paint you lightly wipe off any excess paint and water you might have picked up when loading the brush, then with very light pressure on the brush, apply the paint. This technique is great for creating texture because if you have loaded your brush correctly and use the right amount of pressure, you should be able to see little hints of the underpainting showing through, if you can you either have too much paint, too much water or are using too much pressure. Practice on another scrap canvas if you are unsure you should be able to see the canvas if you are doing it right on the scrap canvas.

The shadowed sides of the buildings I mixed a lavender color of blue, purple and a touch of white to create a reflected light color to add the same way to the shadowed sides. You will always have some kind of a reflected light in the shadows especially around bodies of water, snow, ice or anything else that light can easily bounce off of and getting this color into your shadows will make your shadows look more natural.

I also added light to the roofs of the buildings again, it was a lighter, warmer version of the under painting. I loaded my brush like I did for the previous dry brush but this time instead of trying to create wood grain for the walls, I wanted to create the SUGGESTION of shingles. Using the full width of my brush and FOLLOWING THE ANGLE OF THE ROOF I made a series of choppy strokes. These buildings are too far away to do much detail work and you do not need to spell out everything to your viewer, just suggest. I will show you how to do some subtle detail later if we have time.

Under all the eaves I used a dark mix of blue and purple to create the cast shadows from the overhangs of the roof. Cast shadows are darker than form shadows because they block the light and putting these shadows under the eaves will give dimension to the roofs and buildings. I also used this dark color to block in some windows and doors.

On the cabin below the wheelhouse of the boat I needed to add some sunshine. I used white with just a tiny amount of orange to slightly tint the color. White can look chalky by itself so tinting it helps avoid this and also will allow you to add pure white later one for the sparkly white highlights just be careful when adding the orange because a tiny amount will go a long way, you just want to TINT the white.

I added this color using the dry brush technique to the cabin part of the boat. The wheelhouse is recessed from the cabin below it and there is a roof that blocks the sun so it is in shadow.

Try to get your paintings to this point by next week and also try to have your near dock and crab pots blocked in as well as the windows and port holes on the boat. We have a lot to do so let’s be ready to get started as quickly as possible.

Keep painting and I will see you in class.