Another one painted from imagination. It didn't quite go how I wanted though, especially the trees behind the hut. Also the foreground looks a bit messy. Actually I don't know why I bothered posting it! I think I could do with getting outside and painting from real life rather than making them up all the time. I've been meaning to paint plein air for a while now and for some reason never quite get around to it. All paintings can be seen at http://www.stevencronin.com
9 comments:
Very Nice, very similar to some Lake district view,
Thanks Roy. I've done a few Lake District scenes in previous posts. You mention on your blog programming on the ZX81. Blimey, that brings back some memories! Happy days!
I enjoy all the curves happening in this painting
Thanks for looking Celeste
Hi Steven. I couldn't get your website to open. I saw your demo on youtube of the lake district and it was very interesting to see how you are using the hake brush. I noticed the paper was a little uneven during the first sky wash, what weight of paper do you use? However in the next two stages the paper was flat and even so it looks as if the paper dried out well. Do you find some papers are better than others? I always find the hake brush collects too much water do you have a method of getting rid of the water, I notice the washes you put on the paper are a good strong colour tone and not too wet. I really enjoyed seeing your demo and 'Tranquil waters' is a lovely painting.
Hi Caroline, thanks for looking. Website should be OK now. The paper is 130lbs. I used to use the ‘industry standard’ 140lbs but it’s just that I get this paper cheap from artdiscount.co.uk I never bother stretching the paper first. I find once the sky is in and some of the land, the paper has stretched automatically and it’s just a case of refixing the edges. Once the painting is finished the paper dries nice and flat. I always use the same paper so I can’t really compare brands.
As far as the hake is concerned, I remember reading that anyone would hate it at first simply because of the sheer volume of water it holds. It does take a little getting used to. I hold a tea towel in my left hand I use to wipe the brush on to absorb the excess water.
Happy painting Caroline
Best Regards, Steven.
Hi Steven, thanks for getting back about the paper and the use of the hake brush. I was wondering if when you paint your skies that you don't worry about using a tissue to get rid of extra water. I found that by using the tissue it tended to absorb far too much of the water! which is ok for doing trees and the foreground. Do you know the artist Ron Ranson he recommends using your fingers to almost pull the extra water away, however you got to be so careful as you can ruin the brush by also pulling the hairs out of the brush! I think this is what put me off using the hake brush but maybe I should try and work again with it as it really does produce some lovely effects and is great for watercolour washes. I recently bought a great squirrel mop brush from an English on line brush company (I am not sure if I should mention the name here)this brush is a dream and not expensive. Sorry squirrels! I look forward to seeing more of your work here and will look at your website now it is up and running.
Happy painting!
Hi Caroline
I don’t normally use a tissue when doing skies. As long as the paint is fairly thick then you should be able to have some control over it and not have it running all down the paper. Ron Ranson has by far been my greatest influence in watercolours. I’ve watched quite a few of his videos and love his fast and loose style. Don’t worry about loosing hairs from the brush when using your fingers! This is only necessary when you need to do really dry brush work. 99% of the time I just brush off as much as I can on the water container and then just wipe the brush on a tea towel to get any excess water off.
It’s well worth persevering with the hake. I use it for about 99% of all the watercolours I do and you can get some wonderful effects with it. I’ve never used a mop brush so it’s difficult to comment. Keep practising!
Best Regards, Steven.
Interesting that you are using thick paint, that is where I must be going wrong! I will look out and see about a Ron Ranson painting DVD thanks for the suggestion. As you say practise and using a tea towel instead of kitchen roll will not absorb so much water. Thank you.
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