5th Lesson - Thatched Cottage

The chimneys were dabbed in with a mix of Burnt Sienna, Scarlet and Ultramarine Blue.  Just outline the front chimney first, fill it in with the dark and light tones and make sure all the angles are accurate.  Then you can dab in highlights and darks and put some reds and purples into it.  We just had time to paint in the wooden beams of the font cottage with a purple (using the same colours of course).  We will play with them next week and add detail.

Use Australian Grey to Enhance that Old English Grey!

I introduced a new colour for the creamy walls of the cottages - Australian Grey.  It's a very light colour and just gives white a slightly creamy look.  Starting with the distant cottage, I then filled in the wood with Burnt Sienna, Scarlet and the Ultramarine.  Shadows on the wall and under the thatch was made with a mixture of the Australian Grey and purple.  The shadow is very dark on the right-hand side as it is surrounded by the garden.  Don't forget to darken the top of the wood struts to coincide with the shadow under the eaves.  I blocked the window in a dark Ultramarine and Scarlet and will fill in the white window frame when this is dry.

Let's Give Those Dull Greys Some Vibrancy - Lesson No.3

Before moving on to the front cottage, we quickly dabbed in the distant chimney using the same colours.  Make sure there is minimal detail, with soft edges and muted colour.  To do the main cottage's roof, I brushed in all the different tones and colours to cover the white canvas.  I then went over it again, this time dabbing with thicker paint to give texture and body, as this is our painting's focal point.  At this stage I replaced the Tasman Blue with Ultramarine Blue for the darkest darks.  Don't be afraid to give dabs of pure colour e.g. light Tasman Blue, oranges and purples over your wet paint.  This will give it vibrancy.

"LACE SHADOWS"

I have finished two paintings this week - the teacups and the sunset.  I repainted the edge of the front saucer of the teacups as I was still unhappy with it.  I also softened and darkened the shadows on the front cup.

"KAPITI SUNSET - NZ"