Work In Progress: Withlacoochee Flight, Update 2

Work In Progress: Withlacoochee Flight Update 2

            For the color sketch I used a blurred version of the final composition I put together on Photoshop Elements. The blurred version was posted here last week as the color sketch. I’m going to do this painting in colored pencil, so my next step is to figure out what colored pencils to use. There are many ways to come up with the colors seen in the photo. Many possible combinations. I also don’t have to come up with an exact match but I do have to come up with combinations that look good together. I like the combinations seen in the color sketch, so I tried to match them as close as I could.

As I’ve done with all my paintings, I made up a color test sheet to find the combinations of colors I like for various areas of the painting: the sabal palms on the left, the sky, the water, the background trees, the trees on the right, the grasses and the birds – all of the major blocks of color. There are smaller areas that don’t show up in the color sketch that have special colors and those can be worked out as I go through the painting. I just want to get the main areas figured out now.

IMG_1609 Withlacoochee Update 2

For the sabal palmettos on the left I’ll be using mainly chromium green opaque (Faber Castell – FC) and cadmium yellow (FC) and green ochre (Prismacolor – P). The sky can be duplicated with cloud blue (P), sky blue (FC) and blue slate (P). The water, which is a reflection of the sky and trees, can be cloud blue (P), sky blue (FC), cobalt blue (FC), chromium green opaque (FC), cadmium yellow (FC), chrome oxide green (FC), chartreuse (P) and crimson lake (P). The crimson lake, added to the chrome oxide green will produce the darks greens and near blacks of the trees and reflections. The lighter areas of the near trees are chromium green opaque (FC), chrome oxide green (FC), chartreuse (P) and cadmium yellow (FC). The distant trees are chrome oxide green (FC), chartreuse (P), cobalt blue (FC) and white (FC). The grasses and herbaceous plants look to be chromium green opaque (FC), chrome oxide green (FC), chartreuse (P), white (FC) and cadmium yellow (FC). I’ve decided to do much of the birds in French greys (P) and dark sepia (FC). The beaks seem to be combinations of cadmium yellow (FC), burnt ochre (FC), yellowed orange (P), goldenrod (P) and raw umber (FC).

IMG_1608 Withlacoochee Update 2

These colors are the main ones I think I’ll be using. They’ll give me a good base with which to work. As I go through the painting I may need to add others.

I can now start on this painting and I’ll begin by laying in the sky.

IMG_1611 Withlacoochee Update 2

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