Work In Progress: Withlacoochee Flight, Update 7
I’ve completed the smaller foliage masses catching sunlight within the larger mass on the right side. To add more definition and make them appear more real, I further defined the edges by working dark color along mostly the top edges where the sun strikes them the hardest. Here, I worked in naples yellow (FC) here and there as the brightest spots among broader chartreuse (P) areas. The more shadowed lower areas contained more chrome oxide green (FC) and even a bit of Tuscan red (P) in the deepest shadows. There was very little attempt at uniform blending because the splotchy, irregular juxtaposing of tiny lights and darks gave a more realistic feel for leaves. By adding multiple layers and pressing hard with the pencils, color intensity and density was maximized and very little of the white paper showed through. I was also careful to use crisp, sharp strokes to define the edges of the Spanish moss hanging from the tree limbs. Gentle curves to the moss gives the feeling of breezes acting on them. The moss still has to be finished up by adding some color and shading, but I’ll add that at a later time.
My attention now is on the palms at the left side of the painting. The first task at hand was to lay in basic colors, lights and darks, shadows, and get a feel for the grouping of trees. Using multiple photos of palms as reference, I blocked in the palm fronds, both living and dead. Here, I added a few more colors as I felt they were needed. For the green, living fronds I used limepeel (P), chartreuse (P), chrome oxide green (FC) and a bit of chromium green opaque (FC). I used the chrome oxide green quite a bit to draw in the darker, shadowed areas. Doing so, defined the lighter areas. In the darkest areas I added burnt umber (FC) and dark sepia (FC). The dead fronds do add some interest to the foliage mass and I consider them important in portraying realism and providing contrast to the greens of living fronds. Here I used ginger root (P), raw umber (FC), burnt umber (FC) and some dark sepia (FC), as well as cream (FC).
In adding in the palm trees, all I’m interested in at this stage is to rough them in, get the lights and darks in and get a feel for the structure. I try always to work from lesser detail to greater detail – block in structures and then refine them. This way I get a feel for the overall form and how the parts fit together to produce that form.
From here, I will start working toward greater and greater detail and color intensity and density.
