As you guys all know, I was in Long Beach all week with Jennifer and Randy. She was participating in an outdoor adventure program through the rehab hospital she goes too. It was an amazing week of water skiing, jet skiing, fishing, rock climbing, a Luau, sailing etc. I was so busy I didn't get much sketching done, too tired. Here is my seadoo, done one the pier while waiting for her to return from skiing. I noticed that my paper always felt damp in the marine layer and the sun was not coming out until the afternoon each day. I meant for some dreary paintings.
A little lesson here. If you notice my water you will see it is dark green and a small amount of blue with mostly white showing through. When the sun is shining on water it is very reflective and there will be alot of white reflections. The water also reflects the sky so if its a gray day then the water is going to be gray too. I added blue since it was so yucky in person! The choppier the water, or the more movement the water has the more white areas or reflective spots will appear in a broken pattern, that shows the movement of the water. In the case of a still lake you would get almost mirror reflections and smoother light areas. Remember, this is about learning to see, to really look and see as an artist. Most people never notice these types of things as they pass through life. We are blessed to have a more keen sense of color and details since we record them in our sketches and paintings. Take the time this month to look at water if you get the chance and to practice on shadows.
The sketch class was all about shadows this month, video coming soon!
