by Bethany | March 19, 2020

Hi everyone! As promised, I’m releasing some previously Patron only videos to help during this time of social distancing.  It was and is so important to me to share in the joy of creation.  Art heals so much!

I recently posted a poll on my instagram and Facebook on which videos people would like to see – this one won out! Mostly, people liked the dappled light and wanted to know how it was created.

This is a warm piece from last year’s Patreon series on structures in the landscape.  The photo reference was a quick snap out the passenger car window as we were driving.  I loved this little house and trees and shadows and wanted to bring it to life!

My palette (below) is a mix of greens and blues with warmer tones to help support.  I slowly worked up my alcohol wash on Uart to help support the lighter values. I love to work dark to light, cool to warm.

I am painting on a cut piece of Uart 500 grit paper. I have a large roll I purchased from Dakota Pastels .  I can cut the paper as I go and it’s so nice to be able to cut both large and small sheets to paint whatever size I’m needing. The only “con” is that the paper tends to curl because it has been stored in a roll.  I find taping the paper down on all four sides minimizes the curl during the painting process.  As soon as I finish painting, I sandwich the pastel between sheets in an acid free tracing paper pad and place it underneath heavy books.  Over time, this completely flattens any curl.

I began with my usual Nupastel and alcohol underpainting.  For any painting with a building, I usually paint the trees and foliage first and then save the area where the building will go for later in the process. I don’t underpaint as much with my buildings.

Watch the video by clicking below! It’s about 40 minutes long.

My pencil sketch is loose and helps me place my largest shapes on the support.  This piece is around 12 x 12 though slightly smaller.  You can see I’m using regular masking tape to adhere it to my backer board.  I don’t use artist tape or blue painters tape as the tack is too low (and artist tape is too expensive!).  The blue painter’s tape can skew your color choices as it casts a blue light onto your work.

My alcohol wash all blocked in. I love to use blues for trees! I’m wanting to establish my value map early on in this wash.  That will help with the subsequent pastel layers!

The first few layers of dry pastel.  I’ll work on the trees and bushes first, blocking in some color into the house as well.  In this painting, I make several alcohol wash passes. That’s the wonderful thing about Uart! It can take a lot of work and abuse. 🙂

I applied some peach and light blue tones to the house to help with the creation of shadows and shade.  I’ll be applying the dappled “light” later on.  Still working on the trees and distant foliage.

Adding the dappled light and lighter green values was such a fun step.  I love these effects! I had to force myself to use restraint – I wanted to more closely follow the reference. I also deepened the dark windows and door with some charcoal…keeping these edges and areas loose and painterly.

Adding black tape at the end helps me see the piece more as a finished work. I can better evaluate edges and values to see what the painting may need.  I decided to add a bit of turquoise hue into the sky and sky holes to add some needed vibrancy and interest.

Thank you all for watching! I hope you have fun with this painting. I’ll be posting another soon! In the meantime, if you’d like to watch a year’s worth of videos plus tons of information blogs and art lessons, you can subscribe to my patreon here.

Now, go forth and paint! Let’s spread joy and light.

xoxo,

Bethany

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