New Recipe: Secondary Triad Seasoned with Garlic

 

9/24/20 Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils in Stillman & Birn Nova sketchbook

Secondary triad plus yellow.

Last winter I made a series of still life studies to explore primary triads, usually with apples and pears. I’m already thinking about what to study this fall and winter, and how. Observing still lives others have been doing, I was thinking about how challenging it is to develop shadow hues on light-colored (especially white) objects. I enjoyed using the garlic and the lemon in my Boku-Undo ink studies, but I needed a third object. An egg was my first choice, but then I’d have to remember to put it back in the fridge after each sketch. I dug through a sack of tiny yellow potatoes and pulled out the one with the weirdest shape. All three should last for a few still lives!

In addition to light-colored shadows, I’ve also been thinking about secondary triads – my favorite palette around the house but one I don’t get to use much in sketches (except in Italy). Unlike primary triads, the secondaries aren’t as much fun to mix, but some interesting grays and browns might be discovered – perfect for all those shadows. So light-colored objects and the secondary triad will be my study objectives for the bad-weather months.

For this sketch, I tossed in another wild card – a piece of green paper underneath instead of my usual white. It’s always fun to catch the tiny glimpses of reflected color.

As for my home decor. . . 

Fiestaware in Poppy, Mulberry and Lemongrass