Backyard Primary Triad

 

6/20/21 Our messy bushes and fence (Caran d'Ache watercolor pencils in Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook)

Our forsythia and other unkempt bushes next to the fence between our yard and our neighbor’s are not my favorite sketch subjects, but every now and then they are handy. The last time I sketched the forsythia, I was making a value study. This time it was both a value study and another experiment with the primary triad I studied with Kathleen Moore. When I tried it last week, I used a cool Payne’s Gray for the deeper shadows. This time I tried a warmer French Gray. Initially, I didn’t like the sketch at all, but the more color I added, and the darker I pushed the shadows, the more I liked it. I also like the shimmering Pointillist effect from the toothy Stillman & Birn Beta paper.

Of course, the best moment of all was when I finally spritzed the page to release the watercolor pencil pigments. Up until that point, I had been patiently applying dry pencil, layer after layer. Although I can see the relative values, I know I can’t see the full intensity of the primary hues and the way they mix until I hit the page with water. See below for a peek at the way the page looked right before I spritzed it. (I’m usually so eager to get to the activation part that I rarely remember to photograph it before spritzing.) The explosion of color is a fun reward for my patience.

It was 75 degrees but with a nice breeze in the shade when I made this sketch – the very best of summer. It was also the last day before a “heat dome” threatened to break temperature records for this time of year.

Here's the sketch just before I spritzed. You can see why I enjoy the moment of spritzing -- and why I love watercolor pencils so much!