Heatwave

 

6/27/22 Green Lake neighborhood

Thumbnail for sketch above

The sketch above was the result of an interesting progression: I began with a vertical study (the right side of the thumbnail), which is one of my typical parked-car-with-trees-and-street-shadows compositions. Then I saw a building in the background that I wanted to include. Although it goes against the practice I am learning of making a composition tighter, not larger (and often I regret the change when I do expand a composition), I decided to try making it wider.

By the time I started the color sketch, the foreground truck had driven off. Thankfully, the thumbnail came to my rescue! Who knew that thumbnails could be as helpful and effective as all my instructors and books have been telling me? In any case, I think the part I added actually improved the composition instead of weakening it. Bonus: I got to put in the cute mail truck.

Color note: This sketch uses primary triad No. 3 (Caran d’Ache Ice Blue [185], Purplish Red [350] and Yellow [10]). I’m warming up to this triad (pun intended) – I used a higher ratio of yellow to blue in the trees, and it feels like the right amount of warmth I have been looking for. I’m not finished experimenting, though – I have a couple more ideas to try.

Incidentally, warmth was on my mind in more ways than one when I made this sketch: It was not yet 90 at the time, but eventually it became the hottest day of the year so far. I stayed very still in a cool spot, and the whole process took less than an hour. By early evening, strong breezes blew the heat off, and by bedtime, it was cool enough to sleep. That’s what I call an old-school Seattle heatwave of the type I grew up with. After the longer, more severe heatwaves we’ve had in recent year, this one made me nostalgic.