Rob’s Waterco☺ler

Came home from work and needed to at least finish the rough of this 14×17 drawing.  Now it can sit a few days until I figure out what to do with it next, or be done with it.

We went to North Carolina this weekend and while I was there I started work on a quick floral watercolor sketch. The background was done in Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue, then washed with a very heavy coat of Rose Madder Genuine.
10×14 on Lana Watercolor Paper. Lots of very transparent yellow to make it glow
Rob

I am back from North Carolina and not to be out done by Michele in Paint! Manassas, I am busy painting the town away, so to speak.  Above is a watercolor and graphite sketch of the Manassas Old Presbyterian Church I have been messing with tonight.  I started this as an 11×14 very wet-in-wet painting and then have been attacking it with an 8b pencil.  After it dries completely I might go back at it with a harder H pencil and scratch out some whites.  It might not amount to anything but is was sure fun to put together!

Rob

It has been a busy few days around here.  I will be splitting my time between Currituck North Carolina and Northern Virginia for the next few days while I take care of personal business.  Above is a 5×7 wet-in-wet watercolor and 8b graphite pencil painting I was messing around with earlier from a reference photo I shot at the Norfolk Zoo a few months back.  I think I will do a more dtailed study of this lion and her cub at some point.

Sometimes these little sketches work out ok and I post them.  I think this one has potential for development into a larger piece.

Rob

It rained in Northern Virginia pretty much all day.  Tomorrow is not supposed to be much better and it will be cold.  I had hoped to get out and paint but will likely take care of other things, including some reading.

Gina was out working with flowers all day at Peg’s Florist in Stafford so I decided to finish a few of these Paint! Manassas projects.

This is the finished Okra’s painting (matted to 22 x 28) which I started on-site on Center Street last week.  The bulk of this painting was done en plein air and it had it’s birth as a value sketch.  I had intended to make this a loose 8B graphite and watercolor sketch but as I got into it it progressed into a more technical piece.  I did leave many loose elements in and really tried to break the symmetry of the building which lacked interest straight on.

This is the finished “Wrong Side of the Tracks in Manassas” painting (matted to 16 x 20).  All I can say is lots of (like 20 ml worth!) Cadmium Orange.  I will need to put a “the State of California has determined that this painting may cause cancer” sticker on it.    Of course these pigments are safe unless you eat them!  The cadmium is completely encapsulated in the medium.  This was done in the studio from a photo I shot at the Manassas Train Station and it absolutely glows and screams RUST.

Last but not least is my very loose sketch (matted to 10 x 20) I started en plein air from the Manassas Train Station last week.  Today I added as much transparent watercolor pigment as I could into the buildings and trees.  I also put as much 8B graphite as I colud into the hard lines without indenting the paper.  The effect I hope I have created is a burst of welcoming color and contrast.

All in all a very productive rainy day.

Rob

It rained today.  I started off with Selina, from the Manassas Art Guild, in Clifton Virginia and I fully intended to finish my Old Clifton General Store painting.  Did I mention that it rained today?  No sooner did I get my french easel set up and it started again

As a back up plan we went to Old Town Manassas and painted en plein air under the old train station.  I did a very wet-in-wet impressionist painting of Fosters Grille and other stores across the tracks.  I will let is dry for a few days then go back into it with an 8B pencil to really bring out some hard lines.

Selina went to work drawing some sketches of the Candy Factory.  Both of us are gearing up for the official kick off of Paint! Manassas 2008 on Saturday

 Rob

Today I spent most of the day parked on the corner of Center Street in Old Town Manassas.  From my wonderful seat I was able to capture this 18×24 value sketch (on rough watercolor paper) and add some watercolor before the sun came up and ruined my light.  I did get about 3 hours of quality light.

This will be a PAINT! Manassaspainting that I plan to finish on May 10th in Old Town Manassas at the kick off.  I need to get the shadows right before I go back out becausee the light shifts very quickly between the buildings and it reeks havoc with perspective, color and tone.

Rob

 Well it rained all day today which made for an interesting slant on lunch time sketching in the truck.  I parked by a split rail fence and enjoyed my lunch and this quick sketch.

I moved very quickly through the rails using Sepia, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue and Raw Sienna.  the background is May and Olive Greens.

The effort was useful in seeing how well the two greens and various browns worked together.

Rob

Well it rained today, not to mention it was cold.  This was my last week day off for two weeks so I decided to paint with the same crowd I have been with this week:  Mary and Lou from NOVAL and Selina from MAG.  We went to Jamie’s General Bean Coffee Shop in Centerville, VA.

We all did watercolor and art markers while discussing various aspects of art supplies, food and culture.  The coffee and light lunch was an added bonus.  So much for raining on our parade

My painting is to the right.  I am going to do some Prismacolor Marker embellishments to it and call it done.  I am not sure about all the bright color combinations, however the coffee shop was brightly decorated.  I also had a bunch of back runs which I did not appreciate!

Rob