Doodles Page 4: Autumn tree & Rock column

Autumn Tree Doodle

Materials used: No. 6 Round Brush, No. 1 Rigger, Bockingford Not 140 lb. (300g) Watercolour Paper.
Paints: French Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Yellow Pale

Do this in the way described on Doodles 1 Page for simple wet in wet tree. The only changes are the addition of burnt sienna into the mix at stage 2. This whole process is achieved, from start to finish, without any area becoming dry. It needs practice so don't give up if you fail a few times. The 'leafy' effect relies on the granulation produced by the Ultramarine so it wont look the same if a none granulating pigment is used.

Keep the brush full & watery, start at the top of the tree with Cadmium Yellow Pale with just a little Ultramarine. Form the leaf clumps by dragging the belly of the brush down the paper letting the paper take the paint. As you lift off the brush after each clump of leaves try to get a 'raggy' edge as the hairs of the brush leave the paper at slightly different places. Also try to get a non symmetrical shape to the tree overall. The paint should still be glistening wet when you start the next stage.

While the paint is still wet, drop in greener paint (more ultramarine) in the shadow areas and as you progress down the tree gradually add   more ultramarine and some Burnt Sienna to the green mix.
 While the tree is still wet add in the trunk and branches using a rigger with a slightly thicker mix of Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna letting it merge into the foliage.
 
Finally and again while the tree is still wet, paint under the tree with a mix of Cadmium Yellow Pale and Ultramarine to sink the tree into the ground. Drop in darker mixes to suggest shadows and finish off by leaking Burnt sienna into the lower edges of the painted area. Add the fence loosely with a rigger brush and a mix of Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna.

Self Help: if you are having problems:
The top of the tree, should still be wet when the bottom is completed. If it's not wet, either it's taking too long to complete the process or the paint is not wet enough or both. If the colours are not rich enough more paint is needed with the water. The effects work best with a semi rough (Not) or Rough surface paper using a sable brush with a belly. The Granulation effect works best if painted with plenty of water and with the work flat or only at a slight angle.

Rock Column Doodle

Materials used: No. 6 Round Brush, No. 1 Rigger, Whatman Rough 200 lb. Watercolour Paper.
Paints: Raw Sienna, French Ultramarine, Light Red, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Yellow Pale

First Stage. This exercise gives you practice in painting rocks with hard shadow areas. This first stage is a variegated wash of Raw sienna and Light red. You don't need to draw the column first. As you paint the column, don't be too precise about following my contours, you are just practising an effect not an exact copy. Try to make the two sides of the column asymmetrical.

Paint the column from the top starting with Raw Sienna. As you progress down the column add Light Red to the mixture and continue painting down adding more raw sienna or light red to the mix to keep the wash varying in colour. At the bottom where the rock meets the ground, paint around the grass shapes (Negative painting) and then at each side of the column paint a few grassy stokes (Positive painting) in the Raw Sienna - Light Red mix.

Second Stage.

Let the first stage dry completely before starting the second stage.

Before you start painting the next stage, prepare two mixes of medium tone paint still keeping it watery. The first mix is made with Light Red and Ultramarine and the second mix is made with Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna. Don't mix these too much, it's best if you can still see both colours in the mix in your palette which is subsequently picked up by the brush. This can only be achieved with a palette with a flat mixing area like the one shown on the general tips page. If you have a palette which has slanted mixing wells - use it as a doorstop or paperweight as this type of palette prevents a variegated mix being formed and seen.

Start from the top with the Light Red Ultramarine mix and paint the shadow area making sure that you extend the shadows under the rock overhangs at the left hand side. Again, don't work from my contours make up your own as you go to suit your column. The shadow colour is taken up to the edge of the previously painted right hand side of the column. As you progress down the rock keep changing the from the first to the second mix without washing the brush between them. As you get to the bottom of the column deepen the mix by adding more Ultramarine. The whole shadow area should granulate if it has been painted with a fluid mix.

Third Stage.

Let the second stage dry completely before starting the third stage.

Using a dark thicker mix of Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna, Paint in the cracks using a rigger. Look for small overhangs in the shapes you have and paint lines there, varying the thickness of the lines by laying the rigger flatter to the paper.

Try to keep the angles of the cracks generally similar or they wont look convincing. If the lines spread out wider than the area of the brush touching the paper, the paint is too thin.

Final Stage.

Let the third stage dry completely before starting the final stage.

Prepare a mix of Cadmium Yellow Pale with a little Ultramarine and wash over the bottom of the column covering the unpainted grass area and extending the area to each side of the column by painting grassy strokes with the rigger. While this mix is wet drop in various colours: darker green made by adding more Ultramarine to the  first mix, neat burnt sienna and Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine to complete the grassy area under the column. Make the area of grass which would be in shadow (Right) is  darker than the left hand area.

Self Help: if you are having problems:
The top of the column, whether painting first or second stages, should still be wet when the bottom of the column is completed. If it's not wet, either it's taking too long to complete the process or the paint is not wet enough or both. To get vibrant glowing colours particularly in the shadow areas the paint must be applied with plenty of water. This doesn't mean it should be thin or have little colour it just means it has to be fluid. These watercolour effects work best with a semi rough (Not) or Rough surface paper. The Granulation effect works best if you paint with plenty of water and with the work flat or only at a slight angle.