This month it was my turn to present a picture as the basis for the monthly project I share with Peter Ward, (watercolourfanatic.blogspot.com).
I chose the picture below because it presents a number of problems for the painter. First of all the light conditions are flat and the value range quite compressed other than for the featureless sky. So the first choice was whether to stick with the picture as presented or attempt to inject some life by trying to fabricate a feeling of a stronger light source. This is what I chose to do and then discovered the difficulties of doing so when having to ask what the light would do to the scene in each of the passages. I ended up introducing more glazes than I would have liked to deal with the problem. I'll leave you to decide how successful I've been.
Composition then became an issue and I decided to use the portrait format to emphasise the height of the castle and get rid of much of the extraneous furniture.
Lindisfarne Castle - source photograph
LLindisfarne Castle - Watercolour on rough paper 16" x 12"
12 comments:
Gutsy moves--that paid off. Your additions and adjustments produced a much more interesting painting.
Very nicely done Mick. Strong foreground sets off the Castle very well. Not fussed about the greens though, personal choice.
Agree with Ray about the greens. You obviously show more affinity with the subject then me though. Like the monastery.
Linda - Thanks. It is a step forward for me to make sensible planning decisions before applying paint.
Ray - Thanks. Greens are a problem that I change my mind about on a regular basis. I've yet to find mixes that I'm confident with.
Peter - Cheers. I like this sort of subject because they present a variety of challenges that need solutions. By the way that isn't the monastery, it's the castle. The monastery is a set of ruins. I'll maybe put that up for a challenge in the future. You'll enjoy that.
Well done Mick. You've accomplished a wonderful sense of perspective and depth that the photograph lacks. Also conveys a sense of mystery around the castle. Smart move turning it into a portrait orientation.
Sophia - Thanks, hopefully I've showed a little bit of thinking in the way I've approached this.
simply beautiful!
Kalyan - Thanks a ot.
I like it a lot, Mick. The rocks are particularly well done. I would like to see more tonal range to give it that final umph. Lovely composition. It really works for me.
Yvonne - Thanks a lot. i agree with you about the tonal range. Reference to the original photograph gives some idea of the challenge I faced when I decided to expand it and introduce a stronger light source. I just didn't go quite far enough. Glad you like the composition.
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