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| (C) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
Inside the cover sheet of these watercolor blocks that they sell these days is prime space to make notes, record ideas and make quick drawings. I have used many watercolor blocks from a company called Arches, which has been around for centuries.
This is a quick watercolor sketch I made between paintings as I was inspired to see a little Spring in my life. For a while I have been trying to utilize the atmospheric qualities of light, mist and snow in my paintings. Watercolor is such a good media to exploit these qualities.
I have utilized this space to take notes on framing, sketch out compositional studies, doodle and document color combinations which I intend on using in the future.
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| (C) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
In the community, Brattleboro, Vermont where I live, there has been a major bridge project going on for years. Millions have been spent to replace this Interstate-91 bridge over the Connecticut River. Before they were about to open the north-bound passage which I have been told is in use, the town provided bus tours for those interested, on a wind blown weekend day. This photograph was taken from this new bridge which may be as high as one hundred feet above the water which provides dramatic views of the river valley.
If I use photographs as a reference or for inspiration I often experiment with ways to crop the image to strengthen the composition and simplify the overall layout. As you can see I use scrap paper or notepads or anything else I can find to crop the orientation and features which I find compelling. After having walked the expansive bridge which I was told was intended to be maintenance-free, I was taken by the local color of the distant hills and reddish color of deciduous undergrowth in and along the river.
I am certain this may be an odd post for some readers but I find cropping an image or making thumbnail-sized sketches invaluable in developing ideas which may ultimately lead to a well composed painting.
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| (C) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
This is a portrait I started a while ago and nearly finished. However, I knew there were some details that I needed to get right. These details included the all important facial features which if successful convey the characteristics of the subject of the portrait. Originally, I was attracted to the way the sun and shadows cross my wife's face.
Over the course of this winter I have done quite a few facial studies in pencil which has enabled me to see aspects of the face in a way I would not have depicted as well six months ago. I have added skin tone washes along the corners of the lips where we have natural creases when we smile or frown and made fine corrections to the perspective of the mouth which seem to make a big difference. The dark shadow in the corner of the mouth gave depth to the mouth and defined the edge of where the lips are. The shadow on the tip of the nose enhanced the sun on the other areas of the nose.
More time than anywhere else, has been spent on getting the pattern of how the hair rests to be correct. It may be hard to notice, but I have added naples yellow, an opaque pigment, on the dark background, where stray hairs caught the natural light .
There are just a few details left before I would consider it a finished painting. Some of the details include finalizing the eye lid, eyebrow and glasses.
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| (C) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
When I took this photograph earlier in the day I said to myself, I have to blog about this. For various reasons I have been painting portraits and landscapes on these narrow but vertical sheets. The most recent skinny watercolor I have worked on is the one on the far right. Plumbers were making a racquet in our house last week so I escaped to the upstairs and it was simply easier to work on a slim sheet. I originally worked on a skinny sheet because it was a remnant from a larger watercolor when framing. As I mentioned in a previous post, this vertical orientation is great for painting figure studies before I commit to the final painting.
The subject matter for the painting on the left was inspired from last summer's trip to Maine while the middle picture is more or less made up because I wanted to convey through an individual's posture a strong presence which I think is strengthened as the viewer is looking up towards him and then on to the sky. In the last image I was trying to achieve darks in areas of the water with less applications of paint in addition to creating dry brush affects in the sky with some hard edges.
Each one of the watercolor sheets above is manufactured by Saunders, an english paper producer. However, each one is of a different thickness with the heaviest on the left(300lb) while the middle picture is on 200lb and the far right is a 140lb paper. Each of the papers is of a cold pressed variety which means there is some texture, not smooth but enough tooth to create painterly effects depending upon how you paint.
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| (C) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
This is another one of those watercolor remnants that I will simply not let go to waste. In addition to Arches watercolor paper, Saunders which this is painted on, is probably my favorite. The water marks, drips, runs and overall landscape effects that can be achieved I find inspiring.
This is basically a doodle done in a little over twenty minutes as I misplaced the watercolor I had been working on the last few days which is nearly three feet long. I know it will turn up but this greatly altered my painting time. At this time of year, if I am not working on a watercolor for a period of time, I prefer to slide it into one one of these flat file drawers so it can be kept out of the direct sun. I have a studio window which faces south and I really notice the lengthening of the day in addition to the recent time change.
I do find these skinny watercolor remnants great for composing figure studies. They are fun to do and I believe I am improving along the way. As far as I am concerned, this could have been done at the foot of the hill where we live along the Retreat Meadows anytime during the outdoor season.
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| (C) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
Back in January I purchased this new palette set for painting outside. I have been eager to try it out ever since. Instead of the half-pan sets which are common, I prefer the full-pan sets. It is hard to slide your brush into those small pigment areas. Along the way the artist is also picking up pigment from the neighboring pans. In addition, I have learned the better sets use honey as a way to keep the pigment cakes from cracking or drying out.
Last fall I read a book by Mario Andres Robinson, an established watercolor painter, called Lessons in Realistic Watercolor. I recall he mentioned how most watercolor sets found at local arts stores or even at your local Micheals are student grade. These student grade sets offer weak color pigments, or at least from my experience. Mr. Robinson mentions the importance of seeking out professional grade watercolor pigments which provide much higher quality colors. The good manufacturers of these sets tend to have been around for years such as this set I purchased by Sennelier.
With the recent mild weather here in Vermont, it seemed that spring might be around the corner. However, the weather has turned much colder prior to this weekend and now we are forecasted to receive a major snowstorm. My excitement to try out this new set in our local river valley will have to wait a little longer.
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| (C) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
This is a local scene, relatively speaking. When my wife was off from work recently, we took a day trip to Manchester, Vermont on a chilly but beautiful day with great light and shadows projected on the land. Prior to this trip we had been told Manchester had yet to have a plowable snowstorm all season, but things had changed.
I am excited about the progress of this watercolor, which I started earlier this week; however, there is much work to be done. The sky was done with a large foam house painting brush. I like how the fence rails lead the viewer into the picture. The red hat creates an attractive focal point in the middle of the picture.
This is painted on a full sheet of watercolor paper, 22" x 30", which when framed, on a wall, makes an impact. I have wanted to paint a large landscape for some time. The vertical orientation I believe adds depth to the landscape.
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| (C) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
Last weekend I saw this documentary, I, Claude Monet at our local movie venue called the Latchis theater. Claude Monet(1840-1926) is considered by many to be the founder of French Impressionistic painting.
This documentary on Monet was well done, however I found it a bit dreary, which ultimately was the strength of the film. I say that because the film was narrated from Monet's point of view as there was no other dialogue or at least that I recall. He talks his way through difficult times in his life such as his ailing and ultimately dying first wife and his struggle to pay his bills as well as his approach to his painting process.
The primary reason I saw this film was because someone threw a new, weekly, newspaper, all wet onto our driveway, two days before it's showing. The grainy photograph of Monet in the art and film section peaked my interest as I have always been curious about his house and garden in Giverny, France. The grainy photograph was the source for this pencil drawing.
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| (D) 2017 Dale DiMauro |
The Maine coast is like no other place. The smell of the water, sound of the birds, vast open ocean and rocky shoreline are so strongly imprinted on my psyche. Already, I am longing for that annual summer vacation away from the summer humidity of Vermont.
Recently, I finished this watercolor which I had wrote about at an earlier stage. The foreground had been unresolved but now you can get a sense of how far the tide comes in. I like how the mossy, green rocks lead the viewer toward the water which takes you to the horizon.
There is a picture I had started on the back which I was not pleased with. It is of a local Vermont scene. It had been turned over sitting on my desk and I saw it as scrap sheet to try out. Since it is a thicker 300 lb Arches watercolor sheet, it has a rough texture compared to what I usually use. I do like some of the effects that can be utilized with this paper. This includes dry brush where you can create a great range of textural qualities for example, on the rocks and for achieving interesting edges in the sky with the clouds.
