Plein Air Painting by the River Bank

I have been enjoying this summer.  However the weather and season will be changing soon.  Here is a picture I took of the Tennessee River.  I took this picture before I started to unload my painting supplies.  I liked what I was seeing.  Here is some small trees at the edge of the river bank.  

I started out with a very quick under painting done in a yellow ocher wash.  I used a small flat brush and a liner brush to establish the main features of the landscape before adding color and more detail.

This is the finish photo of the painting alone with the scenery of the landscape.  At this time as you notice the sun has went down behind the trees to the west of my set up.  

"By the River Bank" done in acrylic 5x6 by DWeaver Art ©

"Cumulonimbus near Soybean Field" 16x20 done in Acrylic

I just love storms.  Ever since I was a teenager I have been fascinated with weather and particularly thunderstorms.  I just love their structure, color and the lightning they produce.   I drew this composition up from a thumbnail drawing done in graphite and transfer the concept to the canvas as a under painting to eventually adding color.  My goal with this painting is to trigger a memory or a delight in storms that you have perhaps seen before with the sunlight casting a shadow over the field.  I hope this paint pleases your eye and emotion.  Thank you for viewing my art blog.  If you have any questions are comments feel free to comment below or send me an email deeweaver15@gmail.com

"Araceli" 11x14 portrait done in charcoal and soft pastel. ©DWeaver Art

How to Draw a Still Life in Charcoal of Sugar Bowl and Tea Pitcher

This is my art set up or display for a live drawing.  I have my drawing pad to the left and my still life display to the right.  I am left handed and by setting up this display as so it free's my right hand to make comparative measurements.  I have cut out a cardboard box.  A hole is cut at the top of the box to create an opening to cast light and shadow on the display.

This is the beginning stage the line drawing.  I have drawn in contour lines to outline the form.

I have drawn in the details at this stage.  However, there is no values created through shading at this point.

Now I have taken the time to shade in the values, especially the background.  Also you may notice the cast shadow is formed.

This is the final stage.  If you observe diligently, I have refined the details by darkening the values even more.  At the bottom of the photo there are my drawing tools.  I used a skewer stick to measure my subject.  I have in the picture a paper stump, willow charcoal sticks, sand paper to sharpen my charcoal, chamois cloth and eraser.   I did not use any graphite on this drawing only charcoal although they are with the supplies.

Skyscape Painting of Clouds and Water

"Sunlight Reflection" 5 x 7 in acrylic created by DWeaver Art © 5 x 7 in acrylic

Acrylic Painting of Cumulonimbus Cloud

"Orange Nimbus" done in acrylic using liner and filbert brush 5x7 © DWeaver Art

Process of Still Life Painting Pear and Apple

Last week I started on another still life painting.  I was inspired on a new technique to shift in a different direction in the way I paint.  I wanted to expose more of my brush strokes in my painting.  I am still learning how to paint more in a impressionistic style with  the use of broken color.  I took an old soft pastel painting I did and changed the back ground color.to more of an aqua blue. I did not use a palette knife, instead I only used a flat brush and a liner brush for details.

In the first stage I diluted brown wash of acrylic to tone the paper.  The paper is a Canson mixed media.  I used a flat brush to produce the line drawing of the forms.  I also establish the shadow maps for the dark values to be blocked in later.

In stage two I continued to use a flat brush however a had more brown paint than water in the mixed to get a darker value for the shadow zones.  Also I establish the highlight zones by allowing the lightest value to be left exposed.  At this stage not only a dark value is blocked in but also a middle value is blocked.

In stage three I premixed my paint into 4 groups blues, reds, greens, and light values of brown. I always use a palette knife to mixed my color out.  I'am using glass to mix my colors on and lay out. 

Stage four I started to add color to the background using the blue values I had premixed earlier.

Finally I added more color the values of green red and browns. 

 "Pair & Apple © DWeaver Art are completed done in acrylic 6 x 6 on mixed media Canson paper.