I started out sketching in charcoal different compositions of my ‘Still Life’ I had set up, trying to focus less with the line of things and more of the tonal values. I started off with the areas darkest and then worked out from that, smudging the areas for mid tones and wiping away when the tone wasn’t light enough or on parts where the light has reflected.

I liked the studies where I have drawn things in a more over the top perspective but thought perhaps they were a little out of my comfort zone for painting. I decided that the third sketch where I was looking slightly up at the objects would be a good one to recreate in paint! I then went with using acrylics in different tones of blue on A3 acrylic paper. I started off again with painting in the darkest areas of tone and then working my way up to the lightest tones. I also decided on using the paper landscape instead of portrait which I think has worked better?

 

 

I went with copying a tree scene from a photograph for this exercise using A3 acrylic paper and starting with the dark sheet first. For the dark paint wash I used Ultramarine and Payne’s Grey, then for the light wash I used Payne’s Grey and white to make an opaque wash. Setting them aside to dry, I then went on to do a rough sketch of the tree I had chosen to draw. I have cropped the photograph slightly so the main focus is more on the tree and not on the surrounding scene.

I then went on to draw the rough outline of the tree and the scenery in charcoal starting with the light background first (left image). I filled in the positive areas with roughly the same mix of Ultramarine and Payne’s Grey, diluting this mix to do the more sparse smaller branches and the background.
Next I started on the dark background (right image) and again I used charcoal to roughly outline where everything was. After this I filled in the negative space with the opaque mix of White and Payne’s Grey finding that I had to be more careful with how I applied the paint. I think I must be more use to filling in the positive space when drawing/painting. I have used a smaller brush and a medium tone of paint to then fill in some more branch detail and to add in the background scenery.

I think you get an idea of the effectiveness of a composition when using a negative and positive space comparison. I feel like there is perhaps too much negative space to this painting. I think a more close up composition would have worked better, with more of the branches and detail of the tree included.

I started off just doing a few colour mix experiments in my sketchbook, going from the dark opaque mix to a lighter one using Ultramarine and Violet. I tried to balance how much water I added to this mix as I wanted it to be mostly the blend of white and colour.

---

I then went on to copy the Ultramarine blue colour wash (On the left) into an opaque mix version. I found out it worked quite well with the opaque mix seeming to perhaps go on better than the wash of colour with less brush marks. I also found mixing the shades not too hard to replicate. Although there is a more density to the colours I think the shades look roughly the same?

The next attempt was with the wash of both Ultramarine blue and Violet (To the right,) which again I found the opaque mix to be more dense in colour but another reasonable one to replicate.

My last attempt was using the overlay of colour washes and this was the one I found most hard to replicate. I don’t think I managed to get the various tones right, perhaps down to the quick drying time of acrylics or perhaps down to the combination of using two colours at once with the white.

I  understand how the build of lots of layers of translucent washes can add further depth, the opaque mix then adding further boldness of colour. You could use a transparent wash for a sky scenery, building the different layers of colour. You could then add the opaque technique to add solid dense looking clouds. I think the right use of brush when using a transparent wash would be something I also need to look at? Perhaps a large flat brush so I could distribute colour more evenly and effectively?

I went with acrylics for this exercise, using Ultramarine and violet as my choice of paint colours. The first attempt using the ultramarine paint didn’t go as well, as I was still getting to grips with the best way to use the brush strokes.
I have graduated the tone by adding more water to the paintbrush then lightly dabbing some away. I think the brush strokes across the page in the violet image worked better, but I also liked the merge of colours in the last one. You can imagine using this idea/technique when painting a stormy sea or sky scene.

I managed to find some old soft pastels and oils pastels for this exercise, so decided on using both! The first half in green is the soft pastel used on its side, and dragged across the page, I then got a damp cloth and blended it all over. I then decided it could be part of a forest, so drew the outline of a tree using the tip of the pastel to draw branches.
The soft pastels are quite good when creating a block of colour and blend well, you could also keep rubbing away to create lighter shades of colour.
I then went on to try the oil pastels, which I used  by dragging the tip in lots of quick  lines. I found the oil thinner I had used to not be the best at blending with? I was hoping to blend the oil pastel lines to create a wave effect. Perhaps another thinner would have been better?!

I have chosen to use acrylics for this exercise, mainly because I’m still waiting for a new set of oils and a ‘not so stinky’ paint thinner as white spirit to arrive.
I started off using the paint knife first, trying out different ways in which I could use it, then I used a thin piece of cardboard and scraped it on its side, adding another colour on top and dragging it along. I then used the sponges, one was a slightly looser sponge than the other and would work well when using it for things like tree foliage. The last item I used was some kitchen roll, which I used in a swirling blending motion. I thought this could make great waves.