Learn. Create. Teach. @lecrte - Tumblr Blog

Introductory exercise in watercolor, using the idea of a topographical map as a challenge to have successive deeper shades.

My goal was to have the lowest elevation be the deepest hue, and the tops of the mountains be nearly white.

One key learning was having enough color mixed up ready to be applied to the paper ... I often ran out, requiring more mixing time and then the paint would dry enough that unintended edges would form.

But that did allow me to see how layering can be done, and how some edges can be broken up if caught early enough.

#watercolor #sketchbook #artexercise

This is an old exercise from Summer 2019, when I started to work with watercolors, focusing on gradients and keeping smooth color (avoiding watermarks)

And so this was one of the color panels mixing two colors over 3 steps, and then also fading to white. The grayscale version showed me that I over painted the middle cell in the 3rd column; alas. Otherwise pleased with the steps achieved.

This spurred on some thoughts of hexagons, and hexagon-based color wheel. More to come on that.

#painting-exercise #watercolor #artexercise #show-your-work

Simple ink drawing ... with the focus on shading and line control.

Used a single #005 pen, to pratice patience while drawing.

Reference photo taken by Doug Locke, from p. 67 of “American Barns: A Pictorial History” by Jill Caravan (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1561384712/).

Filtered to B&W using Prisma iOS app to simplify the composition.

#inkdrawing #black and white

Simple 10-min sketches (hence the kitchen timer) of trees from below.

Example output: https://lecrte.tumblr.com/post/185421285756/experimenting-with-time-lapse-capture-to-animate

Captured time-lapse using:

1. Nikon D90 controlled via Sofotbild

http://www.sofortbildapp.com/

Photos taken every 5 seconds

2. Batch Image rotation via imagemagick command line in terminal.

mogrify -rotate “-180” *.jpg

https://imagemagick.org/script/download.php

Can be done in in Preview.app by opening all images, select all in sidebar, and press CMD + L twice ... but with 300+ images this is very laggy on my feeble 2010 MBP.

3. Combine into a movie with ffmpeg

https://ffmpeg.org/

following instructions: https://youtu.be/WDV15nm-KJE?t=428

Chose 7 FPS in the end ... hopefully not too jittery.

4. Export via Quicktime (targeting iPad / iPhone 4)

Might be able to choose a better output codec in the ffmpeg command ...

Ultimately I think I prefer this to iOS time-lapse because it offers more control over the frame rate and predictability of which frames will be included.

#creative process

Experimenting with time-lapse capture to animate the growth of trees.

#time lapse

Finished off the main color matrix.

I plan on doing a grey scale bar, as well as a solid white block with the intention of including a portion of it in the side of photos of paintings for color correction (maybe).

Also, I want to try to match the tubes of secondary colors I have to understand how to make them with the primaries.

I included the palettes and wiping cloth to give some sense of how much mixing goes into this. Halfway through I started painting both the row and corresponding column to save some time and paint.

Definitely a worthwhile exercise to get acquainted with the colors and how they blend. The blues are so dominant, only need a smidge to tint another color.

Again, HT to Angela Anderson’s guide: https://youtu.be/ib3co6oppaw

#oilpainting #painting-exercise

Seeking to honor Grace Hopper, a pioneer in computer science. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper

Keeping with a simple palette of French Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, and white.

Realizing after the fact that I should have painted the background first, but was a bit eager to try to capture her likeness.

#oilpainting #programming history #grace hopper #burnt sienna #oil painting #simple palette

Mostly a color study / exercise in matching colors, while mixing larger amounts of paint (18”x24”).

Palette: Vermillion, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow Light, Prussian Blue, French Ultramarine.

I think I need to work up the blue tint in the hillside, and mute the yellow in the fields a bit.

Reference photo is one of mine from a trip to Ireland, heading into Dingle.

#oilpainting #color study

Simple ink sketch (3.5” x 5.5”)

Reference photo is from: “American Barns: Pictorial History”, by Jill Caravan, p. 30 (orig photo by Thomas Mitchell).

I converted it to B&W via the Prisma iOS app to simplify it. And used three different weighted pens … starting with 005 to lay down the outlines.

#inkdrawing #sketch #black and white

Back to basics … mixing colors into a matrix.

Rows will be the dominant color, with the columns being the color mixed in. Inspired in part by Angela Anderson’s guide: https://youtu.be/ib3co6oppaw

My colors from top down:

Prussian Blue

French Ultramarine

Phthalo Blue

Cadmium Yellow

Cadmium Yellow Light

Winsor Lemon

Vermillion

Cadmium Red Deep

Crimson Alizarin

So much mixing. I might be too particular about filling each square … maybe I should have taped off the grid. Alas.

(Also purchased a ‘daylight’ temperature bulb 5000K, to try to capture truer color)

#oilpainting

Posting some old sketches ... these were all done in small 3.5” x 5.5” sketch book, which is a good constraint, and for the feeling of “filling the page”.

I included one sketch where I just closed my eyes and tested my natural random coastline generation.

#hand-drawn-maps #fantasy map

Back to basics, focusing on shape and tone. Worked with a single color (Prussian Blue) and thinner.

Hope to revisit with layers, and potentially bring in full color ... it’s helpful to view side-by-side with reference photo ... I see some areas to rework.

#oilpainting #monochrome

Inspired the photo processing of Seán Doran and Gerald Eichstädt, specifically: https://www.flickr.com/photos/seandoran/23887093847/in/album-72157687076314492/

I’m think of this as a study for a more complete piece; next time I need to focus more on the shapes of the cloud swirls.

#oilpainting

Dusting off some painting cobwebs ... using two pieces of advice from Robin Sealark’s video: https://youtu.be/1J-5x2nFrFA

1. Painting from a reference

2. Mixing paint with knife

Previously I mixed a my paints with my brushes, accelerating their deterioration. And it was fun to look into the detail of different leaves’ vascular networks.

#oilpainting