0

Step 1

“Desert Sky” 8 x 12 Watercolor by Roland Lee. A scene of the southern Utah desert with red cliffs and a dramatic sky. This is an example of a Roland […]

0

Step 4

I feel that cloud shadows need to be darker so I decide to apply a second glaze. First I completely re-wet the sky area with a 1-inch flat brush and […]

0

Step 3

At this stage I bring the painting into sharper focus by putting additional darks in the shadow areas and adding the foreground elements. Finally I put in some strong directional […]

0

Step 2

I usually wet the entire sky area first and then drop in Cad Red, Ultramarine blue, and Yellow Ochre, letting the pigments mingle naturally. After completing the sky I allow […]

0

Step 1

This painting of Lake Powell Morning features the type of reflections only found on very still water. In this case the scene is near Moki Canyon on the upper lake. […]

0

Step 2

I am painting on Arches 140 lb. watercolor paper.  After doing a thumbnail sketch I start with the sky and do my initial glazes on the distant cliffs. I have […]

0

Step 5

I begin with the reflections closest to the rocks. Reflections are generally darker in the water and of course, the reflected image always has wavy edges if there is the […]

0

Step 6

Note in the distance I left a streak of blue across the water. This is where a wake or wind has broken the surface reflection. I continue to work on […]

0

Step 1

This painting was inspired by a Fall hike I took along the Virgin River in Zion National Park. I love the way the sun on the cliffs reflects in the […]

0

Step 3

I allow the pigment to mingle in the wet in wet wash, tipping my board vertically to allow it to run down. this helps give the appearance of vertical reflections […]

0

Step 4

My photo reference was taken with my pocket digital camera. In a high contrast lighting situation it is difficult for the camera to read the shadows and the highlights, so […]

0

Step 5

On the distant warm cliffs I lay in the shadow shapes with Quinacridone coral and ultramarine blue allowing the pigments to mingle. Moving down to the foliage I apply simple […]

0

Step 6

I use negative painting (backpainting) in several places to define lighter trunks and branches against the darker background. I also further define the shapes on the cliff with darker [...]

0

Step 7

The finished painting. “Zion’s River” 8 x 12. I feel like I captured the warm glow of the canyon and the colorful reflections in the water. What do you think?

0

Step 1

This painting of Zion’s Mt. Kinesava is done on Arches 140 lb. watercolor paper, stretched and mounted. A light pencil sketch with a 4H pencil gives me some guidelines to […]

0

Step 2

With the basic values in place on the cliffs, I move into the foreground trees and shrubs which will frame the cliffs. In this area I am creating a feeling […]

0

Step 4

Some of the shadow areas are now darkened, and I add detail to both the distant cliffs and the foreground. I use negative painting to create shapes in the foliage […]

0

Step 3

This closeup shows the techniques I use to build the underglazes. Both wet-into-wet and negative painting on dry paper are used to create positive and negative shapes.