The startling lavender and the yellow-greens are perfect complements. The greens that surround the trunk are neutral mixes of blues and yellows. Use these pigments to mix the greens and supporting colors.
First Stages Paint in the yellow-green
and lavender bases of the two
trunks, wet into wet, by first applying the
lavender (Cobalt Blue and Rose Madder
Genuine) and then allowing the Green
Gold to run along edges and into the
lavender. Apply yellow sporadically into
the areas around the tree trunks as an
underwash. Apply the greens in dancing
strokes -- some wet into wet, some
dry -- with the corner of a 1" wash brush.
Paint the leaves positively and negatively.
Use the underwash to express an occasional
gesture by painting around it.
Building the Values Cobalt Blue
is an ideal glaze to darken areas in the
lower front, as well as to push back some
of the area behind the trunks. Use cobalt
blue alone and mixed with Green Gold
to darken the upper trunks. Look carefully
at the gestures of the branches, as
well as at the colors and leaf type.
Finishing Touches The finishing
touches include glazing with Cobalt Blue,
adding more darks, and connecting the
darks in interesting ways to encourage
the eye to move around the painting.
You can use small, repeating strokes to
emphasize directionality and suggest
movement. -- Jan Hart
