Fall Abstract

 

I came across this painting a few years ago, when I was looking for examples of negative painting.  I loved the shapes, the colors, and the composition.  I don't remember who the artist was, so I can't give him/her credit.  

I thought that I would exercise my "fair use for educational purposes" and use this painting for our lesson today, but changing it to fall colors.  This way we get to practice negative painting, do a cool (actually warm) fall abstract, and make it a bit different so we aren't exactly copying.

I hate how my drawing photographs.  I could get a much better image using my scanner, but the whole thing won't fit.  Anyway, I pretty much drew what I saw for the larger trunks and branches, but the smaller ones varied a bit.  

Because each section is separated by white, I didn't have to wait for anything to dry.  I used three different yellows, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, and Yellow Ochre.  And two different reds - Cadmium Red and Alizarin Crimson.  Sometimes alone, sometimes mixed, sometimes darker, and sometimes more water was used to lighten.  I put salt in some - but not all - while the were still damp.  Because I painted it all in one shot, I didn't stop to take photos of each step, but I think you can easily see what  did.  Have fun with this.  You can use a some browns in it too, if you like.  You can even sneak in a little blue or purple if you want and it works for your painting.