On The Farm

The Splitcoaststampers Tuesday Color Challenge provided me with an opportunity to try my hand at another hand painted project. The required  colors to use were burgundy, hunter green and saffron. When I saw the challenge I instantly thought about a rustic barn scene with dark green evergreen trees in the scene.

I lightly pencil sketched the large evergreen tree and barn on my paper and then brushed water over the paper preparing it to accept the paint. I made a dark blue wash and painted in the sky area and around the top of the barn and then mixed a light hunter wash and painted in the the ground area.  I used the side of a large round brush to apply both of these colors toleave open places of white to so I could apply the yellow saffron to the sky area and some brown in the ground area and heat dried the paint. I mixed a paint combination of red and burnt umber to create my burgundy color and lightly painted in the barn area using a small round brush.  I combined blue, red and raw sienna to create the light shade of black and used a rigger brush to paint the roof line, barn door and window and to create the appearance of barn siding. I heat dried in between each of these steps. I notice that I get a little to heavy handed when I outline an image and it gives too much of a cartoon appearance. That is a goal for me to concentrate on for my future projects.

I used a small round brush to apply hunter green to the large evergreen tree as well as two trees in the left hand corner and heat dried. I mixed the dark hunter with the some of my black mixture and painted on the branches using my rigger brush. Note…a rigger brush has long, thin bristles and is the perfect tool to paint fine thin lines.  I created a light gray and painted in the silo and then framed it in with the light black paint mixture and heat dried.  I was not so happy with my attempt but softened the lines by adding smooshed touches of brown (is smooshed a painting term?).

Using a large round brush I painted on light shades of brown to create the working area around the barn. I guess I think of no grass growing in an area where the tractor drives in and out of the barn as well as all other activities that would tend to leave the  ground bare.  I added touches of brown to the grass areas on both sides of the barn but lots of it got covered up when I decided to frame in my scene.  I used the rigger brush to paint in the little wire fence in the background. I wanted to create a bit of a glow over the barn, tree and ground area so I painted a light wash of the saffron mixture.  It is amazing to me how a little light wash of yellow or orange can make images come to life.

I enjoy working with rustic images and am always on the look out for stamps to play with.  I love watering cans, flower carts, fences, birdhouses, etc. I do not think I could ever give up my wonderful stamped images but it is so much fun to attempt creating them myself.

Stamps:  Sanded Background

Paper:  Arches 140 lb. Cold Pressed Grain Fin Watercolor, Hunter Green

Paint:  Cerulean Blue,French Aquamarine Blue, Burnt Umber,Golden Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Chromium Green, Light Red, Raw Sienna, Permanent Rose, Chinese White, Paynes Gray,

Accessories:  Brushes- Large Round # 7, Small Round #4, Large Flat, Rigger, Gingham, Nestabilities,