Demonstration
Step 6
I set aside some of the grey mix on the palette and added lots of water until I made a pale grey. The sunlight coming in from behind the trees illuminates the path at the far end so I chose to leave this white. Using the No. 10 brush, I ran a little clear water along the horizontal path behind the trees and extended it down the main path to where the seat is positioned. I then filled the brush with the watery grey and ran it across the entire area of the path. I kept filling the brush with paint and sweeping it across from side to side, gradually working towards the foreground. In this way, I avoided overbrushing or creating watermarks.
The verge to the left was painted using the Round No. 6 and a blend of the light green. I began at the far end and gradually worked towards the foreground, adding successive touches of grey and burnt umber. The intensity of the darker colours increased as I worked forwards. I also left little flashes of white paper to represent the dappled light. Again, I carefully painted around the seat.
For the shadows on the grass to the right, it was important to mix the right shade so I added water to the dark green mix and kept testing it on another piece of paper until it was right. I filled the Round No. 8 brush and, starting at the back, gradually worked the shadows towards the foreground, leaving patches of light green showing to represent the dappled light. I then added burnt umber and dark grey in front of the large tree.
I drew a patchwork of dappled light areas on the path with a soft pencil.
Step 7
I prepared a mix of the grey, which was tested for intensity on a separate piece of paper. I filled the Round No. 6 and painted the shadows on the path, avoiding the patches of dappled light. I began at the back, gradually working forwards and continually filling the brush with paint to ensure an even transition from one area to another.
When I reached the area at the end of the verges, I switched to the Round No. 10 so I could fill up the foreground shadow areas quickly.
Step 8
I used burnt umber with a little ultramarine added to create the colour for the seat. I observed parts that were catching the sunlight and left them unpainted. I used a lighter mix for the back of the seat and some of the front panels and a stronger mix for the dark areas away from the light.
For the wall to the left of the tree, I simply filled it up with the grey mix and dabbed in burnt umber and a stronger grey mix, making it darker and more intense towards the base. I left a thin strip at the top and a few patches here and there to represent light catching the wall.
Step 9
The two main trees to the right of the path were painted using exactly the same method. The more distant of the two was completed first with the dark paint guided between the foliage to create the negative-painting effect.
1 I made a large well of the grey mix with plenty of water and another well with a much stronger and thicker version of the same colour. Using the Round No. 10, I filled the entire trunk then touched patches of the dark green and burnt umber here and there.
2 I filled the brush with copious amounts of the dark grey mix and stroked it down the left-hand side, in the forks of the branch, down the other side and down to the bottom, close to the ground. I painted coarse areas down the edge of the tree with the dark paint. This was all done quickly whilst the original grey mix was still wet. I left the wet paint to settle and merge naturally. I washed the brush and dabbed the excess water out of it then finished the blending by gently feathering the brush up and down the tree trunk.
3 The tree bark lines were painted with the Rigger using a strong dark grey mix. I practised first on a separate piece of paper to see how best to emulate the pattern created by the rough bark (see last month). Finally,
I used the dark grey and a Rigger to paint angular twigs and branches throughout the canopy, taking care to paint them mainly in between the foliage, although some were painted over the top.