Demonstration
Step 3
1 Using mixes of Payne’s grey, burnt umber, blue and a little yellow, I painted the darkest of the tree trunks.
The lighter tree trunks were painted using white with a little blue and raw umber.
2 Using the texture of the paper and stronger colours mixed from the same basic browns and greens, I started painting detail on the trunks using the dry-brush technique of gently pulling the brush over the surface. This allowed the colour to break up on the paper’s texture.
3 With dark mixes of Payne’s grey and yellow, I created the very dark foliage colour, which was applied using the tip of the No. 3 Round brush. I dotted in the colour for the foliage and blocked it in lower down for the undergrowth below the trees. Note how the dark behind the light tree trunks pushes them forward as does the light greens behind the dark trunks.
Step 4
1 Using the dotting technique and various shades of our basic green mix, I continued painting the foliage. All the greens were created from the blue and yellow with the addition of Payne’s grey for the darkest tones, raw umber for the earthier tones, and white here and there. For the smaller leaves, I used the No. 3 Round, and the No. 6 for the larger ones. Techniques can be taught, however, the patience needed for certain paintings is attained gradually.
The result is worth the effort of persistence!
2 The light against dark and dark against light principle – chiaroscuro – is important for this scene, as is working from the distance to the foreground, building up the foliage in layers.
The bridge was painted with a mix of white, a little raw umber and a touch of blue to make a pale grey.
Step 5
Continuing the dotting technique, I strengthened the darker and lighter tones behind the trees then continued to build up the foliage above the bridge and over the trees. The larger foreground leaves on the left were painted using a significantly bluer green with the lightest leaves having a lot more white in the mix.
2 The branches in the centre were painted using the No. 2
Rigger and a mix of grey and blue of fluid consistency.
3 Using three tonal value mixes of Payne’s grey, primary red, blue and white I painted the pathway at the far left. The area of the two banks were blocked in with dark shades of the basic green on the left and with grey added to the mixes on the right.
4 Having re-visited the foliage tonal values behind the trees,
I felt I needed to lighten some of the highlights, darken some of the shadow sides of the trunks, and darken some of the foliage around the handrails of the bridge.
Step 6
1 I added more light foliage on the righthand side and darkened some of the foliage on the left-hand side of the painting.
2 Using the 3/8in. Tree and Texture brush I stippled lighter and darker greens onto the bank and rocks on the left.
3 With various tonal mixes of Payne’s grey, raw umber, blue and white, I painted the rocks. Using a certain amount of artistic licence, I placed light rocks against darker ones and vice versa.
4 The water was blocked in with shades of dirty blues mixed from blue, white and varying quantities of raw umber.
Step 7
1 Again, using the Tree and Texture brush I stippled contrasting greens on the rocks and bank on the left-hand side.
2 Using contrasting tonal value greens, I painted more leaves on the foliage low on the right-hand side and ferns on the left and right-hand banks. I also added more leaves to the lower part of the closest tree on the left and created a little more variation in tone on the mossy rocks.
3 Using the Rigger I painted the grasses on the left and right-hand banks, and stippled in a little more suggestion of grass on the top of the left-hand bank.
4 Finally, using the No. 3 Round brush and the dry-brush technique I added foam to the disturbed surface of the stream, initially with a blue-grey made using blue, white and a touch of Payne’s grey. When this was dry, I dry brushed lighter shades and finally, using almost pure white, I put in the foaming water catching the light. I lifted some up to form the foam splashing up the rocks and running down between rocks to show the flow of the water. 5 I signed the painting with the Rigger brush in a pale blue-green.