TIMMS' FINE ART GALLERY

TIMMS' FINE ART GALLERY
MARILYN TIMMS FINE ART

Courtenay, BC CANADA
Telephone: (250) 334-1054

Demo Index Home Page Paintings Timms Workshops Links Page

Trees in Acrylic
with Marilyn TIMMS SFCA SCA

Subject Photo:



Step #1:
Layer #1:
Using a piece of thin willow charcoal, we carefully and tidily drew in our basic shapes from the subject photo. Putting the subject upside down and drawing it upside down seemed to help get the proportions more accurate. Using matte medium, we sealed the charcoal in place.
Layer #2:
Combining our darkest pigments (prussian blue, alizarin crimson, dioxazine violet and yellow ochre), we carefully blocked in our darkest darks, linking them together wherever possible and trying to keep them to scale.



Step #2:
Area #1:
Using brush strokes that followed the growth of the large tree formation and bright, varied colour, the bulk of the trees were painted in. Note that we focussed on the outline of the large shape and NOT on individual trees. Where they met the very dark shapes, the colours were blended in to join them together. The shapes were painted a little larger than life to allow us to present details and craft the fine branch shapes later on.
Area #2:
Joining the dark area at the base of the tree formation, a cold green was used the depict the upper edge of the grassy hill and the cast shadows that crossed this grassy area. This green was the warmed up with more yellow and placed where need be. Care was taken to use brush strokes that followed the contour of the slope using a larger brush and creamy paint.
Area #3:
Starting from a yellow ochre (or raw sienna) mixture, the rocky area was broken up with loose, choppy brush strokes.

Step #3:
Area #1:
The darker distant hillside was painted from cooler at the top to warmer at the base and adding pieces and small areas of pure pigment to suggest houses and stands of forest etc. When the hill approached the tree mass on the right, it was carefully sliced in between or inside the tree branches. This created the illusion of fine bare trees with the distant land visible between.
Area #2:
Using a slightly lighter version of the previous colour, the dark ruffled water was depicted, along with the shadow on the meadow and some of the rocks below it. Area #3:
Taking the previous colour combination even lighter, the more distant hill was painted in. This layer was paint was used to "sawtooth" the upper edge of the darker hill by pulling the paint down slightly with a very small brush. Where the hill disappeared visually, we blended in white paint to "lose" the shape. This lighter colour was also applied in the water to fill in next to the darker areas.
Area #4:
Finally, we scrumbled in some detail into the rocks below, being careful to keep warmer colours in the nearer areas and let them become cooler in temperature as they moved into the distance. This helped our stretch of rocky jetty to lay down properly on the picture plane.

Step #4:
Area #1:
Using slight colour added to mostly white and changing the colour as it moved from the top of the canvas down, the sky area went from light blue grey down to more yellow-grey. Where it touched the edge of the mass of trees, a smaller brush was used to drag thin lines of light sky-colour between the spikey shapes to crisp the edges and split apart the shapes to create "sky holes".
Where this touched the top of the distant land mass, the special "thumb-tool" was used to rub the edge here and there to "lose" its hardness.
Area #2:
The warmer yellow/white was placed in the middle ground water area (behind the mass of trees) and in between the darker mauve areas in the foreground water. This white paint was "scumbled" (dragged lightly) across the mauve areas to suggest reflections.
Area #3:
A lighter warm ochre colour was placed over the very white foreground tree trunks to help them blend into the rest of the tree mass, then this same paint was rolled off the round brush into the mass above those shapes to suggest adjacent foliage.

MARILYN TIMMS FINE ART

Courtenay, BC CANADA
Telephone: (250) 334-1054

Email: click here

Demo Index Home Page Paintings Timms Workshops Links Page


	Subject Photo:

	Step #1: Layer #1: Using a piece of thin willow charcoal, we carefully and tidily drew in our basic shapes from the subject photo. Putting the subject upside down and drawing it upside down seemed to help get the proportions more accurate. Using matte medium, we sealed the charcoal in place. Layer #2: Combining our darkest pigments (prussian blue, alizarin crimson, dioxazine violet and yellow ochre), we carefully blocked in our darkest darks, linking them together wherever possible and trying to keep them to scale.

	Step #2: Area #1: Using brush strokes that followed the growth of the large tree formation and bright, varied colour, the bulk of the trees were painted in. Note that we focussed on the outline of the large shape and NOT on individual trees. Where they met the very dark shapes, the colours were blended in to join them together. The shapes were painted a little larger than life to allow us to present details and craft the fine branch shapes later on. Area #2: Joining the dark area at the base of the tree formation, a cold green was used the depict the upper edge of the grassy hill and the cast shadows that crossed this grassy area. This green was the warmed up with more yellow and placed where need be. Care was taken to use brush strokes that followed the contour of the slope using a larger brush and creamy paint. Area #3: Starting from a yellow ochre (or raw sienna) mixture, the rocky area was broken up with loose, choppy brush strokes.

	Step #3: Area #1: The darker distant hillside was painted from cooler at the top to warmer at the base and adding pieces and small areas of pure pigment to suggest houses and stands of forest etc. When the hill approached the tree mass on the right, it was carefully sliced in between or inside the tree branches. This created the illusion of fine bare trees with the distant land visible between. Area #2: Using a slightly lighter version of the previous colour, the dark ruffled water was depicted, along with the shadow on the meadow and some of the rocks below it. Area #3: Taking the previous colour combination even lighter, the more distant hill was painted in. This layer was paint was used to "sawtooth" the upper edge of the darker hill by pulling the paint down slightly with a very small brush. Where the hill disappeared visually, we blended in white paint to "lose" the shape. This lighter colour was also applied in the water to fill in next to the darker areas. Area #4: Finally, we scrumbled in some detail into the rocks below, being careful to keep warmer colours in the nearer areas and let them become cooler in temperature as they moved into the distance. This helped our stretch of rocky jetty to lay down properly on the picture plane.

	Step #4: Area #1: Using slight colour added to mostly white and changing the colour as it moved from the top of the canvas down, the sky area went from light blue grey down to more yellow-grey. Where it touched the edge of the mass of trees, a smaller brush was used to drag thin lines of light sky-colour between the spikey shapes to crisp the edges and split apart the shapes to create "sky holes". Where this touched the top of the distant land mass, the special "thumb-tool" was used to rub the edge here and there to "lose" its hardness. Area #2: The warmer yellow/white was placed in the middle ground water area (behind the mass of trees) and in between the darker mauve areas in the foreground water. This white paint was "scumbled" (dragged lightly) across the mauve areas to suggest reflections. Area #3: A lighter warm ochre colour was placed over the very white foreground tree trunks to help them blend into the rest of the tree mass, then this same paint was rolled off the round brush into the mass above those shapes to suggest adjacent foliage.