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Tag: reference photos

April 21, 2011
Kathy
4 Comments

Last of the Daffodils

Posted in Reference Photos

Last of the Daffodils

The late spring daffodils are in full bloom here in Pennsylvania. It looks like to me, that these are the prettiest and the most colorful daffodils.  I love seeing the bright yellow after a long winter. But my favorite daffodils are blooming now with wonderful pink, orange, yellow, and white centers, and even all white daffodils.

When I paint daffodils, I usually paint the all yellow ones or the yellow with orange centers. My favorite to paint is the yellow with orange gradated centers.  I will have to look at the pink centers and all whites for future paintings. They could make a very pretty painting.  For a black and white drawing that I am working on, I look for a photo that shows a lot of contrast between lights and shadows, rather than color. The 1st photo is the one I am using for current drawing. The drawing is finished, I'll be sure to post it here.  

White daffodil with yellow center

All white daffodils

and from the 2011 Philadelphia Flower Show :

Peachy orange center

Yellow with orange centers

April 15, 2011
Kathy
One Comment

Shell Reference Photos

Posted in Reference Photos

Shell Reference Photos

I'm working on a painting that has shells in it. I have a basket of shells from New England shores and Florida that I pull out for reference.  Sometimes I'll stage them in a tray of sand.  I've even staged them in a tray of sand with flip flops for a painting. You can see a peek at the results on my blog header above. 

I  photograph them as well. When they sit in sunlight it allows me to see the true colors and where the natural highlights and shadows lie .  It's also really helpful to have photos too when something fragile like a shell  is suddenly in pieces on the floor.  While looking for guilty faces, you can still move forward on your painting. 

A really simple way way of photographing them is to lay them on a piece of foam board. The foam board is sturdy enough to move around with the shells to adjust the way the light falls or carry the whole set up outside. I photograph outside in sunlight or set up next to a sunny window.  The white of the foam board allows me to see how the shadows of the shells fall. The piece of sea glass on the lower right photo has an interesting shadow.  Here is some of my shell reference photos:

Shell reference photos

March 6, 2011
Kathy
Comments closed

Signs of Spring

Posted in Uncategorized

Signs of Spring!

I was pretty excited to find the first crocuses this week. In the warmer part of the yard where the sun shines most of the afternoon is where I found the first signs of Spring's arrival! 

First Crocus Flower of Spring

As more crocuses and spring flowers bloom, I'll be outside with my camera and sketchbook to capture their beauty.
Hope you are finding the spring blooms as well!

January 26, 2011
Kathy
Comments closed

Snowy Branches

Posted in Reference Photos

Snowy Branches

Hi Everyone!

More snow today!  The weather forecasters were announcing up to 1 inch of snow and rain. If they had looked out their windows they would have seen over 3 inches and heavy snow!  Sometimes Mother Nature doesn't follow the computer forecast. : – )

Seemed like a good day to take some reference photos for snow, especially snow on tree branches. I've painted several small paintings of snow scenes and it's always good to have good reference photos of how the snow sits on the tree branches. Stronger branches  will hold quite a bit of snow with no slagging. The viburnum is a good example:

             

The snow will sit on the branches and nestle in the crooks and V's of the branches. Pine trees and decorative grasses sag under the weight of snow.  Snow piles on the branches and cause the whole branch to sag under the weight.

                                 

A good understanding of how snow sits on branches with help make a snowy scene painting even better:

Here's a small example.   I'm looking forward to painting more snowy paintings.   Enjoy your day!