Newsletter October, 2004 A Free Newsletter for Those Who Love to Paint

Color of the Month

Lemon Yellow

A cool yellow with a greenish cast. I do not use it often since I find it a little harsh. The only times I do find myself using it is when I want to put very bright highlights on dark green leaves. Lightening green with yellow keeps it from getting chalky. Even then I almost always add some of the base green to it first. Most brands of lemon yellow have high tinting strength so you only need a little. Most brands are opaque so keep that in mind when you choose to use it.

Tool of the Month

Baby Food Jars

These small glass bottles that seal well are quickly becoming a thing of the past as manufacturers change over to plastic containers. If you have some keep them! Get some while you can. They are perfect for transporting small amounts of thinner and/or medium. Since they are breakable, you have to be a careful, I usually put a couple in a zip freezer bag, just an extra level of protection. If you mix a large amount of paint you can store it. So find someone with a little mouth to feed and get them to save you a dozen jars or two. You will have some handy jars for a when you need a small container.

My Grass Is Not Green

Between too much sun, not enough water or just not ideal conditions most everyone's grass is not a perfect green velvet lawn. So when you are painting grass remember that even pampered golf courses are not just green.

Look carefully and you will see many warm colors hiding in the grass, not only the warm soil but also the golden blades past their prime as well as the violet shadows plus the colors of the dandelions and clover.

When I paint a grassy area I begin by giving the canvas a few swipes of burnt sienna. Even though the soil where I live is sandy and I could use a raw sienna shade I like the energy from the contrast of burnt sienna. I then mix a shadow color of burnt sienna and ultramarine (or the most dominant blue in the painting) and place that in the areas that will be shaded plus some lines to define the undulations of the ground. Only then do I begin to add my greens using at least three values: a dark, medium and light. I finish with some golden highlights usually a value of yellow ochre that works with the lighting in my painting.

I use this same scheme for lawns, marshes and other areas of greenery. If the soil is wet I will substitute burnt umber for the sienna and keep my values darker in general.

No matter what your style, by adding warm colors to your grass you will add richness, depth and realism to you paintings.

Samples sample of grasses sample of marsh

Sample Palette

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