Watercolor Escape Saturdays #5

See how to work beyond your photo reference with my free watercolor demo

​NOTE: THIS VIDEO WAS FIRST BROADCASTED ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE. BECAUSE OF THE INTERNET AND BAND USAGE THE IMAGE GETS BLURRY.  SORRY.

I had my fifth Watercolor Escape Saturday on April 18th.  If you are new to this my wife, Marilee and I are committed to broadcasting a Facebook Live every Saturday at noon CST till our lives kinda get back to some type of normal. We want to offer an escape even for an hour or two. 

Reference
THIS WEEKEND'S WATERCOLOR ESCAPE SATURDAY
In this week's blog post I have included the video now on YouTube (edited as a paint-along) and my demo notes. Here's what you will find: 

• The photo reference
•  Pencil drawing on watercolor paper 
• Watercolor paints used
• My book recommendation
• Three steps as a paint-along 
• I added a bonus to the YouTube video – I took a little less than an hour and added more details to create a studio finished painting.​

Click on the button below and it will take you to my Watercolor Escape Saturdays page where you will find April 18th reference and all of my past demos, videos and blog posts.

I am asking a favor would you please like my Facebook page and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thank you.

Down Load Reference Material PDF

Click on the image of my supply list above for a printable supply list

Supplies
​This Facebook Live demo I used the following mostly Qor watercolor paints:

• Sap green
• Ultramarine blue
• Cobalt violet
• Manganese blue
• Raw sepia
• Burnt  sienna 


• Watercolor Paper: 300 lb Indigo

​To learn more about my brushes and tried and true supplies head over to my Supply List & Library page. Click on the Supply List above for my personal  printable supply list. ​

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The Video
​We have edited and added more information to the Facebook Live video. Click on the button and head over to my YouTube channel. Don't forget to subscribe to my page. and leave a comment.

YouTube Paint-Along Video

The Painting
In this demonstration, I wanted to show you how to work beyond your photo reference and be left with the essentials of the photo – making the painting your own. Adding more interest than what's found in the photo through color, mass, and subject matter taking a little artistic licence. 

My main goal of this painting was not only to handle dark masses but to give them interest and weight. This would lead your eye through and around the painting. I also wanted to show you how to create interest with a primary green palette and subject matter. 

Once I got back into the studio after the Facebook Live broadcast I stepped back and studied my painting. I do this quite often laying fresh eyes on the piece. I added some key values and colors to push the viewer's eye around the painting. Also added important detail into the house, selectively added accents and punctuation of color to the dark area of the structure, and adjusted some of the foliage above the TC Steele's home.

Creek in Winter Theodore Clement Steele American 1847–1926 1899 Oil on canvas

The Location
TC Steele State Historic Site
4220 T C Steele Rd,
Nashville,
​Brown County,
IN 47448. MAP
https://tcsteele.org

I enjoy touring TC Steele's house in Brown County, Indiana. Back in 2017, the Indiana State Museum and Historical Sites invited me to give a demonstration of one of his trees he would paint en plein air.  From there I co-judged the Great Outdoor Art Contest.

Take a few minutes and explore TC Steele's website. Make it a point to visit his Art Page. CLICK HERE

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Smithsonian: TC Steele Historical Site
More photos CLICK HERE

The Little Smoky Mountains
Indiana’s Beautiful, Artistic Hill Country
TC Steele's State Historic Site is nestled in beautiful Brown County, IN 

If you have never been to this picturesque area take a few minutes to review this short news article produced by WGNtv. CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

Brown County Fact 
There are more artists per capita than anywhere else in the Midwest. WGNtv did a beautiful news story about Brown County titled 'The Little Smoky Mountains: Indiana's beautiful, artistic hill country.' If you have never been to Brown County, IN take a few minutes to review this enchanting place.

Midwest Living Magazine
​Brown County, Indiana: There is something for everyone. Hiking, biking or lazy car rides the Midwest magazine gives you suggestions for your next trip to southern Indiana. A Colorful One hour from downtown Indianapolis, Brown County’s fall show continues to captivate visitors more than a century after artists first fell under its spell.
READ MORE

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Photo courtesy Midwest Living magazine - Click on the photo to read the article

​In My Library
​Here's another must have book in your studio. I refer to this book for creative inspiration when painting landscapes. I personally know Lyn Letsinger-Miller and she is a multi-talented woman who's vast knowledge and love of the Brown County art movement shines through. 

From the early 1900s through the 1940s, the scenic hill country of Brown County, Indiana, was home to a flourishing colony of artists who migrated there from urban areas of the Midwest. Now back in print, The Artists of Brown County, first published in 1994, is the classic book on the history of this remarkable art colony.

Following an introduction to "Peaceful Valley," as the area was affectionately called, chapters are devoted to 16 of the artists, including three couples: T. C. Steele, Will Vawter, Gustave Baumann, Dale Bessire, the photographer Frank M. Hohenberger, Adolph Shulz and Ada Walter Shulz, L. O. Griffith, V. J. Cariani and Marie Goth, Carl C. Graf and Genevieve Goth Graf, Edward K. Williams, Georges LaChance, C. Curry Bohm, and Glen Cooper Henshaw. Lavish color reproductions of the artists' work accompany the biographical sketches. Rachel Berenson Perry's introduction places the Brown County art colony within the broader context of American regional art.

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Buy Hard Cover Here

Buy Paperback Here

​In Conclusion
That's it for now. I hope we will see you next Saturday at noon CST on my Facebook page for another Watercolor Escape Saturdays. 

Remember to leave a comment below, tell me what you think and what you would like to see in the future.
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Wash your hands and clean your brushes,
​Dale