COMPOSITION PRACTICE #1, PART 3

    At last, we finish this first composition practice with the tree. Notice that it has changed a great deal from the initial outline of trunk and 4 main branches. That's because the branches are developed and split into finer details directly with a brush tip or a fine brush for that purpose. Two or 3 values of brown-beiges can be mixed. Apply the lighter color along the sides of the tree, and base roots. With the darker value, suggest the start of shadowing along tree side or sides, and branches. With that color expand the branches with thin sketching lines to other parts of the drawing and expand those lines into smaller ones once or twice for each branch. The tree will not contain leaves, so the line design of the branches is its end form. Notice that the area for the tree trunk was left open during the other wash applications, except for that of the sky. The branches will become darker there, but avoiding the washes of water and mountains behind the tree permits clearer first applications for the tree in those overlapping areas.

    Your final tree renderings can be as colorful as you like. This image has a gray/purple light value, green middle value and brown/black dark value. A few washes of the light value are added to the trunk and branches for shadows. The green just touches small areas in upper, middle and lower trunk. The darkest value details edges and fine branch endings.

    So as you can see, a little color, overlays of darker intensities, and darkest value details can effect very colorful outcomes. The exercise was to experience mixing and applying color washes, controlling their intensity with water, learning to add deeper color quality when washes were wet or dry, handling the brush for wash, stroke, and detail watercolor applications, and painting in different composition areas to avoid unwanted color runs.

    Ready for one more grouped object practice? This last one offers some new brush handling methods and a large rock strata composition. See COMPOSITION 2 a look and a try.