For this exercise, I chose a photo of the Fullmer Falls in Pennsylvania, USA, that I had found on Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fulmer_Falls_Downstream_View_1800px.jpg). I particularly liked how the composition included different kinds of moving water and different distances: A flat, fast stream in the foreground that curled around some stones and wood, in the middle ground a little pond with almost still water, and behind this the waterfall with fast, vertically moving water. I also liked the subdued tones of dark green and grey tones, which still had a lot of contrast.

I started with a pencil sketch to help me study the composition and some details, and then made a first watercolour sketch of the middle section only. I painted the water wet in wet, using a sponge to take off colour and create swirls. To improve contrasts, I added a purple tone to the stones, a green tone to the water, and browns for branches. I got a bit distracted from the water by the details of the branches to the right. I think what worked well in this painting was the coloured grey tones and the depiction of the moving water. I think I captured a bit of the energy.

   
pencil sketch, 30 x 23 cm
watercolour sketch, 24 x 34 cm

To study the wood a bit closer, I made detail pencil sketches of the thin branches to the right and the thicker wood in the middle of that section (sketchbook, 23 x 30 cm). I wanted to capture how the light fell on the branches and created those black and white patterns and deep contrasts. I found the second sketch was no improvement over the first and realized that I was at the limit of my ability, because I wasn’t able to visually disentangle the interwoven branches. I think this problem has to do with my deteriorating eyesight. I was quite frustrated and unsure how I could proceed. I took a break and on the next day, I decided to take a looser approach – not attempting to depict the details and shapes exactly, but looking at the general pattern and types of contrast.

So I deliberately changed my focus for the next painting, approaching it in a more generous way. I was quite satisfied with the result because I found it was not overworked, and I liked the looser style.

Fullmer Falls, PA, watercolour on paper, 54.5 x 36 cm, May 2014

Some distraction: The lily on my terrace

For a change, I studied the lily on my terrace that was beginning to bloom. One day, I made a pencil sketch of the buds, and a few days later a drawing with inktense pencils and wash (both in sketchbook, 23 x 30 cm). I think the coloured drawing is a bit too tight, but I liked working with the pencils. I used a refillable water brush for the wash and found the technique quite nice for outdoors excursions. The colours from inktense pencils become very intense when worked out with water, and the water brush is a small tool that I could take with me easily.