Black Lake Variations

I'm still working on the theme of reflections.

Here: two views : same scene.

This first pastel - a warm and sunny,late summer day.

As this was the scene from my campsite,

I had the opportunity to sit comfortably

( for the afternoon)

 and study the changing light and wind.

Clouds and breezes came and went.

Black Lake Summer Day

Then briefly....

 a moment in time...

when the puffy clouds 

were gliding across the sky 

and the water, clear, flat and glossy.

Black Lake Dawn

This second example: a photo...

same scene: early morning.

Again fleeting brief

and on reflection

(excuse the pun)

the photo said it all

no need to get out the pastels!

More Reflections

Still staring into the water!

Leslie Snider - pastel

 

Painting Reflections - Lily Pond

This post takes you through
the steps I used in creating
"The Lily Pond".

Unlike "Across the Pond"  

this has a very shallow sense of depth

 or 3 dimensions.

So it's not technically difficult,

but the key is preparation and planning.

Using the colours (or similar ones)

 from yesterday's palette 

block in one layer of  vibrant colour.

Be bold as it's easier to tone down ,

but impossible to bring back that purity.

There is a lot of blending at this stage

 as we're creating the layer under the water surface.

Blend in the implied direction of the subject,

more vertical for the tree shapes

 and more horizontal for the sky forms.

I include a few of the surface lily pads at this stage

(Orange/ yellow green and blues are compliments 

and will create mud if blended.) 

But keep this layer fairly light as we'll be building on it!

Step 02

Step 02a

Here I'm tucking in the sky colour (blues,greys) 

around the trees to add sparkle

 and make the trees less dense.

Step 03

Next, develop the sky and clouds keeping the edges soft. 

Step 04

Use a light touch to create the  lilypads.

They are ovals (as we're seeing them at an angle)

and I try to emphasis the forward edge. 

Step 05

As the tonal range is limited 

I looked at the design without colour 

to check the compositional flow. 

The lower left corner was a little too vague 

I added some soft sky colour under the lily pads.

The Lily Pond -  Leslie Snider

Final Step

Finally  a few soft accent shadows 

are added under the lily pads.

More could have been done at this stage

 but liked the colour balance and freshness.

Monet is the most famous of waterlily painters

and  I can hardly wait to study his work and ideas.

Two Scenes - one colour palette

The jewel like colours 

of this unusual autumn 

have inspired two versions 

of the same scene.

Across the Lily Pond

You might recognize this scene

 from yesterday's posting.

I've chosen to emphasize

the shimmering water surface

against the clear sky 

and the beginnings of bronze foliage.

The Lily Pond - Leslie Snider

On closer inspection the lily pads 

 created an interesting contrast 

with the sky and trees reflected in the water.

Autumn Photo Roundup

The Boat Launch 2017

Several short trips over the last month 

has enabled me to stock up 

on a few summery photo opportunities.....

they were few and far between 

during our wet, cool July and August.

In October one expects 

the fall colours to dominate

but not this year!

Autumn Leaves 2017

There are many indications that change is in the air

hints of gold and bronze....

Change of Season 2017

Change of Season 2017

But this is contrasted with the lush greens and warm blue skies 

( a result of that moist summer and lingering high temperatures)

.....seen here in filtering into the woods

Autumn Woods 2017 Leslie Snider

......and in this turquoise infused vista.

The Lily Pond - Leslie Snider 2017