October Colour

A few outdoor sketches

celebrating fall colour.

Again working with pastel pencils

and a limited palette.....

trying to simplify the equipment!

 

September at the Lake

Three sketches 

from our most recent trip 

to the lake.

Experimenting with pastel pencils

as they are more portable 

and not as fragile as soft pastels.

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

 

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

Summer Greens

Summer Greens  - Leslie Snider

A pastel sketch enjoying the pure,bright greens of early summer!

Colour Palette for Summer Greens

Shoreline Studies 2018

Two new pastel studies, 

revisiting the shoreline.

On a warm and sunny, spring day

it's immensely satisfying

 to stand ankle deep in water and

study the rocks and wave action.

Shoreline Study - 2018 - Leslie Snider

Shoreline Study - 2018 - Leslie Snider

Shoreline Study - 2018 - Leslie Snider

Shoreline Study - 2018 - Leslie Snider

Both examples on simple, toned drawing papers, 

the first "Toned Tan" and the second "Toned Gray"

(Strathmore brand)

 Richeson (brand) pastels.

Winter Scenes

I've finally succumbed to winter.......with a a couple of  sketches........ 

the first two on coloured drawing paper with pastel pencil/pastel.

Winter Scene -  Leslie Snider

Broken - Leslie Snider

This last a pastel on Uart400 paper.

Leslie Snider  - Winter

 

Trunks and Leaves

Although tree trunks 

figure prominently

 in this pastel

 the subject was actually

 "leaves".

Here at the beginning of autumn,

the foliage is dense and lively.

But hints of the impending 

seasonal changes 

are peaking out here and there. 

Movement throughout 

is carried by the vivid greens. 

Forest Interior - Leslie Snider

Marsh Variation

I'm constantly fascinated by marshes.

The combination of water, sky, vegetation and wildlife 

under various light and seasonal conditions

makes for constant surprises.

This example shows the effect of rain, 

cooling down the colours of the foliage.

The only hint of warmth 

is the pink of the sunrise 

reflecting in the water.

Marsh Variation - Leslie Snider

Here is an example from earlier this year,

also early morning, overcast and moody

 but with out the effect of rain.

Marsh Variation - Leslie Snider

 

Rocky Shoreline Series part 01

In August you'll find most people 

enjoying sandy beaches 

 but I'm drawn to the shorelines

where water and rock meet dramatically.

This visit prompted 

(what inadvertently became)

a series of pastels 

looking more closely 

at that fascinating landscape.

This first example is a sketch on

 " Brown Recycled Rough Sketch Paper "

(Michaels Craft Store).

It doesn't lend itself to fussing around

but really grabs the pastel

so it's great for quick ideas. 

Rocky Shoreline 01

With a bird's eye view

I concentrated 

on the bold contrast

 of black rock

and foamy surf. 

On closer inspection

I needed my camera to capture

the interesting patterns of surf and rock.

(Couldn't do this without a digital camera)

as you can be free 

to snap and snap and snap again,

until you capture the moment!

Rocky Shoreline 02

This pastel was on a finer grained,

 toned pastel paper (smooth).

"Strathmore".

There is a subtle difference.

More opportunity 

to tune into the nuance

 of colour and tonal contrasts.

Autumn's Encore

Japanese Maple 2016- Leslie Snider

Tucked away in the corner of my garden

this pastel illustrates autumn's last flash of brilliance.

If you think this must be an exaggeration 

have a look at my source photos. 

Remnants of the Past

Remnant of the Canadian Shield - Leslie Snider

Many walking trails radiate from Kingston.

These sections of the K&P trail 

feature a couple of interesting

 geological features.

The first peaks out across grassy fields

 and is an ancient remnant of the Canadian Shield. 

Limestone Outcrop - Leslie Snider

This second pastel sketch 

features one of many limestone outcrops.

More info here:

 

A Summer Walk

Wild Flowers  - Leslie Snider

 Before this summer's long dry spell put an end 

to the lush colours of summer ,

I took a few photos 

and was inspired 

to try this pastel sketch.

Patches of wildflowers 

accompany the pathways 

along Kingston trails.

But peeking into the shadows 

also produces interesting results!

 

Shoreline Studies in Pastel

Southern Ontario is experiencing 

a long, hot, dry, 

 spell of summer weather.

Time to decamp to the seaside!

Shoreline Pastel 2016- Leslie Snider

 

 

 

This pastel study was done on a calm day, 

The crystal, clear water 

allowed the light to penetrate

 and reflect the submerged rocks. 

Shoreline Pastel 2016- Leslie Snider

Here the wind has picked up

 creating frothy turbulence

 and opaque shadows.

 

Pencil to Pastel

Adapting a gray toned pencil sketch 

into colour (pastel)

is like a translating a conversation 

from one language to another.

 In my sketch I was interested 

in exploring the textural contrasts of shapes and line

( the softly curving ferns versus the vertical grasses and trees).

There is also an indication of filtered light in the upper third.

When I adapted these ideas into colour

interesting changes became necessary.

Those strong verticals 

(grasses and red brown tree trunks)

 dominated the composition

so I increased the number of ferns 

and allowed them to carry the eye into the background.

The filtered light

prevents the tree trunks 

from being too dominate

and pulls the eye back down 

to the forest floor.

Enjoying Summer

Landscape sketch in watercolour / mixed media.

Variations on a Theme - symmetrical / asymmetrical balance

This first example, 

a pastel from 2013 

was an experiment 

in symmetrical balance.

The picture frame is divided diagonally between rocky foreground and waves.

The circular formation of the rocks is echoed by the splashes.

Colour and textural contrasts complete the design.

 

This second piece is watercolour 

and a looser, more abstract approach 

allowed for a more asymmetrical design.

Smaller areas of concentrated colour

are balanced against 

large areas of foamy, pale whites.

The whole is tied together 

by the diagonal band of darks, shadowy rocks 

merging into deep blue water. 

Both pieces were based on a series of my photos.

Digital cameras allow for a great deal of leeway 

when it comes to composing pictures.

Even a mid-range camera

 provides the opportunity

 for cropping and zooming 

in on interesting details.

 

Positive / Negative Space

This poor old bush struggling for survival, 

at first appeared to be a rather uninspiring subject. 

However after some cropping 

and further thought 

I started to see an idea emerge.....

the interplay of positive /negative use of space.

In the top half of the sketch 

I used the traditional 

light (leaves) against dark (background).

While on the bottom half 

the shadowy darks play against the light reflections.

I worked on a midtone pastel paper 

with watercolour pencils and crayons 

to enhance the contrast.

Although as I review this post
I think perhaps the cropped photo 
is more successful than the sketch.
In the photo the bright greens 
allow the top to be slightly more dominant 
giving the eye a place to rest 
whereas in the sketch
both halves are equally strong
making it somewhat unsettling.

Such is life!

Sketchbook - Woodlands 2014

 Two watercolour sketches from last summer.

In this one I'm exploring 

the contrast between old bark 

and the delicate undergrowth of ferns and vines.

If you watch kids on a woodland hike 

they spend a lot of time looking at the ground

...good idea!

There's interesting stuff below our feet.

Morning Light

Two more experiments 

(in pastel) 

of light filtering through trees.

This first is taken from a sketch based on an early morning walk.

Edge of the field in morning light.

In this detail 

you can see why I like pastel. 

It's very effective in trying to capture

 ...atmosphere.

If you watch a sunrise  (here in Southern Ontario) 

at certain times of the year (spring and fall)

you will often see the sky 

change from a dark, clear, night sky 

to one with a variety of soft, cool /warm variations.

As the sun rises and warms the air

 clouds forms high in the sky

while mists and fog form close to the ground

disappearing as quickly as they appear.

Rising Mist

Sunlit Marsh

The first snow fall of the season 

has given a powdery dusting

 to the view from my studio window 

so the warmth of autumn 

is a tempting distraction.

This small pastel 

was based on some photos 

I took last fall 

of an impending storm.

Although ominous clouds 

threaten in the distance ahead,

strong sunlight from behind me

 highlighted the golden grasses 

spreading out across 

the windswept foreground.

If you look closely you will see these grasses 

are phragmites, an invasive species 

taking over Ontario marshlands.

In my sketch they have become cattails, 

a similar but less innocuous plant.