This page has found a new home

Finding February Colours

Blogger 301 Redirect Plugin /* Header ----------------------------------------------- */ @media all { #header { width:660px; margin:0 auto 10px; border:1px solid #ccc; } } @media handheld { #header { width:90%; } } #blog-title { margin:5px 5px 0; padding:20px 20px .25em; border:1px solid #eee; border-width:1px 1px 0; font-size:200%; line-height:1.2em; font-weight:normal; color:#666; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.2em; } #blog-title a { color:#666; text-decoration:none; } #blog-title a:hover { color:#c60; } #description { margin:0 5px 5px; padding:0 20px 20px; border:1px solid #eee; border-width:0 1px 1px; max-width:700px; font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.2em; color:#999; } /* Content ----------------------------------------------- */ @media all { #content { width:660px; margin:0 auto; padding:0; text-align:left; } #main { width:410px; float:left; } #sidebar { width:220px; float:right; } } @media handheld { #content { width:90%; } #main { width:100%; float:none; } #sidebar { width:100%; float:none; } } /* Headings ----------------------------------------------- */ h2 { margin:1.5em 0 .75em; font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.2em; color:#999; } /* Posts ----------------------------------------------- */ @media all { .date-header { margin:1.5em 0 .5em; } .post { margin:.5em 0 1.5em; border-bottom:1px dotted #ccc; padding-bottom:1.5em; } } @media handheld { .date-header { padding:0 1.5em 0 1.5em; } .post { padding:0 1.5em 0 1.5em; } } .post-title { margin:.25em 0 0; padding:0 0 4px; font-size:140%; font-weight:normal; line-height:1.4em; color:#c60; } .post-title a, .post-title a:visited, .post-title strong { display:block; text-decoration:none; color:#c60; font-weight:normal; } .post-title strong, .post-title a:hover { color:#333; } .post div { margin:0 0 .75em; line-height:1.6em; } p.post-footer { margin:-.25em 0 0; color:#ccc; } .post-footer em, .comment-link { font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } .post-footer em { font-style:normal; color:#999; margin-right:.6em; } .comment-link { margin-left:.6em; } .post img { padding:4px; border:1px solid #ddd; } .post blockquote { margin:1em 20px; } .post blockquote p { margin:.75em 0; } /* Comments ----------------------------------------------- */ #comments h4 { margin:1em 0; font:bold 78%/1.6em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.2em; color:#999; } #comments h4 strong { font-size:130%; } #comments-block { margin:1em 0 1.5em; line-height:1.6em; } #comments-block dt { margin:.5em 0; } #comments-block dd { margin:.25em 0 0; } #comments-block dd.comment-timestamp { margin:-.25em 0 2em; font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } #comments-block dd p { margin:0 0 .75em; } .deleted-comment { font-style:italic; color:gray; } /* Sidebar Content ----------------------------------------------- */ #sidebar ul { margin:0 0 1.5em; padding:0 0 1.5em; border-bottom:1px dotted #ccc; list-style:none; } #sidebar li { margin:0; padding:0 0 .25em 15px; text-indent:-15px; line-height:1.5em; } #sidebar p { color:#666; line-height:1.5em; } /* Profile ----------------------------------------------- */ #profile-container { margin:0 0 1.5em; border-bottom:1px dotted #ccc; padding-bottom:1.5em; } .profile-datablock { margin:.5em 0 .5em; } .profile-img { display:inline; } .profile-img img { float:left; padding:4px; border:1px solid #ddd; margin:0 8px 3px 0; } .profile-data { margin:0; font:bold 78%/1.6em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } .profile-data strong { display:none; } .profile-textblock { margin:0 0 .5em; } .profile-link { margin:0; font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } /* Footer ----------------------------------------------- */ #footer { width:660px; clear:both; margin:0 auto; } #footer hr { display:none; } #footer p { margin:0; padding-top:15px; font:78%/1.6em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } /* Feeds ----------------------------------------------- */ #blogfeeds { } #postfeeds { }

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Finding February Colours

Nothing much has changed in the garden over the last few weeks, although there are one or two tiny white blossoms on the wild cherry. It’s easy to look out on our fledgling browny-green garden,  for the 8th week since January,  and not be too inspired, so I thought I should make a few colour notes, looking much harder at what is there and seeing what colours I can find.
Although it really is predominantly green and brown, the browns go from yellow to russet to greeny and to the deepest mahogany red.
The greens vary from soft yellow green, to olive and from the blue greens of the sage and lavender to the bright yellow greens of some of the struggling foliage.
By the pond are pinky terracotta pots, bluish purple stones and sandy coloured paving slabs.
Dead twigs and plant stalks which I left for something to look at and for bird perching are pale straw colour, black, dark brown or a gingery red.
Instead of worrying about drawing accurately I just noted down colours and shapes. It’s a good exercise in looking for colour when there doesn’t seem to be very much. Photos flatten colour so much. You see so much more if you are in front of your subject.
The results are sometimes abstract, but I know exactly what I was looking at.
image 
Under the Magnolia tree. 
image 
The stone by the herb bed with sage and twigs
image
The fence at the back and my neighbours house. A bit more obvious! Because, perhaps, I am further away. She has a lovely and well established garden. Ours is still new and struggling.
image
Another herb bed with rosemary and paving slabs and the ubiquitous blackbird.
image
Pond edge, with magnolia buds in the way.
image
Two Builders bags A more jarring colour note amongst the natural colours are two big blue builders bags which contain some chipped mulch. There is also the orange yellow of a plastic bin and some red pots. White blossom and jasmine by the shed.
These are all small sketchbook notes about 5 x 7 inches
Some of these colour combinations have turned out to be unexpectedly interesting, some not. No colour theory was involved, just what was there, but enhanced and clarified. They perhaps look brighter on the screen. My favourite painting colours tend to be much more monochrome but thinking about printmaking is making me reconsider. There is such an opportunity for clean solid colours in printmaking and these are good practice.

3 Comments:

Blogger Citybirding said...

I like the semi abstract colour patterns. Has given me food for thought re bird art

27 February 2013 at 16:25  
Blogger Sarah Melling said...

Wow...these may be simple exercises to you, but they are gorgeous little pieces!

28 February 2013 at 02:10  
Blogger sharp green pencil said...

Thanks very much to both of you, You know, I start these things quite randomly and sometimes they work better than the carefully planned things. However the time is coming for some more finished and considered work!

Citybirding: I think these sort of studies can brighten up some natural history work by boosting the colours. your dragonflies are lovely!!

Sarah: the designer in me loves them and I think of fabrics prints and more ....

4 March 2013 at 17:14  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home