7.5" x 11" (19 x 28 cm)
Watercolor on Strathmore Gemini 140-lb CP paper
© 2009 Steve Penberthy
I did some plein air sketching while in Colorado over the weekend and created a couple of watercolor sketches/paintings of this red barn in the mountains. I've done a sketch of this same red barn before, but only from a photograph--never plein air until now. I started out by doing a couple of thumbnails in pencil, but then decided to switch to ink for the sketch, using a Pigma Micron 05 pen. I used a small Niji Waterbrush for both these paintings; I found the waterbrush a little challenging to use; it was difficult to create large washes and I feel it led to a tighter look. Nevertheless, the waterbrush is very portable, which is the primary reason I brought it instead of my full quiver of regular brushes.
I decided to try again with another barn sketch, but this time trying to be a little more loose, just concentrating on shapes. I sketched this one in pencil, as opposed to the other one where I used ink. I'm not sure if I really reached my goal, but it was interesting painting the same subject again on a different day.
Here's a view of me sketching the barn. The day was warm and somewhat overcast in the mountains, but a nice breeze kept everything comfortable. While sketching, I heard a wild turkey gobbling every few minutes or so.
There's other stuff on Flickr.
