Basking in Your Reflections

I'd love it if you were right here in my studio so we could try out some of the techniques that I use to create the transparent and luminous reflections that I want to have in my paintings. There are many more than I'm including here, of course, but perhaps this will whet your appetite to do more exploration on your own.

And I'm here whenever you need me!

                            "Twilight Reflections"

                

Capturing the broken edge of these reflections led me to a new idea.

You can see that small shapes of the blue  water extend into the violet reflection of the mountain, and the violet mountain color is extended out into the water in similar small shapes.

By planning these interlocking shapes, i was able to "knit" the two reflected shapes together.

"October Music"     The water was so calm that the reflections were very distinct. I lightly sketched the shapes of the reflected trees. After mixing the various colors that I saw, each shape was painted one after another, letting the colors meet in a soft, merged edge. The key to this is having the same ratio of pigment and water in each mixture, and always observing the amount of water that is in your brush, and on the paper. Remember: it's ALWAYS the ratio of pigment and waterthat makes the difference.     Please Forward to a Friend   "My Island Home" These reflections were almost a mirror image; the shapes were sketched in very lightly and I began at the left hand side, painting each shape and changing the color and/or value as I moved from one shape to another. The white reflection is white paper.   As in the previous example, the amount of water in each mixture is crucial. Note that the water is not just "green". Many reflected colors from the dark woods behind the buildings were painted wet in wet on the water shape.    For a detailed description of how to paint reflections, read more here:  Basking In Your Reflection  If you have a comment or a question, please visit me at http://bit.ly/EvelynArt and leave your note. I'll be sure to respond.