The snowpack was late this year, but once it arrived, it grew quickly. Still trying to get outside as much as possible, there were a few days when extreme cold kept me confined to the house to an even greater degree than the rest of the pandemic has. Embracing my view from home, I decided to paint the beautiful scene that is my neighbor’s shed(s) at sunrise.
Working quickly and making every effort to stay loose for the majority of the painting, I didn’t belabor the sky or my large washes.
In two passes my light values were established and I set out to develop the darks silhouettes of the trees.
To finish this painting, I had to buy a new paintbrush and a new tube of paint! The tiniest of branches needed to be too fine for my old number 6 brush. I found a shiny new Raphael Kolinsky 8404 series brush in a size 3 for a reasonable price online, and fortunately it arrived in good condition. Before purchasing the trusted Kolinsky brush, I did give a “try-me-priced” Mimik brush a whirl, I think it was a size 0, and highly rated. Unfortunately, it was immediately inferior in every way. Even the size 0 round, brand new, couldn’t produce as fine a line as my old, worn out size 6.
Armed with a new brush, I also needed an opaque white. I’ve never painted with titanium white before, only Chinese white has so far made it onto my pallet, but it’s delicate transparency was not going to cut it for adding snow to dark branches. Could I have left the white of the page to be the foundation of my snowy limbs? Perhaps…but I didn’t have the time, nor the desire to make such a gamble.
The finished piece measures 16×20″ on cold-press watercolor paper. It is available for sale, beautifully matted in acid-free archival quality and a crystal bag.
