Sketching Daily



Watercolour Sketches



Sunlit Fireweed

Starting with a prepared piece of watercolour paper can bring a cohesiveness to a week of sketches. Here the 11 X 15” piece of watercolour paper is given a light wash of the primary colours red, yellow a blue. Then the paper was tape off into a variety of sized sections.  Each day I sketch something that interests me. Sometimes on location or later in the studio some watercolour washes are added.

Early this morning the stand of fireweed was strikingly sunlit. The background of trees and sky appeared so very dark in contrast. The value (light and dark) of a colour is affected by the values surrounding it. An example of this is how white the fireweed looks with the dark blue background even though there is a light wash of the primary colours on them.

Should there be some purple and green colour added to the fireweed? That should be alright if attention is given to provide a significant difference in value with the background, however what first attracted to me to sketch in the early morning was the brightness of the sunlight so I have chosen to honour that and leave the plants with only that light wash of the preparatory layer.