Creating the colors for fall leaves is wonderful. I use about four to five layers of paint on these little beauties. Watching the water flow and form together to create a new color is my favorite part. Winsor and Newton Professional Watercolours are my favorite medium so far. If anyone would like to know the colors I use, please leave a comment and I will post them within 24-48 hours. Also, if anyone has any questions regarding watercolor, I am happy to help in any way I can. Now, back to the fall!
“Fall in Red Rock Canyon Series 1 Number 2” was a joy to create. I say this a lot because painting is something I enjoy very much. I love creating these worlds for all of you viewers to enjoy and always hope my paintings are looked upon with love for many years. Number 2 in the series has deep yellow, orange, red, and golden hues throughout the leaves. The focus of this Tiny Painting is the contrast of cools and warms. I used ink to get deep dark shadows and a combination of layering watercolor on top of the ink for darker effects as well as subtle shadows. The tree branches were fun to ink out with their rough bark appearance. Then, I used the watercolor to bring depth into the bark.
Do you have a certain part of this piece you like more than the rest? This painting really reminds me of the fall season. Any time I travel during the cooler months I look for changing colors throughout the land. Pine trees are beautiful and keep their green pigment in the pine needles and I enjoy how they are dispersed between deciduous trees. It intrigues me that trees in a Deciduous Forest can produce such beautiful leaves to protect them from heat, then they change color when the cold weather comes, and disperse or shed their leaves when they are no longer needed. As spring comes, so do more leaves and the cycle repeats the following year. This may be where my fascination with trees was formed. These giant beautiful protectors are also very intelligent survivors that will outlive us, if we let them be.
Thank you for reading and have a happy Wednesday!
-Karen Hilliard