BEACH BLUES © Sharon L Hicks, 2013

Coloured Pencil, 5x7

Day # 5, study # 5. Still managing to find something to say every day, along with revealing yet another quick study.

This sky appealed to me because of the sharp distinction between the deep clear solid blue of the upper sky and the soft pale wispy nature of the lower part of the sky. This type of contrast always catches my eye. Sitting out on the deck down at my dad's cottage, I immediately grabbed for my camera when I glanced upward and spotted this intriguing combination.

The sky is an elusive quarry. I've learned over the years to keep a camera handy wherever I go - you just never know when something interesting is going to happen overhead. If I have to go searching for my camera, by the time I locate it the light will have changed and I'll have missed my opportunity to 'capture' another one. I guess you could say this collection of sky studies is my 'trophy' collection - the 'best of the best', so to speak.

Here's how this study unfolded.

          My photo                     after 20 minutes                  after 1 hour

This study marks another progression in the development of this process. I spent only 20 minutes on the cotton-ball stage, which allowed an extra 10 minutes of 'finishing' work with the pencils. You can also see how I was after the 'feeling' of the sky, rather than trying to reproduce an exact replica. This sky looks bright and crisp, and that's what I was aiming for. I'm quite happy with the results.

This exercise has been very helpful in forcing me to ignore details (usually the first thing I focus on), and record the 'essence' of the scene in a short time. Of course, a 'whole hour' might not 'seem' like a 'short time', when it comes to painting - after all, you can often do a complete watercolour painting in less time than that!! But with Coloured Pencils, a 'complete painting' will usually take a minimum of 30 hours, so by comparison an hour is indeed a 'short time'. It all depends on what you are comparing it to.

Come visit me again tomorrow, for a peek at study # 6.

cheers

Sharon