In my previous blog post I wrote about a small 14″ x 10″ original watercolour which I painted on an Arches Watercolour Block as part of a demonstration for a local art club.
Here is a larger image of the painting. You can see in detail how I have broken down the reference photograph into three distinct areas of foreground, middle distance and background.
The ruined temple of Aphaea is very much in the middle distance. However it remains the focal point of the painting. This is due to the darker, cool foreground and the pale, warm colours of the sky.
If I’m ever needing fresh inspiration, I’ll have a look through some of my old sketchbook watercolours. This will sometimes lead me to the accompanying photographs which I took at the time. As I’m getting older, I often see these images in a fresh way that can open up new and exciting ways to interpret the reference. Sometimes it’s a case of changing the composition. With some reference, you find yourself altering the colours or tonal values to create a different mood.
Why not revisit you old sketches and photographs for new ideas for some experimental work.