Bigger yard 13.....

Proceeding along, am almost done with the grasses on the right side [just a bit left to do on lower right corner], so am getting into some of the stones, working sepia onto the shade and pit areas...




and, in keeping with the other close-ups, here's with the lemon yellow added for the lit parts, so can see the differences with the stages...

Bigger yard 12.....

With the shading of the grasses on the right side now done, the next step is to detail the blades, adding lemon yellow to the lit sections, and red earth and emerald green and raw sienna here and there, along with marking the ground with sepia and red earth whenever it might peek thru...

Once that is all done, then the stones get brought to life...

And, along the way, will refer to that same close-up area to show those steps of transforming ink to a semblance of life...

Bigger yard 11.....

As a means of showing some of the technique for doing this, here is a before and after [between the tall blades of grass at the top] laying down the sap green shading of the blades...

















The top pen uses a flexi-crow quill and is used for the light green ... the other is a rigid crow quill and used for the shading [and later, the added detail colors to the blades of grasses]...

Bigger yard 10.....

The Light green on the grass right side is now down, so next is to get the sap green in on the blade shades, then detail the leaves with yellows and russets and so forth...

Then get with the stones...

Bigger yard 9.....

Making progress on laying in color, doing the light green first, then going over with sap green for the shading of the blades... planning on finishing this part first, then do the stones, then get on with the rest of the grasses... then be time to get blue inks to begin the grisaille of the rest of the rendering, section by section...

Bigger yard 8.....

While there is yet a wee left of the grasses to outline, am shifting now to doing some coloring as well, going back and forth between these to keep away some monotony - first laying in the light green, to be followed by the shade color of sap green....

Bigger yard 7.....

Closing in... there is a strong urge to rush this, so to counter, am doing the grass laying in short bits, breaking, reading [at the moment Heinlein], then more grass laying, another break, and so forth... takes longer but less slop this way....... it is not out of boredom, however, but the eagerness to continue on with the next stage - coloring the grasses and stones......

Bigger yard 6.....

Making my way across the fore ground bluff area, slowly getting in the grasses on the left side... there is, in case of interest, no real set manner of laying them in - as per wild grasses [even tame ones at that], they vary, and so the varieties of leaves and sprouts just pop up as the ink is laid, the only real trick being to not get sloppy in the laying and do scribbles instead of grasses - a subtle but important point often overlook in such doings, as well as one so oft implemented unwantedly thru carelessness... as will be noted when coloring commences, the spots between plants and so forth will be covered by spots of dirt - which is really seen when looking at grasses more so than oft realized [ and which also can be covered thru use of yellow for bleached leaves as well], so it is not necessary to actually 'cover the earth' when laying in the yards...

Bigger yard 5.....

And lo - a spot of colors amidst... enough to do for the talk, and tantalize viewers [heh, heh]...

Bigger yard 4.....

Finished outlining the corner... now, in anticipation of a talk being given, where is wanted a WIP to show some of my progress as going to color, am going to do some of the area by the flat rocks, some of the stones and grasses, in stages to [hopefully] finished color...

[note, too, for fun, included here a 'snake in the grass' ] ROFL

Bigger yard 3.....

Got more in - to the edge of the board even... now to block in the corner part and get on to the other side....

Bigger Back Yard 2...

Working my way across the right, laying in more grasses... essentially, this is as far as the stones go this direction - that is a pathway as such to 'over the hill', the vista beyond...

My Bigger Back Yard...

Having a 32"x40" board on hand, decided to go do this version before the others...












This is but outlining - when the fore ground
is laid out,











then the shading and so forth will be added...

The Dickens is in the Details

Sometimes, despite having the 'big picture' in one's mind, seeing that transformed onto the support for rendering is a slow process - primarily because the dickens is in the details... it is, especially when doing work from within one's mind, sometimes the case that there lies some fog on the mental landscape, just as is sometimes in this world - and it takes effort to 'see' thru it, often such that one has to wait a bit for it to lift so that one can then see further into the distance in order to get any more rendering done... such is presently the case with my ongoing project, "My Big Back Yard"... there is a temptation to just forge ahead and transfer the foreground and begin rendering that [and indeed, may find myself doing just that] while waiting out the further lifting of the fog - but for now, there is enough to keep me adding more details to the grand landscape, and as such keeping to the sketch... if, however, am finding problems being comfortable with 'seeing' the distance clearly, will then strike out and begin the colored pencil version of this on a 30"x40" illustration board [there will, hopefully, be three - colored pencil, pen and colored inks ["My Bigger Back Yard", 32"x40" on foamcore], and a grand landscape picture window sized one in acrylics on canvas, "The Grandest Back Yard", as if it all may be within a space habitat and a vast view of space is thus seen above it all...

Space Exploration Day...

Today is the 40th anniversary of man's first stepping on the moon.... so, in honor, am running my own space rendering, "View Master", 4'x8' acrylic on canvas.... I well remember the event - and did my first and only photo-taking off the TV with this, catching the first step as it happened live... thrilling moment, to be sure...

This is also the day now to be sought as officially Space Exploration Day, a non-paying official holiday same as Flag Day....

Crops

One of the delights in doing imaginative rendering is, to me at any rate, the almost imperative happening of variations coming to mind... this not only is in regards to the major participants of the original, but at times the theming itself demands other thoughts on the same material - both to such an extent at times that a whole closet full of variations in one respect or another can come from the one singular rendering... then there is an offshoot - which, in its turn, also gives off vibes of variations, and the process can at times be like an avalanche of ideas which may seem like is threatening to drown the artist in an abundance of percolating thoughts that seem to have no end... this is a lot like Camille Saint Saens' remarked of in his saying he 'got ideas like plucking apples off a tree' [disgusting, no doubt, to those others who sweated to little avail at times in coming up with even the simplest of compositions]... but which is why I actually do not know what an 'artist block' is - the notion is simply foreign to me...

This is not to say, tho, that all of these ideas and variations are good, at least as they first present themselves to my consciousness... I have had a number that, in doing the rendering, have found to be of less than desired in how they came out, or discovered they needed more to the developmental aspect in my mind than was willing to engage in... this is where 'crop' has another meaning, as in to cull - and is of equal value in the artist's arsenal, and as often not used to its most effectiveness... but there is a necessity of it, as one only has so much time to place in doing these renderings, thus needs to weed out the lesser ones for the sake of those which more show that manner of importance which is what the showing is all about... and this is sometimes something I overlook, and find myself fretting about - until another idea pops into mind and am off again to pursue the consequences...

"Mixed Relations" - WIP 3

And with the layering of true green over the tuscan red, the rendering is finished... note the subtle steam from the pot... note, too, that the arrangement follows an ikebana formulation, even as there are no flowers [tho there are fruit]...

"Mixed Relations" - WIP 2

The first layering of the back ground - tuscan red...

"Mixed Relations" - WIP

Been working on another colored pencil rendering, a further extending of the Runaway theming.... and yes, another cherries rendering - seems cannot get variations out of my mind, for now at any rate... have tried a different shelf, tho - the top of a trunk instead of the usual board... I think it adds an element of elegance and 'history' to the rendering... as with almost all my renderings, this is a 'self portrait' - this time in terms of allegorical wishing...

"Vaulting" - 23

And it is finished...

"Vaulting" - 22

With the amount of lushness so placed in the oasis foreground, carrying that to the rear seemed too extensive compared to the other two, in terms of the stages of progression... consequently, adding distant rock seems the best alternative [rock was to be done in any case, but behind the now non-existing vegetation]... since, as mentioned before, the blue pen ran out of ink, and haven't traipsed to the art supply store, used instead the process cyan from the bottle, using a flexible fine point nib... here is the left side done...

"Vaulting" - 21

And the bottom area of the last oasis is now rendered...

"Vaulting" - 20

Using burnt umber as the shade color, then red earth, then flesh for the light side, followed with flaming orange for coloration of the whole, with burnt umber again as defining the sense of minor depths to the surface of the rock sections... for the floral, light green, with emerald green as the shade, and sap green as deep shading, and for indicating other kinds of vegetation on the floor arena... and yes, there is a hawk's nest on the top rock section, using lemon yellow and sepia...

"Vaulting" - 19

Now that have this, the inner foreground, done in blue grisaille - will go and color this before proceeding rearward... there is, as can be seen, different hues of blue - this is because ran out of ink in the pen [rolls eyes], and ended up having to use prussian blue from the bottle [after trying the Micron blue, which tended to bleed some]...

"Vaulting" - 18

And the oasis has begun...

"Vaulting" - 17

And the foreground rock is finished [the bottom will be done after all else is done]... now - to get on with the last oasis...

"Vaulting" - 16

Finally made it down the right side - now to get the few bottom ones, then be on to the oasis...

"Vaulting" - 15

"Vaulting" - 14

Now working my way down the right side, which will meet those rocks running across the bottom... then will begin the last, and greatest, oasis...

"Vaulting" - 13

After a break, due to out-of-town visiting for my b'day celebrating, am back at this, laying in the rear rock of the second oasis... am using old pens to get this lighter impressing, tho intend, once all are in, to use newer ones to create another, intermediate layer of rock on the right side, under the overhang space...

"Vaulting" - 12

While the background rock needs yet to be rendered [it'll be in b/w], here's the second oasis...

"Vaulting" - 11

Having now gotten to this point, am going to get on with the next oasis...

"Vaulting" - 10

"Vaulting" - 9

And the first oasis is inserted...

"Vaulting" - 8

Finally got the lower rock finished... now can get on with doing the oasis seen thru the hole...

"Vaulting" - 7

Working my way across the lower rocks...

"Vaulting" - 6

And the 'hole' rock is now done...

"Vaulting" - 5

The hole now laid out, just the rest of the rocks to do on the corner and under the column...

"Vaulting" - 4

Beginning the hole...

"Vaulting" - 3

Making my way down the column to the bottom, then will, as said, go back to the left side and render the 'hole-y' rock, and the rest of that column.....

"Vaulting" - 2

Getting the bracing rocks on the left side down... next will be the under rocks of the column, after which will contrive, on the left column, an opening - a rained out hole - thru which will be seen the first oasis [or rather, part of it]...