Last Saturday, three students of mine and I participated in a Paint-out Plus event organised by MAPAPA (Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association) on Solomon's Island (appr. 1 hour south of Washington, DC). Artist Lee Boynton was kind enough to do a boat-drawing demonstration and give advice and critiques to the participating artists. It was a beautiful day and there were plenty of boats to draw & paint at the Calvert Marine Museum. After Lee's advice, we decided to do a charcoal sketch first, then a value-study in paint by mixing black and white into many variations of grey-tones and finally, a study in color. Normally, I don't take enough time to study a scene before putting brush to canvas, I get right down to the fun stuff and forget to think about composition, mood and values first. I am working on watercolor paper, which I primed with shellack. The shellack dries immediately, gives the paper a nice warm base color and prevents the paint from sinking in, rather than laying on top of the paper. I also like the smooth surface (even though the paper has some texture), it allows you to apply the paint quickly and easily. Working on paper, rather than board or canvas, for outdoor studies is fairly cheap and for me it takes off the pressure to paint a masterpiece. Even though I'd like to keep sketches for future reference, you can toss them without too much guilt. This study is the result of painting in an inspiring new place with nice weather and awesome travel companions!
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