STEP 25 Trumpet Vine

The trumpet vine is beginning to grow over the rock wall. I really like the way the oil wash looks so I’m letting much of it show. Usually I cover most of the initial wash with thicker, more opaque brushwork but am making an exception in this case. Using greens mixed with Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Yellow Medium gives a warmer, muted hue as opposed to the bright greens on the geraniums mixed with Pthalo Blue and Hansa (Lemon) Yellow.  The mix I’m using here is duller because both the Ultramarine Blue and the Cadmium Yellow Medium have a little bit of red in them. Red is the compliment, or across the color wheel, to green. Here is another rule in art: MIXING COMPLIMENTARY COLORS WILL MAKE THEM DULLER.

Pthalo Blue and Hansa (Lemon) Yellow are pure, neither one have red in them so the green this mix produces is bright and intense. I’ve also mixed several orange tones, the darker ones have Alizarin Crimson, the lighter ones have Cadmium Yellow Medium. Since my oil wash is dry I don’t have to worry about it making my flower color muddy. But I still paint the flower color in first and then put in the thick brushstrokes of green leaves.

You can see a big change in the painting now the canvas is completely covered with no white blotches distracting your eyes. This is such a fun moment when painting. My original ideas are coming together and working as I had planned. With bright, pure reds and oranges appearing in the foreground the background is dropping back.

Tomorrow I will tell you about one of the most important tools an artist can use. Have a wonderful day and come back soon. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik