Red Umbrella

Umbrellas. I love umbrellas. For this ‘brella I make mixtures that are very similar to the ones used for the Hotel Rialto in Memories of Venice. The base is Alizarin Crimson + Cadmium Red Light + White. MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) is then added to darken the mixture.

Umbrellas are broken into triangular shaped, flat planes formed by the ribs underneath. The cloth usually dips a little so the edge directly behind the rib is a bit darker. As the fabric rises up at the next rib it catches more sun and is lighter. In the picture above I’m blocking in the the darkest part of the panel. As I paint toward the left the panel will become lighter. You can see the transition on the panel that is finished. The door and windows were painted with a turquoise made of Pthalo Blue + a tiny bit of Cadmium Orange + a hint of Hansa Lemon Yellow + White.

Following the same rule as in the “stepped” adobe wall I paint the stairs going up to the turquoise door. The entire area was first blocked in with a dark gray to establish the upright planes, then I come back in and draw the lighter, flat plane of each step into the wet paint. To enlarge any of these images just click on the picture.

On my original pen and ink sketch I had made a note to have White Hollyhocks here. However, I think White would be too bright and jump forward. So let’s change them to purple. Dioxazine Purple + White is used for my mixtures. This is one of those special colors I use from time to time. It makes a crisp, pure purple that we are unable to mix with our Double Primary Palette. The flower color is blocked in first, then the green foliage is worked in and around the areas of purple.

Centers and stamens have been added in the blossoms. The sunlight pours through this area of the painting illuminating the seed pods decorating the tall stems that are characteristic of Hollyhocks. Flowers catching the light are also highlighted. That’s all for this session, I’ve enjoyed having you visit our studio. Have a great day and hope you will come again soon. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. Thank you.