Reeds in the Lagoon - Plein Air Demo

Reeds in the Lagoon, L. Daniel, 8 x 8, SOLD 

Plein Air Demo

Today my fall plein air class started and we met up down by the lake to paint reeds and reflections and little yellow flowers. It was a beautiful, cool, sunshiny morning - a truly perfect fall day. I promised my students that I would post my demo from class step by step, so here you all are!

I began by blocking-in the large masses of my composition 

using a mix of French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna.

(The stain in the background is just leftover from a wipe-off.)

Next, I painted the darkest darks of the upright planes in foreground and background 

(keeping atmospheric perspective in mind to create a sense of air and depth.)

Then I painted the flower blooms (treating them as large masses) 

and saturated greens in the foreground foliage.

Working to get the canvas covered, I put in the muted tones of the reflections on the water.

I am always comparing value, chroma, and temperature of each component to the next,

because all color and value is relative to whatever is beside or around it. 

Once the values and color of the whole scene were working 

I added the sunlit tips of the reeds and broke up the masses with subtle value shifts.

At the very end, I added the final highlights (very important not to rush this final step.)