Darien bookstore

We visited southern New England last fall, and I drew a few sketches and took a few photos. I did a watercolor of one such scene last night; it took a bit more than an hour. I like how it turned out, though I confess I have a lot of trouble taking good photos of my watercolor paintings. It’s not so much the curled edge of the sketchbook paper as accurate depiction of colors and temperature. This picture is warmer than the original, and it looks better in the original sketchbook. Still, I hope you get the idea.

Geoff Watson, “Darien shops,” watercolor on sketchbook paper, about 4” x 7”, 2019.

Geoff Watson, “Darien shops,” watercolor on sketchbook paper, about 4” x 7”, 2019.

Here’s another imperfect photo. I’m not sure cropping it shows it off better. If the photo above is too warm, this photo is too cool!

Geoff Watson, “Darien shops,” watercolor on sketchbook paper, about 4” x 7,” 2019.

Geoff Watson, “Darien shops,” watercolor on sketchbook paper, about 4” x 7,” 2019.

Snowy road

I did a pencil sketch of this snowy road a couple of weeks ago, after a light dusting of snow, and finally got around to developing the sketch into a little studio watercolor. I’m afraid I haven’t photographed it very well; the original is somewhat cooler and whiter.

Geoff Watson, “Snowy road,” watercolor and gouache on paper, 5” x 8,” 2019.

Geoff Watson, “Snowy road,” watercolor and gouache on paper, 5” x 8,” 2019.

Here’s an earlier version, photographed in cooler light. The colors are closer to the original. There’s not much color in the painting, to be honest, as the scene was mostly grey and white. Still, I need to add more color to my watercolor. :)

Geoff Watson, “Snowy road (in progress),” watercolor and gouache on paper, 5” x 8,” 2019.

Geoff Watson, “Snowy road (in progress),” watercolor and gouache on paper, 5” x 8,” 2019.

Benches, day 2

I went back to my benches today.  I made some progress, but I'm still not satisfied with the benches themselves, and I'm not sure if there's enough contrast between light and dark.  The foreground is mostly in shadow, except for some light hitting the ground between the benches; but there is bright light behind the tree.  I may try making it brighter.  Unfortunately, this is a lousy photo; the actual painting is brighter.

Geoff Watson, "Benches - in progress," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.

Geoff Watson, "Benches - in progress," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.

Just for grins, I applied some filters to add saturation. This image is lighter than the actual painting.  My photograph needs work!  I need to invest in better lighting -- and I need to find my camera tripod!

Geoff Watson, "Benches - saturated version," in progress, oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.

Geoff Watson, "Benches - saturated version," in progress, oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.