Finally finished my second landscape oil

I can't believe it has been so long since I first started this oil painting.

The last post about it was on June 26th of this year, and, this is what it looked like (photo at right) at the end of that painting session.

Now that I've completed it, I'm not sure that its better, but I do know that I'm done and won't add another drop of oil to this painting.

Some of the things I learned from this painting.

1. Think about shape... forget about all the detail
2. get your drawing right the first time around
3. I need to paint more and do alla prima ... (A style of painting where, instead of building colours up with layers, the painting is done in one session while the paint is still wet. From the Italian word which literally means at once.)
4. Decide right away if you want a high key or low key painting

I thoroughly enjoyed the two landscape oil paintings I have done. I don't think either one is an award winners, but they have been so enjoyable to paint ... and isn't that really why I did them?

Another experiment ...

Maybe it's the nice weather, but lately I've been wanting to try other mediums and materials ... spreading my wings maybe.

The photo's here are of a house that always catches my eye when I'm in the neighborhood. The front of the house faces the water, and is surrounded by vegetation, some beautiful well manicured shrubs and flowers. I have not done it justice, believe me.

The test/experiment was to use a crayon in the appropriate color then use watercolor paint on the top of that, allowing the the crayon to create texture. In the first photo, you see where I've drawn out the image in pencil, then used crayons in a light manner in the appropriate places.

In this second photo (on the right) you see my first washes of watercolor. You see a little of the texture if you look closely... some on the porch overhang and on the grey cement wall on the bottom right... and maybe in a few other places ... if you look closely.

Then lastly the finished experiment. I've added more value to the surrounding foliage. If you look closely you can see some texture. I think if I were to do this again I'd use a little more crayon. Not using too much as to fill in all valleys of the watercolor paper, but maybe just a bit more.