Page 36 - DPM3_Fall_2021_Flipbook

Step 5 – Finishing the Tree
Before placing the darker colors, use the Tombow eraser to lighten a few areas for more texture. Enforce your texture spots with touches of Dark Sepia if necessary. Starting at the top left trunk and with both Caput Mortuum Violet and Manganese Violet in hand, begin to work your way down the tree. Where the darker shadows are, use Caput Mortuum Violet and where it seems lighter, use Manganese Violet. If an area is too dark, use your kneaded eraser to take off some color. I wanted the tree lighter than in the original photo, but it cannot be too light if you want it to harmonize with the other colors. I needed a happy medium, blue in some areas, and the oranges and yellows on the light side. Use the electric eraser along the sides to highlight both sides, then blend the colors. Darken the bottom with Burnt Sienna and Dark Sepia and a touch of Light Phthalo Green and Light Magenta. Some colors seemed to have disappeared overnight, soaked into the paper, maybe; it happens. Go back and reinforce all the colors. After burnishing the tree with Cloud Blue, which pushed the tree into the background a bit more, I burnished again with Luminance White. Put more touches of color by running Cadmium Red Light over the Gold Green to warm it up. Smooth with Cloud Blue, which did the job and brought it all together.
The leaf at the top was layered with Cobalt Turquoise on the left, keeping the right side much lighter. Leaf Green and Cobalt Green were added and then burnished with Luminance White.
The other branches are done similarly to the tree but easier. The first color is Sky Blue, then Burnt Sienna overall. Use Manganese Violet and Caput Mortuum Violet for the dark shadows and Cold Grey VI in lighter spots. Burnish with Luminance White.
Tip: I use my erasers almost as much as my pencils. I use the erasers to get my lights back if I lose them, to give little sparkles here and there, and in this case, to infer some leaves in the circles on the foliage. I use all three erasers – electric, kneaded and Tombow. They are wonderful tools.
THE LADY CARDINAL, EYE AND BRIM
34 TheDecorativePainter •SFUALMLM20E2R1 2021