Watercolor Painting: Working On Location With Edwin L Dahlberg

[Music] here is Edwin dolberg whose Landscapes and other outdoor scenes have won awards throughout the world in this film Mr dolberg takes us on location when I go out to paint on location I like to walk around the subject and view it from various angles and I pay a lot of attention to which direction the light is coming from that's the most important thing to look for because it makes the shadows and in the picture and the strong pattern of light and dark I move around the subject and sketch it from various angles uh trying to get an interesting shape or pattern of the various sections of the painting this old station has always fascinated me I painted uh it several years ago and when I came back today I find that it's boarded up I'm here making some thumbnail sketches of compositions that I might like to paint uh various angles this is the carrying case I use it's a very inexpensive case that holds most of my material I usually keep it packed at all times so that when I'm ready to go out and paint everything's there and I know that I won't be without some paint that I need I've always admired the soul station as a subject it's picturesque and the background is a very interesting contrast that has always intrigued my interest as you can see by the other paintings I've chosen this is an old gazebo along the Hudson that I wanted to record snow particularly is a good subject in watercolor this bridge over the Hudson I have painted several times but the sky the dramatic sky is what I liked I've made several paintings of antique shops uh they seem to be a popular subject and this scene in Maine was painted for its tranquil quality my daughter was sketching in the foreground and I decided to put her in make an interesting figure spot starting the painting I usually outline the big shapes with pencil uh uh placing it on the paper to the best Advantage studying the detail as I go indicating just about as much in pencil that I feel I need to paint with uh some paintings take more penciling than others but in this case there's quite a few angles and lines that I feel should be indicated it helps me to paint and get the values in the proper places I carry a cap along because sometimes the sun gets a little hot if you can't find a shady spot to paint from the the glare of the sun is a problem at times have it nearly penciled in now ready to start there are many things that are a little distracting when you're painting on location one time I set my material up and the tide came in and I found myself painting with my trousers rolled up I was surprised to see the the trains come through because I had understood that the station has been abandoned but the train was a pleasant distraction I usually paint on a butcher's tray this is a small size that fits compactly in my case and uh I lay out my colors on the tray starting with the warm colors and going to the cool usually from yellows through the blues and greens from the yellows I have the the Browner Earth colors which are really deeper shades of yellow I carry a covered jar of water in my case usually put a few drops on each color to keep it moist so that it's easy to mix my brush holder contains several brushes I can usually find what I want there but most of my work is done with three brushes a large red Sable a number 12 six and two which I find I can do most of my work with I don't like too much equipment because I find that I want my work to flow from my hand and not think of materials when I paint I want to uh express myself rather than think I'm using a big brush here and a small brush there and this large brush is marvelous because you can paint Fine Lines or large lines and I find that it works best for me and I usually start with the sky putting in the sky first gives me a light value my just about the lightest value in the picture then putting on one of the darker values in this case I think painting the building in red will be a good note to put in will give me a comparison between the light values and the the real dark ones in the picture I use a lot of water and keeping them the wash is wet so that it has a fresh look and I try to finish each part at one time if I can without having to go over it and over it and lose the freshness the quality of it uh the spontaneous quality of watercolor is what makes it so interesting and I use a bladder I carry blads this case I may have gone over the edge at one place and using the bladder I can take it up I usually try to keep the colors as clean as possible by mixing say red with its opposite green to get deeper shades of red the little lighter part that's not in Shadow is put in and a lighter shade of red and it gives me a nice large shape in the picture with which I can compare just how far I want to go comparing all the looking at the painting and then looking at the building studying out the detail here and there the roof is particularly interesting in this station the way it curves up it's always fascinated me when I passed it uh putting in the green here uh I thought it would be an interesting contrast to the red of the building it gives a comparison that I can feel when I do the rest of the painting darker shade of red a lot of water and sparkling quality Brown is indicated on the roof see it's not quite as dark as the uh side of the station always comparing one value with another to see whether is the right depth Sometimes When painting a cloud comes over and changes the light for a short moment and then you can pause and wait until the light comes back uh it's best when outdoor sketching not to spend too long on a painting pick a subject that you can do in a short time and that way you have the light isn't as changeable uh I'm putting in some of the detail here the line between the roof and and the uh edge of the building which gives me an idea on how to judge the contrast in the painting now I'll indicate some of the background comparing the darkness or lightness of the Green in the background ground with the red value of the building I indicate uh most of the buildings that are in the background I I try to uh give my impression of the buildings rather than paint them out in great detail and uh usually I work all around the painting putting in various parts never quite finishing any part of one so that I can keep comparing one part with another and sometimes finding that a thing that looks unfinished will be finished the end uh painting outside is fun it's an outdoor sport you could really call it and there's no better training you can get than painting on the spot because the subject is right in front of you and it's marvelous uh in helping you to judge values and put them down in the correct tone this dark in the foreground along the side of the Rails uh gives me a comparison with the building and the background and I can judge just how dark I want to do the various portions of the foreground it's a good thing when painting to pause for an instant now and then and look at it see whether the values are right and it's coming the way you want it to comparing it with the subject itself studying the subject I I like to use a ruler for putting in straight lines in some cases is it makes it a little easier to do uh the green should be indicated around this point to to bring a little of the detail that I want to get in the foreground and in the background uh putting in some of the darker values in the background Windows gives me a chance to compare the small sections with the large shapes of the painting in this case the Green in the back I accent with some darker values of green while it's wet and we'll flow together to give it interest help take its place in the picture little sections of the foreground are indicated little texture here and there using moist color you can get an interesting texture for painting grass by Feathering the brush the hairs are spread and when they're painted it gives the effect of grass using a few darker values here and there and blending can indicate the contrast in the grass and the green of the trees in the background are a pleasing contrast to the red of the building for this reason I feel that this shape makes an interesting composition with a smaller brush I can accent a few of the grasses here and there giving a little more detail and suggesting grass Fine Lines given a good contrast I remember one of the first watercolors I made was in Paris along the San I got extremely interested and all through my career I've really enjoy the spontaneous quality of watercolor try to keep a fresh look in the painting and I also try to keep the color as clean as possible the edge of the rail could be accented with a deeper value so that it brings it forward in the picture all the time comparing the values with the other values in the picture to see whether they are dark enough I use a smaller brush the boards on the side of the building are lightly sketched with a fine brush to make a pleasing contrast to the larger areas in the picture few accents here and there indicate Stones Give the effect of a little texture a razor blade comes in handy to scratch a few of the fine lines for gray indications or cutting in a few rocks here and there in the road bed little accents that make it Sparkle I've left the sign which isn't in the actual station but was on it before when I painted it because it gives an interest to that side and I know how it looks from the one on the other side of the station accent a few of the details around the windows sharpen them up for some compositions I can create an interesting texture by masking out part of the watercolor wetting a section and then spattering in some waterproof ink which resists the water that I've just put on the painting and gives sort of a grally effect or sand effect to the road using the bladder I can take out any part that I feel is too heavy the contrast of Textures in the painting is what makes it interesting I'm not a painter that likes to go out and paint every day just for the sake of painting I suddenly see something that inspires me and uh I painted uh you a little thing when you least expect it and uh think I must paint that and it's really a a thrill when you achieve an interesting subject from it this station is one of the vanishing landmarks around and I I wanted to record it uh make a painting of it as I said before I I did paint it once for from another angle but I've always admired it and so I wanted to do it once more before it was torn [Music] down