I really admire you doing “portraits” of trees. That is an excellent personal goal you have. Forty years ago I had the same type of goals. Here is the type of painting (done by MacKenzie with sponges) I do today:
Techniques for drawing a sea sponge
You won’t like my answer, Calvin. Sea sponges do provide interesting patterns and I’ve used them when texturing rocks (for example). But, sponged foliage generally looks like sponged foliage. My advice is to practice your foliage. There are several links in the Handbook here in the Learning Zone that can offer help. This Article by Marvin Chew[/URL] is really helpful.
Char — CharMing Art — “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” Leonardo DaVinci
January 31, 2020 at 10:44 am #939916
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I have had the best luck with a big synthetic sponge meant for washing cars. It has a lot of hole variation. It looks like a holey brick. I tear pieces off, instead of cutting and rotate the piece, as I use it. I have tried other sponges and this works the best for me. Plus, it bothered me to use the sea sponge, once I thought about it. Little corpses. :clear: But, the synthetic really does work better, for me. I hope you find one that works for you! Noelle
January 31, 2020 at 11:27 am #939932
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thanks all.
January 31, 2020 at 12:58 pm #939925
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Whatever sponge you get, be mean to it. Rub it, pull it, snip pieces off of it, grind it against some sandpaper, throw it around in the driveway, etc. The rougher, the better. Wash it before using for painting after all that abuse, though.
February 1, 2020 at 6:07 pm #939924
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I have a basket of natural sponges that I saved from my day job. but I have not used them in lots of years. I did recently crumble a piece of paper and used that and it worked fine
Kaylen Savoie
https://www.savoieartist.com/
At least twice a year,paint something better than you ever painted before.
February 1, 2020 at 8:20 pm #939931
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Char is right. Keep practicing trees and you will get it. I personally do not like sponges for foliage. Look at the attachment I did of a tree, see the #5 at the top? That means it was my 5th attempt at tree foliage. I used a medium round brush, and had it not too loose or wet with pigment. I used the SIDE of the brush to get the effect of foliage. Remember tree foliage has holes in it and is darker towards the center of the tree. Do the trunk and branches last. Remember, branches go up at about a30 degree angle from the trunk. Good luck!
February 2, 2020 at 11:48 pm #939926
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Most of the techniques you mention above for painting trees are what I originally learned. However I discovered later on is these techniques, though they work great on Deciduous foliage do not work when trying to paint the Coniferous foliage that abound in the Great Lakes area where I live. That is when I discovered Gordon Mackenzie’s book on landscapes. https://www.amazon.com/Watercolorists-Essential-Notebook-Landscapes/dp/1581806604/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Gordon+Mackenzie%E2%80%99s&qid=1580704424&sr=8-5 In his book he explains how to cut up sponges and use them to paint Coniferous foliage. In addition I began to learn his techniques for painting limbs with the palette knife and using the hog hair bristle brush to paint the needles. Though it has taken some time and practice I now preferred a rough torn sponge to paint coniferous foliage.
Eliminate timidity. Failure is only experience to get us to the next level.
February 3, 2020 at 3:03 pm #939927
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Forgot to answer your question about sponges… I have found most kitchen sponges or cellulose sponges are a great way to paint coniferous trees. But you have to practice making them with sponges. It is harder than it looks. The cellulose sponge straight out of the plastic bag is soft and pliable. The cellulose sponge set out in the air becomes stiff and dry. Both can be used to paint with. Gordon Mackenzie’s book on landscapes answers much of this question and I have discovered a few more ways to use sponges. He slices the a cellulose sponge and the tears them into odd pieces to paint with. This sponge painting technique is done by wetting or not wetting the sponge, mixing the paint on your pallette, puttiing on latex gloves (unless you like to paint your fingers), then swiping the wet sponge through the paint or painting the sponge with color. Here is where you get creative. You can touch various parts of the sponge in different positions and intensity to the paper to get different effects:
– Use the tip of the sponge to create small size branches.
– Use the edge of the sponge to create different size branches.
– Use the main body of the sponge to create internal branches. The factors that effect the outcome are wetness of the sponge (if the sponge is too wet color will not press out of the sponge) , thickness of the paint (thick paint may be needed to counter act the sponge) and the amount of pressure you apply with the sponge (too much pressure wipes out details). A simple technique is wet the sponge thoroughly as you hold it in latex gloves, pick up the thick paint you mixed and dab the tip or point of the sponge to the paper with light pressure to make branches. An alternate technique is to use a dry sponge with only the edge wet as you hold it in latex gloves, next paint the edge of the sponge with say a round brush loaded with paint and then dab the wet edge with medium to heavy pressure to make branches that have no holes in them. Each position the sponge is held in creates a different type of marks on the paper. By combining them together some interesting trees can be designed.
Eliminate timidity. Failure is only experience to get us to the next level.
February 3, 2020 at 10:57 pm #939919
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Every tree species and every individual tree has different characteristics. Some trees have the 30-degree angle that Kaylen mentioned; some run out at pure 90-degrees! I am making a long-term study of particular tree species natuve to my area, to learn to do “portraits” of each of the types. The Live Oak, Crepe Myrtle, and Loblolly Pine, are among my current study projects. Observe observe observe, reduce to geometric patterns, make a variety of portraits in a variety of styles, from bold abstractionism to doggedly faithful photo-realism, check the changing light not only for color modification but also for modifications to the locations, shapes, and appearances of the gaps in the canopy, etc. etc. etc..
—–
Certified Closet Management Engineer, Slung Watercolor Society of America
February 4, 2020 at 8:09 am #939928
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Every tree species and every individual tree has different characteristics. Some trees have the 30-degree angle that Kaylen mentioned; some run out at pure 90-degrees! I am making a long-term study of particular tree species natuve to my area, to learn to do “portraits” of each of the types. The Live Oak, Crepe Myrtle, and Loblolly Pine, are among my current study projects. Observe observe observe, reduce to geometric patterns, make a variety of portraits in a variety of styles, from bold abstractionism to doggedly faithful photo-realism, check the changing light not only for color modification but also for modifications to the locations, shapes, and appearances of the gaps in the canopy, etc. etc. etc..
I really admire you doing “portraits” of trees. That is an excellent personal goal you have. Forty years ago I had the same type of goals. Here is the type of painting (done by MacKenzie with sponges) I do today:
Eliminate timidity. Failure is only experience to get us to the next level.
February 6, 2020 at 4:10 pm #939918
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I am making a long-term study of particular tree species natuve to my area, to learn to do “portraits” of each of the types.
I have done several tree portraits – usually in pencil or charcoal. Sometimes I draw only part of the tree, just the trunk and a dozen or so branches. I have gotten to know the trees in our yard that way. When I see a bird or squirrel sitting in a part of the tree that I have drawn, I get a feeling that the bird or squirrel and I have shared that tree somehow. Now to the question at hand, I have used both natural sponges for trees and bushes as well as torn pieces of synthetic kitchen sponges as described by Gordon Mackenzie. Both worked well. I suggest using either in moderation, possibly mixed with brush painted sections.
February 7, 2020 at 5:41 pm #939920
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Lovely painting example (by Mackenzie? who?), rabbitone! I can see that those are definitely pines, certainly the shape of northern conifers, clearly a species (or two) well portrayed. That’s right up my alley.
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