30x30 Direct Watercolour Challenge 2022: 29 and 30 in progress

 Coming into this weekend I'd completed 24 direct watercolour paintings. My target was to produce 5 by this time on Sunday. I started the next on Friday evening, but this, being a more complicated subject and and A3 sized painting took a bit longer. I worked on it on Friday evening, but didn't finish it until yesterday morning. 26 followed on Saturday, and I did the lion's share of 27. For some reason Sunday has proven to be a productive day in each of the June weekends this year, so I finished 27 this morning, knocked out 28 very quickly, and then relaxed, knowing that one more would see me reach my target. So this is 29.

29) Windmill

I really liked the subject matter but I've been avoiding it for a couple of weeks. Why? Well, it's those blades. I knew that I was going to have to use the negative space to make them. Well, as you can see, I did it. I like this one.

So, we have until Thursday to make number 30. I have managed to make at least one painting between Monday and Thursday in each of the weeks of the challenge. And, if worse came to the worse and I hadn't done anything by Thursday I could dash off any old rubbish then. But, after having seen what I think is a big improvement in my watercolours  during this year's challenge, I don't want to cop out. I want to finish with something I think is good. 

So, having said that, I have bitten the proverbial bullet, and am doing another Mumbles tram, in what I think is a more complicated view to paint. 

I started it this evening, not thinking for one minute I would finish it tonight, and indeed I haven't. The thinking behind it was that since I've already started it, then I think this will give me the push to work on it over the next couple of days. I thought that you might like to look at the process of what I'd like to refer to as 'coaxing the picture onto the paper'. Yeah, that's pretentious, isn't it. Still, if you're ready, here we go:-

I'll be honest with you, it didn't occur to me to take process photos until I'd got this far. Now, as I try to explain my thought processes, please remember that I haven't had any lessons, and I'm just having to make it all up as I go along. So my first priority when I do a painting  of an outdoors scene is to get the sky down first. In more than one of this year's paintings I've had some success painting directly n top of the sky. In this case though I thought it would be a better idea to paint in the top of the tram first, This allowed me to try to judge the size of it, and in order to get this right I did paint in part of the tram's basic skeleton. In the foreground you can see one of the biggest challenges in this painting, which is the railings. 

It would make a lot more sense, I'm sure, to complete one part of the painting before moving on to another. But I primarily paint for pleasure, and when I paint I get whims to move on to a different part of the painting. Actually there was a sort of rationale behind doing part of a large tree, and part of the station building. They provide reference for me and help me plan out the rest of the composition. The pavement leading to the station also gives me another perspective line. even when I'm not making a direct watercolour I don't sketch out perspective lines, but I draw them with my eye. Having painted some of the skeleton of the tram I had a couple of perspective lines, which enabled me to work on the railings. In these early stages of a painting, you have to have faith that what you're trying to produce will eventually appear, and not worry that your painting really doesn't look much to write home about right now.

So, by this third photo I've added roofs to the station, and done more work shading the front of the tram. Whenever I paint a tram it's always a watershed moment when you first add interior details because it really starts to show you whether it is going to work out . . . or not. At this stage I was still worried about how I was going to fill the amount of white space.

By this stage I'd worked on extending the tree. The contrast between the different greens of the tree, and the pillar box red of the tram are nice. I've added just a little more definition to the station, and to the left of the station, between the building and the tram, I've painted in the first of three parked cars in this space. I've also extended the pavement and put in the framework of the station sign. Look between the crown of the tree and the tram. I also painted in the mountain behind,

This is where I've finished for the evening now. Now I've painted in the upper front interiors in the windows the tram looks miles better. The front end of the tram is pretty much finished now. I've also painted in the other 2 cars and the buildings between the station and the tram, To the right of the station I've also extended the platform to where it ends, and also painted in the van  and the post box beside. So the centre of the painting might not be finished - we still have work on the track bed to do and railings to add - but there's enough there that I'm starting to have a pretty good idea what the centre of the painting will look like when it's done. The right and the left, not so much yet. Watch this space.