New Expressions for 2024 in Watercolor

Seeing shapes as I draw is a new goal for 2024. Usually when I paint, I am thinking of how to place lines as I draw. Planning for shapes in the composition is going to help me create more visually appealing paintings.

A watercolor commission for the ship Barkentine S.C. Allen of Honolulu in 1910 is challenging because the client wants the ship to be painted in color matching how the harbor in Fort Bragg, California looks today. I am going for a composition that has sets of three, three masts on the ship, three masts near the rear of the dock and three trees in the foreground.

I started with a graded wash that uses the colors French Ultramarine Blue on the top and Cobalt Blue near the horizon with values darker at the top and lighter near the horizon. The shapes at or above the horizon will be mostly lines. The shapes below the horizon line will be mostly curves or rectangles. I did a small study 11×15 before starting on the full-size painting of 22 x 30 inches. I did not like the two trees so in the final I am adding another tree on the left in the foreground.