Please note: The Gift Bag is no longer available and was part of the first e-course

Lesson Description:

Draw your composition using an HB pencil.  Wet both sides of the paper and apply a non-staining triad of primaries.  Start at the light source with Aurelian yellow and circle Quinacridone rose and lastly cobalt blue in a circular movement to the edges of the paper.  Spray a light mist starting at the source of light and move the color to the edges of the paper.  Splash some fall colours unto the wet surface to start painting the fall foliage.

On dry paper, drop a pattern of a primary yellow and quinacridone gold to form patterns of yellow foliage. Be sure to zig and zag the shapes.  Try not to go in a straight line.  Then drop another pattern of scarlet lake orange and quinacridone burnt orange.  Add Antwerp blue to create dark greens.  Be sure to drop some collage onto the ground area to become fallen leaves.

When this dries, paint in the tree trunks between the foliage patterns.  I used quinacridone burnt orange and French Ultramarine blue for the dark brown.

Paint the foreground foliage in shadow colours, such as cobalt blue mixed with Windsor orange..  This provides the contrast for the “finger of God” light coming through the trees.

Be sure your painting is bone dry when you attempt to create the “finger of God” with a toothbrush.  Place your painting under slowly running water and scrub the light out with a soft toothbrush.  Slowly allow the color to exit your painting.  Use restraint when lifting the shapes coming through the trees so it does not become a perfect pinwheel.