ACEO - River Morning 1

This morning I looked at the two Monarch butterfly chrysalis on the outside of the front porch.

The first one that was at the lower part of the porch window frame had changed and you could see through the outer shell the darker veining in between the areas of the orange on the wings and some of the white markings.

More than likely the butterfly will emerge either later today or very early tomorrow morning. I will keep checking on it and hopefully be able to watch it happen.

The second chrysalis, which is on the corner of the upper window on the porch, hasn't started to change colour and probably won't emerge today, perhaps sometime tomorrow.

I will just have to be patient.

In the meantime I thought I would work on this painting that I had started a few years ago (see posts on 13 September 2015 and 26 February 2018).

The first thing I did was bring the orange and peach colours from the sky further down into the water making the river wider.

With a pale mixture of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I put in the furthest back tree trunks on the far shore and gradually darkened the colour and increased the size of the tree trunks as the trees came closer to the river.

Darkening the colour more I put in the largest tree trunk on the shore in the foreground.

Next I mixed a pale green of raw sienna, French ultramarine blue and Antwerp blue and using a sponge I put the leaves on the furthest back trees first. Then I slightly darkened the green mix and put in each layer of trees on the far shore.

At this point I put the grasses at the edge of the shore leaving some areas untouched for the rocks at the river's edge.

I wet the river with clear water and using the green brushed in the reflections of the closer trees into the water.

While the river was drying I darkened the green mix and with the sponge I put the leaves on the foreground tree.

Lastly, I painted in the grasses and the growies at the base of the foreground tree and on the closer shore.

If you would like more information about ACEO please go to my post on 11 March 2010.

The ACEO shown here is an original watercolour painting using Artist quality Winsor & Newton paint on 140lb. Fabriano 100% cotton, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.