Day's End (Flintstone Barns, step 14)

The final painting

As planned, I took this painting to the Washington Society of Landscape Painters Annual Award Banquet last Sunday. Several members offered some comments which I have implemented. First, I moved the hedge row that lined up with the front sidewalk...moved it back, and then, of course I had to move the fence.

Another comment was that there was someone home...the lights were on, but there was no truck or car! So now there's a driveway with a truck just peeking out from the far side of the house.

Another comment was the cows need warmer and lighter highlights on their backs.

And lastly, smoke coming out of the chimney would be another indication that someone was home on this slightly chilly day.

So at last, the painting is done and hanging at the Mansion at Strathmore, Bethesda, Maryland. I am pleased with it and learned a lot, since so much of it was imagined. You saw the original photos...this painting represents what I wanted to see and mood that I wanted to express. This was definitely not an easy painting. It is so much easier when you are painting what is in front of you.

I'm not sure what I will be my next painting. I have lots of ideas but nothing firm at this point.

Flintstone Barns, Step 13

The Painted Version


In this step, you can see where I have changed the foreground hill to approximately what I had designed in Photoshop. I added boulders and darkened the grasses. I also made them a bit greener so that the hill would blend in better as it sloped into the middle ground meadow.

Afterward, standing back from the painting, I noticed that I had two quite parallel lines...the line of the foreground hill was essentially parallel to the back hill, which was quite bothersome. I couldn't really change either one of those, so I added a hedge row behind the house and right-hand shed as a counter point. It works pretty well...it's the best I can do.

Some other things that I did: I darkened the right shed and its roof. I darkened the little back porch. I added the fence posts and removed the stupid little tree behind the left-hand shed. From a distance, it really looked dumb.

As of now, I don't like the shape of the boulders...the one silhouetted against the green meadow should be steeper and craggier. It's also quite symmetrical.

About all that's left to do is to change the boulders, add some fences, add some utility poles and the animals. I think I'll change the cows to sheep, I haven't done any for a while. I will also change the lights in the windows to make them different. Right now they are too much the same.

I keep remembering I am taking this painting to the Washington Society of Landscape Painters' banquet on Sunday!

Flintstone Barns, Step 12

Back to Painting in Photoshop

I took another photo of the painting and went to work on it on the computer. The painting needed more drama and interest in that foreground hill. You can see I darkened it and added boulders in shadow with just the tips of them highlighted by the setting sun. I am really liking this approach...I can paint with all sorts of different colors and have NO brushes or hands to wash!

Flintstone Barns, Step 11

Using the Photoshop sketch


Here I have followed the photoshop sketch in the previous step and painted out the pond, which gives me some breathing room. I have also developed the foreground hill and added grasses and leaves, as per the original photograph. I'm not sure I like this part...I'll have to see. If I get away from it for a day or two, perhaps I will figure out what to do with it.