Monochromatic Study

Is That Kentucky Blue?

I have some very interesting painting buddies,

you've met some of them on here.

Meredith is a great painting friend who is always pushing me (in a really good way)

  and others to do and to learn more.

Currently I'm part of a challenge to paint a monochromatic painting with her and others, 

using only one color and white and black.

I'm using a picture I took of a church in Indiana several years ago that I have wanted to paint.

In starting the exercise I laid out my palette with white, ultramarine blue and my own black.

I mix my own black using several dark colors.

 

Then I scooped off some of the black and added the blue, (dark pile on bottom left),

then I scooped some of the blue and added white (middle bottom pile),

and then I took half of that and added more white, (bottom right).

 Next I taped my 8 x 10 panel onto my dabble board.

I toned the panel with a mixture of burnt sienna and white and put it on using diagonal strokes.

I taped the picture to the top of my easel I'm working from.

I started by drawing the building and adding the windows and doors.

 I know you're supposed to start with the darkest part first, but I don't always do it.

Here I added the sky, cause I knew it would give me fits if I left it to the end.

OK, so now I'm adding the shadows from a tree and the building. 

 Starting to add the block building in.  The left side of the church naturally is darker, so it's starting to take shape.

 Added the framing around the windows and some of the shadows in the eaves.

Starting to paint the roof and bell tower.

 

Starting the grasses and finishing out the shadows from the non-existent tree.

It's actually existent in the photo, it's just not in the painting.

I only have about an hour, cause I'm taking care of one of my 4yr. old grandsons this week.

 

Here's the finished painting still on the easel.

I see some obvious problems.

The shadow around the facing on the roof is too dark, 

the door ways are wonky,

there is no tree and I want one,

The sky's not right,

but other than that,

It's a perfectly good monochromatic study.

If you really like blue.