Rhine Castle

I’m going back to basics in watercolour, using a photo of a Rhine castle.  I have limited my palette to four colours, Ultramarine Violet, Burnt Sienna,  Indian Yellow and Viridian.  I know from experience that these colours work well together, but if you think about it, I have the three primary colour in the mix.  Ultramarine Violet could be made from Ultramarine Blue and Permanent Rose,  Burnt Sienna is a Yellowy Red, and Viridian is a bluey Green which also has traces of yellow, and, of course, Indian Yellow itself!  I know that’s pushing it a bit, but I do find it helpful to think of the colours I use in terms of the primaries.  It seems to make mixing easier.

I started with a pale lavender sky – the sky is covered in light, high cloud, the late afternoon of a dull day – and intensified the colour for the most distant hills.

I washed the bottom of the valley lightly with clean water, Then painted the middle distance in a mid-tone mix of Viridian and Burnt Sienna.   The rising mist adds interest to the picture.  sorry the picture is so dark,  camera trouble again!

Now for the castle and its grounds.  I though a touch of autumn colouring might lighten the mood, which is why I included Indian Yellow in my selection.  Mixed with Viridian it gives an agreeable green;  Burnt Sienna, both neat and mixed with Viridian gives rusty tones and a dark green.  The roofs and details of the castle and the bluff on which it stands were painted in a dark mix of Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Violet

Finally, I used I used this mix, loosened with water, to create interest in the river by moving the brush swiftly over the paper so leaving the white paper to sparkle.