# Sunset Forest



## PainterKen (Jan 14, 2013)

*"Sunset Forest"
16" x 20" Canvas.

Time lapse: http://youtu.be/aq0HeRwPZR0

Was playing around with the new brushes...the Bob Ross 2" background blender is amazing, but the Grumbacher Goldenedge liner brush that I used to make the tiny branches is just awesome! I probably could have blended the right a little bit more, though, but as I started this painting at about 11:30pm, I was in a rush to get it done before my bedtime of 2am (as you can see, I'm now 48 minutes past that point , lol). Tomorrow is going to be a tired day, for sure, but at least it was worth it!
*


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## killmaven (Jan 17, 2013)

I really like the way you do trees, Ken. It's sort of nice to see you trying to find your groove. I wish there was more going on on the left side of the piece, but perhaps the effect you have achieved was your intention.


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## PainterKen (Jan 14, 2013)

I thought about adding another foreground tree there as well...my first thought was to have a tree sort of coming out of the bottom left corner, but I thought that it might be too much and mess with the light source. I'll probably paint this one again with that suggestion and see how it goes (as a friend of mine has said that he wants this one to hang in his house, lol).


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## killmaven (Jan 17, 2013)

Don't ruin it on my account. I may have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.


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## PainterKen (Jan 14, 2013)

No worries. Like I said, my friend said that he'd be happy to have this painting hanging on his walls, and I can easily replicate it (perhaps not the minute details like the thinner tree branches), but at least to see what it looks like.

Or...perhaps I'll just get some drawing paper out, color it black, cut it out like a tree, and see what it looks like when placed on top of the painting, hahaha!


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## chanda95 (Apr 6, 2011)

Let me just say - trees are your thing. That tree is lovely and I love that you added detail in the grass. Once again - awesome use of streaming light. I also love that you added color to it - it does add life however I am on the fence with the colors used. In my opinion they are a little bold and bright for what is an otherwise really soft piece. I would like to have seen them blended together a bit more because as it is they kind of look like a rainbow. To me the really bright colors (I think it's just that hot pink in the middle to be honest) take away from the beautiful work you did on the tree. Maybe muting the colors just a bit and blending a bit more?  George is a painter and maybe he will see something different than I..I tend to lean towards really traditional. 

Overall though - I like it A LOT and I love that tree, it has so much personality. Every tree you do just gets better and better and better. Where's the gnome??? lol..there needs to be a gnome


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## PainterKen (Jan 14, 2013)

Haha, I'm slowly working on the gnome, believe me ;-) It's one thing to make an oddly disproportionate drawing of one, and another entirely to paint it, but the NEXT "tree scene" will have a gnome in it ;-)

Yea, the right needed to be blended more. I had started this late in the evening, and wanted to finish it before bed (if I put it off, it's just going to sit there, like 2 other unfinished paintings that I have). I didn't realize how bright/bold that crimson was going to be, and so I went back to add some more yellow ochre to blend into it, and made it worse...so I started from the right and added some more color in, not realizing the mistake that I had made - too much raw umber, too much crimson. 

I think what it really boils down to, is that I was afraid of messing with the light source. I wanted a "sunset" feel to it, but was afraid that if I added more yellow ochre and some crimson to the left side, that it would give the entire painting a rather uniform atmosphere, which wasn't the intention.

I'm going to make another tonight, and maybe go back and finish a painting that I started for a friend based on a photo...which really, I had no business even attempting yet, lol.


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## chanda95 (Apr 6, 2011)

LOL! looking forward to seeing that gnome. ;-) 

We learn from every drawing or painting we do. Chalk this one up to a learning experience and move on to the next piece. I used to be like you - had to get it done or if I didn't it would never get finished (I have a LOT of unfinished artwork by the way). For whatever reason though something changed and I realized that there will always be tomorrow and I think taking your time not only allows you to get the detail you want but also makes your art better. I still envy those that can get a drawing done in a matter of hours..as it is my latest drawing has been taking me an hour to an hour and a half a day and you see how far I have gotten with it - not real far - but I think the end product is going to be one of the better drawings I have done...I hope. My main advice is to just take your time and don't rush your work and I think you will see huge changes.

Keep cranking them out and sharing!!!


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## PainterKen (Jan 14, 2013)

I started on a general outline last night. While hunting around for "imagination fodder" (I keep a folder stored on my hard drive for trees, mountains, waterfalls, rocks, etc, so that I can easily reference how one looks in a variety of different surroundings), I ran across something called a "signal tree" or "trail tree", I guess which means they were shaped by humans for a specific purpose...but some of those trees have animal shapes hidden in them, etc. So, if I'm able to capture the "hidden" aspects of this tree, I think you'll like the next painting. I plan on at least starting it tonight, probably finishing it on Saturday morning.


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