In just a few short months I’ll be going back to Italy! I can’t wait to see the Tuscan hills again and enjoy the endless delights of fresh, delicious Italian food. And the gelato…don’t even get me started on that!
October 3-10, 2015, will find me teaching a week-long workshop in Sketchbook Journaling at Fattoria Bacio, in Certaldo, Italy. We’ll be painting, touring, feasting, relaxing and having a great old time together. I thought you might enjoy a sneak preview of one of the painting tutorials I’ll be sharing with my students in Tuscany.
So, let’s pretend for a moment that you’re sitting on a sun-drenched hillside, straw hat on your head, sketchbook in your lap, pencil poised, ready to sketch a centuries-old villa with with a red tile roof.
How should you begin? Well, here are some ideas…..
Red-orange terracotta roofs are a distinctive part of the Tuscan landscape, as typical as rolling hills, vineyards and cypress trees. They add a bright spot of color to a painting, and often may be indicated with nothing more than a splash of burnt sienna.
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| Title page from my 2013 Italy journal, 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor |
The rusty red color sings in a landscape filled with its complement, green.
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| 7″ x 2.5″, ink & watercolor in Stillman and Birn Beta series sketchbook |
When sketching distant views that include clay tile roofs, I paint them very simply…
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| 5″ x 2″, part of a larger gridded page; ink & watercolor in a Stillman and Birn Beta series sketchbook |
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| 3.5″ x 7″, ink & watercolor in a Stillman and Birn Beta series sketchbook |
For a mid-range view, like the sketch below, a bit more detail can be added to suggest the dips between vertical rows of tiles. A few quick brush strokes serve to indicate individual tiles here and there. There’s no need to paint them all.
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| 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor in a Stillman and Birn Beta series sketchbook |
The only time you’ll need to worry about including more details is when you’re focusing in on a roof in the foreground of your sketch. In that case, here’s an approach you may want to try:
STEP 1
- Study the roof and note any irregularities – a broken or crooked tile, an area that’s moss-covered, etc. You’ll want to include those unique details in your sketch. You’re not just painting any roof, you’re painting this particular roof.
- Do a preliminary sketch in pencil. This is your chance to figure out the angles and spacing of the roof tiles.
- Ink the sketch, if desired. (I used a Pigma Micron 01 black pen for the sketch shown here.) There’s no need to trace over every pencil line or to draw every tile.
- Erase unwanted pencil lines.
STEP 2
- Paint a variegated wash for your base color, which will be the lightest tones on the tiles.
- Use warm colors such as Winsor Orange, Burnt Sienna, Alizarin Crimson, Raw Sienna, Quinacridone Gold, or Burnt Umber.
- Touch the lower edge of the wash with a wet brush and allow some of the color to bleed onto the wall below. This will help to unify the painting.
- Add a pale warm tone to the wall, if desired.
STEP 3
- Add varying mid-tones to areas of the roof or to individual tiles.
- Paint a variegated base wash of greys, browns, and yellow ochre for the building’s stone walls.
STEP 4
- Begin painting shadows. I used several different color combinations for shadows, like Ultramarine Blue + Rose Violet (or Quinacridone Violet) + Burnt Umber (or Burnt Sienna or Quinacridone Gold)
- Add shadows between vertical rows of tiles.
- Add shadows at the base of individual tiles. Vary the color and darkness of the shadows, so the tiles don’t look too uniform.
- Paint the shadow under the bottom row of tiles.
- Paint any support boards or eaves that show under the bottom row of tiles. (In the photo I worked from, a horizontal support board showed below the last row of tiles.)
STEP 5
- Begin painting the stone wall, indicating mortar joints.
- Use a natural sponge to dab on some color to indicate texture on the wall.
- Add any other detailing to the wall. (My photo showed bricks on the corners of the building, half-covered with mortar, so I painted them at this point.)
STEP 6
- Paint the darkest shadows on the tile roof.
- Add a touch of very dark shadow color under the bottom row of tiles.
- Paint the shaded side of the building with a purple-grey wash. (Ultramarine Blue + Quinacridone Violet or Rose Violet + a touch of Burnt Sienna or Burnt Umber to tone it down)
- Use the same purple-grey to paint the shadow under the roof overhang. Run a clean, damp brush along the lower edge of the shadow to soften the line.
- Add any final spots of color to the painting.
- Lift highlights on the roof tiles with a damp brush, if needed.
BONUS TIP:
Here are some options for mixing convincing colors for terracotta roof tiles.
For more information about my all-inclusive workshop at Fattoria Bacio, October 3-10, 2015, click on the “Italy Workshop” tab above, or visit the Artravelitaly website. Let’s paint Tuscany together!
9 Comments
Thanks for the mini tutorial. Wish I could take some of the trips you teachers offer but its out of the question at least for now. Enjoy your trip and teaching session!
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Thanks for the tutorial. I would love to come to Italy with you, but my husband and I planned to go to France at the end of Sept. Maybe next year.
Hey, I have an idea…why don't you combine your trip with a visit to Tuscany and join my October 3-10 workshop at Fattoria Bacio, near Florence? Wouldn't that be fun? We even have activities planned for non-painting partners.
Thanks for sharing this. Always enjoy your painting and tips.
Glad you enjoyed it, Jeanne.
Leslie, Your BlogSpot is wonderful – your work is beautiful. You are so gifted, not only in what you create, but also in your ability to instruct and guide.
RETA@ http://evenhaazer.blogspot.com
I've been busy and haven't had much time to visit your blog in a while. How exciting to be anticipating a trip to Italy. I may be heading back there in September. Love the steps to painting the roof, and I really enjoyed seeing your post about your trip to Florida.
Thank for sharing this technique!