Saturday, December 01, 2007

Nature Study

I think I am finished with this study.....




I've finished the tree (although I think I need to do some more shading for depth on top.). I starting to work on the small path between the rocks. I've blocked in the rest of the rocks on the left as well.










I'm progressing on the pine tree in the background. It is more of a silhouette than much detail. I should have toned the sky before I started. This would have allowed the highlights in the rocks stand out more. I'll call this one a nature study as I really am just experimenting with textures and shadowing.


This is the first WIP. I am still experimenting with trying to capture the rocks. Between the fluid cracks and the subtle shadows and textures, they are a real challenge to do.

This fall we had a wonderful opportunity to visit our son in Tehachapi, CA. He recently moved out there to work at Scaled Composites in Mohave. We spent one day in a delightful trip to the Sequoia National Park. Taking a narrow, mountain road we reached the top at 8,000 feet elevation. This was one of the peaks. I was thrilled to get a number of great photos of rocks and trees.