High Noon Summer Sketch

high noon summer watercolor sketch

Determined to complete another lunch-time sketch, I headed out the door at exactly noon and went to work! Today was a beautiful warm day. Noon can be a challenge to paint, why? Think about it, where is the sun coming from? Directly overhead it radiates, so shadows are minimal and colors are bright, almost washed out.

No matter! Let’s record these happenings in our sketchbooks. It tells the story of summer.

As true to the scene, my highlights are at the top of the tree branches. The trees did not cast a long shadow, but rather a small pool directly beneath. Today, the sky wasn’t a deep blue, but more like a washed out blue and almost white in the horizon (it rained several hours later, maybe a thin cloud haze was a warning?).
Speaking of rain, thank goodness we got some! The grass is beginning to turn brown.

Last but not least, a very happy accident. What is a happy accident? It is when something unintentional happens to your benefit and not to your dismay.
Do you see that leaf in between the trees, falling in the air? My hand smudged that on the paper! I guess while working I got paint on my hand. The next thing I know, there’s a blob on my paper. AND I LOVE IT!
Now the story deepens…it gives the painting more interest. Did the leaf come from the left tree or the right tree? Why is a healthy leaf falling in the middle of summer, beetle perhaps? Which direction is the leaf falling?
Only the viewer can answer those questions. There are no wrong answers.

And that is why I love happy accidents!