Soaring

A Step by Step Watercolor Demonstration by John Hulsey

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We have found that the payoffs for the traveling artist are large and long-lasting. Along with our on-site paintings, we always gather a mountain of reference materials—sketches, drawings and photographs, which we can develop into studio paintings later. We often have unexpected adventures and meet fascinating people. Some of those encounters and adventures we have shared with you on The Artist’s Road.

When we travel, especially in Europe, there is always more to take in than we can paint at any one time. We make quick studies in our sketchbooks or on small oil panels as often as we can. For the rest, we must use the camera. Knowing what the camera will and won’t do visually is of utmost importance to getting the most out of our travel time.

This demonstration illustrates how I recreated my original impression of a scene from a photograph and a small sketch. In this instance, many years have passed, but that is not an obstacle. I can look at the photo I took and realize what qu…