Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Hurricanes Are Severe Cyclones


Today I thought I would do something for our non-horsey friends. 


As far as I can gather, a cyclone is the same thing as a hurricane, only milder. They are both tropical storms with a system of winds rotating inward to an area of low atmospheric pressure.  A cyclone is categorized as a hurricane when it's winds reach a force of 74 miles per hour. 


I decided to sketch and paint a couple of these storms. Using the rule of thirds, I first sketched out where the eye (center of interest) of the storm would be. Once I was happy with the layout, I transferred my drawings onto watercolor paper via my light box. Here are my layout sketches and subsequent paintings.

3 comments:

  1. Both paintings are fantastic. Your first happens to be my favorite due to how the cyclone is framed within the dark blue. Both definitely captivating!

    I also like how you shared the rule of thirds in the pencil sketches.

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  2. P.S. I'd love to know how you achieved this. Negative painting? Working dark to light? Wet in wet? Lifting?

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  3. Thanks for your comments and questions, Susan! These paintings were done wet-in-wet, (both sides are wet-and not tacked down - on a non-porous board) light to dark values (with a dry brush- I pre-mixed my colors so I wouldn't have to think too much), with some splatter and softening of edges thrown in. :-D

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