Yes, it was a quite week in the heights (Mendota Heights, that is). We had no class last week, and there’s no class this week. (Painting class, that is.) So, like, you know, you do, we got out the paints. Here’s my rendition:

Alaskan Aurora

Watercolour on 10x7 Arches 140lb cold press.

This was rather fun. First thing I did was use latex masking fluid by dipping it onto an old toothbrush and splattering it on the paper. Then mountain went it first as a mix of perm. rose and aureolin to get a nice orangish red.

Then I laid in some plain aureolin where the greenish aurora was going, let it dry, and then glazed it with some cobalt blue and aureolin mixed, and dropped in some phthalo green to brighten it more.

The darker sky from the upper left started with just plain french ultramarine, thinning it a bit as I got further into the middle, and then swithed over to cobalt blue, thinned out a bit. Back in the middle darker blue with french ultramarine again, blending the whole while.

In the upper right corner I deepened the blue with mixing phthalo blue and perm. rose.

The shadows on the mountains are mostly french ultramarine in a glaze over the orange-red.

Finally rubbed off the mask when everything was dry. The upper left part was sort of smudged, so it turned into the Milky Way.

All-in-all, I’m happy with it. I’m sending this to the person whose photo provided the inspiration.