Bonny Doon Lupins

by Linda A. Levy
(Bonny Doon, CA, USA)

I hike through a reserve area here in Bonny Doon. It was April into May, and the challenge was on: create at least one painting a day. The field lupins were so stupendous, I just couldn't help myself. I wound up doing 10 pastel sketches that first day. From those sketches, I returned home and "completed" them using my Painter program. I select a "sandy pastel paper" which adds a bit of "tooth" to the final image. I use my digital watercolors to create an underpainting, which at first glance is very abstract. At this point in my painting, the color has to "work" as a composition and balance. I then use my digital pastels to build up the landscape, working from large-size brushes to smaller. I've created a digital pastel brush which allows me to put down 5 - 6 separate strokes at once, in the direction I'm stroking my pen on my pressure sensitive digital tablet. Pressing lightly, produces small brushstrokes, which blend the selected brush color with the existing bottom color. Pressing harder, the strokes get a bit larger, and more of my selected pigment is laid down. Results in a LOT of movement and color variation. The dry lake bed of the reserve is spectacular to draw at any time of the year. Large Ponderosa pines, sandy soil, dramatic rock formations.