Golden Rollin’ Hills

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 27″h x 25″w, 1988.

This scene of this Golden Eagle watercolor is in the golden, rollin’ hills just south of the Shasta River and north of Yreka, California. It represents a typical grassland setting where Golden Eagles hunt.

To do these grasses in watercolor required using Miskit masking fluid. The Miskit acted as a water-resistant film so the watercolor wouldn’t paint the paper. The grasses required painting some of grass blades with the Miskit. I would then do a light golden wash, mask some more, do another light wash, and so on until until all the grasses were painted. I then painted the rocks and the bird. When the paint dried, I then rubbed off the Miskit. The grasses then had a lot of variations in colors and shades as of the progression of washes and masking added up to the final image.

To do this painting in watercolor was tedious because painting the bird, rocks, and grass required using Miskit masking fluid to block them from being painted as I painted the background. The Miskit acts as a water-resistant film, so the watercolor doesn’t paint the paper. I first masked out the bird and rocks, then I masked out the grass blades with the Miskit. I started with masking out a hundred or so grass blades, and I would then do a light wash of yellow. I would continue masking another hundred or so grass blades, and I would do a slightly darker tan wash. I would repeat this process and do successive washes that were slightly darker each time until all the grasses were painted. I then painted the rocks and the bird. Afterwards, I rubbed off all the Miskit which is like rubber cement, so it comes off. The grasses then had a lot of variations in colors and shades as of the progression of washes and masking added up to the final image.

Original is sold.