It is now September, Color Week 35. This morning I went out to the beach to sketch and found myself looking at the hills as they meet the water. The hills are a combination of evergreen and deciduous trees, but that tree on the edge of the beach, tall and wind worn is a Douglas Fir tree.
Daniel Smith offers some watercolor hues that are distinctly Pacific Northwest. The Cascade green used in my little sketch is one of those colors. I like this semi transparent, granulating color for capturing the unique color of the northwest outdoors.
The craggy peaks of the Cascade Mountains that divide lush, western Washington from the dry, high plains of the east, inspired this unique green.
Daniel Smith
The colors chosen for Douglas Fir include Cascade Green and Perylene Green. I was introduced to Perylene Green in a class and my initial thought was that it looked muddy and a bit ‘off’ for natural vegetation. I have learned to use Perylene Green in shadows and washes with happy results. Check out this field guide page using a limited palette of these greens, Burnt Sienna and Raw Umber.
In January 2021 I started ‘Color Week’, a personal goal to weekly explore a color history or curiosity
Own Your Encore 