Magic of Black Week 3: Night Scene

March 8, 2023

**Into the Dark Wood**
Pastel on Black paper by Jo
Note how the tree trunks are “not drawn or painted”.
All the drawing is in the spaces between.

Working on black paper lends itself well to drawing and painting night scenes just because they are DARK. Lights from street lamps, moon and stars can be depicted simply and dramatically.

**Northern Lights** **Imagined**
Watercolour by Jo (unfinished)
The main lines were lightly marked with pastel pencil. Masking fluid was applied to all areas that were to remain black. The paper was dampened then washed with layers of blue and green interference watercolours using a large mop brush. These washes were modified with smaller brushes. The painting was allowed to dry thoroughly before removing the masking fluid.

Pastel and pastel pencil, or gouache or acrylic would work well. Paint pens could be useful for the odd bright pop of colour. Happy for you to experiment and mix the media. When working with pastel white gouache can be used to accentuate highlights. Pastel can also be applied as over gouache or paint pens where a softer effect is needed. Most watercolours are too transparent for effective work on black paper but mixing with a little permanent white increases opacity and the effect is similar to working in gouache.

Work from a reference or your imagination. In either case think very carefully about which areas you wish to leave as untouched paper or with a thin veil of colour and which areas need to stand out brightly. Whether working in pastel or gouache it can be useful to mark out the major areas of the composition very lightly in pale pastel pencil just to give a road map. Deal with the mid tone areas and then add the brightest areas of light as the finishing touches.

**A Light in the Tower**
Tiny pastel by Jo 4 x 5 inches
Here the tower is left as mainly untouched paper.

**Leaf Fall by Moonlight**
Pastel and Pastel Pencil by Jo about 4 x 5 inches
Note the arrangement of light and dark areas, use of line and use of broken colour. In this drawing the trees trunks and branches were drawn first before laying in the misty areas. The leaves were then added as bright dots and dashes of white and near white broken colour.

**Red Cloud**
Pastel by Jo
This red cloud is an imagined galaxy full of white stars. Each star is made to look luminous by making its immediate surround dark giving a huge contrast with the star embedded in the light to mid tone dust cloud.

**Toward the Ulva Ferry at Nigh**t
Pastel and Pastel Pencil by Jo
Here the moon is made to look luminous in the same way as in the previous image except the full moon is surrounded by a small ring of untouched paper then a halo of mid tone. Note the reflected light on the cloud, the reflection in the water and the moonbeams lighting up the landscape.

**Bradford at Night: View from outside the Media Museum**
Photo by Jo
Imagine how it would be to use this photo as a reference and how all black areas could be represented as untouched black paper, while making the lights brilliant.
Also identify the main areas of mid-tone.

**Funchal Harbour just before Dawn**
Photo by Jo
This could also be painted on black paper reserving the black of the paper for the palm trees and telegraph pole. How could you deal with the wires? Night scenes like this and the photo above could be painted in pastel or gouache.

This week is really an introduction to painting the negative spaces between the trees and other objects that block the light. it’s also a great opportunity to make lights that appear truly luminous in your paintings. Happy for you to work from the photos above, from your own reference or from your imagination using any medium.

Practical

1.Choose a night scene photo reference or work from imagination.

2.Work our your composition on a small piece of black paper and do some experiments to find which medium or media will suit your subject best. Mixing the media may produce an exciting result.

3.Map out the composition very lightly with a pastel pencil on the paper selected for the final work and then create a work where some of the paper is left untouched or is visible beneath translucent layers of colour.

Your Paintings: