Watercolor Painting of "The Ellis Mendenhall Sanders House in Nauvoo Illinois"
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 This structure is one of Nauvoo’s best-preserved historic homes. Designed by master brick mason, William Mendenhall (whose home is next door in the painting) the home was built for Ellis Mendenhall Sanders and his wife, Rachel Broom Roberts - a granddaughter of a signer of the United States Constitution. It was a frequent site of LDS Church meetings and gatherings. Construction started in 1843 and the Sanders moved into the house on July 15, 1845. However, they only lived in the home for 10 months before the saints were driven out of Nauvoo, and started their famous overland trek west. Today it functions as a bed and breakfast, which we had the opportunity to fully enjoy during our stay in Nauvoo. In the painting, I used a little artistic license to show the Nauvoo Temple on the hill behind the house and the view across the flats to the Mississippi River in the distance. |
STEP BY STEP PAINTING DEMONSTRATION
BY ROLAND LEE |
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1. My paintings always begin with sketches and value studies. If I get them right at the outset, I am about 80% sure the painting will be successful. This little study is about 3 x 5. By keeping my first sketches this small I avoid the temptation to mess with details. What I am concerned about here is the design, and how I can use values to make a convincing scene. |
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2. Here I use tracing paper to sketch up my ideas actual size. The tracing paper allows me to try out different ideas and move things around. I am hoping to get in distant views of the Mississippi River as well as the Temple on the hill, and include some figures in period clothing. You can see how I've sketched figures both on the porch as well as in the street trying to see which works best. |
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3. Finally, I do a pencil outline sketch right on the watercolor paper which will act as my guide as I try to control the applications of watercolor glazes. |
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4. I begin applying paint first to the sky area using wet into wet techniques, then move down into the house area. Here I try to establish the lights and darks and the areas of light and shadow. Notice how we can already sense the three-dimensional shape of the house, just because of the shadows. I will use up to three overglazes in certain areas to get my richest darks, but I have to be careful to preserve all of my light areas by using negative painting. In transparent watercolor I cannot paint light over dark, so those areas must be saved from the start. |
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6. I use that same technique as I continue to work on the rest of the painting. You can identify the areas that I had to paint around, using the negative painting technique. Notice how the eye is always drawn to the areas of greatest contrast.
"The Ellis Mendenhall Sanders Home in Nauvoo" Collection: Grant and Joyce Lee Click for purchase information Click here for information on the Ellis Sanders House Bed and Breakfast experience in Nauvoo |