PAINTWATERCOLORSTHATDANCEWITH

PaintWatercolorsThatDanceWithLight.Copyright©2004byElizabethKincaid.ManufacturedinChina.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.PublishedbyNorthLightBooks,animprintofF+WPublications,Inc.,4700EastGalbraithRoad,Cincinnati,Ohio,45236.(800)289-0963.Firstedition.

OtherfineNorthLightBooksareavailablefromyourlocalbookstore,artsupplystoreordirectfromthepublisher.

080706050454321

LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationDataKincaid,Elizabeth.Paintwatercolorsthatdancewithlight/ElizabethKincaid.—1sted.p.cmIncludesindex.ISBN1-58180-468-7(hc.:alk.paper)1.Watercolorpainting—Technique.I.Title.

ND2420.K552004751.42’2—dc222004041517

EditedbyAmandaMetcalfandVanessaLymanDesignedbyLisaBuchananProductionartbyAmyF.WilkinCoverdesignbyJulieZelinskiProductioncoordinatedbyMarkGriffinARTONPAGE1:

DaffodilsintheRound21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)ARTONPAGE2:

ButterflyLandfall13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

ElizabethKincaid grewup in Seattle,Washington, and raised a familythere.Along theway, she studiedpainting atCornish School ofAlliedArts (now the Cornish College of the Arts), earned a BFA in graphicdesignfromtheUniversityofWashington,andworkedasadesignerfora community college. She studied painting with William Cumming,PhyllisWood,RexBrandt, RichardYip, and laterwith Leo Smith. ShetaughtwatercolorandbotanicalillustrationinSeattlebeforemovingtothePhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, area.While living inPennsylvania, shetaught classes andworkshops, becameboth an exhibitingmember andboardmemberofthePhiladelphiaWaterColorSociety,andshowedherworkinseveralareagalleries,aswellashavinganannualsoloshowattheMuseogalleryinLangley,Washington.ShehadalargesoloshowatAmericanCollegeinBrynMawr,Pennsylvania.SincemovingtoSoquel,California, Elizabeth has continued to show her work in galleries andalso participates in the annual Santa Cruz CountyOpen Studios show.She teachesclassesandworkshops inherhomestudiooverlooking thebeautiful Monterey Bay. Elizabeth’s work has appeared in Splash 6,Splash7andSplash8andhaswonnumerousawards.In1999and2002,shehadlargesoloshowsattheMissouriBotanicalGardeninSt.Louis,Missouri.HerWebsiteaddressiswww.elizabethkincaid.com.

METRICCONVERSIONCHART

Toconvert to multiplyby

Inches Centimeters 2.54

Centimeters Inches 0.4

Feet Centimeters 30.5

Centimeters Feet 0.03

Yards Meters 0.9

Meters Yards 1.1

Sq.Inches Sq.Centimeters 6.45

Sq.Centimeters Sq.Inches 0.16

Sq.Feet Sq.Meters 0.09

Sq.Meters Sq.Feet 10.8

Sq.Yards Sq.Meters 0.8

Sq.Meters Sq.Yards 1.2

Pounds Kilograms 0.45

Kilograms Pounds 2.2

Ounces Grams 28.6

Grams Ounces 0.035

DEDICATION

Iwanttodedicatethisbooktomyhusband,LarryAndrews,whoseloveandsupporthavemadethisprojectpossible,andtoallofmystudents,whohavetaughtmehowtoteach.

SpecialSalvia10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSFirst,IwanttothankacquisitionseditorRachelWolffortheopportunitytohavethegreatexperienceofmakingthisbook.Ihavetwoeditorstothank for helping me put this book together: Amanda Metcalf andVanessaLyman.Theymademyjobaloteasierbecausewewereateam!ThisbookwouldneverhavehappenedwithouttheearlyencouragementofmyWednesday students atWhitehorse Village in Pennsylvania andthegenerouseffortsofmyfriend,studentandskillfulcopyeditor,JanetClark.IamalsogratefulforthewonderfulhelpofRobertandMaryAnnFranson, who came through for me when it was time to submit aproposal for this book idea. I don’t have the words to express howgrateful I am toMarv Thomas. Hemade possible thewonderful life Ihavenowandheshothisglobethistleforme.I thankSallyJorgensonforloaningmeherinterestingstudiochair,andIgiveaverybigthanksto my student Maggie Macro for dancing around an imaginary colorwheelformyillustrations.Mystudentshavebeenatremendoussupportandcheeringsectionover thecourseof thisproject—their feedbackonwhatneedstobeshowntomakeinstructionclearhasbeenmyteacher.I’mespeciallygratefultoCheriJosephforlettingmeuseherpaintingtoillustrateapoint.I’mluckytohavetwodancersinmyfamilytomodelforme:mydaughter,DeborahHaleyandgranddaughter,NatashaHaley.I also want to acknowledge photographer Karen Lemon for givingpermission to use her photograph of the dancer with the scarf as areferenceforpainting.Thisbookwasmadebyawholeteam—thegreatfolks atNorth Light andmy friends and family. Paul Titangos did thelargeformatphotographyofmyartworkbeautifully.Myhusband,Larry,photographed my artwork and the demonstrations and providedessential computer support so I could concentrate on the writing andpainting!

TABLEOFCONTENTS

CHAPTER1

HOWTOSEELIKEANArtistBeforeyoucanpaint,youneedtounderstanddrawing.Beforeyoucandraw,youneedtounderstandseeing.

CHAPTER2

LEARNINGTHESTEPS:THEMETHODSANDTHEMadnessCheckhereforaquicksummaryofmymethodofmaskingandglazinginwatercolor.Seeanoverviewoftheprocess—evenbasicthingslikehowtoholdabrush!

CHAPTER3

COMPOSITION:CHOREOGRAPHYFORTHEEyeStrongpaintingdemandsstrongdesign.Masteringeverypaintingtechniquecan’tsaveapaintingwithweakdesign,soworkwiththeseprinciplestostrengthenyourpaintings.

CHAPTER4

MASQUERADE:PROTECTINGPURECOLOR&LightMaskingworksasanimportantpartnertomyglazingtechnique,andthereismoretoitthanjustpreservingthewhiteofthepaper.Seehowmaskingcanliberateyourwork.

CHAPTER5

WATERINWATERCOLOR:ABALANCINGActTalkingaboutwatermightseemunnecessary,butuntilyouunderstandthewaypaintbehavesinwater,yourwatercolorpaintwilljustmakemesses!Seedemonstrationsandexplanationsforsomeofthequirkythingsthathappenwhenwaterandpaintgettogether.

CHAPTER6

COLOR:MAKINGVISUALMusicMakecolorsingandbringyourpaintingstolife!Memorizingcolortheoryis

Makecolorsingandbringyourpaintingstolife!Memorizingcolortheoryisgood,butthekeyisputtingcolortheorytowork.

CHAPTER7

LIGHT&SHADOW:PARTNERSINTHEDanceDancingwithlightrequiresthatyoualsodancewithshadowAtitsbest,thisdanceisplayful,vibrantandalive.Learntheimportanceofcreatingvaluecontrast,illusionanddesignwithlightandshadowCHAPTER8THEWHOLEDanceNowthatallofthestepsinthedancehavebeentakenoutandlookedatonebyone,webringallthestepstogetherandputthemtomusic!

CHAPTER9

EVALUATINGTHEResultConsiderthethemostimportantquestionofall,“Ismypaintingdoneyet?”Learnsomestrategiesforanalyzingyourworkandmakingthosefinaldecisionsthattakeagoodpaintingandmakeitgreat.

INTRODUCTION

CONCLUSION

INDEX

HOWIWORK,WHYIWORK:

AnIntroduction

Myinspirationislight.Everydaymymuseisrebornbecauseeverydaythesunrises.Light,natureandaloveofthelandandwaterhavealwaysinfluencedmylife.WhetherIwashikinginthemountainsorexploringthemanywildcoastaloceanbeachesofmychildhood,naturehasalwaysbeenthefocusofmywork.Asachild,Ispenthoursdrawinghorsesfromanimaginaryworld.Oncampingtripswithmyfamily,Idrewoldcedartree stumps and rock-filled streams, sand dunes and driftwood. Myfamily had “sunset alerts”; when there was a particularly beautifulsunset forming in the sky,wewould all pile in the car to race acrosstowntoourfavoriteviewingspot.Istillfeelthatsamesenseofawe.Asan adult, I have explored many aspects of how the natural worldappears, from the wildflower to the cultivated garden. My work hasdrawnevencloser tonatureover time,andnow Iampaintingamoreintimateviewof life. Ipaint imagesI findinnaturethatattractmebytheirabstract shapesandpatternsand theway light fallson themandbrings color alive.Myworkhas changedover theyears,movingawayfromearlyacademicinfluencestowardastylethatismoreuniquelymyown.Thisprogressionhasledtolessabstractionandstylizationandtoamore careful study of the externalworld. I am excited by a feeling ofmovementandenergyinnatureandcolorsthatdancewithoneanother.I look for subtle color shifts and then enhance those colors in mypaintings so that my work has the richness of my experience of theworld aroundme. I see theworld as a bright, scintillating network ofinterconnectingshapes,alwaysmovingandalive.I lovethecomplexityofnature,boththedramaandtheserenity.Withmypaintings,Iseektosharewithothersmyownsenseofaweatthebeautifulworldinwhichwelive. Inthisbook,Iwanttoteachyouhowtosharethethingsthatinspireaweinyou.For me, painting is an act of worship. I am an explorer, endlessly

searching for new sources of joy in nature. Imove in close to see thegrandeur in the very small and very obscure corners of the universe.WhenIseeaveininaleaforablushofreflectedcolorinthecornerofaflower petal, I don’t see unimportant detail; I see themagnificence oflife. Wherever light falls, patterns are revealed, and the luminosityinherentinalllivingthingsshinesforth.Colorisaplaygroundforme;Iplaywith it,manipulate it for fun.Playwithcolor;yourpaintingswillcomealive.

APAINTINGOFTEMPERATUREThisisapaintingaboutheat.ThehotcolorsoftherosecontrastwiththeultimatecoldofUltramarineBlueinthebackground—fireandice.

RoseGold14½”x10½″(37cmx27cm)

MyProcessinaNutshell

Myworkbeginswithatripoutintothenaturalworld.Withmycameraandsketchbookinhand,Ifindandrecordeverythingthatinspiresmeinnature. I lookforstrongdesignsandpowerfuleffectsof lightas it fallsonandpassesthrougheverythingaroundme.Onceasceneinnaturehasbeen isolated by my camera lens or pencil and I have studied thearrangementfor itsnuances, Iamreadyformystudio.Afterreviewingmy slides, I choose the images with the strongest design or the mostpotential.Iproceedtodrawingonthewatercolorpaperoncethedesignisworkedout. Imask toprotect areasof the imageand then layeronmany transparent glazes of pure, unmixed color. My method is notquick; it requires a real commitment of time and a great deal ofpatience.Itsadvantageisthatitallowsmeto“feel”mywaythroughthemysteries of a painting. Because I have time, I can ponder theconsequencesofanyactiondeeply,beforecommittingmyselftoomuch.I can avoid the need for drastic repairs, and I can catch those happy“accidents” that are themagic in any painting.Mistakes are apt to belight and easily overridden because they always come in the form oflightwashes.

VERTICALBEAUTYThispainting formatplayswith theverticalnatureof the iris flower,andthebackgroundiscreatedthroughdirectplaywiththebrush.

IrisTower29½″x10½″(75cmx27cm)

TakingCalculatedRisks

Many artists experience watercolor as a contact sport, complete withrisk, pressure and an adrenaline rush. Mymethod is more meditativeandserene.Therearemomentsoftheexcitementthatcomewithdoingwet-into-wetwashes, aswell asmoments of being lost in awonderfulworldofdiscovery.Layeringcolorisanadventure—whatwillhappenifI glaze this color over that? It is like awalk through an undiscoveredwood.You’renotsurewhereyouareuntilsuddenlyyouarrive.Youmaythink that glazingwill bemore difficult thanmixing colors, but you’llfind that you gain skill as you layer, somore skillfulwashes coverupearlierefforts.You’llbeamazed!ItakecalculatedriskswhenIpaint,butIhaveabagoftricksreadyincase I fall. This book is that bag. Fear is thebiggest enemyof anyoneworking in watercolor.Watercolor demands freedom but also control.Fearwill come out in theway you grip your brush, the steadiness ofyourhand,thestrengthandconfidenceofyourstrokes—fearwillbelaiddown on the paper right alongwith the paint. You can flywhen youknowthatifyoumakeamistakeasolutionisalwaysthere.Youwillfindyourconfidenceinthisbagoftricks.Mistakesarenottragedy,theyaregreat blessings. AsOscarWilde said, “Experience is the namewe giveourmistakes.”Everypainting,especiallyoneyoustrugglewith,teachesyousomethingnewaboutpainting.Thisbook isabout taking little steps—little steps thatwillbecomeadance.

HARDYBEAUTY

Thesedelicateappearingflowersareactuallynotsodelicate;theycansurvive in very harsh, dry conditions. I love the way they seem tobecome light itself in the sun. This design emphasizes theway theseflowersformacarpetoflightontheground.

MexicanEveningPrimrose13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

{chapter1}

HOWTOSEELIKEANArtist

Looking at things as an artist isn’t so simple. Seeing issomething we tend to take for granted. After all, it’ssomethingwemasteredininfancy,right?

Wrong.

FernShadows21½”x29½“(55cmx75cm)

PaintingStartsWithSeeing

Whenyou’reanartist,seeingisn’tsosimple.Mostofthetime,welook

atthingswithonlypartofourattention.Weseeonlywhatweexpecttosee,andeveryimageiscloakedwithlabelswe’vebeentaughttoattachto the world around us. In other words, you see a chair, not aconjunctionofangles,parallelogramsandtriangles.Youseeaball,notasphere. This habit of not really paying attention keeps us from reallylooking at things. But to live successfully and practically, this habit isnecessary.Topaintordrawsuccessfully,however, thishabitgets in theway IfyoulearnedtodrawaChristmastreeasachild,thatstylizedshapewillintrudeonyourability to really see theunique shapeof an individualevergreen tree. If you drew almond-shaped eyes on faces as a child,you’reapttomissallthecomplexitiesthatmakeuptherealhumaneyeyou’retryingtodrawnow.

HOWTOSEEACHAIRThiscurlymaplechairfromthe1920scanberepresentedwithsimplegeometric shapes, as the diagram shows. The curving and straightrectangles thatmakeup thechairaredistortedbyperspective,whichcausesthingstoappearsmallerastheyrecede.Setupachairofyourownandstudytheshapesyousee.Don’tjustlabeltheobjectyousee.

Observeitsshapes.Anartistdoesn’tjustseeachair.Anartistseestheshapesandanglesshownatright.

Sally’sChair9½”x6½”(24cmx17cm)

WHATMOSTPEOPLESEEVS.WHATANARTISTSEESTo process everything the senses absorb in a day, the human mindfinds ways to abbreviate sights, smells and sounds into, basically,shorthand.Rather than seeing an entirely different shape every timeyou lookat a tree, yourmind just labels themall as trees and goesback to paying attention to the traffic in font of you. To paint anddraw accurately, though, an artist has to shut down the shorthandpart of the brain and write it all out. The average human wouldtranslate a tree to the kindergarten version of aChristmas tree. Theartistneedstostudytheshapesandvaluesparticulartothetreeheorsheisdrawingorpainting.

LookatyourSubjectinNewWays

Theway toovercomeyourbrain’shabitof labelingobjects and seeingstylizedversionsofthemistotrainyourselftoseewithfresheyesthat

aren’tjadedbyyearsofoverexposuretovisualstimuli.Thesefresheyesexistinthemind.Itisherethatweinterpretthevisualdatatakeninbyour eyes. Seeing requires a total focus of your attention; it meansmeditatingontheobjectbeforeyoubeginthedrawing.I encouragemy students to approach theirworkwith fresh eyes.At

threedifferentpointsinthepaintingprocess,fresheyesareinvaluable:when creating a strongdesign,whenmaking an accuratedrawing andwhenevaluatingthealmost-finishedpainting.

STUDYTHISTREEStudythistreeforafewminutes.Lookattheshapes,valuesandcolorsandwhattheycommunicatetoyou.Now,tohelpyourmindgetpastitsdesiretosimplylabeltheobjectasatreeandmoveon,trylookingatitinsomewaysthatmakeitlooklesslikeatree,asshownbelow.Thiswayyourmindwon’tjumptoconclusions.

TURNITUPSIDEDOWNIfyou’reworkingfromareferencephoto,turnitupsidedown.Nowyoucanstudyvaluepatterns,shapeandtheobject’srelationtoitsenvironmentwithoutanypreconceivednotionofhowitshouldlook.

LOOKATNEGATIVESPACETrydrawingandshadinginthenegativespace,orinotherwords,theshapeoftheairthatcontainstheobject.Drawingtheshapeoftheairtocreatetheshapeoftheobjectalsohelpsyoubreakawayfromthelabelyourmindputsonanobject.Toreallyfoolyourmind,trydrawingthenegativespacewhenthepictureisupsidedown.

TrainingyourMind

Look with total focus at each scene and object you wish to draw orpaint. Think only of your subject. Leave behind the thoughts abouttonight’sdinnerandyesterday’sconversationwitha friend.Choosingasubject that appeals to youwill help. Before you start drawing, spendsometimejustthinkingaboutyoursubject.Thefollowingquestionsandsuggestionscangetyoustarted:

Lookovereveryinchofittogettoknowandunderstanditssubtletiesintimatelybeforeyoubeginthedrawing.Forgetthatyou’relookingatacertainobject—arockoravase.Justexperienceitscolorandtexture.Seethewaylightfallsonitorpassesthroughit.Seetheshapeandcoloroftheshadowitcasts.Lookatthewayithideselementsbehindit.Observethewayotherobjectsseemtobecloserthanyoursubject.Whattellsyouthat?Doesyourobjecthaveashinyordullsurface?Howdoyouknow?Isyourobjectopaque,translucentortransparent?Ifit’stransparent,whathappenstotheimagesbehindit?

Forgetabout thedrawing task forawhile.Giveyourself the time totakeininformationbeforerushingtoproduceanimage.

PerceivingAbstractForm,Value,LineandColorUltimately, you should perceive everything you see as totally abstractforms,values,linesandcolor.Onlywhenyoucanseeinthispurewaycan you translate the solid, three-dimensional reality onto flat, two-dimensional paper. Understand how each interconnecting shape lockstogetherwith the others like a jigsaw puzzle and become amaster ofillusion.

PRACTICESUBJECTAclearglassvaseofflowersmakesagoodsubjecttopracticeseeing.Thereflectionandrefractionoflightthroughglassambequiteabstract,whichhelpswhenyou’relearningtotrickyourmindTheselighteffectsdon’tfitthelabelsyourmindmakesup.Withoutthoseexpectations,there’slessofabarriertoseeingwhat’sreallygoingon.Studythescenetotheleft,thinkingabouttheobjectsandwhatyou’reseeing.Youcanevengothroughthelistofsuggestionsonthispage.Thentryitinyourwork.

FINDTHEPUZZLEPIECESToseethisscenecorrectly,trytoseejustthelargestshapesclearlyandthenlookathowtheyinterconnect.Youcanidentifyshapesbylargechangesinvalue.Inthiscanyon,thetall,fern-coveredwallandtreesinthebackgroundaremuchdarkerthanthesunlitwallontheleftandthecanyonfloor.WhenIlookatthereferencephoto,IseethelargeshapesI’vedrawnatright.Thissketchissimilartothesketchofshapesandanglesinthechaironpage14.Seeingtheseshapesisthefirststeptowardmakinganaccuratedrawing.

LoveYourselfinyourSubject

I once had the opportunity to guide a group of nonartists through anexperienceoftrue“seeing.”Ispentanafternoonwanderingthehills inthecountry, surroundedby forestsand fieldsandall thebeautyof thenaturalworld.FinallyIfoundasmall,oldlog.Itwashalfburiedintheground; rotting; covered with flowering moss, lichen and stones; andbleachedsilverbytheweatherofyears.Idraggedit,dirtandall,backto

thelodgewhereourgroupwasstayingandhefteditontothepodium.Isetupaspotlightandcoveredthewholedisplaywithadrape.Withmyaudience gathered around, I talked for a while about creativity andseeing, then I turnedout all the lights in the room,uncovered the logandturnedonmyspotlight.Whilegesturingtothedifferentdetailsandnuancesofcolor,texture,valueandform,Iguidedthegroupina“walk”overthe“landscape”ofmylog.After a while, I turned off the spotlight and asked the audiencemembers to shut their eyes and draw the glorious, textured log on animaginaryscreen.Thisordinaryobject,somethingnormallypassedoverwithout a second thought, became the star of my show when theaudiencewasabletoseeitinadifferentlight.Lookwiththissamesenseofwonderattheobjectsallaroundyou.

MAKEYOURSUBJECTIMPORTANTClimbwith your eyes across a complex subject as if you’re so smallthat the subject has become your whole world. Give it that muchimportanceinyourmind.

DrawWithYourEyes

LeoSmith,awonderfulartistandteacherfromTexas,usedtotellagreatstoryaboutoneofhisworkshops.Duringabreak,hetooksometimetorestinasunnycourtyard.Oneofhisstudentshappenedtolookoutthewindowandwasstruckbytheoddsighthisteacherposed,justsitting,spending a long time apparently doing nothing but studying his ownshoes.WhenLeoreturnedtohisclassandthestudentaskedhimwhathehadbeendoing,Leoexplainedthathewasmentallydrawinghisshoesandthatthis isanessentialhabit foreveryartist toget into.Untilyoulearn to spend a lot of time drawing the world around you withoutmakingamark,hesaid,you’llbeunpreparedfortherealityofapencilinyourhand.WheneverLeohadthechance,he’dstudythingsclosely,movingwith

his eyes across the “landscape” of whatever objects happened to bearound him at the moment. This practice trained his eye, just as amusician’sdailypracticetrainshisreflexesanddevelopshisskill.

FEETAREALWAYSHANDYFeetareaveryconvenientsubject;there’susuallyapairnearby(eitheryourownorsomeoneelse’s)whenyouneedsomethingtopracticeon.Isketchedmyfeetandmyhusband’sashesat,curledupinaneasychair.Shoesaddevenanotherdimension.Tryityourself.Lookfortheshapescreatedby the lightsource: thepartsof the feet thatare lightand the parts that are dirk. It’ll be a different experience each timeyoudrawyourfeet.

PAINTWITHOUTABRUSH

Thenext timeyouhave some time tokill,do thisexercisewithwhatever is in frontofyou.Youcanuse idle time tohoneyourartistic skills. Rather than becoming bored or frustrated orimpatientwhilewaiting in line, entertainyourselfby “painting”

whatever is in front of you. Learning to see paintings is animportant first step for making skillful drawings and paintingsandforrecognizingandcreatinggooddesign.

1.LOOKUPFROMTHISBOOK.Whatisrightinfrontofyou?Whatshapes,colorsandtexturesdoyousee?Whatshapesarebeingcreatedbythelight?Whereisthelightcomingfrom?

2.PRETENDTHISSCENEISPARTOFYOURNEXTPAINTING.IMAGINEYOURSELFDOINGTHELINEDRAWING.Whatpieceofthe180-degreeareathatyoucanseewouldyoucropouttomakearectangularpainting?Wouldyouchooseahorizontaloraverticalsection?Studythevaluerelationships.Wouldthismakeagooddesign,orwouldyouneedtochangethings,shiftingtheplacementofobjectsordarkeningsomething?Wouldyouincludeeverybitofthedetailyoucansee?Whatpaintswouldyouuseforthecolorsinthisscene?Wherewouldyoustartpainting,andwhatcolorwouldyoustartwith?Whatbrushwouldyouusefirst?Howwouldyouhandlethetextures?Wouldyouwetthepaperfirstorjustplungeinwiththepaint?

3.FOLLOWTHEPAINTINGTHROUGHALLTHESTEPSTOITSFINISH.WHATWOULDYOUPAINTFIRST?WHATWOULDYOUPAINTLAST?

AnotherPointofView

Partofseeingtheworldaroundyouischoosingwheretoturnyourheadorwheretoplaceyourbody.Youneedtomove.Aconventionalpointofviewforpaintingsislookingoutandslightlydownonascene,butthere

areinfinitepossibilitieswhenitcomestochoosingapointofview.When I’m roaming around with my camera, I think of myself as

swimming throughanoceanof air, able tomoveatwillupanddownand all around an object. I consider every possible angle, not just thefirstviewIsee.IfIfindwhiteandyellowdaffodilsglowinginthespringsunshineagainstthedramaticbackdropofastonewall,forexample,I’dfirstliedowntocapturethebacklitflowersagainstthedarkbackdropateyelevel.OrmaybeI’dlookatthemfromunderneath,setagainstabluesky.Next, I’dmove around to capture the flowers lit from the side, and

thenmaybeI’dmove inclose to fill the framewithasingleblossom. Imightevenclimbontopofthewalltogetanaerialvieworwalkfartherawaytoincludeafieldintheforegroundandanoldfarmhousebehindthedaffodils.TheimageIfindattheendofalongprocessofexplorationoften turns out to be the view I choose to paint in the end.Or Imaydevelopaseriesofpaintingsthisway.Taketimetoseeeveryaspectofyoursubject.

PersimmonKisses10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

PersimmonKisses10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

GETMULTIPLEPERSPECTIVESIpainted thesamesubjectusing thesamepalette,but Ipaintedeachpainting from a different viewpoint. Moving around lets me see thesame objects in entirely different ways and discover new ideas andnewshapes.Gathergroupsofobjectstogetherandthenplaywiththeirarrangements. Line them up in rows. Move them around to createcircles. Put them on a glass plate and seewhat they look like fromunderneath.Studyhowthesechangesaffecttheshapesoftheshadowsontheobjectsandtheshapesoftheircastshadows.

PersimmonTops10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

{chapter2}

LEARNINGTHESTEPS:THEMETHODSANDTHEMadness

This chapter will show you how the dance flows frommomenttomomentinthecreationofapainting.Everystephasaparttoplayinthewholeperformance,andwhenyoumastereachstep,youaresetfreetoplay!

Peachscape13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

Stepsfordevelopingafainting

Tocapture stunning scenes thatmake themostdramaticandpowerfuluseoflight,Ifollowafive-steppaintingprocess:1.Takeslidesofnature.2.Drawthumbnailsketchesbasedontheslides.3.Doacarefullinedrawingonwatercolorpaperbasedonathumbnail

3.Doacarefullinedrawingonwatercolorpaperbasedonathumbnailthatachievesgoodcomposition.4.Applyamasktoprotectsomeareasofthewatercolorpaperfrompaint.5.Layermanytransparentglazes.

WELCOMETOMYWORKSTATION!AU-shaped workstation is most efficient for me. I have a table oneachsideandanadjustabledraftingtableatthebottomoftheU.Witha rolling chair, this puts as many work surfaces within reach aspossible.IpreferadraftingtabletoaneaselbecauseIameasilytwirlapaintingaroundtoworkfromanyangle.MyslideviewersitsateyelevelIstoremymanypalettesinstackableofficepapertrays.Ilikelotsoflight,soinadditiontomythreewindows,Ihavethreelamps,eachusingfull-spectrumincandescentbulbs,withonehangingdirectlyoverthepainting.Iroundedoutmysetupwithacollectionoftablesandtaboretsandbookshelvesformyreferencebooksandslides.By choosing a smaller room formy bedroom, I freed up themasterbedroomforastudioanditslargeclosetforstorage.

PaintingonLocationvs.intheStudioWorking on location, directly from nature provides a valuableexperience,butIfindIdomorepowerfulworkinthestudio,whereIcantake time to consider the design. On location, time creates constantpressure as the the sun moves overhead, altering the entire scenemomenttomoment.IoftenwishIcouldstoptimesoIcouldcapturethelight.Working on location also temptsme to paint theworld just thewayitisinsteadofchangingelementstomakethepaintingstronger.Because Idomybestwork inmystudio, Imakesure it’sasclose toidealasIcanmakeit.Mystudiousedtobeamasterbedroom.Ipaintinacornerthathaswindowsfacingeast,southandwest.Itsitshigh,soIcan see the ocean and lots of sky. It feels like I’m working in a treehouse!Iusealotofmovablefurnituresothespacestaysflexible.Awell-arrangedworkspacehelpsmakeyourpaintingflow.

SetUpaWell-EquippedWorkSpace

HerearethetoolsIuseinmystudio:

Brushes

¼-inch(6mm)flatscrubberbrush(fabricpaintingstencilbrush,similartoaverysmallbristlebrush;goodforliftingpaintandsofteningedges)1-inch(25mm)kolinskysableflat1½-inch(38mm)flatwash,natural/syntheticblend2-inch(51mm)flatwash,natural/syntheticblendno.0throughno.16kolinskysableroundsno.3throughno.16sable/syntheticblendroundsold,smallbrush(forapplyingmaskingfluid)toothbrush

DrawingandPaintingSurfaces

Arches300-lb.(640gsm)cold-pressedwatercolorpaperSaralgraphitetransferpapersketchbookforthumbnailstracingpaper

DrawingTools

kneadederaserno.2pencilno.2Bpencilno.2Hpencilretractablewhiteeraser

Paints

I use tube paint from the followingmanufacturers:Winsor &Newton,Daniel Smith, Rembrandt,Holbein, andGrumbacher. (See page 80 forspecificcolors.)Palettes

Iusea separate10½”X7½”(27cmX19cm)enamelpalette foreachcolor.ForcolorsIuselessoften,Iusesmallplasticorchinapalettes.

MaskingMaterials

clearammonia(tothinmaskingfluid)FrisketFilm,mattesurfacepermanentwaterprooffine-tipmarkerrubbercementpickuptoolrulingpenWinsor&NewtoncolorlessliquidmaskorGrafixIncredibleWhiteMask

OtherMaterials

craftknifedraftingtape(totapedowndrawingsandmaskingfilm)1-gallon(3.81)watercontainerGatorboard(formountingthepaper)koshersaltnaturalspongepapertowelsandtissuesscissorsslideprojector,rearprojectionsmallsqueezebottlewithwaterwhiteartist’stape(formountingwatercolorpapertoboard)

MYFAVORITEBRUSHESFrom left to tight, the brushes areDaniel Smith 2-inch (51mm) flatwash;Winsor&Newton2-inch(51mm)flatwash;Grumbacher1½-inch(38mm)flat;Manetkolinskysableno.24flat;CheapJoe’sArtStuffCJAS1-inch(25mm)flat;DanielSmithno.16roundkolinskysable; Winsor & Newton no. 10 round kolinsky sable; Winsor &Newtonno.8 roundkolinsky sable;Winsor&Newtonno.8SceptreGold; Daniel Smith no. 4 round; Winsor & Newton no. 1 kolinskysable;Grumbacher¼-inch(6mm)flatscrubber;toothbrush.

FINDARHYTHM

Before I start painting I put a brush in each color’s palette andadd

watersoIdon’tdisrupttheflowofmypaintingprocessbywashingabrusheverytimeIswitchcolors.IfallintoarhythmasIpaint:reachforabrush,addwatertothepaint,stir,touchthebrush’stiptoapadof paper towels, apply paint, return the brush to its palette, removeexcesswaterandcolorfontthepaintingwithatissueorthirstybrush,andletthepaperdryasIplanandprepareformynextstep.IfIwantto add another color to the glaze before it dries, I’ll have the colormixedwithwater and ready to go so I can just drop the first brushandpickupthenextonewithoutskippingabeat.Iseteverythingupso the actual process of applying paint to paper happens efficiently.Thisway,Iammakethemostofthetimebeforethepaperbeginstodry.

DesigningPhotographs

Iusephotography formore than just recording images. Ialsouse itaspartofmydesignprocess.Iliketoworkinmystudio,somyreferencephotosneed tobegoodquality. IusemycameraasacroppingdevicewhileI’moutgatheringreferencematerial.I start by scanning an area, just looking around to see whether

anything attracts my eye. I search for scenes in which light createssomethingmagical from something ordinary.When something catchesmy eye, I look at the scene through the viewfinder to crop out arectangle,asliceofreality.Thinking about design at this point is critical. Cropping and

composinginthephotographystagedoesn’thavetobethefinalwordonwhatyou’llpaint,but it’sawonderful first step. Imaychoose topaintthescenejustasIphotographedit.Imaycroptheimageontheslidetogetacloserlookortoconcentrateonjustaportion.OrImaydecidetomovesomeobjectsaround,addelementsoreliminate themduring thethumbnail stage. No matter what direction I take, the better thecompositionIstartwith,thebetterthepaintingwillbe.

MYPHOTOGRAPHYSUPPLIESI use a Nikon FM2 camera, which is a manual camera, because itgivesmecontrolover lightingandfocus.IuseaNikon55mmmacrolens,but IalsocarryaSigma75-300mmzoomlens forclose-upsorexpansiveviews.Lately,Icropintighterandtightertogetclosertothesubject. This intimacy has immediacy and impact, making mypaintingsmorepowerful.Iuseagraycardtoinsuremyexposuresarecorrect(18percentgraycardsaresoldinmostphotographystores).

SLIDESCAPTURELIGHT

Slide film is a necessary part of my supplies. Slide film has awider range thannormalprint film, so it capturesmorenuanceandsubtlety.Onprints,shadowscangoblack,highlightscangowhiteorpink,andcolorscanbeoverlysimplified.Ifasubjecthasawhole rangeof reds,aprintwill showthemallasone.Slidesaren’tperfecteither,buttheycomealittleclosertothewayoureyessee things.Colorplayand lighteffectsare important facetsofmy artwork, so I want tomake sure I capture as accurate aviewaspossible.

CHOOSINGTHEBESTCOMPOSITIONAfter finding the best composition l can in a photograph, I’ll decidewhether to use the photo as is or crop in. From there, I’ll makewhateveradjustments I can to improve the composition. I discoveredthiswonderfularrangementofboatsatFoxPointinNova-Scotia,onapaintingtripwithagroupofartistfiends.Iusedmyzoomlenstogetshotsatacoupleofdistances.Backinmystudio,IdecidedthatIlikedthemoreclose-upphotoonthetight.Idecidedtocropinonthesceneabitmoretogetatighterdesignandfocusonwhatwasimportanttome.

IMPROVEUPONGOODDESIGNYou am make any changes during your thumbnail sketch. Forinstance, I removed some shadows from the foreground and thenextended the shadow on the right to balance the compositionvertically.Thebetteryourcompositionwhenyoustart the thumbnailsketch,though,thebetteritwillbewhenyouimproveit.

DesigningThumbnailSketches

Backinmystudio,I’llponderaslideforadayortwobeforemovingonto the next step, the thumbnail sketch.A thumbnail sketch is a small,abstract design that uses black,white and just a fewgrays to find thevalue pattern. Basically, a thumbnail should translate the colors ofnatureintotheirrelativevalues.Justindicatethemassesandthemajorshapesoflightanddarkwithouttryingtorenderadetailedimage.Next, evaluate this simplified version of the scene. Does thecompositionwork?Howcanyouchange it tomake itbetter?Look forclarity and strength of a pattern first. Look for dynamic movement,patterns and lines formed bymasses of objects thatwill lead the eye.Whenthegoalistomakeimpactwithlight,youhavetomastervalue.

VALUEPATTERNS

Apaintingneedstoworkinpatternsofvalue,color,textureandline.Whenyou’relostinalltheotherelements,it’seasytoforgetaboutvalue,whichiswhatreallygivesapaintingimpact.Ifeveryother quality of a painting is sound, a strong value pattern canmeanthedifferencebetweenmerelybeingacceptedintoashowandwinningaprize.Strongvaluedesignistherhythminasong,and color and shapes are the notes. Without value contrast tomake it coherent, a painting will seem chaotic, maybe insipid,anditwillloseimpact.

CONCENTRATEONVALUESI chose this cropping of the close-up photo above, using a squareformat and including only a quarter of the flower. Even though theglow of the yellow bees is what attracted me to this composition, Iconcentratedonlyonthevaluepatternofthesceneforthisthumbnail.Thelightingmaymakeacompositioninteresting,butthevaluepatternhastomakeitwork.

DON’TBEAFRAIDTOGETCLOSEBothoftheseshotsofaglobethistleinterestedme,butthecloseviewintriguedmethemostbecauseofthewaythelightmadethebeesglow.WhatIdidn’tlikewasthelollipopshape,soIexploredseveralwaystocroptheimage.

PAYATTENTIONTOBOTHVALUEANDCOLORI usedmy reference photo as a color guide andmy thumbnail as avalue guide. Notice the subtle value changes within the purple thatreallymakethispaintingwork.

GiftfromMarv13½″x13½″(34cmx34cm)

Linedrawing

Once you’re satisfiedwith a design, it’s time to put a line drawing onwatercolorpaper.Keepyourlinedrawingaslightaspossiblesoit’slesslikelytoshowthroughwhenthepaintingisfinished.Drawnotonly theoutlinesof theobjectsbutalso theoutlinesofall

shapesof light, shadowand local colorwithin anobject. For instance,draw the shapes of pink spots on awhite flower petal, the shape of ashadow on a wall, or the stripes on a shirt. Draw large-scale shapes

withintextures,suchasthegrainofapieceofwoodandveinsinleavesandflowerpetals;drawanydetailsyoumaywant.Youmightchoosenottopaint someof thesedetails,but the informationwillbe there ifyouneedit.

REFERENCEPHOTOStudy your reference photo closely. Think about all of the elementsandshapesyouwanttoincludeinyourpainting.Lookforchangesnotjust in shapebutalso invalue, color, texture,and look foranythingelseyouwanttocommunicate.

THERIGHTPENCILFORWATERCOLORPAPER

Useano.2pencil,whichismediumsoft.Ifyouusealeadthatistoo hard, you might create ditches as you press down. Theseditcheswill fillwithpaintanddryasdark lines. If your lead istoo soft, youmight smudge the line,whichwill gray the paperandmakeyourpaintinglessluminous.

LINEDRAWINGOn your line drawing, indicate all the details you want to show inyourpaintingUsea line to indicate the edgewherea color shifts orchanges. Indicate the outside forms of objects, and mark changeswithin the objects, such as a transition from shadow to light on apetal.NoticeallthedetailinthislinedrawingforWhiteTower(finalpaintingonpage30).

CombiningReferencePhotos

If you use multiple reference photos, make sure you combine theelements so they’re compatible and work well together. For example,you shouldmake sure the light is coming from the same direction ineachphoto.These pygmy goats, who live near me, are some of my favorite

subjects,especiallythebabies.Iusedmyzoomlenstogetclose.Thebesttime to shoot them is in the earlymorning because the sun,which isclosetothehorizonatthattimeofday,castslong,interestingshadows.

PERSPECTIVEINCOMBINEDIMAGES

Makesuretheelementsareproportional;thelawsofperspectivestate that thegoatson the right shouldbe smallerbecause theyare fartheraway. Ifyoumoveapieceof thedrawing towardorawayfromtheviewer,you’llalsohavetochangethesizeeitherbyredrawingitorchangingthesizewithaphotocopier.Butyoualwayscanmoveelements fromside to sideunchangedwithoutviolatinglawsofperspective.

REEVALUATETHEDESIGNUsing the combined line drawings and photographs as references, Idrew a thumbnail of the new design. This allowedme to check thestrength of the arrangement. The thumbnail also allowed me tointegratethetwoshadowpatterns,simplifyingthemandpullingthemtogether.Lightisanessentialpartofpaintingandyouhavetogettheshadowstighttogetthelightingtight.

COMBINELINEDRAWINGSOntracingpaper,Idrewseparatedrawingsbasedoneachphotograph.Imovedthemaroundtofindthebestdesign,positioningthemsotheyoverlapped.WhenIfoundacombinedimagethatI liked,Itapedthedrawingstogether.

TransferringaLinedrawing

Ifyourcompositionhaschangedalotfromthephotograph,especiallyifyouhavecombineelements fromseveralphotos,workoutthechangesand finalize the drawing on tracing paper first. Then you can trace ortransfer thedrawingtoaclean,undisturbedpieceofwatercolorpaper.You can transfer simple imageswith tracing paper. Formore compleximagesusethemoreexpensivetransferpaper.

TRANSFERRINGWITHTRACINGPAPER,STAGE1Startwitha linedrawingonadeanpieceof tracingpaper.Turnthepaperoverandscribbleheavilyonthebackofthelinedrawingwithano.2pencil.Thisleavesaheavybandofgraphiteonthetracingpaperundertheoriginaldrawing.

THERIGHTKINDOFTRANSFERPAPER

Using transfer paper is more expensive but much quicker thantransferring with tracing paper. I use Saral Graphite Transfer,whichcomesinaroll,likewaxpaper.Itcomesinseveralcolors,but I use the graphite version because it can be erased easily.Don’t use carbon paper or transfer paper with a waxy surface,which will leave permanent marks on your watercolor paper.Graphitepaperisreusable,sosaveitforyournextlinedrawing.

TRANSFERRINGWITHTRACINGPAPER,STAGE2Flipthetracingpaperbackoverandattachittoyourwatercolorpaperwithdraftingtape.Useahardsharp2Hpenciltoredrawthedrawingfollowingall of your original lines exactly.The pressure of the hardpencilwill transfer thegraphite font thebackof the tracingpaper tothe watercolor paper. Make sure all the lines have been clearlytransferredbeforeyouremovethetracingpaper.

TRANSFERRINGWITHTRANSFERPAPERStartwithalinedrawingonacleanpieceoftracingpaper.Tapethetracing paper over your watercolor paper with a sheet of graphitetransferpaper,graphitesidedown,betweenthem.Gooverthelinesoftheoriginallinedrawingwitha2Hpenciltotransfergraphitefromthetransfer paper to yourwatercolor paper. Be careful not to rest yourhandheavilyonthepaperasyouwork,becausethetransferpapercanleavesmudges.Ifyourlinesaretoodarkorthereareafewsmudges,lifttheexcessgraphitegentlywithakneadederaser.

BuildingColor

Washesofpure,unmixedcolorswilldevelopluminosityandbrightnessinyourpaintings.Thepurewhiteofyourwatercolorpaperalsoplaysanimportantpart.Thebrightestpossiblewhiteisthewhiteofyourpaper,and that brightness in turn makes the other colors seem bright incomparison.Thefirststepbeforeapplyinganypaintistodecidewhichareasyou

need to protect with masking. (Chapter Four talks about maskingtechniques in more detail.) After masking the areas you want to

preserve,beginthinkingandformingstrategies.Paintingwithlayersofcolorisalotlikeplayingchess:Youneedtothinkalotbeforemoving,butactuallymakingyourmovetakesjustamoment.Strategy is everything: Know which color to use next, which brush

you’ll need, which technique to try. Decide all this ahead of timebecauseonceyourbrushesareloadedandthepaperiswet,it’stimetomovefast,fast,fast.Makequickandevenstrokeswithalighttouch,andthenstoppainting.Justsitbackandwatchtheaction.

MixingWiththeEye

Ibuildup thecolors inmypaintingsusingmany transparentglazesorwashes. Idon’tmixcolorsonmypalette; Iusemypalettesonlytostirmypaintwithwaterand tomakesure thepaints formevenpoolsandhavenolumps.(Lumpsofpaintactlikechunksofcrayon;thebrushwilldragthelumpsacrossthepaper,leavinglines.)Whenmixingyourpaintwith water, keep in mind that uneven pools of paint on the palettetranslatetounevenwashesonthepaper.Fixinganunevenwashrequiresmore brushstrokes, which isn’t ideal. In watercolor painting, it’simportanttousethefewestnumberofstrokespossible,partlytoavoidstirringupearlierlayersofpaint.Also,thelongeryouwork,thelikelieritisthattheareawillbegintodry,producinganunevenwash.WhenImixtwodifferentcolorstogetherinapainting,Idoitoptically

onthepaperratherthanmanuallyonthepalette.ThismeansIpaintonecolor on the paper, let it dry thoroughly, and then apply the nexttransparentcolor.Lightpasses throughthe topcolors, then thebottomcolors,andfinallybouncesoffthereflectivewhitepaper.Ittravelsbackthroughthoselayerstotheviewer’seye.Thecolorsappeartobemixedtogethereventhoughthey’reseparatelayers.Forinstance,togetagreen,I’dfirstpaintastrongwashofyellowand

thenfloataveryweakwashofblueontopofit.Differentpigmentshavedifferentcoveringpower.IfthecolorIwantcontainsayellow,I’llmakesuretostartwithitfirstbecauseyellowhasthecapacitytoglowthroughanylayersaboveit.Inthiscase,theresultinggreenhasamoreluminousqualitythanagreenmixedonthepalette,becauselightpassesthroughseparatelayersofpaint,catchingthequalitiesofboth.

MIXCOLORSEVENLYMakesureeachofyourcolorsismixedwellbeforeyoustartpainting.Look for lumps in your palette or hiding in your brush. Lumps ofpigmenthaven’tmixedwithasmuchwaterastherestofyourmixture,andthepressureofyourbrushwilldrawlines likeacrayon.Onceastronglinelikethisappears,it’sdifficulttoremove.

LAYERSAREMORELUMINOUSTHANMIXTURESThink of transparent layers of paint as layers of gelatin. If you’recareful to let the first layer thoroughlydryand then gentlypour thesecondlayer,eachlayerremainsseparate,thoughtheyworktogetherwell.Noticehowthelightpassesthroughtheseglazesandtheeyeseesthemasmixed.

ConsidertheNeedsofEachPainting

Ifallyouhaveisahammer,everythinglookslikeanail.Don’ttreatyourpaintings as if the only tool you have is a hammer. One approach topaintingdoesn’tfitallsituations.Manyartistsuselargewashesofcolorto pull a painting together, to unify it. Some follow the rule that youshould always beginwith large brushes and use small brushes only attheend.I oftenwork thatway, thinking large and free in the beginning and

concentratingondetails later,but Idon’tpaint the sameway foreachpainting.SometimesIfindthatbeginningwiththedetailsworksbetter.

IfIpaintdetailsfirstandthenlayaglazeoverthem,thehardedgesofthe details blur slightly. This approach pulls all the elements togethermorestrongly.For instance, therocks inastonewallcreatedetailandtexture,butyouwanttheplaneofthewalltoreadasawhole,withoutindividualrocksjumpingout.Finishingwithanoverallglazeinsteadofthedetailswillpullittogether.

UNIFYINGAPAINTING

Laying larger washes over details softens the details andintegrates them into the painting. Also, by painting the detailsfirst, you won’t have to strain to see the original line drawingthrough layers of paint. The details can always be enhanced inthefinalstages,ifneeded.

REFERENCEPHOTOTo paint these flowers, Iwanted to show the stunning details of thehollyhock, which most people rarely get close enough to see. But Ididn’twantthedetails tocompetewiththebeautyoftheflowerasawholeorwithitscomposition.SoIpaintedthedetailsfirstandlayered

glazesoverthemtointegratethedetailsintothewhole.

FINALPAINTINGNotice how much of this painting uses the white of the watercolorpaper,whichIprotectedbymasking.

WhiteTower21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

LayeringGlazes

BelowaretwostagesofthepaintingWhiteTower.Studytheprogressionbetween the two to understand how glazeswork together. If you like,paintanabstractimagejusttoexperimentwithlayeringandtoseehowthe colors in each layer interact andmix. Simply apply somemaskingfluidrandomlyandthenapplyrandomlyoverlappinglayersofpaint.InWhite Tower, I masked the petals, stems and buds first, then I

paintedthebackgroundquicklyandevenlywithlargebrushesandalotoffreedom.WhenIhadpaintedtheinitiallargewashes,IremovedthemaskingfromtheentireareaandusedmaskingfluidtoprotectthesmallareasIwantedwhiteoradifferent(usuallylighter)colorthentheareasaround them. Always protect larger areas with masking film. In theprogressionbelow,themaskingfluidappearsbrown.

PAINTINGTHEDETAILS,STAGE1Ibegunglazingthisflowerbypaintingthedetailsfirst.Thisway,thelargerwashesthatfollowedhadachancetodominate.Thegoalistocreatedetailthatsoftlymergeswithinthelargershapes.Thelastwashinanystackofwasheswill soften theedgesof thedetail shapesanddominate the layers underneath. Here, the small shapes of AureolinYellow,UltramarineBlueandThaloBluearestilljumpy.

1. First glaze: Aureolin Yellow 2. First glaze: Ultramarine Blue 3.

Secondglaze:ThaloBlue4.Secondglaze: IndianYellow5.Maskingfluid6.Maskingfilm

ADDINGLARGERWASHES,STAGE2Here, the larger glazesof IndianYellowandThaloBluebegin to tietogether all the separate pieces. You begin to see flower and budinstead of spots of color. Now is the time to switch to the largerbrushessinceyou’repaintinglargershapes.Theyellowandblueglazes

becomeblueshadowsonthewhiteflowerandgreenbud.

1.Secondglaze:ThaloBlue2.Secondglaze: IndianYellow3.Thirdglaze: Thalo Blue 4. Third & fourth glazes: Thalo Blue 5. Maskingfluid6.Maskingfilm

WhichBrushShouldYouUse?

The first step inusingabrush is tochoose therightbrush for the job.Whenindoubt,choosealargerbrushbecauseitholdsmorepaint.Generally,artistsuseflatbrushestocoverlargeareaswithwashesanduse roundbrushes fordetails.Of course, both types are veryversatile.Roundbrushesthatarebigenoughcanbeusedtolaydownawash,andflatbrushescanmakeinterestingshapesthatcanlivenupyourpainting.Choosethebrushyouwant,andthenuseallofit.Don’tbetimid!Holdthebrushlightly,andmakesureyouhaveenougheaseofmotiontocreatevariedstrokeswithaturnofyourwrist.Althoughthereisnoonerightwaytoholdabrush,Iprefertoholditatthetopofthemetalferruleorhigher.Become familiar with the nature of your brush and your own bodymechanics. The hairs on these brushes are carefully aligned with thehandlesothey’llrespondtowhatyourhandtellsthehandletodo.Yourshoulder, elbow and wrist are hinges that allow your hand to moveeasily in a smooth arc. Use your whole arm when you paint to takeadvantageofthesequalities,andusethewholebrushtotakeadvantageofthefulllengthofthehairs.ThemostvaluableadviceIcangiveyouistopractice.Withpractice,you’llgainconfidence,andwithconfidence,you’llbecomeasagilewithyourbrushaswithyourhand.Thebrushneedstobecomeanextensionofyourhand,armandthoughts.

FLATBRUSHESFlatbrushescancoveralargeareawithjustafewstrokes,andfewerstrokesmean a smootherwash.You also can use flat brushes in anexpressiveandlivelyway.Theycanmakestrokesinalargerangeofwidths.Noticehowtheshapeofthelinechangesdependingonwhetherthebrush isheldhorizontallyorvertically.Thewider rectanglesandparallelogramsworkwellforbuildings.

ROUNDBRUSHESCANPAINTTHICKORTHINUseonlyaslightpressureonaroundbrushtopaintathinline.Usealotofpressure topainta thick line.Notice thedifference inhowthebristleslieonthepaper.

COMBINATIONOFCONTROLANDFREEDOMOFMOVEMENTRound brushes can draw flowing or straight lines. They’re great forlaying down organic shapes and expressive washes. Round brushesallowmore control than flat brushes fordetail, yet rounds still havethebounceyouneedforfreestrokes.

PositionoftheBrush

Holding the brush at different angles to the paper creates an infinitevarietyofeffects.Pointingthehandleofthebrushinthesamedirectionasyourstrokecreatesasmoothline.Holdingthebrushatarightangletothestrokeyou’repaintingwillcreatearougherstrokebecauseyou’relimitingyourmobilityandbecausethebrushhairsaremorevulnerabletojammingagainsttheroughpaperandmakingajaggedline.Holdingthebrushatadifferentangletothepaperalsoaffectshowthepaintliesonthepaper.

VERTICALHoldthebrushverticallywithalighttouch.Angleyourwristupsoyou’renotholdingthebrushtooclosetothehairs.Cupyourhand as if you’re holding an egg in your palm and grasp thebrushbetweenyour thumbandyourother fingers. Itmayseemawkwardat first, but onceyou getused to it, this positionwill

giveyoualotofflexibility,controlandversatility.Usethisgriptosignyourpaintings,whenyouwanttochangethedirectionofyourstrokewithoutstoppingandwheneveryouneedtopaintwithdelicacy.

LESSTHANVERTICAL

Hold the brush between your thumb and fingers. Lean thebrushtowardthedirectionyouwanttotravel,thenpullinthatdirection.Holdingthebrushslightlylessthanverticalletsyoucontrolpressureaswellasshape.Forthefirstwash,loadthe

brushwithalotofpaintandpressfirmlytogetgoodcoverage.For subsequent layers, apply a thin glaze by skimming the brushlightly across the surface. Don’t bear down or scrub. Use long,overlappingstrokestogetasmoothwashorglaze.

45DEGREESHoldingthebrushata45-degreeanglefromthepaperallows a continuous motion between thick and thinstrokes. Remember to hold the brush in a light gripwithyour fingers.Don’tgrasp itwithyourpalm.With

pressure, the entire length of the hairs of the brush touch thepaper, making a thick line. This angle allows you to switchbetweenthetwostrokewidthsinthesamemotion.

NEARLYHORIZONTALHoldingthebrushpracticallyhorizontaltothepaperisagreat way to create texture. This technique works best

withcold-pressedorroughpaper,whichhasmoretexture.Thepatternit creates is slightly random—great for light sparkling onwater, treebarkorrocks.Withalightloadofpaintonthebrush,skimthebrushsideways across the paper so the brush onlymakes contactwith the“mountainpeaks”andnot the“valleys”of thecold-pressedor roughpaper.

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COMPOSITION:CHOREOGRAPHYFORTHEEye

Strongpaintingshavestrongdesigns.Useasimplestructuretoholdalloftheelementsofanimagesoyourpaintingwillhave a stronger impact. Begin every paintingwith a closelookatdesign,andendeverypaintingbycheckingtomakesurethedesignisstrong.

Palm22”x29½”(56cmx75cm)

TheGoalofaSuccessfulPainting

My goal is to entrance someonewithmy painting, but first I want toentrance myself. I want the viewer to visually dance through thepainting, get lost in it and thoroughly enjoy the experience ofmovingthroughit.Imagineyourpaintinghangingonawallwithotherartworkinashow.Someonewalksby,stopsatyourwork,andlooksandlooksandlooks.Thentheviewermovesclosertoinspectit,moveson,returns,andstopstolookatyourpaintingagain.Tocapturethatmuchinterestisaworthygoal.Captureyourviewers’interestbyrewardingthemforlookingateveryinchofyourpainting—forlookingatallofit.Createapathoffocusthatpullstheviewersalong,graduallydeliveringthemtoacenterofinterestwheretheystopthenmoveon,onlytoreturnagainandagain,likealineofdancersweavingaroundaroom.

THUMBNAIL

THELITERALPATHBy beginning the design process for Fern Canyon Steps with athumbnail value study, Imadeamap forwhere Iwant the viewer’seyetogo.TherangeofvaluesandcontrastallowmetoorchestratethemovementinapaintingInthethumbnail,mostofthesurfaceissomevalueofgrayorblack.Thisshifttowarddarkervaluesgivesanywhiteareas more power to attract the eye because the white is tare. Istrengthenedtheattractionbysettingblacknexttothewhite,creating

a high contrast area. By manipulating the placement of contrastingvalues,Ileadtheviewer’seyefrontthelowerrighttotheleftandthendiagonallytowardtheupperright.Thethetopofthestairs,wherethevalue of the sunlight contrasts with that of the deep forest beyondbecomesthefocalpoint.

FernCanyonSteps21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

GuidetheViewerThroughYourPainting

Becausedesignissoimportantincapturingviewers’interest,artistshavecome up with rules to make this process simpler. Some of the morecommonrulesinclude(1)neverplacingthefocalpointofapaintingintheexactcenterorontheedgeoftherectangle,(2)alwaysvaryingthesizes ofmajor components (3) never leading the eye off the image byrunning strongdiagonals intoacorner,and (4)neverplacingapersonfacingtheedgeofthepaper.You often make design decisions like this intuitively—you just find

yourself preferring one arrangement over another. The time toconsciously apply design principles is when you evaluate your initialidea.This iswhymakinga thumbnail sketch is so important; itallowsyoutostepbackfromtheideabeforeyou’vecommittedyourself.Ifthevalue relationships in an image threaten to weaken the painting’simpact,makechanges.Inwatercolor,thebesttimetochangethedesignisbeforeyoudothedrawingonthewatercolorpaper.Rules are only guides; they are not sacrosanct. Understanding the

reasonstherulesexistisfarmoreimportantthanfollowingtherules.Ifaruledoesn’tworkforyou,simplyaddressitsreason.Youcansuccessfullybreakanyruleifyousolvetheproblemthatruleaddresses.Therearemanywaystodealwithproblemsindesign.Byintroducing

strongvisualelementselsewhereinapainting,youcanredirecttheeye.To avoid drawing the eye to a problematic area, you can reduce thecolororvaluecontrastinthatsection.Apply the design principles of strong and varied value contrast, of

varied shapes and varied sizes, and of a path for the eye when you

developyourthumbnail.Beforeyoubeginpainting,decideonalimitedpaletteofcolorsthatwillgiveyourpaintingharmonyandcohesiveness.Pareawayeverythingthatdistractsfromthesinglemostimportantstoryin the painting. While you work, make choices that strengthen thedesign andmake your focal pointmore compelling.At the end, checkyour painting for design flaws that may have crept in while yourattentionwas elsewhere, but don’t forget to checkwith your intuitiveeye,too!Doyoulikethepainting?

USEVALUETOLINKMAINELEMENTSInthisthumbnailforCatWatch,thegradationofvaluefromblackatthetoptowhiteatthebottomlinksthecatandthechicken,creatingacohesiveimage.Thechoiceofbackgroundvaluesalsosetsuptheplayof light against dark (the cat) and dark against light (the chicken).When you play with these value relationships, you create a moredynamicimage.

USEVISUALTENSIONTOLINKELEMENTSINAPAINTINGBoththecatandthechickenareontheextremeedgesofthepaintingandyou could consider eitherone tobe the focal point.Whatholdsthem together is the tension that exists in the space between. This“empty”spacehasonlyseeds,buttheyareattractingthechicken.Gatsandchickensarenaturaladversaries.Thispaintingasks, “Who is inchargehere?Whatisgoingtohappen?”

CatWatch13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

CreatingaPathoffocus

Apathoffocusislikeapaththroughaforest.Ifyouwantananimaltofollowthatpath,youmustplacetreatsallalongtheway.Eachpaintingcontainsasimilarpathwithvisualjewelsplacedalongtheway,leadingtheeyefromonetoanother,weavingaroundthepictureplane.Think about this traditional compositional device; the center of

interest. Typically, the center of interest has some pathway sweepingdirectly to it from the perimeter of the paper.How long is that path?Probablynotmuchlongerthantheradiusofthepage.Thestrengthofthecenterofinterestmaybeenoughtodrawaviewer

toit,buthowlongwilltheviewerstayatthatcenterofinterest(andatyourpainting)ifyouhaveprovidedonlyashortpathwithoutanyotherbitsofinterestalongtheway?Therearemanyrulesofcomposition,butbreakingthemissometimes

thefastestroutetoareallydynamicpainting.Tryingtosticktoall therules can lead to stiffness and repetition, and it can stifle theimagination. Never placing the center of interest in the center of acompositionistherulethatprobablycarriesthemostweight,butevencentralplacementhasbeendonesuccessfully.

LEADTHEEYEONAVISUALDANCETheeyefollowsthepathmarkedbythebrightcentersoftheseMatilijapoppies.Theeyeisattractedtowhatismostrareinanypainting.Inthiscase,darkgreens,bluesandvioletsdominate thepaintingso the

hotspots—theyellowcentersandwhitepetals—standout.

LadiesDance22”x29½”(56cmx75cm)

FOLLOWINGADIRECTPATHThe simple underlying structure of this painting of a cove in Nova-Scotialeadstheeyerighttothegroupofrocks.Complextexturesandreflectionsinthewatergivetheviewermoretocontemplate.

RocksatAspetogan14½”x22”(37cmx56cm)

UnderlyingStructure:TheKeytodesign

The key to design and composition is to search for some underlyingstructure, some large, abstract form or line upon which the entirepaintingcanbebuilt, suchasa largeSorcrossshape.Differentartistsareattractedtodifferentkindsofstructuresandshapes.Theywillpaint

themoverandover,evenwhenpaintingentirelydifferentsubjects.Forinstance,theymaybeinspiredtopainthorizontalorverticalbands,andthey may paint flat landscapes, still-life subjects on tabletops, orinteriors.Diagonals,roundshapesandcurvingS-shapedlinesattractme,soIlovetopaintrocks,hillyland,seascapes,flowersandarrangementsofelements thatsnakebackandforth, leadingtheeyeto thecenterofinterest. Lately I have been drawn more and more toward paintingpatterns,whichcoverthepaperwithoutanyonecenterofinterest.Takeanotherlookatimagesyoulove.Doyouseerecurringshapes?

THECROSSFORMATThecrackintherockwallofthisquarryanditsreflectionprovidefortheverticalaxisofthiscrossdesign.Thejunctionofthecrackwiththewaterlinecreatesafocalpointfortheeye.Placingthatfocalpointtotheleftofthecenterofthepaintinggivesthatsidemorevisualweight.Allowing one section of the painting to dominate energizes thecomposition,likemusicwithastrongbeat.

AfternoonWithLeo22”x29½”(56cmx75cm)

THECURVINGPATHThe strong vertical line running down the center dominates thispainting,buttheflowersoneithersidecreatemovementbyleadingtheeyebackandforththroughtherectangle.

MallowinthePharmacyGarden21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

StrengthenYourdesign

These substructures can be helpful guideswhen you design a paintingTheyarecommonlyusedtoaidwithdesigndecisions.

FIGUREA

CREATENINEEQUALSQUARESWhenusing FigureA, place the center of interest at one intersectionandanysecondarycentersofinterestatotherintersections.Wherethegrid lines run off the edges of the rectangle is a good place to havemajor lines exit the painting; this avoids dividing the painting intoequal halves. Try this with your next painting Instead of placingelementsrandomly,askyourself,“Whatdrewmetothisscene?”Placethatelementatoneoftheseintersections.

Sugar?10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

FIGUREB

CREATEFOUREQUALSQUARESWhen using Figure B, place the center of interest in one of thequadrants. All the quadrants should have something of interest, butthisdoesn’tmeantheyshouldbetreatedequally.Infact,someshouldhavemoreweight thanothers.Threequadrantsmightcontainall thedetails in a painting but the fourth could provide interest throughgradedwashesorsoft-edgedcalligraphicstrokes.Mostofthecontrastand interest in Pansies at Home falls in the bottom and right-sidequadrants,whiletheupperleftisrelativelyquietbutnottotallyempty.

PansiesatHome11”x14½″(28cmx37cm)

11”x14½″(28cmx37cm)

FIGUREC

ONERISKYFORMATAvoidastronglinerunningdiagonallyoffthepaperinanycornet;asshown in Figure C, because this leads the viewer’s eye out of thepainting. Ifyouwant todirectadiagonal line intoacorner, includeelements that will pull the eye back in. First Orchid has a strongdiagonal bandof light splitting thepainting inhalf but its soft edgesflareoutateitherendgivingtheeyeapathbackintothepainting.

FirstOrchid10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

SubdividingtheRectangleàlaMondrian

Subdividing a rectangle is another way to think about design. PietMondrian,aDutchpainterfromtheearlypartofthetwentiethcentury,used horizontal and vertical black bands to create unequal-size boxesfilledwithwhiteorprimarycolors.Mondriandirectedtheviewer’seyewithin theworldhecreated.Mondrian’scomposition forces theviewerto look at certain spots in painting. Those spots attract the viewerbecauseoftheirintensityrelativetothesurroundingfieldofwhiteandblack.When you decidewhere to placemajor elements in a painting,you subdivide the rectangle just asMondrian did. The only differencebetweenMondrian’s style and a representational painter’s style is youcanrecognizethesubjectmatterinarepresentationalpainting.If all the shapeswithinyour rectanglehave the same formand size,

therewillbeaverystaticqualitytoyourpainting.Itwill lacklife.Forthisreason,varyyourshapesandthespacesbetweenthem.Eachcolorhasavisualweight.Thegreatertheintensityandimpactof

a color, the greater its weight. Think of a bar balanced on a centersupportwithslidingweightsoneitherside.Ifoneweightisheavierthantheother,itneedstobeclosertothecenterpointthanthelighteroneinorder to create an equilibrium. Also, the size of a colored shape willincreaseordecreaseitsweight.Redisrelativelymoreintensecomparedto blue and yellow, so it has greater weight. Blue can be intense,dependingonitsvalueandonwhichblueyouchoose.

DIRECTINGTHEEYETHROUGHTHEPAINTINGI created this Mondrian-like design using watercolors. Many ofMondrian’spaintingshavejustafewlinesandaremuchsimplerthanthispainting.Theyaresuccessfulbecauseofhowthespaceisdividedandhowthecolorsareplacedtodirecttheeyethroughthepainting.

PAINTLIKEMONDRIAN

TrytocreateaMondrian-likepainting.Thefirststepistodivideyourrectangleintoaseriesofrectanglesthataredifferentinsizeand proportion. Do this by drawing a sequence of vertical and

horizontal lines that divide the space unequally. Once you arepleasedwith thedivisionyouhavecreated,choose threeshapesto fill with the primary colors: red, yellow and blue. Thechallenge here is to create balance despite the unequal colorweightsandrectanglesizes.

TheImportanceofContrastandMovement

Contrast can be a matter of color, such as using colors at their mostintenseorplacing complementary colors next to one another.Contrastcanalsobeamatterofvalue,suchasblackandwhitenexttoeachotheror two colors with very little difference in value side by side. Inrepresentational painting, contrast is an important tool to create theillusion of real space. Low-contrast areas tend to recede, while high-contrastareasadvance.Movement can be created by line, whether formed by the edges ofshapes or created directlywith calligraphic strokes.Movement can berapid,with straight lines and sharp angles, or slow,with soft, flowinglinesandgradualtransitions.Imbalance also creates movement. You can’t take a step to moveforward,unlessyoufirstplaceyourselfinimbalance.Astatic,perfectlybalanced painting is like a dancer standing perfectly still. In thatstillness, there is no possibility of movement. At the other extreme, atotallackofbalanceinapaintingwillgluetheeyetowherethecenterofinterestorgreatestweightis,preventingtravelthroughouttheentirepainting. The painting will seem to tip in that direction. Seek acompromisebetweenbalanceandimbalance.

COLORASCONTRASTInLiliesinRed,contrastexistsbecauseofthejuxtapositionofintensered and green. These complementary colors really stand outagainstoneanother.

LiliesinRed13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

VALUEASCONTRASTHerethedelicatesubtletieswithinthewhiterosesarecontrastedwiththedramaticred-blackofthebackground.

TwoWhiteRoses21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

CreatingbalanceWithoutStagnation

Design is amatterof findingbalance innatureandcreating it inyourwork.Forinstance,strongdesignhastohaveadynamicquality,butthisdoes not necessarily mean it has to be high energy or frenetic. Yourpaintingcanbeverypeacefulaslongasithassomesenseofmovement,somethingthatdrawstheeyeintothepainting.Asmentionedearlier,oneruleprohibitsplacingsomethingimportant

inthecenterofthepainting.Centerplacementisstaticandnondynamic;itdoesn’tmovetheeye.However,therecanbeotherforcesatworkinapaintingthatoffsetthestaticqualityofasymmetricalcomposition.Considerapaintingthathaselementswithhighcontrastononlyone

sideand thecenterof interest in themiddle.Thisarrangementcreatesanoff-balancedynamictensionthat isanantidotetotheanchoratthecenter.Anotherway to activate a static composition is to place strongdiagonallinesthatdrawtheviewer’seyeintoandbackoutofthecenter.Diagonallinesorelementsplacedalongthediagonallinescancreatethesenseofmovementthatisnecessaryfordynamicflowinapainting.Thegoalistobeinbalancebutnotstatic.

DYNAMICDIAGONALSThe crevice between the two rocks divides this painting down thecenter. The diagonal lines formed by the clusters of flowers andbranchespulltheeyeawayfromthecenter,providingmovement.

InMyMother’sGarden22”x14½″(56cmx37cm)

THROWNOFFBALANCEInWellCentered,thepeonyformsabull’s-eyeimageatthecenterofthe rectangle. Throwing off the rigid symmetry of this design is likeplacinga largerchildatoneendofa seesaw—hisendweighsmore,unbalancingthethesystem.Ireducedthevaluecontrast inthelowerrightofthispainting;thedeepredpetalsandthedarkbackgroundlinktogether visually and ultimately create one large shape. By usingsimilarvaluesinthiscorner,Igavetherightsideofthepaintingmoreweight.

WellCentered13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

RulingtheRules

A successful painting isworth a thousand rules. You can break a rulesuccessfullybyintroducingotherforcesthatcreateasenseofmovementanddynamicflowaroundacenterofinterestinyourpainting.Artistsareoftenwarnednottoplacethecenterofinterestontheedge

ofapainting. If apainting’s focalpoint is tooclose to theedgeof thepaper,itcanleadtheeyeofftheedge.Ifyoufocusattentionontheedgeofapainting,youneedtodosomethingelsewhereinthepaintingtopulltheeyebackintoit.Youmustbalancethefocalpointattheedgewithanotherelement.Youdon’thavetousearigid,exactkindofsymmetry;youcouldchooseadynamic,informalsymmetry.On the other hand, choosing to place the center of interest on the

edge,whilerisky,canalsoleadtodramaticimpact.Havinghighcontrastor visual excitement crash against a barrier increases the tension andinterestofapainting,ratherlikewatchingadancerdopirouettesrightattheedgeofthestage.

EXPLOREYOUROPTIONSWhen designing a painting, use thumbnail sketches to try differentoptionstoseewhattheresultsmightbe.Whenthegoatisinthecenter,thecompositionhaslessimpactandbecomesstatic.Placingthegoat’sheadattheedgeofthecompositioncreatesalotoftension—theimagefeelsuncomfortablebecause thegoat’s face is soclose to theedge. Italsocreatesastrongdiagonalthroughthecomposition.

ADJUSTINGTHETHUMBNAILPullingthegoat’sheadslightlybackfromtheedgegivestheeyesomebreathing room to circle back around through the painting, yet thisplacementintheuppercornergivesthepaintingdramaticimpact.

OneGoatLooking10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

COMPENSATEWHENBREAKINGRULES

Don’t get hung up on a list of rules; you might create rigidpaintings that are clones ofwhat other people have done. Yourworkwilllosetheoriginalitythatfollowingyourownvisiongivesyou. It’s important to have a sense of the rules but not to feellockedintothem.Youcanbreakeveryruleevermade—themostdynamic, powerful paintings frequently break some rules. Thesepaintings are gutsier.Youhave tounderstanda rule tobreak itandbesuccessful.Remember,compensatewhenyoubreakarule.

TestingyourComposition

Onewaytoevaluatetheimpactofyourcompositionistoturnitupside-down. This should be an important part of your working process.Sometimes at the thumbnail stage, you have a question about yourconcept or how your composition is working visually Turn thethumbnail sketch and reference photograph upside down and evaluatethemfromthisperspective.Itisalsoagoodideatofrequentlyturnyourpaintingupsidedownwhilepainting.Besuretostandfarenoughawaysothatyoucaneasilyevaluateit.FacingapaintingtowardsamirrorisanotherwayofgettingafreshviewLookatthedesign,butdon’t labeltheobjectsinit;justseeshapes.Thesepracticesallowyoutoevaluatethedesignasanabstract,tosee

itwith fresh eyes.Abstract theworld in yourmindand then re-createthosepatternsofshapesandcolorsonthepaper.Youmaybearealisticpainter using a great deal of detail. This does notmean that you canaffordtoignoretheabstractqualitiesofyourimage.If you remember the goal of painting—capturing the viewer’s

attention and holding it—the decisions about whether to followparticular ruleswill sort themselves out. Don’t allow the rules to ruleyou.Painting is like juggling—therearemanyballs in theair at once.Therefore,sortingoutquestionsofdesignbeforeyoubegintodrawandpaint is important. Explore and determine your composition usingthumbnail sketchesbeforebeginningyourpainting,not afteryouhavealready committed yourself to a mistake with many layers of paint.Design first, then refine your design throughout the creation of your

painting

SELECTINGTHERIGHTIMAGEIlovedtheliltingqualityofthesehibiscusastheyreachedupintothelight.Ilikedthewhitebandrunningthroughtheimagebetweentheskyandthedarkfoliage.Byturningtheslideupsidedown,Isawthatthepyramidofdistant foliageat thecenterof thebackgrounddistractedmyattentionfontwhatwasmostimportanttome,anditanchoredthedesign too strongly because of its placement in the center of thecomposition.

CORRECTEDCOMPOSITIONI loved the image, but it wasn’t working compositionally the way itwascroppedinthephotograph.Icreatedthumbnailsketchestotryoutsome ideas. I raised thewhole compositionup so therewas less sky,extended the shapes at the bottom to create a wider band andeliminatedthedistractingbackgroundimage.

{chapter4}

MASQUERADE:PROTECTINGPURECOLORANDLight

Iliketoworkfreelyandquicklywithlargebrushesasoftenas I can. Using masking materials allows me to takeadvantage of the spontaneity of a fluid medium such aswatercolorandtorespondtomyownimpulses.

Spotted11”x14½″(28cmx37cm)

UsingMaskingFluid

MASKINGThis painting of frog lilies began with masking film protecting theleaves, stemsand flowers.After layingdown thegradedwasheswet-into-wet using flat brushes, I glazed the leaf shadows and thereflections of flowers and stems onto the dry paper.Once thewaterdried, I removed themasking filmand covered the small light spots,likeedgesandsmallhighlights,intheleavesandflowerswithmaskingfluid. I completed painting the leaves and flowers with glazes of

AureolinYellow,ThaloBlue,Hooker’sGreenDeep,UltramarineBlueandIndianYellow.Tofinishupandgivethepaintingafullrangeofvalues,IdarkenedthestemswithWinsorVioletandNeutralTint.

TinicumTreasures22”x14½″(56cmx37cm)

Ifyouarecarefulwithmaskingfluidandcombineitwithothermaskingtechniquessoitisusedsparingly,itcanbeliberatingIfindthatmyworkismuchfreerwhenIusemaskingfluid.Idothemeticulouspartofmywork in the drawing and in the careful application of masking fluid.Then Icanusebigbrushesandpaintquicklybecause Idonothave toworryaboutcarefullygettingaroundsomelittlething.Paintingcarefullyaroundshapestoprotectthemisslowworkandismoreapttoproduceunevenwashes.When backgrounds are visually broken up by foreground objects, itcanbedifficulttokeepthebackgroundpiecesconsistent.Doingagradedwashacrossallthebackgroundpiecesinjustonepassistheeasiestwayto get a smooth transition. Just be sure you remove excessaccumulations of paint andwater,which can be caught by the rubber“dams”thatmaskingfluidforms.Therearevariouskindsofmaskingmaterialsavailabletoprotectlargeand small areas of pure color. For small areas—dots, slivers and smallshapes of all kinds—I use a liquid mask commonly referred to as“Frisket.”Theuseofmaskingfluidallowsmetopaintmorefreely.Thedownsideofmaskingfluidisthatitcanabusethepaper.Anytimeyourough up the surface ofwatercolor paper in anyway, you disturb thesizing that protects it. The exposed corewill soak up paint just like ablotter, leaving unwanted stains wherever the sizing is damaged. Youwill see a difference between areas that have beenmasked and thosethathavenot.

I use masking fluid in stages. I usually put some on the white paperinitiallyand then, after subsequentwashes, Imayapplymore in someplaces—anywhereIwanttoprotectapurecolor.Forexample,theremaybespotsofpureyellowinafieldofgreen.Iputdownawashofyellowand, when that’s dry, protect the spots of yellow with masking fluid.Whenthemaskingfluidisdry,Ifollowwithwashesofbluesorgreens.

When themasking fluid is finally peeledup, there are spots of yellowamidthegreen.Conversely, if therearespotsofblue ina fieldofgreen, Iwillapply

dotsofmaskingfluid,followwithyellow,removethemaskingfluid,andthenendwithaglazeofblue.Sometimestherewillbesmallareasofacolor that is completely different from the surrounding field, forexample, a green leaf that has a red or maroon or purple edge. Thathappens a lot in nature. Nature will juxtapose complementary colors,which, if accidentallymixed together,willmake “mud.”Masking fluidprotects these areas fromeachother.When Iwant tomake absolutelysure that a sliver or little spot is absolutely clear red or purple orwhateveritneedstobe,anditisgoingtobesurroundedbycolorfromacross thecolorwheel, then Iusemasking fluid toprotect thatarea. IremovethemaskingfluidwhenIhavecompletedthesurroundingareasandjustlayinthecoloronthatsliverordotwithatinybrush(orleaveitwhiteifthatiswhatitneeds).

SIMPLIFYINGTHESTEPS

I’ve simplified the masking and glazing process to show mytechniqueatitsmostbasic.

1.PROTECTTHELEAFEDGE

Iappliedmasking fluid to the leafedgewitharulingpen, let itdry,thenpaintedtheleafAureolinYellow.

2.PROTECTTHEDELICATELINES

I applied masking fluid to the veins of the leaf and the stems,againwitharulingpen.

3.APPLYTHENEXTWASHES

I painted a light wash of Thalo Blue over the whole leaf andallowedittodry.Oncetheentireleafwasdry,IpaintedanotherlightwashofThaloBlueovertheshadowsideoftheleafonly.Iremovedthemaskingfluidfromtheveinsontheshadowside.

4.DARKENTHESHADOWSIDE

IpaintedanotherlightwashofThaloBlueovertheshadowsideoftheleaf.Oncethisareawasdry,Iremovedthemaskingfluidfrom the rest of the leaf veins (but not the masking fluidprotectingtheleafedge).

5.LAYERTHEWHOLELEAF

IpaintedalightwashofThaloBlueoverthewholeleafandletitdry.

6.PAINTTHELEAFEDGE

IremovedthemaskingfluidfromtheleafedgeandpaintedthisareaWinsorRed.

TRYTHISMaskingtoSetYouFree

THECOMPLETEDIMAGEThebeeslandingonthisglobethistlebroughtthescenetolifeforme.Theirgoldenbodiescontrastwiththeviolet-blueoftheflowertocreateavibrant image.Capturing thisdanceof lightandcolor involved thecareful arrangement of masking liquid, masking film and washes ofcolor.Toseehowthevaluesandcompositionwerearrangedseepage25.

GiftfromMarv13½x13½″(34cmx53cm)

Themaskingfilmallowsustouselargeflatbrushestoglazethegraded-

wash background. In the step-by-step photos to the left, the untintedmasking liquid appears as shiny and light beige. The small spots ofmaskingfluidbecomeplaceholders;oncetheyaredown,wecanfindourwaythroughthethistledrawing“maze.”

MATERIALSLIST

BRUSHES1½-inch(38cm)flat2-inch(51mm)flatflatscrubberbrushnos.1-10roundbrushes

MASKINGMATERIALSColorlessLiquidFrisketdraftingtapeFrisketFilmpermanentwaterprooffine-tipmarkerscissorssmallsharpenedbrushhandlerubbercementpickup

PAPERArches300-lb.(640gsm)cold-pressedwatercolorpaper

PALETTEAureolinYellowIndanthroneBlueIndianYellowQuinacridoneBurntOrangeThaloBlueUltramarineBlueWinsorRedWinsorViolet

1MASKTHEFOREGROUND

Maskthecombinedshapesoftheglobethistleandbeewithmaskingfilmandmaskingfluid.Uselargebrushestoglazethelayersofcolor

for the dark background. The masking fluid acts as a rubber dam,keeping the paint from seeping under the masking film onto theforeground shape. Once the background is complete, remove themaskingfilmandmaskingfluid.

2PROTECTTHELIGHTESTSPOTS

Protectthelightestspotsonthebee,thetipsoftheflowerspinesandthe curving petals with masking fluid (the spots of masking fluid

appear shiny here). The masking fluid sorts out the maze of lines,makingiteasiertofindtheshapesthatneedtobepainteddark.

3ADDTHEGLAZES

Glaze layers, startingwith thedarker and smaller shapes. For eachsuccessive layer,painta largershapeanduseamoredilutedpaint.

Leavethemaskingfluiduntilthecolorsurroundingthoseareashasthecorrectvaluecontrastwhencomparedtotheothercolors.

4ADDTHELASTCOLORS

Once the dark values are deep enough and the other colors are inplace and dry, rub up the masking fluid with the rubber cement

pickup. Make any final color adjustments and soften edges as neededwiththeflatscrubberbrush.

TakingCareofMaskingFluid

MaskingFluidisvulnerablestuff.Itcanbeeasilydamagedbyexposuretoexcessiveheatorcoldandbyshakingthebottle.Neverleaveeitherapaintingwithmaskingfluidonitorthebottleofmaskingfluidindirectsunlightforanyprolongedperiod.Once you apply masking fluid to watercolor paper, the subsequent

washesshouldbecompletedassoonaspossible.Neverletapaintingsitaround for long periods of time with masking fluid on it. My rule ofthumb is to getmasking fluid offwithin twoweeks, preferablywithinone week With prolonged exposure to air, masking fluid can turn

gummyandformabondwiththepapersostrongitisimpossibletogetoff.Paintingscanberuinedthisway.Because the ammonia in masking fluid evaporates rapidly, masking

fluidformsaskinonthesurfacewhenit’sexposedtoair.You’llneedtoperiodically scoop this layerof skin fromyourmasking fluidcontainerand throw the skin away. When using masking fluid, pour a smallamountinthecapfromanoldmaskingfluidbottlesothesourcecanbecappedupandprotectedwhileyouwork.The big problemwith supplies ofmasking fluid is that they thicken

over time and then it is very difficult to get smooth lines or small,delicate slivers. This thickening is accelerated two ways: leaving thesurfaceskinsonthemaskingfluidafterexposuretoairandbyshakingthebottle.

NeverShaketheBottle!

Maskingfluid isasuspensionof latex inammonia.Whenyoushake it,you encourage the latex to come out of suspension. It will graduallyform a ball which will float in the liquid, and in the end, the entirebottleofmaskingfluidwillsolidify.Ifyounoticeaball,youinstinctivelyshake the bottle to remix the solution, thus settingup a vicious cycle.Youwouldbebetterofftoleavetheballaloneorfishitout.Anothermotivationforshakingmaskingfluidistoremixthetintthat

is often added to masking fluid to help it show up under subsequentwashes. The tint has a tendency to settle to the bottom. You shouldinstead remix itmoregently, eitherby simply stirring it orby turningthe tightly closed bottle upside down and standing it on its cap for awhile. Standing the bottle on its cap now and thenwill keep the tintevenlydistributed.Igenerallyavoidthewholeissuebybuyinguntintedmaskingfluid,whichdriestoapaleyelloworbeige,dependingonthebrand.

MASKINGFLUIDUPCLOSEThelatexsuspensionconsistsofmicroscopicparticlesoflatexfloatingin ammonia. Shaking knocks the particles into each other and theystick together. Once they’ve clumped together, the particles won’t goback into suspension; itwouldbe like trying to turnbutterback intocream.

WaltzingPastTrouble

Thebiggestchallengewithusingmaskingfluidisapplyingitsmoothly.Masking fluid tends to clump, and it can flow unevenly on the roughsurfaceofmostwatercolorpaper. I getaround thisbydrawingabeadquicklyalongtheedgeofanareawithafine-tippedtoolandthenfillingin the areabehind it. Imake sure themasking fluid is thin enough toflowsmoothly;otherwise,Ithrowitawayorthinitwithammonia.Speed is very important in painting and drawing, but evenmore so

whenapplyingmaskingfluid.Speednotonlyinsuresasteadyhandbutitalsomeanstherewillbeplentyofmaskingfluidonthepaperbeforeitstartstoset.Anothercharacteristicofmaskingfluidisitstendencyto“settledown”

afteritisapplied,spreadingoutwardfromwhereyouintendittobe.For

this reason, it is helpful to apply it just slightly to the inside of yourdrawnlineandtouseafine-tippedtool.

WatchYourStep!

Thereisonemoreproblemtobeawareof:Sometimespaintgetspastthebarrierofmaskingfluid.Usuallythishappensbecausethemaskingfluidhasn’tbeenapplied thickly enough, sopile it ongenerouslyandavoidspreadingitovertoomuchsurfacearea.Whenyouapplymaskingfluid,airbubblescanform,dryingintotiny

pinpricks in the filmof latexrubber.Theseappearalmostwhite in thepale color of the masking fluid. If you see any white spots, apply asecondcoatofmaskingfluid.Maskingfluidsetsquitequickly.Whenitishalfset,itpicksupeasily.

Theskinonthesurfacewillsticktoyourtool,sousealighttouchandavoiddirectcontactbetweenyourtoolandthesemidrymaskingfluidonthepaper.Acommoncomplaintartistshaveaboutmaskingfluidisthatitleaves

behindhardedges in thepaint. Idon’tconsider thisaproblem, really.SometimestheseedgesmaybejustwhatIwantforcrisp,high-contrastobjectsintheforeground,forinstance.WhenIdon’twanthardedges,Ieither choosenot tousemasking fluid there,paintingaround theareainstead,or I liftand soften theedgesusingavarietyof tools.Nohardedgehastostaythatway.

SHOPCAREFULLY

Check new supplies of masking fluid before leaving the store.Don’tassumethey’reingoodcondition.

Tipthebottlegentlytomakesurethefluidhasnotsolidified.WatchtheliquidasItmoves.Maskingfluidshouldflowlikecream;IfIt’smorelikehoneyoreventhicker,It’stoothick.Sometimesthickmaskingfluidcanbethinnedwithammonia,butIt’sbettertobuyafresherbottle.Avoidbuyingtintedmaskingmaterials,especiallythedarkergraybrands.Thetintingagentscansometimesstainthepaperpermanently(althoughtheyaren’tsupposedtodothis).Pale

yellowmaskingfluidcanalsostain,butthistendstobelessofaproblembecauseIt’slighter.TestnewsuppliesonascrapofyourwatercolorpaperbeforeriskingItInapainting.

AFINELINEOFMASKINGFLUIDIfyouneedafineline,useafine-tippedtool,liketherulingpenshownhere, and draw quickly with a light touch. The speed means lessmaskingfluidflowsoffthetipbeforeyoutravelon.It’shelpfultoholdthetoolmoreverticallythanyouwouldholdabrush.I’vetintedthemaskingfluidheretomakeitshowitshowsupbetterinthephotograph.

ToolsforApplyingMaskingFluid

Many tools will work for applying masking fluid. The choice of tooldependsonhowlargeanareayouneedtocover.Themostcommontoolsareinexpensivebrushes.Neveruseexpensivebrushes,because repeateduseofmasking fluiddestroys them.Toslow

down thedestructionof thebrush, soap thebrushbeforedipping it inmaskingfluidandthenwashitinsoapandwaterwhenyou’vefinished.Becauseofevaporation,maskingfluidtendstoclumponthebrushwhileyou work, making it difficult to apply delicately. To avoid clumpedbristles,washthebrushoutoccasionallyasyouwork.Toskipall thismaintenancehassle, I simplyuseanoldcheapbrushthatispastsaving,andIdon’tbothersoapingitorwashingit.Instead,formost applications I use the brush handle, sharpenedwith a pencilsharpener.Another favorite tool ofmine is a ruling pen. A finely crafted, two-pronged device once commonly used by drafters and illustrators, therulingpenmadecontrolledinklinesbeforetheinventionofmechanicalpens. This pen is becoming harder to find in stores but it can still befoundindraftingsets.Therulingpencanmakeveryfinelines,adefiniteadvantageasatoolforapplyingmaskingfluid,butanyfine-tippedtoolwillworkaswell.Whenusinganyofthesetools,ithelpstoholdthemvertically,asyouwouldhold an oriental brush for calligraphicwork. Themasking fluidseemstofloweasierthisway,especiallyifyouusealighttouch.

ExperimentWithTools

Actually, there aremany easy-to-use tools for applyingmasking fluid:speedball drawing pens, sticks, “oilers” (small squeeze bottles withneedle-nose tips), and the Incredible Nib, now on the market.Experimenttofindoutwhatworksbestforyou.IsometimescreatesplattersofmaskingfluidwithanoldtoothbrushIkeep for this purpose. The toothbrush cleans up easily with soap andwater,butmoreimportantlythistechniqueaddsaninterestingelementoftexturetomylayers.Byglazingacrossanareaofmaskingfluiddots,removing themasking fluid and glazing again, I can create an area oflight-colored dots within a darker field. The possible variations areendless.Another important tool isa rubbercementpickup,a small squareofgumshoesolematerialsoldinmostartsupplystores.Withthis,youcaneasily remove dry masking fluid once the surrounding paint isthoroughlydry.Thelessscrubbingofthepaperyoudothebetter,sotrytoruboneendofanylongstripofdriedmaskingfluidandpeeltherest

upinonelong“rubberband.”

MASKINGTOOLS

1.maskingfluid2.ammonia(dearonly)3.oldmaskingfluidbottlecap4.rubbercementpickup5.rulingpen6.paintbrushhandle,sharpened7.toothbrush8.permanentwaterprooffine-tipmarker9.scissors10.maskingfilm11.draftingtape

TRYTHISWorkingWithMaskingFluidandMaskingFilm

Masking fluid can lift some of the drawing off the paper, so youwillneed todrawagain.This is not a problem in small areas, but it is forlargecomplexdrawings.Toavoid thisproblem(andavoiddamaging thepaper),usemaskingfilm. This film is a pressure-sensitive, translucent film with a paperbackingandisusedinairbrushing.Workquicklyand smoothlywhenapplyingmasking fluid,because itwillflowintothevalleysinthewatercolorpaper,creatinglumpylines,or will leave air bubbles for paint to bleed through. Use long evenstrokesthatoverlap,andavoidspreadinganyoneloadofmaskingfluidtoofar.Drawalongthinbeadalongthedrawnedgeandthenfillintheremaining area right afterwards with heavier applications before thebeadhashadachancetodryAfterthemaskingfluidisdry,besuretocheckthewholeareacarefullyforplacesthatyoumissedorthataretoothinor thathaveairbubbles.Addanother layerwherenecessary—justbesurethefirstlayeriscompletelydrybeforeyoudo.ForthisdemonstrationIdecidedtopaintpygmygoats.Afterselectingtheimage,Iarrangeditandtransferredittothewatercolorpaper.

MATERIALSLIST

BRUSHESToothbrush1½-inch(38mm)flat2-inch(51mm)flatnos.1-10roundsflatscrubber

MASKINGMATERIALSFrisketFilmcolorlessliquidFrisketpermanentwaterprooffine-tipmarkerscissorsdraftingtapesmallsharpenedbrushhandlerubbercementpickup

1

PALETTEIndianYellowTransparentBrownOxideTransparentRedOxideUltramarineBlueWinsorViolet

APPLYTHEMASKINGFILM

Attach themasking film loosely to the drawingwith drafting tape.Useapermanentfine-tipmarkertotracetheshapethatyouwantto

protect.Drawthelineabout⅙inch(2mm)insidethepenciloutlineonthewatercolorpaper.Usescissorstocutouttheshapeonthefilm,andleaveasmallamountofthemarkerlineshowinginordertoseewheretheedgeofthefilmislater.Thenpeeloffthebackingandlaythefilmsticky-side-downwithinitscorrespondingshapeonthewatercolorpaperand smooth it out. It has the stickiness of a Post-it note and won’tdamagethepaper.

2APPLYTHEMASKINGFLUID

Fill in thegapbetween theedgeof the filmand theoutlineof theshape on the paperwithmasking fluid, using the small, sharpened

brushhandle.Overlapthemaskingfluidontothefilmsoit’scompletelysealedin,withthemarkerlinerunningdownthroughthecenterofthemaskingfluidband.Thismethodsealslargemasseswithoutcoveringthewholesurfacewithsomethingthatwilldamagethewatercolorpaperorliftthedrawing.Maskingfilmbyitselfwon’tfullyprotectthepaperfromthewaterywashesthatwillcomelater—itneedsthehelpofthemaskingfluid.

ENLARGEMENT OF PAPER, MASKING FILM AND MASKINGFLUID

3CREATETEXTURE

Tocreatetextureforthegroundunderthegoats,dipatoothbrushinmasking fluidand thensplatter itby rubbingyour fingeralong the

bristles. This technique is great for creatingunevenground cover, likedirt,mulchorpebbles.Tosuggesthay,drawlinesofmaskingfluidwithafine-tippedtool.

Splattering

You can create interesting texture using various brushes tosplatterpaintormaskingfluid.Whensplatteringwithapaintbrush,onewaytomaintainsome

controlof thepattern is toknock the loadedbrushagainstyourfinger. Splatteringwith a paintbrush can create gestural strokesandexpressivemarks,aswellastexture.Youcancreatewilderandmoreexpressivepatternsbysimply

flickingtheloadedbrush;flickyourwristthewayaflyfishermandoes when he casts a line. Don’t forget to protect surroundingsurfacesfromthesplash!Tocreatesplattertexturewithatoothbrush,firstbeginwitha

gradedwash.Washesneedtobepaintedfirst,aswashespaintedoversplatteringwillliftcolorandsoftenthepattern,perhapstoomuch. The first layer of splatters is masking fluid, which willleavewhitedotsoncethepainthasdriedandthemaskingfluidisremoved.Layerscanbebuiltupusingthesamepaletteofcolorsyouwouldusetomixawashforthearea.Splatteronecolor,letitdry,thensplatterthenextcolor.

PLACETHEFIRSTLAYEROFMASKINGFLUIDONTHEGOATS

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5

Once the background is complete, peel up the masking materials.ApplyingmaskingfluidandpaintInalternatinglayersIsatechnique

that can also be applied to animals. Mask the lightest hairs and anywhitespotswithmaskingfluidfirst.

PAINTTHEDARKESTAREASANDTHEFIRSTWASH

Paint thedarkest spotswithTransparentBrownOxide,UltramarineBlueorWinsorViolet,thenallowthemtodry.Usethosethreecolors

plusIndianYellowtopaintthefirstlightwashesoverthewholegoat.Ifyouwantanyspotstobethevalueofthisfirstwash,protectthemwithmasking fluid. The shine of themasking fluid showswhere the goats’hair issavedasbrown,yellow,blueorviolet.Thisallowsyoutopaintthenextlayerswithlargerbrushesandstillprotectthosehairsanddots

6

oflightcolor.

ADDTHEFINALLAYERS

KidsandMoms10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

Continue to build up the darker areas, letting everything drybetween layers. Glaze a second light wash over the whole area,

introducing Transparent Red Oxide. Let this dry, then apply maskingfluidtoanyareaoftheTransparentRedOxideyouwishtoprotect,likefora fewlightredhairs.Continuealternatingbetweenwashesofcolorandmaskinguntilthereisenoughdetailtocreateaconvincingsurfacetexture. Remove all the masking fluid with a rubber cement pickup.Glaze where needed, then soften the edges with a flat scrubber and

adjustthevalues.

{chapter5}

WATERINWATERCOLOR:ABALANCINGAct

Watercolordancesbecauseitflowsinwater.Livingnearthewaterallmylife,Ihavewatchedwaterebbandflow,andIhave watched the traveling “passengers” floating along.Always moving and always changing, water makes thepaintingexperiencedynamicandexciting—justlikelife!

OahuGold13½x14½″(27cmx37cm)

HowpaintandWaterInteract

Paintinginwatercolorisamatterofbalancingtherelationshipbetweenwaterandpaintbothinthebrushandonthepaper.Thisratioisaffectedbytheamountofwaterinthearea,thehumidityoftheair,andwhetherthere is wind or sun to suck up water. Working in this medium is adancewithwaterandpaintandpaper.Togetthesameresult,therearetwooptions:Wetthepaperandthenapply paint or paint, dry paper with a brush loaded with a largerproportionofwatertopaint.Wetting thepaper firstaids in the flowandblendingprocess,givingyou more time to work because the extra water takes longer toevaporate.You canblendpaintondrypaper, strokingbackand forth,each brushstroke overlapping the one before, almost like mowing alawn, but speed is very important. Paint sinks into the paper as youwork,andslowerbrushstrokescanleaveindividualbrushmarksinsteadofasmoothwash.

OPTIONAWetthepaperfirst,thenloadthebrushwithpaintmixedwithasmall

amountofwater.Thistechniquewillgiveyouaverysmoothwash.

OPTIONBPaintdirectlyondrypaper.Useabrushloadedwithpaintandmorewater thaninoptionA.It’smoredifficult toproduceasmoothwashwith this technique, but applying the paint to dry paper has theadvantageofproducingamorepredictableintensityofcolor.Also, itislesslikelytoliftanyunderlyingglazes.Usethismethodforsmaller-shapesandwhenfloatingaglazeontopofamultilayeredarea.

PAINTINGONASLOPEFor larger washes, painting on a slope helps the paint to blend.Economyofmotionand layingdownanevenpatternof strokeswillcreate a smoother wash. The fewer brushstrokes, the smoother thewash.

REMOVEEXCESSWATERWhilegravity ishelping thewashstrokes toblenddonot touch!Usethetimeinsteadtoremoveanypoolingwaterfontaroundtheedgesofthewashwithatissue.

GettheResultsYouWantFromPaintbehavior

Wettingthepaperwithpaintandwaterislikere-creatinganoceanfullof sediment inmicrocosm.As thewater in thepaintingdries, theareabecomes like themud flats an ebbing tide leaves behind.Water seepsacross,butnotasrapidlyasitmoveswhenthetideisin.Paintfloatsinthewater theway sediment floats ina lakeor seaweedanddriftwoodfloatinthesea.Painttravelstotheedgesofits“lake,”graduallyfallingtothebottomasitgoes.Ifthewaterisshallowenough,thesediment,orpaint,will settle evenly all overbecause it doesn’t have time to traveltoo far before thewater evaporates. Any part of the overall area thatcollectsmoreof thepaintgranulesbefore thewaterevaporateswillbedarker.

EXCESSWATERIf the amount ofwater hid down is disproportionately large to yoursurfacearea,adarklineofcolorwillformaroundthecircumferenceasthewaterevaporates.

EFFECTSOFGRAVITYThe traveling of the paint and water am also be affected and evencontrolledbygravity.Whenthepaperistiltedpaintpoolstowardthebottomofthedampenedarea.Toavoidanydarkening,lifttheexcessoffwithabrushortissuebeforetheareadries.

HANDLINGEXCESSWATER

AVOIDTHEEDGEBlot the area with a thirsty brush or the edge of a tissue toremoveexcesswaterwhereveritpools.

PREVENTTHEEXCESSAnevenbetterapproachistokeepawadofpapertowelsbyyourpaintingatalltimes.Touchyourbrushtothepapertowelsbeforepaintinginordertopreventanyexcesswaterfromleavingadarkedge.

Watermarks

Watermarks, or “blossoms,” are a frequent consequence of waterimbalance.Onceyoulaydownapassageofpaint,acertainwindowofopportunityissetup—alengthoftimedeterminedbythethicknessandquality of the paper, the dryness of the air, and how much water isappliedtothesurface.Asthewaterevaporates,thelakebecomesmoreandmore shallow until it leavesmudwhich, if left undisturbed, drieshard.Whenthelakeisstilldeep,youarefreetostiritaround,addmorepaintorwater,andliftpaintandwater.Asitdries,thepaintsettlestothe bottom and forms a soft layer of sediment that is vulnerable todisturbance.Touchingitatthisstagewithabrushwillleaveamarkinthemud,notonlypickingupthepaintbutalsoshovingitaside,leavingunwantedconcentrations.

High-TideWatermark

Addingtoomuchwatertoasemidrywashwillbelikethetidecominginontheoceanshore.Theaddedwaterwillpickupthesoftsedimentandcarryituptothenew“shoreline”withinthedrierwash.Thismakesthewatermark. It ispossible toaddor liftpaintat this semidrypoint inapainting,butuseonlyaverydrybrushsothatyoudon’taddnewwater.

WhereWatermarksOccur

Watermarks are a common problem when painting adjacent areas inquick succession. The simplest way to avoid them in this case is toleapfrog around a painting while working and avoid painting next todryingareas.Watermarksalsoappearalong theedgesofpaintings.Whenwater isbrushedovertheedgeontothetapeandnotliftedwithathirstybrushortissue,itwillfrequentlyflowbackintothepaintingThedryingpaperactslikeasponge.Forthisreason,itisagoodideatomopupanyexcesswater left around the perimeter of a painting right after applyingwashes. Also, if you prop the painting up at a certain angle whencreating a wash, keep the board at that same angle while everythingdriestopreventbackwashes.

USINGWATERMARKS

Watermarkscanbeaproblemwhentheyhappenbyaccident,butyoucanalsousethemfortexturaleffects.Theyareespeciallyfuninloose,abstractbackgroundswhereyouwanttosuggestactionwithoutdescribingdetail.Laydownawash,waituntiltheshineisdisappearing,thendropwaterorpaintdilutedwithwaterontothe surface. You can randomly scatter them in by splatteringHere,I’velaiddownastrokeofIndianYellowonwetpaper.Afterthatdried,Iwashedtheareawithclearwateragain,thenaddedQuinacridoneBurntScarlet.Whentheshinebegantodisappear,Idroppedinclearwaterfromthetipaofabrush.Theblossomscutholesthroughthescarlettotheunderlyingyellowortothewhitepaper.

WATERMARKSWatermarks,alsocalledblossoms,aretheresultofawaterimbalance.Iftherearetwoareasofpaintnexttoeachother—oneslightlydampand theother verywet—thedrier areawill attract thewater loadedwithpaint.

TIDALWATERMARKThe pileup of pigment on paper is like seaweed driftwood and otherdebriswashedupandleftbythehightide.

WATERMARKSASTOOLS

In Magnolia Next Door, a pattern of small “blossoms” gives theimpression of detail in the background without giving any realinformation. The background’s soft suggestion of detail grounds theimageinrealitybutwon’tdistracttheviewerfromthesubject.Having decided on Thalo Blue for the background. I painted

sweeping brushstrokes of the color wet-into-wet. I framed the budswith the darker color, leaving a lighter area from themiddle of the

painting toward the upper-right comer. As the wash began to dry, Iglazed and splattered the paper with cleanwater, flinging it from asmallbrushandthenlettingeverythingdry.Iglazedandsplattereditonemoretimewithcleanwatertoincreasethesenseofmovement.

MagnoliaNextDoor21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

AFloortoDanceOn:Paper,WaterandGlazes

When making a soft blended wash with glazes of several colors invaryingintensities,wetthewholeshapeeachtime,evenwhenapplyingpainttojustpartoftheshape.

ControllingtheWater

There are a number ofways to controlwater on the painting surface.The firstway is simplywith time: Afterwetting the area youwish topaint,justwaituntiltheshinehasalmostdisappeared.Thecolortravelsslowerthroughdrierareasandwon’ttravelasfar.Toremovewateroncethewashisdown,delicatelytouchatissueto

thesurfaceorwipetheareawithanaturalsponge(onefirmlysqueezedtoremoveanyexcesswater).Someartistsprefertoworkwithathirstybrush.Simplywetthebrush

andthenwipe itdrysothat it ismoistbutdrier thanthepaper.Drawthebrushalongthesurfacetopulluptheexcessmoisture.To increaseexposure to the drier bristles, roll the brush along the damp areas.Tilting the painting board before beginning to paintwill direct all theexcesswaterandpainttooneplaceatoneedge.

AllowtheGlazetoDry

Whenworkingwithglazes,it’simportanttoallowtimeforthepapertodry thoroughly beforemoving to the next stage. Itmay look and feeldry,but if thepaper iscool to the touch, let itdrya little longer.Yourisk picking up paint from the previous layer and creating a muddysituationifyouproceedintoanareathatonlyappearsdry.Italsohelpstousealighttouchwiththebrush.Don’tscruborpress

downintothepaperwiththebrush,asthiswillpulluppaint.

PAINTINGATATILTTopaint a gradedwashwet-into-wet onan inclined slope, place theendyouintendtobedarkeratthetop.Beginpaintingthere, thenletgravityhelpcarrythepaintdown.Lightenthewashbyusingaclean,wetbrushtoblendthepaintdownward.

STAMPING

Stamping,familiartomanypeoplefromchildhoodartclasses,isaclassic technique. You can build up layers of different colorsquicklyandcreatedistanttrees,groundtexturesandrocks.Withwatercolor,Ifindthenaturalspongeistheidealstampingtool because its irregular shape produces a wonderful texture.Simplystirwaterandpainttotherightintensityonyourpalette,dipthespongeintothepaintandstampthepaper.

TRYTHISMakeaSmoothGlaze

Thesecrettocreatingasmoothglazeistousethelargestbrushyoucanhandleandtopaintyourwashofcolorwiththefeweststrokesthatyoucan.The surprise comes fromdiscovering that each layer ina stackofglazescanhavesomeimperfection,yetthefinalresultcanbeperfection!

MATERIALSLIST

BRUSHESno.10round

PAPERArches300-lb.(640gsm)cold-pressedwatercolorpaperPALETTECadmiumRedOrangeIndianYellowWinsorRed

1STARTWITHALAYEROFTHEHIGHESTVALUE

Topaintacylinderwithcolorgradingfrompaleyellowtodeepred,first paint the whole shape with clear water. To create a burst of

yellow in thecenterof thecylinder, startwith theboard tilted so thatthecylinderisuprightonthepaper,thenlayintheIndianYellowatthecenter.Thepaintwillnaturallyspreadacrossthewetsurfaceandwillbebalancedsidetoside.StroketheedgesoftheIndianYellowwithacleanwetbrushas thepaint flows to theedge.Thiswillhelp createamoreevengradation.

2ADDTHEMIDDLEVALUE

After the Indian Yellow dries, wet the whole area again. Paint astrokeofCadmiumRedOrangeatthecenteroftheareayouintend

tobedarkest,butdon’tallowtheCadmiumRedOrangetotravelasfarastheIndianYellowdid.Controlthespreadofthecolorbyreducingtheamountofwaterinthepaint-filledbrush(touchthepapertowels!)orbyliftingwaterfromthelakeinthepathofthetravelwithathirstybrush.

3ENDWITHONESTROKETHELOWESTVALUE

Waitfortheareatodryandthenapplyathirdcoatofwater.Oncethe entire cylinder is wet, brush a single stroke of Winsor Red

throughthecenteroftheCadmiumRedOrange.Don’tallowtheWinsorRedtotravelveryfar;itneedstostaycontainedinorderfortheorangeandyellowbandstoshow.

[chapter6}

COLOR:MAKINGVISUALMusic

Color makes living in this world a rich and rewardingexperience.Createharmonyandbringyourpaintingsalivebyplayingwiththefullrangeofcolorpossibilities.Colorisasymphony.

Ria’sBouquet13½″x21”(34cmx53cm)

UnderstandingHueandtheColorWheel

Thecolorwheelarrangesthecolorsofthespectrumsoyoucanseetheirrelationships clearly. Before we discuss the organization andrelationshipsofthecolorwheel,weneedtounderstandthepropertiesof

color. Color has three characteristics: hue, value and intensity. Byvaryingoneorallof thesecharacteristicswechangecolors.Hueis thecolor’sname,likeredorblue-green.Valueishowlightordarkacoloris.Intensityreferstohowsaturatedorstrongacoloris.Basiccolorwheelsarearrangedbyhue.

Temperature

Hues have temperatures. Colors approaching red or yellow are warmand aggressive; they come forward on the picture plane. Those nearerbluearecoolandreticent;theyseemtorecedeintothepicture.

PrimaryColors

There are three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. Using theseprimarycolors,itispossibletomakeallothercolors.Eachprimarycoloronyourcolorwheelshouldhaveawarmandacoolversion.

ComplementaryandSecondaryColors

Eachcoloronthewheelhasacomplementary,oropposite,color:red’scomplement is green, blue’s complement is orange, and yellow’scomplement is purple. The complement of each primary color is asecondary color, which is made by combining two primary hues. Redandyellowmakeorange,yellowandbluemakegreen,andblueandredmakepurple.Theserelationshipsareimportantbecausecomplementarycolorshaveastrongimpactoneachother.Ifyouplacecomplementarycolorssidebyside,theyincreasetheapparentintensityofeachother.Asmall amount of red adjacent to green in an otherwise green paintingwillmaketheredseembrighterandstandoutmore.When you mix complementary colors on the palette or in glazinglayers, they dull each other or reduce the intensity. The resultingmixturewillbesomevarietyofanearthcolororgray,dependingontheproportions used. These more neutral colors are useful if that is theresultdesired,butadisasterifitisnot.

DANCEAROUNDMYCOLORWHEELThiscolorwheelhasadjacentwarmandcoolversionsofeachprimaryandsecondarycolor,usingmyfavoritepaints.

PAINTINGWITHCOMPLEMENTARYCOLORSThispainting isafieldofgreens.Theredandorangeballsalongthewhite leaf edges are what bring this image alive. The contrast isenhancedbythecomplementarycolors.Theladybuglandingwaspureserendipity!

LadybugWorld21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

SubtleColors

Learning the subtleties of color is important because objects in naturerarely display just a few tube colors. There is an infinite number ofnaturallyoccurringcolorstobemadeorsuggestedbyjuxtaposingcolors.Asyoubecomefamiliarwithcolormixingandglazing,youwillbeableto analyze an object for its color components and see the proportionsinvolved.Understanding these components is also importantwhenyouwanttoplaywithoralterthecolor.Asanartist,youarenotboundtoreproducingtheworldthewayitreallylooks.

Grays

In my paintings, I avoid using grays. Instead, I look for sometemperaturebiasingraysubjects.Ifthecolorisablue-gray,Iuseblue.Ifthe subject is a warm gray, I paint it a golden or reddish brown, ormaybeavioletorgreen.Thesechoicesaddvibrancytomypaintings.If you choose to use grays, layering complementary colors is a farmoreinterestingandcolorfulwaytocreategraythanmixingwhiteandblack or diluting black with water. Complementary grays have life inthem.Although gray is a neutral color, it is rarely completely balanced intemperature.Grayisusuallyeitherwarmorcool.Youcanmakegraysbylayeringsomecombinationofcolors thatcontainred,yellowandblue;theproportionswilldependonwhetheryouneedawarmorcoolgray.You can learn a lot about the subtleties of glazing color by trying tomakeaneutral(unbiased)graybyglazingred,yellow,andblue.

Black

Black has a contribution to make in painting—it establishes strongcontrastandboldness.Whetheryoumixblackfromothercolorsorgetitstraightoutofatube,ithasagreatdealofpower.There’sariskinusingthe tube blacks, like Ivory Black or Lamp Black. These blacks have adeadening effect when used for light-and middle-value washes. Whencreatingdarkvalueswithtubeblacks,youneedtousethemstronglyorlayer deep, strong colors underneath to establish temperature bias.

Indanthrone Blue or Indigo canmake a strong black, especially whenlayeredwithanothercolor,and,whenusedalone,providesastrongbluebiasthatgiveslifetotheresultingdarkarea.

Brown

The different tube browns are made using different chemicalcomponents. Trymatching the tube color brownsbymixing your ownfrom primary colors; it will help you understand the behaviors of thedifferentbrowns.You’llfindthatgrayissimplyabrownthathasalittlemoreblueadded.Themoreblueyouadd,thecoolerthegray.

White

Idon’tusewhitepaint,excepttosignmynameifthesignatureareaisdark.Instead,Iusethewhiteofthepapertocreatethebrightwhitesinmypaintings(seechapterseven).

GLAZINGBROWNSYou can glaze Ultramarine Blue with Transparent Brown Oxide orTransparentRedOxidetocreateavarietyofbrowns,graysandblues.

These are useful combinations for creating earth tones, neutrals anddarksinlandscapesandwildlifepaintings.

GRAYINGWITHCOMPLEMENTSEach of these examples shows a pair of complementary colorssurroundedbyaneutral background. I havepainted thebackgroundforeachcomplementarypairwithglazesofthosetwocolors.Iappliedagradedwashofeachcolor,startingatoppositeends.Thiscreatesa

concentrationanddominanceofonecolorateachendandsomethingcloser togray in thecenter,where thetwocolorsareglazedequally.Whencomplementsaresimilarinvalueandjuxtaposed,theyseemtoshimmer.

ColorTemperatureandPerspective

Color has temperature. Adding red or yellow to an existing colorwillwarmitup;addinganybluewillcoolit.Colortemperatureisimportantfor you to understand because temperature has power. Cool or grayedcolorstendtomovebackinspace,whilewarmorintensecolorstendtoadvance.An understanding of relative temperature allows you to manipulatetheillusionofspaceonflatpaper.Colortemperature,relativevaluesandthe hardness or softness of edges make up the components ofatmospheric perspective. To create the illusion of three-dimensionalspace, remember that warm colors come forward while cool colorsrecede and that as objectsmove into the background, theyweaken invalue and their edges become softer or out of focus.When combinedwith linear perspective, atmospheric perspective creates the illusion ofreal space. Leaving out any of the perspective components tends toflattentheimageandreducedepth.

KNOWYOURCOLORTEMPERATURESAs you travel on the color wheel from blue toward either red oryellow, color becomes warmer. On this wheel, the coolest spot isbetweenUltramanne Blue and Thalo Blue becauseUltramanne BluehasaslightredbiasandThaloBluehasaslightyellowbias.

ATMOSPHERICPERSPECTIVEThefieldbehindBobecomesincreasinglyblueandthevaluecontrastbetweenelements is reducedasyoureyemoves into thebackground.Thesecolorshiftscreatetheillusionofrealspaceonthepaper.

Bo10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

DominantColorTemperature

Choosingadominant color temperaturewillproducea strongpaintingAnequaldivisionbetweenwarmandcoolcolorscanbejustasstaticashavingequal-sizedshapesandspaces.Inaddition,toomuchofanyonethingtendstoweakenitsimpact.Colorcanalso inspireemotion.Bluecan feel serene,yellowcan feel

cheerful,andredcanfeelpassionateoractive.

THEIMPACTOFCONTRASTINGTEMPERATUREApainting done entirely in shades of red, brownand yellow is verywarm. Adding a few touches of cool blue am enhance the overallperceptionofwarmthandgivetheblueagreatdealofpower.

GOLDENHORSEBATHEDINSUNSHINEWithbackgroundcolorsofIndianYellow,RedOxideandSapGreen,theyounggoldenbrownhorseseemstodanceinthesunlight.Thebitsofblueskyenhancetheoverallwarmthofthisfallafternoon.

LittleJoe13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

BLUEONBLUEIn contrast to thewarmcolor temperaturedominanceofLittleJoe,thispainting takes itscue from the iris.Thebackgroundalso reflectsthis with coolWinsor Green and Thalo Blue, Ultramarine Blue andWinsorViolet.Thetouchesofwarm,softreds,Aureolin-basedgreens,and light Indian Yellow washes enhance the coolness, invoking thefreshnessofaspringmorning

TwoBlue13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

ValueandIntensityDefinedandExplained

The value of a color is its lightness or darkness, as if on a scale fromwhitetoblack.Eachcolorhasitsowninherentvalueandacapacityfor

a limited range of values. For example, yellow can be very pale butnevertrulydark,whilebluecanbeverypaleandalsoverydarkValuechangescandefineform,indicatewherelightiscomingfromasitfallsonanobject,andevokeamood.Valuecontrastscreatethesenseoflightinapainting.Whenpaintingwithwatercolors, theproportionofwater topaint in

the brush and on the paper can alter the value of a color. Adding adarker color can also change value. You can do this either by glazingtransparentwashes of pure unmixed color or bymixing colors on thepalette. You can use white paint to lighten an area or to createhighlights, but this adds amilky, opaque effect that is not as lively asusingwhitepaperforhighlightsorliftingpaintofftolightenanarea.

Intensity

Intensity,alsocalledchroma,describesthepurityofacolorintermsofits brightness or dullness. A hue of high intensity appears vivid andsaturated;ithasnotbeenlightenedwithwaterordarkenedwithblack,and it appears on the outer circle of the color wheel. A low-intensitycolorwill appearmoreneutral—complementarycolorsmixed together.Inotherwords,alowintensitycolorappearsgrayed.

EACHCOLORHASITSOWNVALUERANGEThalo Blue has a broad range of value possibilities, Cobalt Bluesomewhat less. Aureolin Yellow has a very limited value range. Asmall value range becomes a challenge when you need to createenoughvaluecontrasttoshowlightandshadoweffects.

DARKENINGVALUEGlazingQuinacridoneVioletoverThaloBluecreatesadeep,richdark,oneofmyfavoritecolorrecipes!

SELECTTHECORRECTCOLORANDINTENSITYPigmentsvaryintheirintensity.WinsorRedisveryintense,whileRedOxide ismuchmoresubdued.UltramarineBlue ismore intense thanIndanthroneBlue.Youam reduce the intensity of a color byadding

someofitscomplementorchoosingalessintensepaint.

MaintainingIntensity

Imagine yourself able to travel around the color wheel whenever youhaveaquestionaboutwhichcolortouse.Inordertopreserveyourhuesandkeepyourcolorsbright,avoidlayeringcolorsthatdulleachother.To prevent dulling an area, youwant to avoid glazing complementarycolors.Youalsowant to avoid layeringall threeprimary colors;whenadded together, red, yellow and bluemake brown or gray.When youcombine complementary colors, you actually combine red, yellow andblue.Anymixofthethreeprimarieswillcreateaneutralgray,brownorolive green. Therefore, stick with just two primaries if you wantsomethingotherthanagrayorbrown.Conversely,ifyouwanttocreateearthier(browner)orgrayerversionsofcolors,useallthreeprimaries.Tomaintaintheintensityofcolorinyourpainting,usecolorsthatareadjacenttoeachotheronthecolorwheel(theseareoftenreferredtoasanalogous colors). You can use these neighboring colors to alter aparticularhueintwoways:Glazeonecolorontopofanother,orpaintthese colors side by side in your painting. Using these methods, thecolorsactasanorchestrainsteadofjustoneinstrument.

USETHECOLORWHEELASAGUIDEIfyouwanttomaintaintheintensityofacolorinyourpainting,lookatthepartofthecolorwheelthatmostcloselymatchesthatcolor.Forinstance, if your color is orange and you want to maintain itsbrilliance,youneedtolimithowfararoundthecolorwheelyoutravelawayfromorangetofindthecolorsyou’llusetoglaze.Youcanmoveineitherdirectionaroundthewheel.Youcanuseanyof theredsoryellows, but stop short of any color with blue in it. The colors thatsurround orange are its analogous colors. In this example, you canaddanythingfromorangetored,butnotabluishred.Anyyellowcanbeadded,butnotayellowgreen.Ontheotherhand,ifyouwantanolivegreenorearthyorange,goingbeyondbluish-redoryellow-greenisnecessary.

GLAZINGWITHNEIGHBORINGCOLORSA red flowermight have a series of connecting shapes painted in asuccession of Winsor Violet, Anthraquinoid Red, Winsor Red,CadmiumRedOrangeandPermanentRose.

DahliaFire10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

ThePropertiesofPaint

Beforedoingyour first colorpainting, youneed tobecome thoroughlyfamiliar with the properties of your own palette—the paints you’veselected. There are some basic colors most artists have, but everyonecollectsextracolorsthatmeettheirownneeds.Colorisapersonalthing.Icontinuouslyexperimentwithnewpigments.Eachtubeofpainthasmanyqualitiesbesides itsparticularhue,andthese characteristics are important to considerwhen choosing a paint.Somecolors stain thepaper,andothers that siton thesurfaceandareeasier to remove. There are transparent colors and opaque ones. Thediffering properties of paint come from their differing originals andchemicalformulations.TransparencyisespeciallyimportantinmyworksinceIdependonbeingabletoseethroughthetoplayerstothebottomlayers.

Nonstaining,OpaquePigments

Inorganicpigmentsaregenerallyopaqueandnonstainingbecause theyaremadefromsyntheticgroundrocksanddirtsuspendedingumarabicandwater(basicallymanufacturedmud!).Inorganicslikethecadmiums,oxides, earth colors, ultramarine, and carbon black have low colorstrength and a high index of refraction. This means that the lightbouncesbackandforthwhiletravelingthroughthesuspendedparticlesand can’t pass through. The earth colors—YellowOchre, Sepia, IndianRed,etc.—historicallywere literallydugfromtheearthandtendtobeopaque, sedimentary and easy to lift off the paper. Most earth colorsnowaremadefromsyntheticironoxidepigments.

TESTFORTRANSPARENCYPlaceabandofpermanentIndiainkonapieceofwatercolorpaper.Paint full-strength strokes of your colors over the dried India ink.Allow the paint to dry. If the black of the India ink shows throughclearly,thenthatpaintistransparent.HereIhavecontrastedAureolinYellowwithCadmiumYellowLight,WinsorRedwithCadmiumRed,andThaloBluewithCeruleanBlue.These colors were used close to full intensity. Of course, opacity ofwatercolorpaintisrelative—anypaintwillbecomemoretransparentifdilutedenough.

TRANSPARENCYCOMESFIRSTThe luminosity of the greens came from first glazing transparentAureolinYellowwherethegreenswouldwarm.Afterestablishingtherange of dark and light greens with glazes of transparent, stainingThalo Blue, I glazed final layers of diluted opaque, nonstaining SapGreen forareas thatwere tobeverywarmorolivegreen. I leftSapGreenforlasttoavoidglazingoverit;thispaintliftseasilyandwouldhavetraveledtowhereitdidn’tbelong

RanunculusGold14½”x10½″(37cmx27cm)

StainingColors

Staining colors are usually made from organic dyes and tend to betransparent, butnot all dyes are staining.Permanent organicpigmentsare synthetic. They tend to be transparent because their index ofrefractionislowandtheircolorstrengthishigh.Thismeanslightpassesthroughthemtobounceoffthepaper,andasmallamountofpaintwillproduceanintensecolor.Thedifferencebetweentransparentandopaquewatercolorislikethe

difference between gelatin and mud! Transparency and opacity areimportant considerations.Opaque, nonstaining colors are popularwithmanywatercoloristsbecausetheymixcolorsontheirpalettesandpaintdirectlyandquicklywithfewlayersofpaint.Theywanttobeabletoliftpainteasily.However, when glazing or layering colors, transparency becomes a

valuablecharacteristicbecauseitallowsearlierlayerstoshowthrough.The ability to stain or bondwith the fibers of the paper also becomesvaluable,becauseitallowsearlierlayerstostayput.Notalltransparentcolorsarestaining.Paintthatstaysonthesurfaceofthepaperwill liftandmixwithsubsequentlayersmoreeasily,whichcanmuddytheworkand reduce its luminosity. Test the paints you like to see how theybehave.Youwill find that there is a continuous scale fromcompletelystaining to completely nonstaining, and each pigment falls somewherealongthatcontinuum.

PermanenceandConvenience

Another important consideration when buying paint is permanence.Permanence is for the future; convenience is for the present. Somecolors,especiallydyes,canbe fugitive.Thismeans thatover timetheywillfadefromexposuretolightorsomecomponentofthemwillfadesothat they change color. This is not a problem with early studentexperimentsbutbecomesseriouswhenyouproduceworkthatneedstolast,suchaswhenyoustarttohangworkonyourwall,giveitaway,orsellit.Somepaintmanufacturers,suchasWinsor&NewtonandDanielSmith,publishdataon theirpaints,and it is important to findout thelightfastnessofanypaintbeforeyoubuy.Conveniencecolorsareworthtrying.Thereisabroadrangeofbrowns

orearthcolorsthatyoucanbuy,butyoucanalsomixallofthemfromred,yellowandblue.Theparticularbrownyoumixwilldependonthe

proportionsofeachprimarycoloryouuse.Usingtubegreenscanalsobeefficient.Notethatsometubegreensstain,soyoushouldusethemwithcaution, i.e.,mix themwithmorewater, both by pre-wetting the areaandonyourpalette,sothatthecolorcanbebuiltupgradually.

NONSTAININGVERSUSSTAININGThis chart shows a selection of nonstaining and staining paints. Allpaintsfallsomewherealongthespectrumfromveryeasytolifttoverystaining, so many don’t have either quality to an extreme degree.Thalo Blue is very staining, but SapGreen can vary in its behaviordependingonthebrand.

ColorChoices

Getting to knowyour tubes of paint is very important.When you testand experiment with the colors you have, you gain knowledge aboutyourcolors.Colormistakesoftenhappenbecausetheartistcan’tpredicttheconsequenceofcombiningpaints.Beginbymakingacompletechartofyourpaints, thentrythemout inavarietyofexperiments.Thiswillteach youwhatwill happenwhen you layer one particular paint overanother,andwhatadifferencemoreorlesswatercanmake.

RECOMMENDEDPALETTE

PURPLE-PINK:DanielSmithQuinacridoneVioletWinsor&NewtonWinsorVioletWinsor&NewtonPermanentRose

BLUE:GrumbacherUltramarineBlueGrumbacherThaloBlue

GREEN:RembrandtHooker’sGreenDeepWinsor&NewtonWinsorGreen(BlueShade)RembrandtSapGreen

RED:DanielSmithAnthraquinoidRedWinsor&NewtonWinsorRedHolbeinCadmiumRedOrange

YELLOW:Winsor&NewtonAureolinYellowHolbeinIndianYellow

DARKS:Winsor&NewtonNeutralTintWinsor&NewtonIndigoDanielSmithIndanthroneBlue

TRANSPARENTEARTHCOLORS:

RembrandtTransparentRedOxideRembrandtTransparentBrownOxideDanielSmithQuinacridoneGoldDanielSmithQuinacridoneBurntScarlet

EXERCISE:MAKINGPERSONALCOLORCHARTSMake a chart of all of your colors, with each one running from itsgreatestdensity(directlyfromthetube)downtoalmostwhite(highly

diluted with water). Design the chart any way you like—withelaborateshapesorsimplesquares,arrangedinacircleorlinedupinrows.Labeleachswatchwiththecolorname.Thischartwillserveasahandyreferencewhenyouarefiguringoutwhichcolortouse.These are the colors I use frequently. They are what I call my

“working colors” because I use glazes of them to build allmy othercolors.IalsohaveothercolorsthatIuselessoften.Acompletesetofchartsformewouldbethismainoneandaseriesofseparatechartsfor each color family. For example, one chart would have all theyellowpaintsthatIuse;anotherwouldcontainalltheblues.

ExerciseYourPalette

CREATEYOUROWNCOLORS

Learn to create a variety of other colors using only red, yellowand blue. Experiment with a warm and cool version of eachprimary, and see the difference that they can make. Vary therelativestrengthsofthethreecolors.Mixavarietyofwarmandcoolgrays.Trytomakeacompletelybalancedgrayandblack!

DANCEWITHCOLORTHEORYPepperShadowsshowshowcolortheorycanbeappliedtoapainting,because it puts into play the side-by-side use of complementary andanalogous colors. The dominant red peppers appear more intenseplacednexttothegreens.Thebluebowlandcastshadowenhancethevibrancyofthehotorangepartsofthepepper.Thedeepvioletinthecast shadow and the pale violet graded wash at the bottom of thepaintingsetoffbitsofyellow.Withineachpepper,thecolorsaremade

tidier by placing adjacent colors from the color wheel next to eachother.TheredpeppersbeginwithglazesofWinsorViolettoestablishthe range of values. When Winsor Red is glazed over this underpainting, a range of reds from deep maroon to brilliant scarlet isestablished.Ileavesomeareaswhiteinearlystagestoleaveroomforwhite highlights and to glaze Cadmium Red Orange in the warmerareasandPermanentRose inthecoolerparts.Everypepperplays itspartinthesymphonyofcolors.

PepperShadows21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

EXPLORECOLORRELATIONSHIPSThese color triads show you how the primary colors relate to eachother.Changinganyofthethreecolorsmeansadifferentresult.Somecolorsdominateothersveryeasily.Thereareinfinitepossibilities.

1.ThaloBlue2.AureolinYellow3.PermanentRose4.UltramarineBlue5.IndianYellow6.WinsorRed

{chapter7}

LIGHT&SHADOW:PARTNERSINTHEDance

Makeyourpaintingscomealivewithlight.Whenyoumakelight the subject of your paintings, you capture theephemeralmoment.Thedanceof lightandshadowcreatesmagic.

TheLightInside13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

LightRevealstheWorld

Lightrevealstheworld.Withoutlight,thereisnoworld.Evenatnight,youseeyoursurroundingsbythetracesoflightstillpresent.Whenyoupaint,youarereallypaintinglight,creatingtheillusionoflight.WhenIseek images topaint, I look forpowerful evidenceof light—something

thatwilluplifttheviewerofmypaintinginthesamewayIamupliftedby the object or scene I see. A strong statement about light givesmypaintingslife.Iurgeyoutoseeklight,payattentiontoit.Every object in the realworld has some unique properties thatwillaffectthewayitinteractswithlight.Thewaysinwhichwaterinteractswithlight,forexample,arenumerous.Waterisshinyandreflective,alsotransparentandcapableofmovement.Wind,gravityandthecontainertransform the shape of water, and when water changes shape, itsrelationshiptothelightwillchange.Artistsdescribelight’sinteractionsintermsofopacity,translucency,transparencyandtheobject’sabilitytoreflect light. Rocks are opaque, completely blocking the light. Glass istransparent and allows both light and images to show through. Petalsand leaves are frequently translucent, meaning they let light filterthrough,butimagescomethroughonlyassimpleshapes.

OPACITYBLOCKSLIGHTThe interlocking shapes of light and shadow created by an objectblockingthelightwillrevealitssolidweightandform.Theopacityoftherockisshownbythefactthatittotallyhideseverythingbehindit.

Thedullnessofthesurfaceoftherockwillbeindicatedbythelackofshine(lackofhard-edged spotsofwhiteorpaleblue that reflect thesky).Thatsamelightwillpassright throughthestreamtoreveal therocksormudonthebottom.Atthesametime,theshinysurfaceofthestreamwillreflecttheskyandtreesoverhead.

TRANSPARENCYA glass full of water is transparent, yet it casts a shadow. Thetransparencyandcut-glassshapesproduceapatternoflightshapesinthe shadow. The sun was low in this photo, so the shadow iselongated.

MOVINGWATERDANCESWITHLIGHTThe interplay of light and shadow brings Great Falls alive. Sunlightstrikingfontthedistantleftrevealsthefacetsoftheopaquerock.Eventhough the backlit rocks have shadowed surfaces, the wet surfacesreflect the lightbouncingoff thewater.Theappearanceof thewaterconstantlychangesasthisriverflowsthroughitschannel,turnedintocloudsandmistbythewindandgravity.

GreatFalls14½”x22”(37cmx56cm)

The light that falls on a rock by a stream also passes through orglancesoffnearby leaves. Lightpassing through translucent leaves canmakethoseleavesglowwithyellow-green.Lightglancingoffthetopofthose same leaves, when seen from above, will reflect the sky orwhateverisabovetheplantandcanmakeitappearpaleblue.Relativelackoflight(shadow)willaddanotherlayerofcolorandadarkervaluetothelistofpossibilitiesinherentintheimageofanyleaf.

TRANSLUCENCYThetranslucencyoftheleavesandflowerletslightpourthrough.Thewhiteof thepaperammaketheflowerglowas if lit fromwithin,aslong as there is enough value contrast with the surrounding shapes.Here the subtle, pale, warm tones of the flower; contrasted by thesurroundingdarks,makesthewhitepaperglow.

GardenLantern14½”x10½″(37cmx27cm)

REFLECTIONSTheseleavesaretranslucentenoughtoplaywiththeshadowandlight;youcanseethebrightsunlightpouringthrough,andalsotheshadowscastfromtheleavesabove.However,thetopsoftheleavesreflectstheblue sky overhead. Remember your color wheel? The blue shadowscreatepurpleshapesontheredleaves.

RedStorm21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

PaintingtheQualityoftheLight

The quality of the light and its position relative to any object willinfluence the image you perceive. For example, bright sun can makeeverythingbathedinitslightseemtoglow.Youcanincreasethefeelingofbrightlightbyincreasingthevaluecontrastssothatcolorsinthelightare“bleachedout”andcolorsintheshadowsappearintensified.Ontheotherhand,thegrayofacloudydaycastseverythingintoadarkerrangeof values, possibly eliminating the whites in a scene as well asdecreasingcontrast.Colorsappearinmoregrayedversionsoftheirtrueselves.Timeofdayalsohasastronginfluenceoncolor.Late-daycolorsare

transformed into redder versions of themselves, casting lit-up surfacesintoorangeorgoldvariations, and shadows intopurple tones.Thus, abright green tree may become olive green; a gray mountain cast intoshadowbyasettingsunbecomeslavender-gray.

REFINEDLIGHTTranslucentandtransparentobjectsglowwiththe light thatseemstofillthem.Theglassvasedanceswiththelight,refractingandreflectingit.

DaisiesinGlass14½”x10¾”(37cmx27cm)

PAINTINGSUNSETLIGHT

Thesunwassettingonthisscene,creatingavivid interplayofwarmandcoolcolors.Thewhitegraniterockbecomespeachandgoldinthesunshineandblueandvioletintheshadows.Thepoolofwaterreflectsthe deep blue and green of the sky overhead. It’s the quality of thelightthatgivesthissimplesceneitspower.

SunsetatPeggy’sCove14½”x22”(37cmx56cm)

CreatingtheIllusionLight

Valueisthekeytocreatingtheillusionoflight.Valuecontrastsestablishthe existence of light and darkness. Strong sunlight produces strongvaluecontrastbetweenlightsandshadows.Thesoftlightofamistydayproducesmuchlowercontrastbetweenthedarkestdarksandthelightestlights. If there isn’t much difference in value between the lit andshadowedsidesofanobject,thepaintingwilllackafeelingoflight.All color has value. To make a light-filled painting, treat color asvalue.To seevalue contrast foryourself,placeagray scalenext toan

imagethathasastrongfeelingoflight.Matchthevaluesofthelightestanddarkestareasof theartworktodeterminethecontrastrange.Yourpainting communicates strong light when the grays that match yourcolors are far apart on the gray scale. Your eye can be tricked intomisjudging the true values because your perception is altered by thecontextofthesurroundingcolors.Usethegrayscaleasarealitycheck.

MATCHINGTOAGRAYSCALEUsingIvoryBlackpaint,createagrayscaleliketheoneshownhere.Then createa scaleusing eachof your paints, and try tomatch thetintsof color to their correspondingpointson thegray scale.Agrayscaleusuallyhastenstepsgradingfrom100%blackto10%blackor0%black(white).Asyoucansee,mostcolorsat100%concentrationdon’t have the same value as 100% IvoryBlack. Squint to see howclosely a color matches its corresponding value of gray.Watercolorpaintdrieslighterthanitappearswhenwet,soyoucheckthevalueofeach band after it dries. Glaze additional layers until the valuesmatch. I painted each color scale separatelyand then trimmed themandmadeacollageonceIhadthecorrectvalues.

TRANSLATECOLORINTOVALUEChooseaphotographandmakeapaintingofitusingblackpaintandwateronly.You’llhavetotranslateallthecolorsintheirenvironmentfull of light and shadow into white, a series of grays, and black.Making this translation helps you to see the value inherent in eachcolor. First, identify the darkest elements and paint them black.Evaluateall other colors forwhether theyaredarkeror lighter thantheirneighbors.This image issplit toshowhowcolorhasvalue.Usethesquinttesttomatchcolorstograys.

MadeintheShade10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

ShadowsRevealform

Shadows have shape, color, value and sometimes texture. They revealbothformandlight.Accuratelypaintingshadowscreatestheillusionof

ourthree-dimensionalworldontheflatsurfaceofyourpaper.Therefore,shadows are an important piece in thedesignpuzzle. Theyhave greatpowertodrawtheviewerintothe“real”worldyouhavepaintedandtogiveforcetoanimage.Handledbadly,shadowscanweakenanotherwisestrongpaintingand

break the illusion.For this reason,youshouldseek themout innatureandstudythemcarefully.First,payattentiontowherethelightis.Whenthe light source isbehindor toone sideofyour subject, the lightwillcreatedramaticshadows.Whenthelightisbehindyou(shiningdirectlyon the front of your subject), therewill beminimal shadows showing,andtheimagewillseemflat.

STRUCTUREDESIGNWITHSHADOWSThe cast shadow from the chicken plays an important part in thedesignstructureofthepainting.Theshadowanchorsthecomposition,and it forms a base for a vertical link between the top and bottomedgesoftheimage.Byrunningthebird’stailofftheimageatthetopandrunningtheshadowofftheimageatthebottom,Ihavecreateda

cohesive structure for my idea. The negative shapes of the sunlitsurfacesbecomevariedand interesting,andaplay is setupbetweendarkagainstlightandlightagainstdark.

VisitFromaNeighbor10¾”x14½″(27cmx37cm)

CastandCoreShadows

Therearebasically twokindsofshadows.Thecoreshadow is foundonthe side of an object that faces away from the light source. The castshadowisthedarkshapeonthesurfaceundertheobjectcreatedbytheobjectblockingthelight.The darkest part of the core shadow, the core dark, is often at the

centerof the shadow shape in roundobjects.The core shadow revealsthe three-dimensional form of the object, while the cast shadow sayssomething about both the object and the surface it is cast upon. Bothtypesof shadows tell theviewer somethingabout the timeofdayandthe direction of the light source. The cast shadow will tell you if anobjectissittingonasurfaceorsuspendedinspace.Itwilltellyouifthedayishotandsunnyorcoldandgray.Lightcanreflectfromthesurfaceontotheshadowedsideoftheobject,sothedarkestdarkmaynotbeatthebaseoftheobject.Look at your subject and study it! It is important to understand the

subtlewaystoexpressallthisinformationifyouwanttoevokeasenseof reality. It is also important to understand this if you want tomanipulatethesefactsaboutascene.

REDPEPPERSHADOWSHerethepepperisanchoredbyitscastshadow.Itscoreshadowgivesitsolidity.Thepepper’sshinysurfacereflectsitswhitesurroundings.

REDPEPPERLOCATIONWhenthepepperissuspended,itisseparatedfromitscastshadowandthe cast shadow changes shape. The cast shadow tells youwhere inspacethepepperis.

ShadowTemperatureandLocalColor

First,let’sconsidercolortemperature.Thecolortemperatureofshadowsappearsoppositetothecolortemperatureofthelightthatcreatesthem.In otherwords, on a sunny day, the light iswarm and golden, so theshadowsappear cool andblue.This isbecause shadowsoutside reflectthesky.Youseethiswhereverthereisnobrightsunlightinthescenetoblindyou.Onacool,grayday,theshadowscanbewarm.Alwayslookforthelocalcolorofyoursubject.Thelocalcoloristheactualcolororhueofanything,minusanyoutsideinfluence.Thelocalcolor—both of an object and of the surrounding surfaces—alsoinfluencesshadowcolor.Thedarksideofaredpepperinthesunshinewillbeabluerred,andsomeredwillbereflectedintoanyshadowthat

thepeppercasts.Ifthelightsourceiswarm,bothshadowswillbecoolandblued,sothepepperisapttoshowapurplishcastinitsshadows.Ifthatpeppersitsonabrowntable,thebrownaffectstheshadowsaswell.Noformulaforcolorwillfitforeverysituation—youneedtoseewhatis really there. The colors of any nearby surfaces, includingwalls andceilings,will come intoplay, so shadowsareanopportunity fora richplayofcolor—aplacefortheartisttodance.

ASUNNYDAYVS.AGRAYDAYWiththebrightsunbehindtheegg,thecoreshadowappearsasabandnear theboundarybetween the lit sideand theshadowedsideof theegg. Because the egg sits on a white surface, a lot of reflected lightfrom the surface creates a glow in the bottomof the shadowon theegg; notice the golden glow under the egg. The strong sun creates adark cast shadow, a surprise if you were expecting to see lighter-valuedshadowsinthisall-whitescene.Ona gray day, the light is flat and diffused.Without strong lightcoming from one direction, there is no strong core shadow or castshadow.Thereisnoblueskytoreflectintotheshadoworwarmlightto bring out the warmth in the egg. All you have is gray andmoregray.

THEPLAYOFCOLOREachobjectreflectsitsowncolorintotheshadowcastontothewhitesurface.The objects canalso reflect their own local color onto eachother. Themore translucent yellow pepper allows some light to passthroughit.Innature,nothingexists inavisualvacuum.Thecolorofeach pepper influences the way you perceive the colors of nearbypeppersandshadows.

ChallengeofLocalColor:Yellow

Sometimes the local color of an objectwill create a special challenge. Let’slookatyellow,forinstance.Often,artistswillusegrayforcoreshadowsonyellowsubjects,resultingindullshadows.Anotheroptionistousebrowninthese situations, but this can leave the area with a heavy quality Usingyellow’scomplement,violet,isamoreluminouschoice,butyouwillstillendupwithgrayorbrownshadows.I find that using the juxtaposition of alternating green and orangeareasgivesavibrancyandluminositytotheshadowsonyellowobjects.Thesenear-complementarycolorsplayoffofeachotherandenhancetherichnessaswellasthelightnessofthenearbypureyellow.Thesecolors

really shimmer if I have been careful to enhance the intensity of theyellow first, using it at its most saturated state in shadow areas. Anywashoverlayingyellowneedstobelightoritwilloverwhelmandhidediemuchweakercolorunderneathit.There is roomforagreatdealofplay in thegreenandorangecolorfamilies.Thecolorscanrunthegamutfromolivegreen,brightgreenorblue-greentoRedOxide,IndianYelloworCadmiumRedOrange.Colordoesnothavetoplod;itcanwaltz.

DAFFODILSHADOWSHomeGrownbeginswithadilutedglazeofAureolinYellowoverthewhole flower shape. The outer petals are a cooler yellow, so theshadowsandtexturedetailsinthoseareaswereglazedwithadditionallayersofAureolinYellow.Thecentral“bell”of the flower isamoregoldenyellow,soIglazedthoseshapeswithadilutedwashofIndianYellow, adding more layers of Indian Yellow for the deeper areas.

Where the shadows are cooler, I glazed with very diluted layers ofThalo Blue. Where the shadows appear warmer, I built the IndianYellow layers up to full strength. Where the warm shadows are adeeper value than the yellow is capable of producing, I glazedCadmiumRedOrange.Somedetailsinthebellsoftheflowersappearmore balanced in color temperature, so glaze Thalo Blue over theIndianYellowtocreatearangeofolivegreens.Theseareasprovidearichplayofcolorwhenplacednexttooranges,warmgrays,goldsorsunnyyellows.

HomeGrown10¾x14½″(27cmx37cm)

GiveyourShadowsShape

Nowlet’sconsidershape.Thecoredarkandcastshadowshapesrevealtheformoftheobjectandtheangleofthelightsourcethatilluminatesit. If the sun is low in the sky, the cast shadows will be oblique andelongated.Objectsmayevenbelitfromunderneath,suchasinanightscene,castingshadowsupward.The shape of a cast shadow tells the angle or point of view of the

viewer inrelationshiptothesubject. Ifyouarepositioned low,sothatthe subject is close to your eye level, perspectivewill distort the castshadows and cause them to appear compressed vertically; if you arelookingdown,thecastshadowswillbemoreroundedorcloserinshapetothetopviewoftheobjectitself.The surface texture of the object or ground where the cast shadow

fallsalsoaffects thecast shadow’s shape.Aroughsurface likegrassorgravelwill distort a cast shadow because the shadow conforms to theunevensurface.Flat-sided,angular formscastangular-shapedshadows.Abuildingwillnotcastashadowthesameshapeasthatofanapple.Aroundapplewillnothavearectangularcoredarkonitsshadowedside.In most paintings, there will be situations where cast shadows fromdifferent objects run into each other and overlap.When this happens,theymergeintoonesingleshape.

ELONGATEDSHADOWSHAPES

With the sun low in the sky and the viewer’s eye almost at groundlevel, the shadows cast by the chickens become long, narrow,horizontal bands connecting the birds to the left edge of thecomposition. The convoluted core shadows reveal the fat bodies andplump-featheredwingsofthosewell-fedpets.Ichosevioletforthecastshadowtoaddlifetothegoldofthecentralchicken.

Chickens!13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

CASTSHADOWSONANUNEVENSURFACEThe shadows cast by this tulip flower and leaves onto the mulchunderneatharedistortedby the shapesof thebarkpieces.The sameplantwould cast a very differently shaped shadowonto a flat, evensurface.Thetwistsandturnsoftheleavesdistorttheshadowcastbythetulip.Theinteractionbetweentheshadowsandobjectscreatesanendless variety of shapes.Here,WinsorViolet glazes in the shadowson the ground provide complementary color contrast for the yellowflower.

GoldenBoy

14½”x21″(37cmx53cm)

ShadowsAreNotObjects

Nevertreatashadowlikeanobject.Whenashadowispartofagroupofoverlappingshadows, itwill lose its separateedges.Treat thegroupasoneshape.Allshadowscastfromasinglelightsourcehavethepotentialtobecomeonemonolithicshape,andwhenyoutakeadvantageofthis,youwillcreatestrongerpaintings.When there aremultiple light sources, which happens frequently in

interiorscenes,eachlightsourcecastsashadowfromtheobject.Wherethese different shadows overlap, there will be a darker shape. Eachshadow will maintain its own edge even when overlapping anothershadowThedifferentshadowscanalsohavedifferentcolors,valuesandqualityofedges(hardorsoft),dependingonthecolorandintensityofthelight.Whenyouhandlethiscomplexphenomenonsubtly,theresultcan be a real opportunity for a dance of color. Shadows are anopportunity for expression. Paintings without shadows seem flat andlifeless.Studyshadowscarefully,besureyoudrawthemaccurately,andneverignorethem!

CREATEASTRONGDESIGNWITHMERGEDCASTSHADOWSThe red peppers in this painting spill out of the bowl and cast theirown shadows on the white table top. Even though the peppers andbowl are separate objects, the shadow shape they cast is one singlebandofcolor.Becausethesilverandgoldbowlishighlyreflective,theshapeofthecastshadowismirroredbythebowltoformacomplex,newshapethatconnects thebowlvisuallywith thesurface itsitson.Theshadowscastbythenearbydoorwaylinkthebowl’scastshadowand the shadowed room behind it to create a single, cohesive and

unifyingsupportforthefocalpointofthispainting.

HotStuff14½”x22”(31cmx56cm)

TWOLIGHTSOURCESCAUSETWOCASTSHADOWSThisegg is litby the sunandastudio light, soyousee twoseparatecast shadows.The sun casts a hard-edged, dark shadow.The studiolight is closerandweaker, so it casts a softer-edged, lighter shadow.Thestudiolightiswarmerincolorthanthesun,soitscastshadowiscooler by contrast.The two light sources flood the sceneand lighteneachother’sshadows,exceptforwherethetwocastshadowsoverlap,whichisthedarkestshadow.

TheValueofShadow

Shadows create a range of values, perhaps the most importantcontribution they make to a painting. Shadows provide many of thedarks necessary for a strong composition. Dark objects and shadows

create a pattern of darker values, which can connect the differentelementsinapainting,givingthepieceacohesivestructure.Youcanunifyyourpaintingsbyusinga strongpatternofdarksand

lights.Darkscansetoffandenhancetheimpactofthecenterofinterest.Dark values can separate elements so that the shapes are clearer.Shadows anchor objects onto the ground, giving them weight andsolidity.Shadowscanreveal thestrengthof the lightandwhat typeofday it is. The strong, hot sun of the tropics casts dark, sharp-edgedshadows.Cool,cloudydayscastsoft-edged,low-contrastshadows.Thevalueofagivenshadowisdominatedbytherelativevalueofthe

local colors present. Value is also influenced by the closeness of theobject that is blocking the light. Thus, the cast shadow of a pepper isdarkerunderandclosertothepepperandbecomeslighterclosertotheedge.Ashadow’sedgesareinfluencedbyhowclosethelightsourceis.Lightthatisclosetoanobjectwillproducesoftedges;whenthesourceisfaraway,thoseedgesaresharper.

PLAYWITHLIGHTANDSHADOW

Thesepeppersandcutcrystalglasssitonasheetofwhitepaperthathasbeenbentuptoformaseamlessbackdrop.Theredsandorangesofthepeppersinfluencetheshadow’scolornearthem,andthevaluesaredeepestundertheredpepper.Refractedcolorplaysalongthecutcrystal,splicingtogethertheshatteredredsandyellowsofthepepperswiththepurplesandbluesoftheshadow.Thecrystalalsothrowsoutdelicatethreadsofwhitelight,visibleonlyagainstthecoolnessofthedeepshadow.Thefacetsoftheglasssplinterthelight,fillingthecastshadowwithplayfulshapes.

SplinteredLight10”x14”(25cmx36cm)

TheTransparencyofShadow

Shadows are not solid objects! Although this seems obvious, theappearance of solidity in shadows is a common problem in paintings.Photographsoftenmakeshadowsappearopaque.Thekeyistoshowthetransparency of shadows, even and especially when the shadows aredarkCreatingtheappearanceoftransparencymayseemlikeachallenge,but the solution lies in texture anddetail.Any lines, shapesorbrokensurfacesthatappearinthesurroundingareaneedtobeenhancedwherethe shadow passes over them, not obliterated by the wash, as oftenhappens with dark shadows. You need to darken those areas tocompensate.Sometimesyoumayneedtosoftentheedgesofashadow,eventhoughitmayappearsharp-edgedtotheeye,inordertoenhancetheillusion.Youneedtomakeitclearthattheshadowshapeisnotjustanotherobjectinthepicture.

SEE-THROUGHSHADOWSThe details are painted with diluted color where the light falls. Thegrainofthewoodanddarkgapsbetweentheboardsdon’tdisappearunder theshadowcastby thisbluebowl filledwithcayennepeppers.To enhance the effect of strong light and transparent shadows, IintensifiedthecontrastwithinthecastshadowwithstrongerglazesofUltramarine Blue and Transparent Brown Oxide on the grain lines.The concentric rings formed by the molding on the bowl and thepattern of blue ceramic glazes distort the shape of the deep shadowwithinthebowlandcreateavisiblepatterninthelightershadowscastbythepeppers.

UnitedConfederationofPeppers

14½”x22”(37cmx56cm)

[chapter8}

THEWHOLEDance

I chose this imagebecauseof the strengthandboldnessofthebrilliantflowersagainstthedarkbackground.Eachstepinthebuildingofthispaintingdemonstratestheapplicationofprinciplesandtechniquesdetailedintheearlierchaptersofthisbook.Followthestepstoseehowthispaintingcametolife.

UnexpectedGift10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

PUTTINGTHESTEPSTOGETHERUnexpectedGift

REFERENCEPHOTOThispaintingbeginswithaslideofflowersbacklitbythesun.

VALUESTUDYYour first step is to draw a thumbnail sketch. The goal is toincreasetheclarityandimpactoftheimage.Onewaytoachievethisistocropofftheleftsideoftheimage,addsomespacetotheright side and simplify the background. Move the big leaf uptoward the upper right in order to separate its tip from theflower’stip.Makesurethevaluestatementisstrong.

Tobringoutthelightandfireintheseanthuriums,createabackgroundthat is cool and dark. The impact of this image comes from the fierycolorsandthestrongdiagonalthrustoftheshapes.Thechallengeistodesignabackgroundthatprovidescontrast for thecoloranda“brake”forthemovementoftheshapes.

MATERIALSLIST

BRUSHES¼-inch(6mm)flatscrubber1-inch(25mm)flatwashbrush1½-inch(38mm)flatwashbrush2-inch(51mm)flatwashbrushnos.1-14roundbrushes

MASKINGMATERIALScolorlessliquidFrisketdraftingtapeFrisketFilmGatorboardno.2pencilpermanentwaterprooffine-tipmarkerscissorssmallsharpenedpaintbrushhandlesketchingpaperwhiteartist’stape

PAPERArches300-lb.(640gsm)cold-pressedwatercolorpaper

PALETTE

AnthraquinoidRedAureolinYellowCadmiumRedOrangeHooker’sGreenDeepIndianYellowNeutralTintPermanentRoseQuinacridoneBurntScarletQuinacridoneVioletThaloBlueTransparentRedOxideUltramarineBlueWinsorRedWinsorViolet

DRAWTHEDESIGN

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2

Once the design is decided, do a clean line drawing on thewatercolorpaperwithabasicno.2pencil.Ihavedrawndarkerlines

here for you to see, but for painting, the lines should be as light aspossible.Drawalloftheshapesyousee,not justtheshapesofobjects.Tomakethepapereasiertohandlewhilepainting,tapeittotheGatorboardusingthewhiteartist’stape.

PROTECTTHEFOREGROUNDSHAPE

Trace the area you’ll bemasking—themassed shape of the pair offlowersandtheleaf—ontothemaskingfilmwithapermanentfine-

tipmarker,drawingabout⅙inch(2mm)insidethelinesandhavethefilm lapoveronto the tapededge.Cut themasking film, thenpeel thebackingpaperoffandlaythefilmdown.

3SEALINTHEFOREGROUNDSHAPESANDBEGINTOPAINT

Completelysealtheedgesofthemaskingfilmwithmaskingfluid.Ifthe shape runs off the paper and over the tape, you can seal that

edgewith tape (which is quicker but less airtight thanmasking fluid).After carefully sealing themasking film, let everythingdry.Usinga2-inch(51mm)flat,begineachwashbywettingdownthewholesurface—excepttheupper-leftcornerwheretheblueandyellowflowershapeswill go—with clear water. Use a no. 14 round loaded with highlysaturated Aureolin Yellow to make loose strokes on the wet paperwhereverthebackgroundwillbegreenoryellow.

HARMONIOUSBACKGROUND

Watercolorisadynamicmediumandyoucanincreasetheactionbypaintingon a sloping surface.Different stages of theprocesswillrequirethehelpofgravity,sobeingabletoturnandtiltthepainting is essential. After painting each wash, use a tissue towipe up any excess liquid from around the edges. Allow

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everything to dry completely (a “juicy wash” may take up tothreehourstodry).

MAKEITSING!

Turnthepaintingupsidedown.Coat itwithwateragain,butusealighttouchtominimizeliftingtheyellowlayer.Withano.10round,

paintastronglayer(meaningpaintwithonlyasmallamountofwater)ofWinsor Violet intowhat is now the lower left. The purpose of thisstrokeis to introducevariationandliveliness intoanotherwisesimple,dark area. The violet will add to the intensity of the yellows in theflower by providing complementary color contrast. The shape of thevioletareaalsoactsasabrakefor thestrongmovementof theflowersandleaf.Paintthedarkestshapesoftheblueflowerinwhatisnowthelower-rightcorner;useUltramarineBluewithano.2round.Usetheno.2 round to glaze the adjacent corner with Indian Yellow, then leteverythingdry.

5GOWILDANDPLAY!

Turnthepaintingrightsideupandwetthelargestshapeagain.Alsowetthecornershapetotheleftoftheblueflower.Then,withano.5

round,paintagradedwashinthatsmallshapewithstrongThaloBlue.Usea1½-inch(38mm)flatandanequallysaturatedThaloBluetopainttheareaswherethegreenswill laterbe inthe largeshapeandbeyondthebordersoftheAureolinYellow.Turnthebrushasyoupaint,creatingdifferent strokes.Use thebrush to covera largeareawithone smoothstrokeandthenturnittocreateadelicatecalligraphicstrokeaspartofthesamecontinuousmovement.

6GIVETHEPAINTINGBLUE

Turnthepaintingupsidedown.Tilttheboardsotheentirepaintingslopesdowntothelowerleft.Wetthelargeareaofpapertotheleft

oftheblueflower.Glazea layerofstrongUltramarineBlueontheleftside using a 2-inch (51mm) flat and painting around the greens andviolet. While the paper is still wet, reinforce the violet with anotherglazeofWinsorVioletusingtheno.10.Ifthecolorsdon’tappearstrongenoughwhenthepaintisdry,repeatthisstep.Allowallthistodry,thenglazeThaloBluebetweentheblueflowerandtheyellowflower inthelowerrightcorner.Turnthepaintingrightsideupagain,andre-wetthesamelargearea.Rinse your brush often as you wet the paper at this stage; the heavybuildupofpaintwilllifteasilyandcanthentravel.Glazeastronglayerof Thalo Blue along the bottom with the 1½-inch (38mm) flat. UsedilutedThaloBluetoglazethetopofthepainting.

7GOTOBLACKANDBUILDTHECORNER

Turn thepaintingon its side so theyellowandblue flowersare inthe upper-right corner. Wet the large area of the painting again.

Then,usinga1-inch(25mm)flat,glazeNeutralTint inawavingbandfromunder the flowers towhat is now thebottomedge.Wipeupanyexcess, and allow everything to dry. The Neutral Tint glaze takes thealreadydarkareaallthewaytoblack.Next, adda seriesofwet-into-wetglazes to theyellow flower in the

upper-rightcorner.Thecolorsshouldbewarm,orangeyhues:CadmiumRed Orange, Transparent Red Oxide, and Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet.Apply thesewith a no. 2 round, and allow each layer to dry betweenapplications.Beforeglazingontothedrypaperoftheblueflowershape,makesure

the area next to it is completely dry. Begin with the darkest shapes,painting them Ultramarine Blue with a no. 2 round (let dry betweenlayers). Each shape painted should be larger and lighter and shouldcontain the earlier shapes. When all this is dry, glaze over the blueflowerandintothebackgroundwithdilutedThaloBlue;thiswilltietheareastogether.Whilethiswashisstillwet,addaverystrongThaloBlueorUltramarineBluewhereneededforthedarkestareas.

PAINTTHELOWNOTEANDBEGINTHENEXTSTAGE

Atthispoint,stepbackfromthepaintingandevaluatethevalues,colors and shapes. Imagine the flowers in their space. Is thecontrast going to be strong enough? Is there a connectionbetween the foreground and the background? This stage in thepaintingprocessisthepointoftransitionbetweenloosecreationof the background and beginning to create the illusion of realflowers.

8STARTSMALL,ENDBIG

Turn the painting right side up. Remove the masking film. You’llneed to smooth any rough edges left behind.Use ano. 1 round to

paintdips in theedge tomatch the thebackgroundcolors.Topickuppaint that bled under the masking fluid, first lay down a piece ofdrafting tape to protect the sharp edge and background. Then lift theunwantedpaintwitha¼-inch(6mm)scrubber,waterandatissue(seechapternine).Applymaskingfluidtoanysmallspotsthatwillbewhiteor thatwill be lighter than or different in color from the surroundingareas.Letthemaskingfluiddry.Startingatthetop,usearangeofroundbrushesfromno.3tono.7to

glazethefirstlayersforeacharea.Paintthesmallestanddarkestshapesfirst, suchas thepatternofdark shapes createdby light fallingon theconvoluted tops of the red and pink flowers. Skip around so that youdon’tpaintanyshapewhileitsneighboringshapeisstillwet.Paintthecolumns and stem with Indian Yellow. Paint the flowers withWinsorRed, Permanent Rose and Winsor Violet. Paint the leaf and the

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background shape between the stems with concentrated AureolinYellow.Theouterpartoftheleafhaspartsthatarelesswarm,sodilutetheAureolinYellowthereand leave someareaswhite.Partof the leafedges are lighter, and those spots have been protected with maskingfluid as part of the first step in working on the flowers and leaf, asmentionedabove.Painttheyellowaroundtheentireedgeoftheleaf.

LARGESHAPES,SMALLSPACES

Paint wet-into-wet for large or soft-edged shapes. Paint on drypaperforsmallshapeswithsharperedges.

BUILDONYOURFOUNDATION

Glazeasecondlayeroneveryareathatneedsmorecolor,startingatthe top. The columns of the flowers need Aureolin Yellow. Often,

eachglazewillbe largerandmorediluted than theonebefore.As thewashesgetlarger,switchtolargerroundbrushes.Whereshapesneedto

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besoftedged,wettheareafirstandthenpaintwet-into-wet.Glazethesectionofbackgroundand leafwithThaloBlue.Glaze the topedgeofthestemwithWinsorRedwet-into-wet.

THETHIRDGLAZE

Insameareas,thedarkestspotsneedreinforcingasyoulaylargerwashesoverthem,suchasthevioletshapesintheshadowedpart

of the red flower or the Permanent Rose areas on the pink flower. Inotherareas, it is time topaint largewasheswith largerbrushes.GlazeQuinacridone Violet using a no. 5 round on the pink flower’s darkestshapes thatalreadyhavea layerofPermanentRose.Beginglazing thelargercolumnwithWinsorRed,usingunevensidewaysstrokestoimplythe bumpy texture. Paint wet-into-wet for large or soft-edged shapes.Paint on dry paper for small shapes. Use no. 3 through no. 8 roundbrushes.PaintthelightpatternontheinnerleafinThaloBluewiththetipofano.5brushonwetpaper.Paintthepatternontheouterleafondrypaperwiththesamebrushandcolor,butwiththeThaloBluemore

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diluted.

GLAZE,ANDGLAZEAGAIN

Withano.2round,glazethedarkestpartoftheblueflowerwithWinsor Violet. Using a no. 5 round for both, glaze the smaller

column with Cadmium Red Orange and the larger column withPermanentRose.Useano.10round toglazemostof theundersideofthepinkflowerwithPermanentRose.GlazetheredflowerwithWinsorRed andPermanentRose, then useCadmiumRedOrange to glaze thewarmer redareasand the stem.Both the inner leafand thebottomoftheouterleafneedalayerofHooker’sGreenDeep.Glazethesectionofthebackground and theupper edge of the outer leafwithThaloBlue.Waitforthepainttodryandthenbeginremovingmaskingfluidwherethecolor isbuiltupenough, suchas theundersideof thepink flower,thelightspotsIntheshadowedpartoftheredflower,theundersideoftheflower,andalsothetipoftheredflower.Removethemaskingfluidfirst from the spots thatwill end upwith the deepest colorwhen the

paintingIscompleted.Continueglazing.Putmaskingfluidontopofanycolorsyou’dliketopreserveonthelargercolumn,likelightorange,pinkandyellowspots.GlazeQuinacridoneVioleton thepink flowerandon thedarkest spotson the red flower. Continue with all of the colors, removingmaskingfluid as surrounding areas reach the right Intensity. These newlyuncoveredspotswillbelighterwhenthepaintingIsfinished.

MAKETHEFLOWERSHOT!

Thegoalhereistobuildheatandlight.Watercolortendstodrylighteranddullerthanitappearswhenwet,sorepeatglazesuntilyougetthecoloryouwant.Theseflowersgetsomeoftheirheatfrom the play of relatively warm and cool versions of the hotcolorsnexttoeachother.Thecoolpinkflowertouchesthefieryredflower.TheredflowerrangesfromrelativelycoolPermanentRose towarmCadmiumRedOrange. The yellow-to-red play ofthecolumnsrisesabove,andallofthecomplementarypairsaddpunch.

12GODEEPER

Glaze the largercolumnwith layersofWinsorRedandCadmiumRed Orange. For the dark red areas on the top side of the red

flowerandonitsrightend,useAnthraquinoidRed.Continuetoremovemaskingfluidfromlighterspotslikethetipofthepinkflower’scolumnandthelightestspotsontheundersideofthepinkflowerandthetipoftheredflower.Glazeagain.Removethemaskingfluidfromthelightestspotontheouterleaf.Useano.10roundtoglazethewholeouterleafwith Hooker’s Green Deep. Paint the tip of the larger column withdilutedHooker’sGreenDeep,usingano.3round.GlazethestemwithThalo Blue wet-into-wet. Add Cadmium Red Orange to the tip of thepink flower.Glaze the isolated shapeof thebackgroundand theouterleaf with Thalo Blue again. Glaze the red flower’s underside withCadmiumRedOrange,WinsorRed,PermanentRoseandWinsorViolet.GlazetheextremetipoftheleafwithCadmiumRedOrange.

SHRINKINGWHITEPAPER

13At thispoint, removemostof the remainingmasking fluid.Glazethe larger areas that need deeper color. During this step, decidewhere youwant thewhites to be. You’ve preserved somewhite paperwithmaskingfluid,butnowyoucouldquietsomeofthosewhiteareaswithdilutedglazes.Thewhiteofthepapershouldremainrareandveryimportant,givingthepaintingasparklingquality.Glazeuntileveryareaworksinrelationtoeveryotherarea.Removethemaskingfluidfromtheleafedges,andcleananyroughedgesoftheleafusingdraftingtape,scrubberbrush,waterandtissue.GlazetheleftendofthewholeleafwithAureolinYellow,featheringoutthecolorsoitdoesn’tleaveanabruptedge.

ISITDONEYET?

UnexpectedGift10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

14 Stepback.Howisthepaintingworking?Arethevaluesright?Dothecolorssing?Continueglazinguntilyou’resatisfied.Removethelastof themaskingfluidfromthe largercolumn.Glazethebaseof thecolumn with Quinacridone Violet, the underside with Cadmium RedOrangeandthetipwithIndianYellow.PainttheleafedgeswithIndianYellowandthenQuinacridoneBurntScarlet.Usingthescrubberbrush,softenanyedgesthataretoohardandliftoutlightsthathavegottentoodark,suchasthelightspotsonthetopsoftheflowersandcolumnsandthe lit-upedgesof the leaf.Glaze the sectionofbackgroundagainandthetipofthecolumnwithThaloBlue.

{chapter9}

EVALUATINGTHEResult

Let the painting speak to you. Painting is a duet. In thebeginning, I have an intention for each painting. There isthe reference photo to guide me and a thumbnail design.However,therecomesapointwhenIneedtostopbeingthesingerandjustlistentothesong.

Iamdrawntopaintsomethingbecauseofafeeling.TheworkisfinishedwhenIexperiencethatsamefeelingagainwhilelookingatthepainting.

OrchidArch10½x14½(27cmx37cm)

AreWeThereYet?

Decidingwhenapainting is finished isamajorhurdle foreveryartist.That ability to decide is frequently the final boundary between thestudentandtheaccomplishedartist.ThequestionIamaskedthemostis“Is my painting done?” In struggling with this, artists run the gamutbetween stopping too soon and overworking something that was oncefreshandbeautiful.Youneedtolearntorecognizewhenapaintingisintrouble, and then how to salvage something that is in trouble. Thesequestionsultimatelyhavetobeansweredbyeachartistindividually,buttherearesomeguidelinesthatmayhelp.To answer these questions for yourself, you need to learn how toevaluateyourpaintingswith fresheyes.Thatmeanssteppingbackandstartingover,asifyouhaveneverseenthepaintingbefore.Gobacktoyour thumbnail drawing. Do the value relationships in the paintingcorrespondtothoseyoucreatedinthethumbnail?Iftheydo,isthatstillagoodidea?Doesthedesignworkaswellwiththedetailsandcolorsinplace?Whatpathdoesyoureyetakethroughthepainting?Whatattractsyou?If thepaintingdoesn’tmatchtheoriginalthumbnail,makeanewthumbnailoftheexistingpainting.Doesthisnewdesignworkwhenyoureduceittovaluesalone?

REFERENCEPHOTOThephotographforOrchidArchattractedmebeanisethewhitepetalsseemtoglowwiththeirownlightandthearchingshapeoftheclustermakestheflowersseemtoalmosttakeflight.

DOESANYTHINGBOTHERME?

Onequestion I hold inmindwhen studying anearly completedpainting is “Does anything bother me?” I keep painting andaskingthatquestionoverandoveragainuntil theanswer isno.Themoreyoulearn,theeasieritistomakethesedecisions.Sothequestion“Isthereaproblem?”hasbeenasked,andtheanswerisyes.Whatnext?Therearethreeoptions:add,subtractorboth.Thesesolutionsapplytoeveryproblem.

THUMBNAILIn the thumbnail, I checked to see that the negative shape of thebackgroundcreatedbythemassedshapesoftheflowersisinterestingIeliminatedeverythingthattookawayfrommyessentialidea.

TAKINGTHEPAINTINGFURTHERUptothispoint,Idevelopedthepaintingtoreflecttheinformationinthereferencephoto.Inthefinalstages,thepaintingneedstogobeyondwhat the referencehappened to show.The paintinghas to speak foritself.

THEOUTCOMEI decided that the twopetals stickingupwereadistraction from thestrongarchingmovementofthepaintingsoIsoftenedtheiredgesandthenglazedthemwithWinsorViolettopushthembackandquietthemdown. I washed the glaze right over into the background to furthersoftentheedgesandsubduetheimpactoftheverticalpetals.

OrchidArch10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

DoesItClearlyExpressaGoodIdea?

What makes a painting both complete and successful? First and mostimportantly, it needs tomake an impact. It needs to say something. Itshould tell only one story The design should be strong and clear. Thevaluesshouldworktogethertosupportyouridea.Thecolorsshouldbeclear and appropriate to the idea. The drawing needs to be either

accurateorstylizedinaconsistentwayThepresenceorabsenceofdetailand texture in any particular section of the painting should beappropriatetotheidea.Noticehowitalwayscomesdowntotheidea?Apainting is successful when it clearly expresses a good idea, and it isfinishedwhentherearenobarrierslefttoseeingtheidea.

THUMBNAILIwascaughtbythe ideaofaflesh lookatacommonthing.Dahliasgrowclosetotheground,butifyoulieonthegroundandlookup,youseetheminawholedifferentlight.Asimpleidea,really.Thechallengewastoclearawayanythingthatmightdistractattentionfontthecoreidea.

FOCUSINGONTHEFLOWERI glazed Winsor Violet and Thalo Blue first to establish a coolbackgroundforthewarmyellowflowers.Sincecoolcolorsrecedeandwarmcolorscomeforwardacoolbackgroundwon’tcompetewiththeflowersforattention.Thecoolbackgroundalsoincreasesthesun-filledqualityoftheflowerduetothetemperaturecontrast.Inordertograythebackgroundwhilestillemphasizingtheclearcoloroftheflower,IglazeddilutedIndanthroneBlue,whichisablue-black.Allthebrilliantcolorwasreservedforthelargeflower.IbegantheflowerswithspotsofmaskingfluidandaglazeofAureolinYellow.

TONINGDOWNTHEDISTANTFLOWERThe background flower started out more prominent and had hardedges fontbeingmasked.At the end I softened theedgesandglazedtheflowerwithThaloBluesothatitmovedbackanddoesn’tcompetewiththemainflower.

TheDahliaIsOut100½”x14½″(27cmx37cm)

TakeAFewStepsBack

Whenyourpaintingisnearlydone,getsomedistancefromit,bothwithyour feet and with time. This is the third place in the whole processwhere you need to use fresh, unprogrammed eyes. Now you needdetachment.Proptheworkupwhereyoucangetfarawayfromit,andthenleaveitthereforawhile.Goaboutyourbusiness,maybeevenstartyournextproject,glancingoveratthepaintingfromtimetotime.Everysooften,spendsometimejustcontemplatingitfromadistance.Turn the painting upside down. Getting some distance helps youdisconnectyourselffromthehabitofseeingwhatyouexpecttosee.Thesubjectbecomesjustasetofshapes.Everypaintinghastoworkwellas

anabstractdesignbeforeitcanhopetoworkwellasarepresentationalpainting.Turningthepaintingupsidedownalsohelpsifyouaretryingto see if an image that is supposed to recede reallyhas thedepthyouthinkithas.The“ground”atthebottomofthepaintingshouldseemtoloom overhead. Another trick is to prop the painting up in front of amirrorandthenstudythereversedimageyouseethere.Thereversalcanjolt your attention out of its complacency—suddenly you see thepainting for the first time.Eventhoughyouhavetoberightontopofsomethingtopaintit,youshouldaskandanswerthesequestionsfromadistance.Otherwise,you’reapttonitpickthethingtodeath.

HOWITLOOKSFrom this angle, the painting looks fine, buthowmany timeshave Iseen it? Howmany hours have I spent looking at it?Would I evennoticeanyflawsitmighthave?

BigLagoon13½″x21″(34cmx53cm)

UPSIDEDOWNLookatBigLagoonupsidedown,andtheoriginalforegroundseemstoloomoverheadlikeaceilingThisisagoodtestforwhetherapaintingshowsastrongsenseofdeepspace.WhenIseeapaintingthisway,Iseeanewimage.

MIRRORIMAGE

Themirrorimagechangesthefeelingagain.Usetechniqueslikethesetohelpyouseeapaintingyouhavebeenworkingonasifforthefirst

time.

StrengthentheColor

Whatiftheproblemisthatthecoloriswrong?Thesolutionisusuallytoadd glazes. You may need to lift some color first if the paint is toointenseor tooheavily applied for aglaze towork.Buildingapaintingfromglazesisahugeadvantageinthatregard;youarelessapttocreateareasthataretooheavy.Youcanliftstainingpigmentswithascrubberbrush(ortoothbrush)andwater,thenblotwithtissues.Otherpigmentscan be lifted more gently by soaking with a brush, scrubbing with anaturalspongeandblotting.How do you decide what color to use in a corrective glaze? First

determinewhetheritneedstogowarmorcool.Basically,somevarietyofyelloworredwillwarmanarea,andbluewillcoolit.Ifyouhaveaproblem with an area that has turned to mud, it’s best to stick withprimarycolors.Atthislatestage,more-complexneutralcolorsareapttodullormuddythesituationevenfurther.Graynessresultsfromthethreeprimarycomponentsbeingtoobalanced,sothrowthingsoutofbalancetowardthewarmorcoolend.Ifyouneedtochangeanareabutwanttokeepitsbrightness,looktoeithersideofthatcoloronthecolorwheel.You can choose any of the colors to the left or right of your originalcolor, but stop before you reach a color that has any of your originalcolor’scomplementinit.

THEPROBLEMIn my student Cheri’s painting of a black-eyed Susan, the colorsAureolin Yellow, Indian Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Medium, ThioViolet and Prussian Blue are well established but lack the intensitythey could have. The center is beautiful but is not yet an accuraterepresentation of this flower. The shapes in the background arecompetingtoomudiwiththecenterofinterest.

THESOLUTIONTheanswer is toglaze thepetalswithmoreof thesameyellowsandviolet to build their intensity of color and to lift lights from somepetals’ edges with a scrubber brush. This increases the contrast andsenseoflightinthepaintingThecenteralsobenefitsfromliftingwithascrubber,followedbyglazesofyellowtoreestablishwarmth.GlazingthebackgroundwithPrussianBlue subdues the shapesand increasestheimpactofthebrilliantgoldflower.

SusunCheriJoseph10”x14”(25cmx36cm)

ManipulatetheValueContrast

Frequently,apainting’stroubleisinitsvalues.Maybethevalueshideanotherwiseclearpatternanddesign.Maybethecontrastisn’trightforthespatial relationships. The first possibility is a design problem, and the

second is a problemwith the illusion of space.High contrast betweenadjoining shapes will both draw the eye and make one shape comeforward, while low contrast creates the opposite effect. Manipulatingthese relationships is the key to making effective paintings. Lifting tolighten and glazing to darken are obvious solutions to these problemsonceyouhavedecidedwhereyouwanttodirecttheeyeandwhatyouwant to advance or recede. Often, the problem has been created byindecisive-ness.Sometimes,makinganydecisionandthenstickingtoitisbetterthanwafflingandgivingintoself-doubt.Ifyoudecidetogoinonedirectionwithanareaand then laterdecide togo in theoppositedirection,theresultisoftenmudandsomemiddle-of-the-roadvaluethatcontributesnothing.Spendingmoretimethinkingandlesstimepaintingwill help you with this problem, because you can ponder thealternatives.Ifyouthinkthroughthealternativeconsequencesforeachaction for a while, you will be better able to stick with and followthroughwithyourdecisions.

THEPROBLEM

InProteanLight, Iwanted tocapturehowthesunlight lit this flowerfrom within. I chose a square format and cropped in closely tointensify the sensation of looking directly into a light source.Expressinglightdependsuponstrongvaluecontrast.Here,theimageispretty and the colors are in place, but the light doesn’t glow. Thepaintingneedsstrongercontrast.

THESOLUTIONThe darks need to go all the way to black, and all the supportingcolors need strengthening. I continued to glaze with Indian Yellow,CadmiumRedOrange,QuinacridoneBurntScarlet,PermanentRose,Winsor Red, Anthraquinoid Red, Quinacridone Violet and WinsorViolet.Oncethedarkareasweredeepenough,Iglazedthedeepvioletareas with Neutral Tint. At the very end, I lifted out lights andsoftened edgeswith the scrubber. The contrast is enough to give theillusionthatthewhitepaperislight.

ProteanLight13½″x13½″(34cmx34cm)

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TRYTHISAddStrongBiastoYourShadows

IDENTIFYTHEPROBLEM

IbuilttheshadowsofthiscactusflowerfromglazesofCadmiumRedOrangeandUltramarineBlue,andtheresultinggrayistoobalanced.

Also, the shadow surrounding the flower center doesn’t reflect theyellowglowfromthecenter.

2MAKEROOMFORIMPROVEDCOLOR

Firstprotectthecentersectionwithmaskingfilmandmaskingfluid.Withano.10round,glazetheoutershadowswithPermanentRose

and thenWinsorViolet.Deepen thecontrastof thebackgroundwitha1½-inch (38mm) flat and more glazes of Ultramarine Blue andIndanthrone Blue, so that the value range allows for deeper flowershadows. Scrub the central shadow with water and a toothbrush,blottingwithtissuetolighten.

Shadowsdon’tneedtobedull.Whenaquietcolorisdefinitelywarmorcool, thepainting ismorealive.To fix thispainting, colorneeds tobeliftedfromonearea,andanotherareaneedstobedarkened. Ineedtomakeroomforlivelycolorcontrast.

MATERIALSLIST

BRUSHES1½-inch(38mm)flatnos.3,6and10roundsscrubberbrush

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toothbrush

MASKINGMATERIALSdraftingtapeFrisketFilmcolorlessliquidFriskettissue

PALETTEAureolinYellowIndanthroneBluePermanentRoseThaloBlueUltramarineBlueWinsorViolet

ADDGLAZESANDLIFTPAINT

Working wet-into-wet and using a no. 6 round, glaze the centralshadowwithAureolinYellowand thenThaloBlue.Glaze theouter

regionofthecentralshadowwithPermanentRoseandano.6round,letit dry and then glaze the area with Ultramarine Blue. Remove themaskingfluid.Adjustthecolorsinthecenterusingano.3round.Cleanuptheroughedgesleftfromalltheglazes.Laydownpiecesofdrafting

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tape toprotectanyhardedges, then liftpaintwith the scrubberbrushandwater.Blottheareawithatissue.

ASSESSTHERESULTS

Thewhiteisnowpure,andthecrispedgeoftheshadowispreservedbythetape.

THEIMPROVEDPAINTINGCactusPiece isstillaquietpainting,butthevioletshadowsenhancethewarmcenterandthegreencentralshadowreflectsitsneighbor.

CactusPiece7”x10”(18cmx25cm)

Calmthejumpiness

Perhaps the problem is that the painting is too “jumpy.” All of theelements are jumpingoff thepagewith equal intensity, irrespectiveoftheir relative importance to thewhole. An example is a painting of astonewall. Thewall is the important thing here, but it is easy to getcaught up in rendering the detail of the various stones, with all theirforms,texturesandcolors.Ifthishashappened,thesolutionistofloataglazeontotheentirewall,warming,coolingorgrayingitintheprocess.Since the last layer inany stackofglazes is always thedominantone,thisglazewillpullthewalltogetherandforceittoactasavisualunit.Anotherexampleisapaintingofaforest,whereall thetrees jumpoutandclaimtheviewer’sattentioneventhoughyouintendedtheforesttofunction as a “wall,” amerebackdrop to the important actionof yourstory In this case, a glazeof blueacross thewhole forestwill pull thetrees together and push the whole thing back at the same time. Theglazegiveseveryindividualcolorinthosetreesthecommongroundofthisoneglaze,and it reduces thecontrastbetweendarksand lightsbyeliminatingthelights.Scrubbingtheforesttolightenitandthenglazingwithablue-gray,willcauseittorecedeevenfurther.

THEPROBLEMTheideaforthisimageistocapturethesprayofseagullsandusethemtomovetheeyethroughthescene.Thecriticaldecisionpointiswhento remove themasking fluid from the seagulls.Here everything is inplace,thefishermanandbuoystandoutwell,buttheseagullsarelostagainstthetoobusyandtoolight-valuedforest.

THESOLUTION

I’veglazedtheforestwithmoreThaloBluetodeepenitandthenSapGreen towarm it. I reduced the contrast and jumpiness of the deadtreeontheleftwithglazesofUltramarineBlueandIndanthroneBlue.MergethestandouttreeabovethebuoywiththerestoftheforestwithHooker’s Green Deep, Sap Green and Brown Oxide. I deepened theblues and violet of the dark cove and then glazed the rocks whereneeded to increase contrast with the birds. I anchored the buoy byglazing the water with more Ultramarine Blue. Now the eye circlesfontthebrightredbuoytothefishermaninhisbrightorangeboatandup through the sprayof seagulls andonaround.Control contrast tomakethishappen.

NovaScotiaMorning7½”x14¼”(19cmx36cm)

SharpentheFocus

Sometimesapainting lacks focusandstrengthbecauseeverything in itgetsequalattention.Agreatwaytoquietsomethingsdownistoapplyalargeglazewithawidebrush.Alargeglazecanunifywholesectionsofapainting,throwinganythingleftoutintohighrelief.Forthissolution,Imostoftenusebluebecauseitalsocoolsandcausesthingstorecede.Sometimes a painting loses its focus by having an overall middle

value,withveryfewdarksandlights,eitheraccidentallyorastheresultofwaffling.Iprotectmyselffromthismishapbyusingseveralmaskingtechniques, as detailed in chapter four. Lights are very importantbecausetheygiveapaintingitssparkle;darksareessentialbecausetheycangiveapaintingweightandsubstance.Bothhelp focustheviewer’sattention.Massing,orgrouping,darksandlightstogetherisapowerfulcompositional tool.But ifyouhave lost thedarksand lights,all isnotlost!Decidewherethelightsshouldbeandliftpaint.Decidewherethedarks should be and glaze. Often, areas end up too light because it’sdifficult todeterminetheultimatedryvalueofpigmentwhenit isstillwet. The remedy is to keep glazing asmany times as necessary, evenuntil your darkest darks are close to black. Don’t assume an area isfinishedjustbecauseit’scoveredwithpaint.

Theworstmistakeyoucanmakeinapaintingthathasvalueproblemsis togiveupanddeclarethethinga failure.Youcanalways liftpaint,andyoucanalwaysaddpaint. I tellmystudents,“Keepyoursolutionslargeandyouractionslight.”Thismeanstofloattheglazesonusingthelargestpossiblebrushandalightnon-scrubbingaction.Whenyouneedtoliftcolor,dosogentlyandonlyincreaseforceifagentletouchdidn’twork.Ifyouusedascrubberbrushanditdidn’tliftoffenoughcolor,lettheareadryandthentryliftingagain.Don’tgiveupuntiltheareaisthevalueyouneedittobe.Ifyouliftallthecolor,basicallytakinganareabacktotheoriginalwhitepaper,youmightneedtoglazeitwithanewcolorsotheareawillworkinyourpainting.Youcanglazeontopofascrubbed area, but only with a light touch and not too many times.Scrubbing lifts off sizing and some of the paper, leaving the areadamaged.Thismeansthescrubbedpaperwillnowactlikeablotterandthenextwashesyouaddwillsoakdeeperintothepaper.

THEPROBLEMTheetherealqualityofthismagnifiedbouquetofsweetpeascaptivatedme.Alotofitsappealisinitsabstractquality—thewaythatthereisjusta suggestionof formsandnothing isquite clear.At this stage, Ilovethedanceofcolorandthewildnessoftheimage,butmyeyegetsa bit lost moving through it. The challenge is to reduce the chaos

withoutreducingthelifeofthepainting.

THESOLUTIONTheansweristofocusattentionmoreclearlyonthecentralplayers—the shadowedwhite flowerandyellow/red flowers that seem to faceeachotheroncenter stage.Do thisby increasing contrast.Glaze thelight foreground flowers with Permanent Rose andWinsor Violet tobring them into focus. Deepen the background at the base of thecenters of interest, too. With a focal point established, the eye cantravel around but always has a home base. The painting is nowgrounded.

SweetPeaDream10½″x14½″(27cmx37cm)

TRYTHISFixingMistakesinform

1STUDYYOURRESULTS

GoatsontheRunisalmostfinished,butitneedsalittletweakingtobring it to life.Most of this can be done by lifting paint with the

scrubberbrush.Themothergoat’sfaceneedssomecorrecting,thebabygoat needs some softening and the outer edges of the mother needsoftening to create a rounder feel. The hooves need to be betterconnectedtotheircastshadows.

2FOCUSONANAREA

Aclose-upshowsthemother’sfacebeforethefinaladjustments.Thetopofherheadhasalumpthatneedsflattening,someblueneedsto

beliftednexttohereye,andsomehairsneedlightening.

Drawing problems are a frequent hurdle to successfully completing apainting. This problem was created in the initial drawing or bybrushstrokesobliteratingcorrectlydrawnlinesalongthewaySometimesadrawingwillseemfinewhenitisjustlines,andmistakesarerevealedonlywhenthelinesbecomeform.Maskingfluid’stendencytospreadoutafterapplicationor theartist’s failure tocompletely fill in shapeswiththe liquid mask can also cause problems: Fine lines can become fat,objects can grow unwanted lumps or chunks can be cut out of edges.First, determine the right shape, redrawing in pencil if necessary Thisdone,thesolutionisonceagaintoaddorsubtract,probablyonaverysmall scale. Use a small brush to paint patches of color tomatch thebackgroundnext toany shape thatneeds tobe shaved.Next, lift colorwhereneeded.

MATERIALSLIST

3

MATERIALSLIST

BRUSHESno.1round¼-inch(6mm)flatscrubber(fabricpaintingstencilbristlebrush)

MASKINGMATERIALScraftknifewithno.11bladedraftingtapeself-sealingcuttingmattissues

PALETTEIndianYellowWinsorViolet

CUTSHAPESFROMDRAFTINGTAPE

Placepiecesofdraftingtapeonaself-sealingcuttingmatorapieceofglassorplastic.Usingthecraftknife,cutouttheshapesthatneed

4

tobeliftedfromthepainting.Thistakessometrialanderrortogettheright size and shape. For really complex shapes, trace the shape withtracingpaperandusethatasacuttingguide.

LIFTPAINT

Placeeachdraftingtapetemplateontothecorrespondingspotonthepainting.Rubthetapetemplatesdownwithyourfingertomakesure

theyadherewell to thepaper.Wet and then scrub theareawithyourscrubberbrush to lift and loosen thepaint.Usea tissue toblotup thepaint.Removethetapeimmediatelyandblotanyexcesswater.Letitdrythoroughlybeforeapplyinganynewpainttothearea.

5FIXTHEMOTHERGOAT’SEYE

To complete this area, use a no. 1 round to paint a dot of IndianYellownexttothemother’seye.

6

ADDTHEFINISHINGTOUCHES

GoatsontheRun7½”x14⅜”(19cmx37cm)

Tofinish,softentheouteredgesofthemothergoat’sbodywiththescrubber. Give the baby a few more touches of color and of

softening, and enlarge theWinsor Violet cast shadows to envelop thehoovesbetter.

FixingLostVision

Sometimesyougetlostalongthewayinapainting,sotheresultdoesn’tmatch your original vision. This doesn’t necessarily mean the result’sbad.Perhapsithasjusttakenanewpathandissomethingequallyfine.Itmayevenbebetterthanyouroriginalidea.Asananalogy,considerthestoryofthewomanwhogoesforahikeinthemountainsandgetslost.Becausethehikerlosesherway,shemeetstheloveofherlife.Youmightsaythatitwasaterribleexperiencetogetlost,but lookatwhatshe found!Youmaybeclinging toyouroriginalideatoomuch,soyouareblindto thevalueofwhatyouhave.Try toseeyourpaintingwiththefresheyesofastranger,someonewhodoesn’tknowwhat youplannedwhenyoubegan.Thepaintingmay still needsomefine-tuning,butifyouneverrecognizewhatyouhave,youareapttotrashitwithheavy-handed“repairs.”Yourvisionneedstobeflexible.

ANEWVISIONThebackground forBigRosewasa realvoyageofdiscovery. I triedlots of things, and some things failed. Along the way, I foundsomething new, and when I followed that new path, I created thispainting.First I painted the orangemarigolds in the dark backgroundwithflat glazes that left the flowers bright and hard edged. They werepretty,buttheydrewattentionawayfromtherose.Mysolutionwasto

wetdownthewholeareaandpaintadarkwasharoundtheflowers,giving themsoft edges. I thendropped intenseCadmiumRedOrangeinto the flowers and then glazedQuinacridone Violet circles aroundtheflowerstodeepentheircolor.

BigRose21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

Conclusion

Myhope is that as you reach the endof this bookyouhaveagreaterunderstandingofhowtopaintlightinwatercolor.IwantyoutobeabletoexperiencewhatIexperiencewhenIseetheworldandthenbeableto paint what you see. Painting light gives life to everything you do.Remember to look at the world for the first time, every day. Draw.Strongdesignismorethanjustalistofrules.Thedesignofapaintingiswhat reachesoutandgrabs theviewer.Designprovidesapath for theeyethroughthepaintingandarewardforspendingthetimethere.Don’tneglect this step in the development of your painting idea. Mask bigareas with masking film to protect your paper and small areas withmasking fluid. Masking is the tool that allows you to use those bigbrushesandtohavethefreedomthatmakeswatercolormagical.Setupa place to work where you are free to concentrate on the painting.“Play”thepaintingasifyouwereplayinganorgan,withallyourtoolsready. Think long, but paint fast, and use the biggest brush you can.Waterwillmakeyourpaintdance,somakeitworkforyou.Beboldwithcolorandplaywithyourbrush—letyourbrushdancewithcoloracrossthe paper. Color is more than theory. Color is the music that yourpaintingdancesto.Usecolorinaplayfulway.Makemistakesandthenplaywithwherethattakesyou.The dance between light and shadow is the heart and soul of this

book.Thedancebeginswhenyouseelight.Paintinglightisoftenmoreaboutpaintingshadowswell—inwatercolor,thelightisoftensimplythewhiteofthepaper!Creatingtheillusionoflightbringslifetoapaintingandstrengthtothedesignofthepainting.Textureisfuntoplaywithinpainting.Notall paintingsneed texture,but in the rightplace, texturemakesyourpaintingsricher.Thelaststepineverypaintingisthemostimportant: how to tellwhen the painting is finished.Don’t rush. Takesometime.Stepback.Doyoufeelarushofemotionwhenyoulookatwhat you’ve created? Does your heart swell? Then you are done.Paintingisallaboutthatfeeling.You’llgetthere!Practice,practiceandpractice!

AHEARTOFLIGHTIwanttodrawyouintotheheartofthisflower.Therearemanypossibledesignchoicestomakewiththisiris,butthispaintingjusttellsthestoryatthecenterofeverythingAlltheotherinformationisunnecessary.

DeepInside21″x13½″(53cmx34cm)

Index

AAfternoonWithLeo,39

BBackgrounds,48,50,64-65,98,100

correcting,112,114,123

BigLagoon,113

BigRose,123

Blacks,72

Bo,74

Browns,72,77

Brushes,23,47

choosing30-32

holding,32-33

thirsty,63,66-67

CCactusPiece,117

CatWatch,37

Centerofinterest,36,38,40,42-15,94

SeealsoFocalpoint

Chickens!,92

Color

effectoflighton,85-87,90-95

grading67

local,26,90-91,94

propertiesof70

reflected,90

Colorchart,makinga,80

Colorcontrast,37,42,100,116-117,119

Colors

building29

choosing80

correcting,112,114

evaluating,102

intensityof,42,70,76-77,114

mixing29,81

seeing,15-17,25,72

using124

valuesof,70,76,87

visualweightof,41

SeealsoBlacks;Browns;Grays;White

Colors,complementary,42,49,70-73,81,100,105,114

glazing77

inshadows,91-92

Colors,typesof

adjacent/analogous,77,81

primary,70,77,81

secondary,70

SeealsoColors,complementary

Colortemperature,70,72,74-75,102-103,105,112,114,117

oflight,90,93

ofshadows,90-91

Colorwheel,70,77,114

Composition,35-45

balanceina,creating42-44

choosinga,24-25

evaluatinga,27,45,102

rulesof37-38,43-44

static,43-44

substructuresofa,39-41

symmetrical,43-44

SeealsoPainting,evaluatinga

Cropping,10,18,24-25,45,98,115

DDahliaFire,77

DahliaIsOut,The,112

DaisiesinGlass,86

DeepInside,124

Design,principlesof,37,41-42

SeealsoComposition;Focalpoint;Painting,

evaluatinga;Shapes

Drawing

imagininga,18

toolsfor,23,26,28

upsidedown,15

Drawings,line.SeeLinedrawings

EEdges

correcting,111-112,115,120,122

andperspective,74

shadow,93-95

sharp,103

soft,103-104

softening,59

FFernCanyonSteps,36

FernShadows,13

FirstOrchid,40

Focalpoint,36-37,39,119

SeealsoCenterofinterest

Formats,10,25,39,115

Frisket.SeeMasking

GGardenLantern,85

GiftfromMarv,25,50-51

Glazes

applying33,66-67,77,102-104,118-119

corrective,114-119

layering,31,118

SeealsoWashes,applying

GoatsontheRun,120-122

GoldenBoy,92

Grays,72-73,77

Grayscale,87

GreatFalls,84

HHighlights,76,114-115

SeealsoWhite,ofthepaper,savingthe

HomeGrown,91

HotStuff93

Hue,70

IInMyMother’sGarden,43

IrisTower,10

KKidsandMoms,59

LLadiesDance,38

LadybugWorld,71

Light

building,105

colortemperatureof,90

andobjects,interactionbetween,84-90

opacityof,84

patternsof,104

qualityof86

reflected,16,84-86,90

refracted16,86

shapesof,26

sourcesofmmultiple,93

translucency,84-86

transparencyof,84,86

Light,effectsof,16,24,27

oncolor,85-87,90-95

onshadows,84-94

LightInside,The,83

Lights.SeeHighlights

LiliesinRed,42

Linedrawings,22,26-28,99,120

Lines

diagonal,40,43-44

painting,32-33

seeing,16

using,formovement,42

LittleJoe,75

Localcolor,26,90-91,94

Locationpainting,22

MMadeintheShade,87

MagnoliaNextDoor,65

MallowinthePharmacyGarden,39

Masking10,22,29,47,124

removing,51-52,54

using,31,47-59

Maskingfilm,23,48,50-51,54-56

using55-56,99-100

Maskingfluid,23,48-59

buying,53

splattering,54,57

storing,52

using,49,53-55,100,120

MexicanEveningPrimrose,11

Mondrian,compositionsof,41

Movement,creating,36,42,98,100,111

NNovaScotiaMorning,118

OOahuGold,61

OneGoatLooking,44

OrchidArch,109-111

PPaint

applying,23

behaviorof,63

buying,23

lifting,64,76,79

non-staining,78-79

opaque,78-79

permanenceversusconvenience,79

propertiesof,78-79

staining,78-79

transparencyof,78-80

andwater,relationshipbetween,62-67

Painting

designinga,36-45

imagininga,18

signinga,33

onaslope,62-63,66,100-101

upsidedown,100-101

Painting,evaluatinga,109-123

background,110-112,123

color,112,114,116-117,119

contrast,115-118

detail,112,118

edges,111,120-122

ideabehind,112,123

impact,112

intensity,114,118

linedrawing,120

movement,111

shadows,116-117

shapes,110,120-122

texture,112,118

value,115-116,119

Palm,35

PansiesatHome,40

Pathoffocus,36,38

Peachscape,21

PepperShadows,81

PersimmonTops,19

Perspective,14,27,74

Photos,reference,16,24,26-28,45,110

SeealsoSlides,reference;Supplies,photographic

Pointofview,19,92

ProteanLight,115

RRanunculusGold,78

RedStorm,85

Reflections,38,85-86

Ria’sBouquet,69

RocksatAspetogan,38

RoseGold,9

SSally’sChair,14

Shadows

colorin,85-88,90-95

colortemperatureof,90-91,93

core,89-90,92

correcting,116-117

edgesof,93-95

effectsoflighton,84-94

shapesof,19,26,88,92-93

transparencyof,95

valuesof,88-91,93-94

Shadows,cast,16,19,27,84-85,92-93

designingwith,88-90

merged,93

Shapes

correcting,110

drawing,26,99

evaluating,102

large,painting,103

movementof,98,100

negative,88

seeing,14-19

shadow,19,26,88,92-93

small,painting,103

Sketches,thumbnail,22,24-25,37,44,98,110,112

Slides,reference,10,16,24-25

SeealsoPhotos,reference

Space,negative,15

Splattering,54,57,64-65

SplinteredLight,94

Spotted,47

Stamping,66

Studio,settingupa,22-23

Subjectmatter

choosing,45

effectsof,onlight,84-86

photographing,10,24-25(seealsoPhotos,

reference;Slides,reference)

studying,15-18

Sugar?,40

SunsetatPeggy’sCove,86

Supplies

drawing,22-23,26,28

masking,23,47-59(seealsoMasking)

painting,22-23(seealsoBrushes;Paint)

photographic,24

Surfaces,drawingandpainting,23

Susun,114

SweetPeaDream,119

TTexture

evaluating,112,118

seeing,16

shadow,92,95

shapeswithin,26

using,124

water,38

Texture,creating,33,104

splattering,54,57

stamping,66

withwatermarks,64

TinicumTreasures,48

Transferpaper,23,28

TwoBlue,75

TwoWhiteRose,42

UUnexpectedGift,97-107

UnitedConfederationofPeppers,95

VValuecontrast,25,36-37,42,87

Valuepatterns,25

Valuerange,36

Values

color,70,76,87

evaluating,102,112,115-116,119

gradating,37

andperspective,74

relationshipsamong,18

studying,14-17

Valuestudies,36,98

VisitfromaNeighbor,88

WWashes,applying,29,62

SeealsoGlazes

Water,controlling,62-67

Watermarks,64-65

WellCentered,43

White,ofthepaper,savingthe,30,72,76,81,106

WhiteTower,26,30-31

White,using,72,76

THEBESTINWATERCOLORINSTRUCTIONANDINSPIRATIONisfromNorthLightBooks!