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TheEssenceofWatercolour
Belonging33x25cm(13x10in)Watercolouristheperfectmediumforcapturingmomentsintime.
RipeninginTuscany30x30cm(12x12in)Theorganiccoloursandoverlappingtintsofwatercolourbreathelifeintotheapricotsripeningonthetree.
TheEssenceofWatercolour
HazelSoan
Dedication:Toallmyreaders.
Acknowledgements:HugethanksgotoCathyGoslingforherfaithinmywritingandtoKristyRichardsonwhohasbeenajoytoworkwith.ThanksgotoWinsor&Newtonforrespondingtomyquestionssoeffectively.ThankyoualsotoAngelaandJanicefortheirhelpandtoLorraineMcCreeryforthephotoreferenceonhere.Aspecialthankyoutomyhusbandandsonfortheirlove.
Contents
TheAppealofWatercolour
1BeingTransparent
2TheFusionofColour
3TheWayoftheBrush
4PlayingtheRightNote
5PaintingtheLight
6OpenForManipulation
7TheKissofSimplicity
8LearningtoSee
Gallery
WildIntervals25x102cm(10x40in)Watercolourcansuggestsomuchwithinitsgentleevocativeblends.
TheAppealofWatercolour
SunlightbathestheCloisters35.5x51cm(14x20in)Thetransparent,radianttintsofwatercolourconveylightwithamysteryhardtoemulateinotherpaintingmedia.
Itiseasytoseewhywatercolourissoappealing.Thebrillianceofthepigments,thetransparencyofthecolours,theirexoticnames,andtheinfinitevarietyofradiantblends,combinetoofferamediumofunsurpassedquality.Mixedwithwater,laidonpaper,easytocarry,andquicktoapply,watercolourissupremelypracticalforanyonewantingtopaint.Shimmeringlightanddeliciousdarksaretheprovinceofwatercolour,addingtothejoyofworkingwithsuchasatisfyingmedium.Allthesequalitiesarethedistinctivecharacteristicsofthisversatilemedium.Theygiveitauniqueidentityandaretheessenceofwatercolour.
ACaptivatingMedium
ThemoreIpaintwithwatercolourthemoreimpressedIbecomewiththemedium.Itsintrinsicbeauty,andthebrilliance,radianceandtransparencyofitspigments,seemtooffermorethantheopportunitytomakepaintingsofbreathtakingbeauty.Choosingthepigments,brushesandpaperisanaestheticexperienceinitself;mixingcoloursinthepaletteisimmenselysatisfying;makingbrushmarksisathrill;andevenwatchingpaintdrybecomesafascinationastheflowingcoloursblend.Researchingthescienceofwatercolour’sactiononpaperforthisbookhasmademefallinlovewiththemediumevenmore!Soperfectlysuitedtoitspurpose,thelessyouorderitaroundthemoreablyitperforms,andthemoreyouputyourtrustinthematerialsthefinerthereward.
ShoesWithAttitude51x51cm(20x20in)Watercolourhastheabilitytotransformsomethingordinary–eventheseshoes–intosomethingmagical.Thetransparent,fresh,brilliantcoloursmakesthislovelymediumsoappealing.
ABigHatinOxfordStreet15x15cm(6x6in)Thegentlediffusionofcolours,theuntouchedwhitepaperforthehighlights,andtheirregularedgetothebrushstroke,arethreeofwatercolour’smost-lovedcharacteristics.
LayitandLeaveitYet,withallthesebenefitswatercolourremainsaverychallengingmedium.Whenconfrontedwithasheetofwhitepaperthereisoftenfearinthefirstbrushstroke,theadrenalinepumps,thestomachchurns,anxietyishigh.Why?Unlikeoilsoracrylics,watercolourisessentiallyakineticmedium–thewet
pigmentsmoveonthepaper.Thismeansthepaintermaynotalwaysfeel,orbe,incontrolofthemediumandthiscanbeintimidating.Onceyouunderstandwhatmighthappen,however,youcanharnessthisactionandencourageittoheadinthedirectionyoudesire.Soonyouwilltrusttheperfectedpigments,silkysablesandtactilepaperstoupholdtheirpromise,andtheresultsreflectedinyourpaintingswillincreaseyourconfidence.Watercolourwelcomesdecisiveness,itdoesnotreallylikeprevarication.My
mottohasbecome‘Layitandleaveit’.Planthepainting,mixthepigment,laythebrushstrokesandthenleavethewatercolourtoworkitsownmagiconthepaper.
Thisistheessenceandartofwatercolourpainting.
CastlesintheSand13x18cm(5x7in)Manyofthedelightfuleffectsofwatercolouroccurafterthebrushhasleftthepaper.
FullofSurprisesWatercolouroftensurprises.Itisnotanexactscience.Theartistsetsthepaintinginmotion,buttheoutcomeisnotcertain.Thewatercolourtakesonalifeofitsownandanythingcanhappen.Sometimestheresultsurpassestheartist’shopes,butthereisalsotheriskoffailure–thisisallpartofthethrill.Theaimofthisbookistohelpyougainconfidencethroughgreaterknowledgeofwhatyoucanexpectfromthisremarkablemedium.Toencourageyoutoexploitthepropertiesofwatercolourtothefullandtomakeyoulessafraidofstrengthofcolourandbrazenbrushstroke,practisethetechniquesusingthe‘Explore’spreadsattheendofeachchapter.Knowinghowtoachieveclarity,transparencyandradiancewillputyouinthedrivingseat.
Fynbos(detail)7.5x10cm(3x4in)Saltdroppedintoawashcreatesdelightfulpatternsasthewaterevaporates.
TheThrilloftheChaseMyunderstandingofhowwatercolourbehavesisgleanedthroughmanyyearsofpractice,andIamstilllearning.IdonotbelieveIcanconquerthismediumanditisthatchallengethatkeepsmyadrenalinerunninghighwhenfacedwithasheetofwhitepaper.AlmosteverypaintingImakeisanexperiment,achancetofindoutsomethingmoreaboutwatercolour.Ilovethismedium.Ilovetheintenseconcentrationitdemands,theblissofbeingtotallycaughtupinthepainting,thelureofsuchbeautifulcolours,suchsensuousbrushes,suchtemptingpaper.Formethetimespentmixinginthepalette,waitingfortherightmomenttoaddeventhetiniesttouchofpigmentisjustasexcitingasmakingthebrushstrokesonthepaper.Thefinishedresultisnomoreimportantthanthejoyofthepaintingprocess.
Valetta25x35.5cm(10x14in)Theimmediacyofblendedcolourscouldberuinedifthispaintingwastakenanyfurther,eventhoughinmyplanningithadonlyjustbegun!Themediumofwatercolourissodynamicthatapaintingcanbeconsidered‘finished’atanystage.
1BeingTransparent
SleepingLions56x76cm(22x30in)Transparentwatercolourbestowsawarmglowontheselionessesdozingintheshade.
Thetransparencyofwatercolourisitsmostintriguingasset.Rich,exoticpigments,dilutedwithwaterandlaidonpaper,glowasiflightitselfemanatedfromthemyriadhues.Therearedozensofjewel-likecolourstochoosefrom,eachwithdifferentlevelsoftransparency,andthewhiteofthepaperoffersalight-reflectingbackgroundtoaddtotheirbrilliance.Thesheervarietyisatreasure-trovefortheartist,butcanalsoleadtomisapplicationandconfusion.Learninghowtousethesepropertiestoyouradvantageistheintendedaimofthischapter–tomaketransparency,transparent!
ResonantPigments
Watercoloursaremadebycombiningfinelygroundpigmentwithabinder,usuallygumArabicfromtheacaciatreesofAfrica.Whentheartistaddswaterthebinderdissolves,carryingtheparticlesofpigmentinsuspensionandenablingthepaintertospreadcolourfreelyacrossthepaper.Thewaterevaporatesandthegumdries,providingadhesionforthepigmentuponthesurfaceandallowingtheartisttoapplylayeruponlayerofresonatingcolourswithoutdisturbingthecoloursunderneath.Lightshinesthroughthepigmentlayersandisreflectedbackfromthewhitepaper,creatinganextraordinaryanduniqueradiance.Someofthepigmentparticlesalsocauserefractionofthelight,addingtotheluminosity.
Theradianceofwatercolourisapparenteveninthepalette.HerethetransparentcoloursPrussianBlue,IndianYellow,Aureolin,PermanentRoseandWinsorVioletmingletogethertomakeawealthofsecondaryhues.
ThetransparentcoloursUltramarineBlue,PermanentRoseandAureolincanbeoverlaidandcontinuetomaintaintransparency.
Manyofthevibrantpigmentsmadefrommetalparticles–forexample,CadmiumsRed,OrangeandYellow,CobaltBlue,CeruleanBlueandManganeseBlue–areopaque.
TransparentorOpaqueAllwatercoloursaretransparentwhendilutedwithwater,butsomearelesstransparentorevenopaqueintheirconcentratedform.Thetransparentpigmentsremaintransparenthoweverthicklytheyaremixed.Theyarebrightandclearandcanbeoverlaidinsuccessiveglazeswithoutlosingtransparency.Theycanbemixedtogetherwithoutlosingclarityand,inconcentration,formdeep,cleardarks.Theopaquecoloursarestrongorbrilliantinhueandhavegreatcoveringpower.
Theycanbeusedtoaddbrilliancetoawashorchangethetoneofapicture.Theiropacityinadenseformmeanstheycanoverridedarksandrestoreareasoflight.Becausetheyareopaquetheywilllessenthetransparencyofamixandreducetransparencyinlayering,soifmisusedtheycancausedullormuddycolour.Togettoknowthepropertiesofacolour,rinseoffsmallamountsfromthe
brushinajarofcleanwater–transparentpigmentswilltintthewater,opaquepigmentswillturnitcloudy.
BrillianceandRadianceRadiancerequiresthegleamofreflectedlight,soatransparentcolourisbetterabletodeliverthemostradianthues.Theopaquecolours,especiallytheCadmiumcolours,arerenownedfortheirbrillianceandbrightnessofcolourand
thereforesupplythemostbrillianthues.Sinceallcoloursintheirdiluteformaretransparentitisonlywhenitcomestotintingandlayeringthatyouhavetobeawareoftransparencyoropacity.Goodqualityartists’watercoloursusealettercodetoindicatehowacolourwillperform:T(Transparent),ST(SemiTransparent),SO(SemiOpaque),O(Opaque).
ByAnyOtherName15x20cm(6x8in)Theradianceofafragileroseismatchedbytheradianceofthreetransparentwatercolours,IndianYellow,PermanentRoseandPrussianBlue.
TheRaceIsOn40.5x35.5cm(16x14in)TheopaquecoloursCadmiumRed,CadmiumYellowandCobaltBluedeliverbrillianthues.
LayeringColourWatercolourscanbemadeupofsuccessivelayersoftransparentcolour,creatingawidervarietyoftonesandhuesfromveryfewcolours.Subtleandvibrantsecondaryandtertiarycoloursarecreatedfromoverlappinglayers,oftenhavingamoreluminousappearancethanifthecoloursweremixedtogetherinthepalette.Theamountofwaterandthetransparencyoropacityoftheoverlayingcolour
determineshowmuchitalterstheundertone.Theorderofapplicationalsovariestheresultingcolour–thusagreencreatedfromablueoverayellowwilldifferinhuefromthesameyellowpaintedoverthesameblue.Thisdifferenceisevenmorenoticeablewhenlayeringwithopaquesastheyhavemorecoveringpower.
InAdvanceofaVegetableSoup35.5x46cm(14x18in)Radianceinthefirstlayersofawatercolourisaportentforthesuccessofthefinishedpainting.Justafewcolourswerechosentomakethepainting,buttheoverlappingwashesmakemanymorehuesandtones.
MyriadHuesandTonesBuildingintransparentlayerscreatesamyriadofsubtlehuesandtonesacrossthepainting:ideallynolayercoverstheexactsameareaasapreviousoneandsomecharmingeffectsarecreatedbyleavingcertainpartsofaprecedingwashuntouchedbythenext.Ifyourfirstwashturnsouttobeatimidversionofanintendedcolour,leave
somethingoftheundertoneuntouchedbythenextanditwillnotbewasted.
StainingThepigmentsofmanywatercoloursstainthepaperandcannotbeliftedoff.Theseareparticularlygoodformakingtransparenttintsastheircolourcannotbedisturbedbysuccessivelayering.StainingcoloursareratedwiththecodeST,andincludemodernorganiccoloursandtraditionalpigmentssuchasPrussianBlue,AlizarinCrimson,AureolinandPermanentRose.
TheHillsAreAlive10x20cm(4x8in)ThestainingpropertyofPrussianBluemakesitanidealchoiceforsuccessivelayersofcolourinthissketchofrecedinghillsbesideanItalianlake.
WatchingPaintDryToensureunsulliedtransparencytheunderlyingcolourmustbecompletelydrybeforeanotherlayerisbrushedoverthetop.Thisisofparamountimportanceandmayrequiretheutmostpatience.Thispointcannotbeemphasizedenough;impatiencehasruinedmanypromisingwatercolours.Thebestwaytocheckpaintisdryistoviewthepaperfromananglewherethe
lightshinesonthesurface–ifitisdampitwillshine,ifitisdryitwillbematt.Ifthepaperisbuckledthenthewatercolourisalsoprobablystilldrying.Avoidthetemptationtotouchyourpapertocheckhowdryitis;firstlyyouwilldisturbthesettlingpigmentifitisnot,andsecondly,ifitis,youwillbetransferringgreasefromyourfingertothepaper.Besurethepaintisdryandthenwaitalittlelonger:muchofawatercolourist’s
lifeistrulyspentwatchingpaintdry!
Slumber30x40.5cm(12x16in)Thelioness’sheadisconstructedwithlayersoftransparentcolours.SuccessivebrushmarksofdiluteYellowOchreandPrussianBluewereonlyappliedwhenpreviouslayersweredry,thuskeepingthewashesundisturbedandthecoloursclean.
RegentStreet30x30cm(12x12in)InthisstreetsceneIndigo,Sepia,CadmiumRed,IndianRedandCeruleanBlue,allopaquepigments,remainvibrantandtransparentinasinglelayeringofthecolours.
MaintainingTransparencyToomanylayersofpaintwilleventuallykillofftransparency,aslightnolongerpermeates,soitpaystospendtimemixingcoloursinthepaletteandtobedecisive.Avoidthetendencytostrengthenordarkenatonebyapplyingrepetitivelayersofdilutepaintasthishastheeffectofdeadeningcolourratherthandeepeningit.Thevibranttransparencyoftheinitialwashonthewhitepaperisusedtogreatadvantagebythewet–in-wettechniqueofaddingcolourstothewetpaintandallowingthemtomingleinasinglelayeronthepaper.Thistechniqueisdiscussedindepthinthenextchapter.
Red,YellowandBlueUsingafewcoloursisthesurestwaytolearnaboutcolourandguaranteesharmonyinapainting.IntheWinsor&Newtonrangethethree‘primaries’are
classedasWinsorLemon(ST),WinsorBlue(T)andPermanentRose(T).Thistrioincludestwotransparentpaintsandasemitransparent/opaqueone,whichisagoodruleofthumbforathreesome.Chooseanythreecoloursthatleantowardsared,blueandyellowtomakeversatilecolourcombinations.Overlayorblendthetransparenttintstomakeinterestingsecondaryandtertiarycolours.Donotbeafraidtousetransparentcoloursbrazenly;ifyouendupwithgarishcolouryoucaneasilymuteitbyapplyingatintoftheoppositecolour.
ChoosingYourPaletteToensuretransparencyinyourwatercolourserronthesideofusingthetransparentcolours.Forexample,ifyounormallyuseLemonYellow(O)andCadmiumYellow(O)swapthemforAureolin(T)andIndianYellow(T)tomaketransparentfoliagegreens.Savetheopaquesforpullingpunchesofbrilliantcolour,blendthemwet-in-wet,orusethemforaddinghighlights.Familiaritywiththecoloursisanintegralpartofpainting.Limityourchoicetoaroundtwelvecoloursandgettoknowthemwell.
BrolliesattheBank30x30cm(12x12in)Versionsofablue,redandyellow–here,PrussianBlue(T),CadmiumRed(O)andRawUmber(T)–makeahappycombinationofthreecolours.Theblueandredmixtogethertomakealovelyblack.
SplashingOut76x56cm(30x22in)Flowersareagreatsubjectforgettingtoknowyourcolours.ThisdisplayofferedthechancetocomparetransparentWarmOrange(T)withopaqueCadmiumOrange(O),andtheopportunitytotrydifferentviolets:CaputMortuumViolet(O),UltramarineViolet(T)CobaltViolet(ST)andPermanentMauve(T).
BigHippo56x71cm(22x28in)Totraptheheatinthispaintingthehippowaspaintedwithwarmandcoolreds,plusawarmblueandwarmbrown.ThecolourswereCadmiumRed,AlizarinCrimson,UltramarineBlueandBurntUmber.
TailsintheAir23x30cm(9x12in)Thewarthogs,withtheirpredominanceofPrussianBlue,appearmuchcoolerincolourtemperaturethanthehippointhepaintingopposite.
TheTemperatureofColourColoursareaffectedbytheircolourbias,knownascolourtemperature–warmcoloursveertored,coolcoloursleantoblue,orred’soppositecolour,green.Thewaycoloursaredescribedindicatestheirhueandtheircolourbias,soAlizarinCrimsonisdeemedacoolredbecauseitisaredhueveeringtowardsblue.UltramarineBlueisawarmbluebecauseitleanstowardsred.Tomakethebrightestmixturesandtoproducetheclearestlayeringof
transparenttints,combinecoloursofthesametemperature.Thusabrightorangecouldbemadewithawarmred(CadmiumRed)andawarmyellow(IndianYellow).Abrightgreencouldbemadefromacoolyellow(Aureolin)andacoolblue(PrussianBlue).Sincemixingoroverlayingcoloursoflikebiasgivesyouthebrightestversionof
acolour,soitfollowsthatmoresubtlecoloursareachievedbymixingoroverlayingcoloursofoppositebias.Acombinationofacoolandawarmcolourmeansameasureofeachofthethreeprimarieshasbeenincludedinthemix.Thisisespeciallyhelpfulwhenmixingfoliagegreens–forinstance,PrussianBlue(cool)andBurntSienna(warm)makeadelicious,non-garish,transparentgreen.ThecoloursIuseregularlyarelistedbelow.Mostofthemaretransparentand
thereisacoolandwarmversionofeachoftheprimarycolours.
COOLCOLOURSAureolin(T)AlizarinCrimson(T)PrussianBlue(T)PermanentRose(T)WinsorViolet(T)Indigo(O)Sepia(O)
WARMCOLOURSIndianYellow(T)CadmiumRed(O)UltramarineBlue(T)YellowOchre(SO)BurntSienna(T)RawUmber(T)BurntUmber(T)
2TheFusionofColour
VibrantCity23x30cm(9x12in)Herethecolourswereaddedintheorderofthespectrum,creatingotherhuesandshadesastheymingled.
Watercolourisrenownedforitsdeliciouspassagesofblendedcolours.Astwocoloursmeetandmergenewcoloursarebornandthedividinglinebetweenthemblurs.Mysteryliesintheseblends–theartistmaylayonthecolours,butasthecoloursminglethereisalwaysanelementofsurprise,andgloriousthingscanhappen.Hereinliescreation:thatwhichtheartistsetsinmotiontakesonalifeofitsownandproducessomethingunexpected.Itisthisthatmakeswatercoloursuchanexcitingandtrulycreativemediumtouseandtobehold.
BlendingColoursTheactionofblendingwatercolouronpaperistermedwet-in-wettechnique.
Beautifuleffectsarecreatedasdifferentpigmentsintermingle.Coloursmustbewellmixedinthepaletteandnottoowatery.Thefirstcolourislaidandtheothercolourorcoloursareaddedbesideorintoitwhilethefirstisstillwet.Thisresultsinthepigmentsblendingonthepaper,creatingnewandundeterminedcolourswherethetwomeetandmerge.
YoungOnes56x76cm(22x30in)Lovelyblendsareachievedwithwet-in-wettechniqueashigherconcentrationsofBurntSiennaandWinsorVioletdiffuseintothelowerconcentrationsofdiluteYellowOchreandPrussianBlue.
WildClash51x76cm(20x30in)VerywetwashesofRawUmber,BurntUmberandPrussianBluewereblendedtogetheronroughkhadipapertodescribetheroundedformsofthesparringelephants.WinsorVioletwasadded,undiluted,forthedarks.
TakingControlImaginewhatisphysicallyhappeninghere.ThepigmentgrainssuspendedinthesolutionofgumArabicandwaterspreadoutwardsintothefirstwash,minglingtogetherwheretheymeettocreateathirdcolour.Theamountofwatermixedwiththepigmentdetermineshowfaronecolourtravelsintotheother–plentyofwaterandthecolourwillrunalongwayintothefirstwash;littlewateranditwillbarelymove.Thisiswherethecontroloftheartistcomesin.Ifyouwanttheaddedcolourtospreadalongwayintothefirstwashmakeawetmixture;ifyouwishtopreventspreadinguselittleornowater.Youhavecontroloverthedistancetheaddedwashwilltravelsimplybyalteringtheamountofwaterinyourmix.
Poise56x76cm(22x30in)ThespotsonthecheetahwereaddedintothewetwashwithneatSepia,straightfromthetube.Thepigmentpicksupthewaterintheexistingwashandisdilutedonthepaper,thuspreventingthepigmentspreadingoutuncontrollablyintomisshapenspots.
TimingTimingiseverything.Ifthefirstwashisverywetthenewwashwillspreadfarintothefirst;ifitisalmostdryitwillnotmoveoutatall.OncedryingoccursthepigmentgranulessettleevenlyintothetopmostlayerofthepaperandarefixedinplacebythegumArabicsothatblendingcannolongeroccur.Disturbingthepigmentgrainsastheyareabouttodrywillresultinunevenwashes,and…mud.Thinkofthepigmentparticlesaspixels,allsettlingneatlyonthepaperinrandombutorderlyspacing.Ifyougoinanddisturbthemastheyaredryingtheywillbunchupintoclumpsandlosetheirevenlie.
JesusBird20x28cm(8x11in)Theundersideofthebird’sbellywastouchedintothedampBurntSiennawashwithveryconcentrated,almostdry,pigmenttoensurethecolourremainedstrongasitpickedupwaterfromthepreviouswash.
IntensityThesecretofblendingcoloursistogoinearlywiththesecondwashorcolourassoonasyoucan,beforedryingcantakeplace,andcontroltheoutwardspreadbylimitingtheamountofwaterintheaddedwash.Thereisalreadywateronthepaperoncethefirstwashislaid,soyouneedless
waterinthesecondwash.Addthesecondwashwhilethefirstwashiswet,usingamixofdrier,moreconcentratedcolour.Itwillbecomemorediluteasitabsorbsthewaterfromthefirstwash.Toomuchwaterinthesecondwashanditwillfloodintothefirstwashandpush
thepigmentgrainsaway,thuscreatingabackrun.Toolittleandthepigmentswillnotmix.Boththesesituationscanberemediedifyouactquickly:addmorepigmentintoawaterywash,andaddmorewaterintodrypigment.Butinbothinstancesdothiscarefully,andbydroppingin,ortouchingin,thewaterorcolour,ratherthanbrushingiton,soasnottodisturbthesettlingpigmentgrains.Thecolourmaylookdarkonthepalette,especiallyonaplasticpalette,sotestitonapieceofpaperfirstbeforeriskingitonthepainting.Rememberthatitistheblendingofdifferentpigmentsthatlookslovely,notthemergingoftintedwater.
AShiftintheLight51x63cm(20x25in)Timingandjudgementareessential.Tocreatethedelicatedarkershadesoftheskintonesrequiredthegentlebrushinginofadrier,darkerversionofthefirstwashwhileitwasstilldamp.Theaimistobrushinthecolourwithonestroketoavoiddisturbingthelieofthewash.
HumidityOnnotwodaysarehumidityortemperatureexactlythesame,soitisimpossibletoofferanexactsciencerelatingtohowmuchpigmenttowateryouneedtomixforanygivenwashorblend.Inhighhumidity,damp,coldorstillweather,paintingstakelongertodrythanonhotandsunnyorwindydays.HencethereasontheEnglishbecamemastersofwatercolour!Inthemorningandevening,thecoolertimesoftheday,evaporationisslower.Ofcourseitispossibletopaintwet-in-wetinallweathersandatanytime,butyouhavetobebetterprepared,abletoworkmorequicklyandpossiblyonasmallerformatonfast-dryingdays.Thisdoesnotmeanitismoredifficult:fastdryingandfastdecisionsoftenmakethebestwatercolours.Thepaperyouusewillalsoaffectdryingtimesandtheamountofwateryoucansafelyplaywithinawashyetstillhavecontrol.Roughpaperstendtodrymoreslowlyandcantakemorewaterthansmoothpapers,
whileheavypapersdrymoreslowlyandcantakemorewaterthanlightpapers.Muchofpaintingisabouttrialanderror.Dryingtimescanonlybeascertainedwhenyoustartpainting.Bepreparedtopractise.
OkavangoDawn20x28cm(8x11in)Thesethreewatercolourswerepaintedunderconditionsofdifferenthumidity.Lookcloselyatthetreesalongthebanksineachpicture.Bythespreadofthepigmentyouwillbeabletotellhowdamp(ordry)theskywashwaswhenthetreesweretouchedinwet-in-wet.
OntheOtherBank20x28cm(8x11in)
TheRiverSeldomWaits20x28cm(8x11in)
SeanandYassenWeathertheStorm33x30cm(13x12in)Thepaperistilteddownwardtodirectthecoloursinthesky.
GravityGravityplaysamajorpartinpaintingwithwatercolour.Ifyouworkflatthepigmentinawashcanspreadevenlyandequallyoutwards;ifyouworkonaslopeorataverticalangle,thewashwillrundownwards.Ifthepaperbucklesthewetcolourwillfollowthedirectionofthedipsandwillpoolinthevalleys,sotakecarehowmuchwateryouuse.Thenatureofwatermakesitpossibletoworkwithwatercolouratanear-
verticalangle.Thewetpigmentflowsdownwards,sodryingoccursfasteratthetopofawashwhilepigmentlevelsincreaseorpoolatthebottom,thuscreatinggradualvariationsoftonewithinonewash.Usegravitytoyouradvantage:tilttheeaselorboardtodirecttheflowof
blendingpaint.
Tiltthepaperbackandforthtoencouragetheminglingofcolours.
Forconcentricshapeskeepyourboardflattoavoidtheactionofgravity.
BlueIstheSky40.5x51cm(16x20in)Theeaselwasangledmoresteeplywhenpaintingthesky,butlaidalmostflatwhentheSepiacentrewasaddedtothesunflower,toavoidmisshapingthepetals.
BackrunsBackrunsarebeautifulwhenyouwantthemandhighlyannoyingwhenyoudonot.Understandwhatcreatesthemandyoucanusethemtoyouradvantageandavoidthemhappeningbymistake.Backrunsoccurwhentoomuchwaterisaddedintoapreviouswash,orexcesswaterpoolsattheedgeofawashandpushesthepigmentbackintothedryingwash.Waterinanaddedwashwillspreadoutintothefirstwash,pushingthepigmentawaywithit,devoidingtheareaofmuchofthecolouredpigment.Beguilingpatternsoftenoccurattheedgeofthebackrun,suchasfeatheredfansordelicatespreadinglinearfingers,patternsyoucouldneverengineer,butlessattractivebackrunscanalsoresultandthesearehardtoobliterate.Ifyoudonotwantabackruntohappen,liftouttheexcessorpooledwaterwiththetipofthebrushorthecornerofasheetofkitchenroll.Soakupthewaterwithoutdisturbingthedryingpaint.Donotpatdry;youwilldisturbthedryingwash.Youcancontroltheextenttowhichabackrunwillspreadbythe
amountofwateryouallowtopoolandbytiltingthepaper.
IntheFootstepsoftheFauves,Collioure20x28cm(8x11in)Thedarkwashoverthesilhouettedtowerwasquitewetandpooledatthebase,formingabackrunabovethelineofthesand.Ifindbackrunsattractive,butiftheyforminadvertentlyleavethemuntilcompletelydryandtrytodisguisethemlater.Messingwiththemwillonlymakethemmorenoticeable.
ExplosioninaPot30x20cm(12x8in)Youcancreatethelookofabackrunbythrowingsaltintoaverywet,pigment-richwash.Thesaltdrawsinthepigment,leavinglighterareasarounditwithafeatheryedge.
3TheWayoftheBrush
TakingFlight56x76cm(22x30in)Theactionofthebrushstrokeenhancestheimpressionoftheswiftmovementofthefleeinggiraffe.
Thetransparencyandradianceofwatercolourisapparenteveninthepalette,butitisonlywhenthepigmentsarebrushedontopaperthattheycanliterallyshowtheircolours.Thefinestinstrumentforlayingwatercolouronpaperisthesablebrush.Whenyoubecomedeeplyinvolvedinapaintingthebrushbecomesanextensionoftheeye,linkedtothesoulthroughthedexterityofthehand.Likefavouritefountainpens,artistsbecomefondoftheirbrushes,trustingthemtodeliverthemarkstheydesire.
TheBrushstrokeTheaimofgoodbrushworkistoputmeaningintothebrushmarksandwashesandhenceintotheentirewatercolour.Skilfulbrushstrokesrequiredecentinstrumentsandalthoughsablebrushesaremoreexpensivethantheirsynthetic
counterpartsthedifferenceincostisworthwhile.Sablebrushesaremadeofnaturalhair,whichhastinybarbsalongitsstrands.Thesebarbstrapwateralongthelengthofthehair,andbetweenthehairs,sothebrushcanholdalotmorepigmentthanitsnylonbrother.Thetaperofnaturalhairbringsevenalargebrushtoafinepointatitstip.Thismeansthatapaintercanmakebroadwashesandfinelineswithjustonebrush,endowingmeaningintoeachshapelystroke.
Variegatedleavesarepaintedbybrushingcolourintodamppaint.
Thetipoftheroundsablebrushtouchesthepaperfirstandisthenpresseddowntopaintthewiderpartoftheleafandliftedoff,withatwist,tobringthetipbacktoapointreadyforthenextleaf.
Broaderleavesaremadewith‘joined-up’strokes.
ReleasingthePigmentSablebrushesgivethepaintermorecontroloverthereleaseofpaintonpaperthansyntheticbrushes.Thenaturalhairsgripthewetpigmentmixturesoitcanonlybereleasedwithpressure.Totestthedifference,loadanylonbrushwithwetpigmentandholdittipdownabovethepaper:thewetpaintwillflowdownthesmoothsyntheticfilamentswiththepullofgravityandeventuallydripontothepaper.Loadasablebrushwiththesamepigmentandthepaintwillstaywithinthebodyofthebrush;itcanonlybereleasedbyshakingorbypressingthebrushonthepaper.Thisisveryimportantinpaintingasitmeansthatsimplybyalternatingthepressureonthebrush,thepaintercanprohibitorenablethereleaseofpaintandtherebycreatevarietywithinasinglestroke.Topractisethis,pressdowntomakeasolid,flatwashandlightlyliftthebrushtobreakupthestroke.
ShapingtheStroke
Thewayyoumakeyourbrushstrokesiscrucialtothesuccessofawatercolour.Shapethebrushasyouload,bytwistingandturningitinthecolourmixedonthepalettetobringitsheadandtipintoshape.Holdthebrushlightlybetweenthefingersasyoupaint,twiddleitbetweenthethumbandforefinger,rollitontotheindexfinger.Asyoupaintbrushstrokesonpaperthebrushshouldberollingaroundcontinuallyinthesefingersandchangingitsangletothepaper,sometimesuprightsometimesleaning,bothforwardsandbackwards.Usethetipandbodyofthebrushtomakeapreciseshapewithonestroke.Avoidthetemptationtomakemeaninglessdabsandrepetitivemarks.Practisethisdexteritybyusingonebrushloadtomakemanydifferentshapes,
alternatingbetweenthetipofthebrushforafine,narrowlineandpressingdownthebodyofthebrushtogetthewidestmarkpossible.Createlargershapeswith‘joined-up’paintedareasratherthanoutliningandfillingin.
AutumnIsUponUs35.5x53cm(14x21in)Althoughalltheleavesaresimilaronthebranchtheyprojectatdifferentanglesandpresentavarietyofshapes.Twistandturnthebrushinyourhandtoparticularizethebrushmarkstohelpreflectthisvariety.
SizeMattersThefreshnessinawatercolourderivesfromtheleastnumberofbrushstrokesneededtomakeashapeorwash,sousethelargestbrushyoucanmanageforthesizeofimagechosen.Witharoundsable,size12–16,youcancreateanunblemishedwashmoreeasilyandinfewerstrokesthanwithasmallersize6.Mopsmadeofhairorflatbrushesarelessexpensivealternativestolargeroundsablesandallowyoutocoverlargeareasquicklyandsuccessfully.Largeflatbrushesareparticularlyversatile.Theymakeneat,straightedgesand
attractivebrokenbackstrokes.Theycanbeusedontheirsidestomakedynamicstreaksandcarrylesswaterthanaroundbrushsoareeasiertocontrol.In
watercolour,thelesstimesyoutouchthepaperwiththebrushthebetterthepaintingislikelytobe.Imagineyouareonlyallowed50brushstrokestomakeapainting–youwouldmakeeachbrushstrokecount!
Aroundsable,size6or8,istheperfectbrushformakingasketchthissize.
Incoming36x28cm(14x11in)Theelephant’scharacteristicsarepaintedwithpertinentmarksmadebylargebrushes–asize12roundsableanda25mm(1in)flat.Theelephantisthereforecompletedinveryfewbrushstrokes,encapsulatingenergywithinthepainting.
TheEdgeoftheStrokeEverymarkonapaintingcountstowardthewhole.Theboundariesofthebrushstrokeandthebordersofthewasharebrimmingwithvitality.Wetwashesonsmoothpapersgivecleanedges,whiledrierwashesandroughpaperscreateirregularity.Watercolourlovestoentertaintheeyewiththisvariety.Makestrokesthatdifferoneithersidebyvaryingthepressureontheheadandheelofthebrushasyoulaythestroke.Workingonaroughpaperhelpsthiseffectaspaintcatchesonthehillsandmissesthevalleysofthetexturedsurface.
Thesmoothandraggededgestothebrushstrokesthatmakeupthesepenguinsarefashionedbyholdingthebrushatanacuteangletothepaperandpressingmorefirmlyonthetipthantheheel.
SidebySide18x28cm(7x11in)Thefragmentingeffectofthedrybrushstrokeisperfectforthesparkleoflightonwater.
DryBrushmarks‘Drybrush’isanunevenbrushmarkthatlaysadelightfulfragmentedpatinaofpaintonthesurfaceofthepaper.Itisbeautifulasbothasinglelayeronwhitepaperandasaglazethatallowstheundertonetoshimmerthrough.Despiteitsname,itisnotmadewitheitheradrybrushordrypaint.Itiscreatedbylightlybrushingthepaperwiththesideofathinlyloadedbrush–thelesspressureused,thelesspaintisreleased,andtherougherthepaperthemorefragmentedthestrokewillappear.
LayingWashesLayingtransparentwashesofuniformorgraduallychangingcolourisoneofthemostthrillingtasksinwatercolourpainting.Sweepthepaintontothepaperinonedirection,withaslargeabrushaspossible,andthepigmentparticleswillsettleinanimmediate,spontaneous,well-balanceddistribution,creatingaclean,cleartransparentwash.Layingawashrequiresseveraladjoiningoroverlapping
brushstrokes.Workfromthemostconcentratedcolourtotheleastintense,evenifitmeansworkingupsidedown,andonceanareaiscovereddonotgobackoverit;thecolourislaid,leavewellalone.
Atwo-colourblendedwashAlargebrushaidstheblendingofcolours.Onlysweepinonedirectionforaperfectwash.
Amulti-colouredblendedwashSeveralcolourscanbeblended,onebelowtheother.Preparetheminthepalettesotheycanbeappliedwetbesidewet.
AgraduatedskywashClearskiescanbepaintedwithgraduatedwashes.Startwiththemostconcentratedpaintfirstandgraduallydilute.
AvariegatedwashAvariegatedwashismadeupofseveralcolours.Paintthepalestcoloursfirst,thenaddthedarkerhueswet-in-wet.
TheedgeofawashTheborderofawashisimportant.Theraggededgeatthebaseofthedunewashmakesamoreinterestingboundarywiththeforegroundthananevenline.
LeaveWellAloneItfeelsgoodtobrushpaintonpaperanditishardtoresistaddingmore
brushstrokes,butrepeatedlypaintinganareawillnotimproveit.Ifyoupaintbydraggingyourbrushbackandforth,overandoverthesamespot,youwillpreventthenaturalsettlementofthepigmentandlosethechanceofoptimumclarity.Watercolourissotolerantthatitwilloftenletyougetawaywiththis,but
bewareifyouthenbrushyetmoredilutedcolouroveradryingwash:youwilldisturbthegrains,pushingthepigmentintoclumps,andthusthedreadedmudisborn!Yourjobisdoneoncethebrushstrokeismade.Leavetherestuptothe
watercolouranditwilllookfreshandshimmering.
TakeTwo(AfricanSunsets)12.5x18cm(5x7in)Brushingintheskyforasunsettakesonlyafewsecondsandthetemptationistokeeponbrushing,especiallyasittakesawhiletodry.Haveasparesketchpadreadysoyoucanstartanotherpaintingratherthanwreckthefreshnessofthefirst.
IntheMoment46x66cm(18x26in)Somecolourshaveatendencytogranulateonthepaper,givinganaturaltexturetoawash.Ifleftalonetosettleadelightfulpatinaemerges.HereyoucanseethegranulationofRawUmberacrossthebackground,inthehair,andonthejersey.
VenetianDusk,SantaMariadellaSalute25x20cm(10x8in)Thepaperwaswettedbeforelayingapaleyellowskywashtoensureitstayeddamplongenoughfortheintroductionofthedarkstreaksfortheclouds.
TheGlowofAureolinintheMorning35.5x46cm(14x18in)Inthispreliminarysketchthebackgroundareahasbeenwettedpriortolayingthevariegatedwashtoencourageagentleminglingofthedarkcoloursandtoavoid‘seams’whenreloadingthebrush.
WettingPaperForalargewashitdefinitelyhelpstowetthepaperbeforeyoustartasthisgreatlyassiststheflowofthepaintandencouragesthemergingofbrushstrokes.Whenyoudampenthepaperbeawarehowmuchwateryouarelaying,knowingthattheamountofwateronthepaperwillfurtherdilutethepaint.Wettingthepaperbeforeapplyinganindividualbrushstrokeensuresasoft
gentleedgetoastroke.Ifyouwanttheedgeofastroketodisappearaltogether,wetthepaperbeyondwheretheappliedpaintcanflow(thismaymeanwettingtoafullerextentthanyouexpectuntilyougetusedtowatchingpaintonthemove).Aspaintcreepstowardstheedgeofthewettedareausegravitytotiltitbacktothesource.Donotbetemptedtoincreasethewettedareaoncethepigmentisadded–thenewlyaddedwaterwillmovebacktowardstheadvancingpigmentanddisrupttheevenflow.
TheFirstWashIstheFreshestThemostappealing,vibrantpassagesofwatercolourarethosethataredirectandimmediate.Aimtoachievethemostyoucanassoonasyoucanandwiththeminimumofmeans.Takeyourtime,donotrush,butdonotvacillateeither.Sinceasinglelayerofwatercolourwithasubtlechangeofhueortonewithinitsspanisasourceofbeguilingradiance,whynotputallyourenergyintomakingthatonestroke,thatonewash,work.Spendyourtimeinthepalettemixingtotherightconsistency,hueandtone,thenyouwillbereadytoputfullconcentrationintolayingthepaint.Themostdirectwaytoachievethisistoworkwet-in-wet,addingdarkertoneorchangeofhueintothefreshlylaidbrushstrokeorwashsotheblendisachievedwithinthesinglelayerofpaint.
Theinterminglingofcoloursthatoccursinafreshwet-in-wetbrushstrokehasdirectappeal.
Braids40.5x30cm(16x12in)Byworkingwet-in-wetthispaintingofaHimbagirlwasmadeprimarilywithasinglelayerofdiluteLightRedintowhichsubtleanddramaticchangesofhueandtonewereadded–asaresult,freshnessprevails.
4PlayingtheRightNote
ThePope’sDoor,Pienza40.5x51cm(16x20in)Three-dimensionalformisconveyedbythevariousdifferenttonesthatplayacrosstheangledsurfaces.
Successinfigurativepaintingisinextricablylinkedtotonalvalue.Thehueofacolourmayleadtheheart,butthemindispersuadedbytone.Toneisthelanguageofform,spaceanddepth.Balanceoflightandshadecreatestheillusionthatthreedimensionsexistwithinthetwo-dimensionalexpanseofpaper,drawingtheviewerintothepainter’sworld.Thehuesofwatercolourpigmentsaresuchbeguilingsirensthattheyoftendistracttheunwarypainterfromtheprimacyoftoneandmanyalovelypassageofpainthastobesacrificedwhentoneisnothonouredfromthestart.
TonalValues
Tone,ortonalvalue,representsthepalenessordarknessofacolouranddescribestherelativeamountoflightanobjectisreceiving.Alighttonesuggestssomethingislit,whileadarktonesuggestsitisinshadow.Infigurativepaintinganinterestingcompositionisusuallymadeupofasatisfying,orconvincing,balanceoflight,darkandmidtones.Acolourismadeupofbothhueandtone.Theactualcolourofapigmentis
calleditshue;theshadefrompaletodarkiscalleditstone.Confusionoftenariseswhenadarkhueislit,orwhenalighthueisinshadow:insteadofassessingthetoneofthecolourthehueisseentodominate,especiallyifitisstrong,andthetonalvaluesofthepaintingbecomemuddled.
Aquicktonalsketchsimplifiedthedinghyonthewaterintothreemaintones:thelightanddarktonesoneithersideofthehullandthemidtoneofthewater.
Inthecolouredsketchthetonalbalanceismaintained,buttheaddedhuesintroduceanincreasedrange.
MyFather46x30cm(18x12in)Toneisclearlyvisibleinablack-and-whiteworld.Paintingafaceinmonochromeallowstheeyetoconcentrateonthetoneswithoutthedistractionofcolour.
SeeingtheTonesWhenyouobserveyoursubjectlookfortherangeoftonesfromlighttodark.Inpaintingtoneisalwaysrelative,ratherthanabsolute,soyouwillbethinkingintermsof‘lighterthan’or‘darkerthan’.Beawarethatthelightesttonemaynotbewhite,northedarkesttoneblack.Determinethestrengthofeachtoneinrelationtoanotherandinrelationtothewhole.Theeasiestwaytoassesstoneistoscrewupyoureyesuntilthehuesofthe
coloursdiminishandthelightsandshadesprevail.Thisvisualreductionisthekeytotheinformationyouneedforawatercolour–thehighlightsanddarksremainvisible,butareasofsimilartoneuniteandnon-essentialdetailsvanishorblur.Trytosimplifythesubjectintothreemaintonalvalues–thehighlights,thedarksandthemidtones.
LightCastsaGlance76x56cm(30x22in)Aharmonyofdeepeningtonesgentlybuildstheformofthisgracefulnude.PaleYellowOchreistheundertone,followedbyBurntSiennaforthewarmmidtodarktonesandadashofmauveforthecoolershadows.
RisingDust(detail)10x15cm(4x6in)Theaugmentationoftheinnatetonesofyellow,redandblue(light,mediumanddark),appliedinsequence,constructsthebulkyformsoftheelephants,whiletheblendingofthethreehuesonthepapermakesthelivelygrey.
BuildingToneTheeaseofdilutionwithwaterandthetransparentnatureofwatercolourpigmentsmakesiteasytobuilduparangeoftonesfromlighttodarkbothinthepaletteanddirectlyonthepaper.Earlypaleundertonescanbeusedtoestablishthelayoutofyourcomposition,
leavingareasofuntouchedwhitepaperforthehighlights.Themidtonesarebuiltontop,overlappingtomakemore,andthedarktonesarestrucklast.Thebeautyofatransparentmediumisthatyoucanworkinanyorder,andwithanumberoflayers,tocreatethetonalstructureofthepainting.Thismeansyoucanadaptthemethodtothecircumstances.Forexample,ifyouwereworkingoutsideonasunnydaythepositionsoftheshadowscouldberecordedintransparentbluesorvioletsrightatthestart,orlaidasglazesattheend,orbrusheddirectlyinasinglelayer,wet-in-wet,mergingwiththeobjectsthatcastthem.
SurrenderDetailThedetailsthatbecomeindistinguishablewhenyouhalfcloseyoureyestojudgetonalvaluesaremostlythosethatareunnecessaryinthewatercolour.Thereisnoneedtotelltheviewereverything;weknowhowtheworldlooks,butwehave
neverseenyourpaintingbefore.Yourvision,yourinterpretation,istheappeal;thewayyouusewatercolouristheattraction.Decideyourfocus,concentrateyourenergyintothatandlettherestofthepaintingserveassupport.Sacrificeirrelevantdetailtotheoveralltonalbalance.
CapriviKraals18x30cm(7x12in)Thereweremanymorefenceposts,roofsupports,bushesandothersuperfluousdetailsinthisscene,butthemainlightsandshadesareallthatwereneededtoevokethisfragmentofAfricanliving.
VanGogh’sSunflowers,Cézanne’sTable,Uzès20x28cm(8x11in)Theshapeofthesunflowerbloomsfacingthelighthaveacrisp‘found’edgeagainstthedarkbackground,whereastheflowersfacingawayfromthelightaresoft,‘lost’inthebackgroundwash.
LostandFoundSimplifyingthetonalvaluesmeansjoiningupareasofsimilartone.Thisisespeciallytruewhenpaintingshadowsanddarks,andthismethodoftenhelpscreateamarvelloussenseofmystery.AllowareasinshadowtodissolveIntooneanother,sothatdistinctionis
blurred.Anyshape,lineorforminthedarknessthatneedsemphasiscanbesuggestedwet-in-wetwithmoreconcentratedpigment.Thiswillsuggestdetailexistswithoutalteringtheoveralltone.Highlightsbycontrastbenefitfromcrispedgesand,justasdetailsdissolvein
thedarks,soextremelightalsobleachesoutdetail.Highlightsmayalsobelinkedinashapethatincludesseveralitems.
Themidtoneofthebackgroundbringsthehighlightsandshadowsintoplayontheseside-litfigures.Theslightlydarkerwallhelpsthedarkertonesblendwithoutcompetingwiththem,settingupanattractivecounterchangeoftone.
CounterchangeVariety,bothsubtleandblatant,isanimportantingredientinwatercolourpainting.Therelativecontrastoflightanddarktonesisthelifebloodofawatercolour.Ifyourpaintinglooksdullthefirstpointtocheckisthatthereisasufficientlyinterestingtonalrangethroughoutthepainting.Confirmthatdarkerandlightertonesalternateacrossthepaintedsurfaceandthatwithinthewashesandbrushstrokesthereissometonalvariation.Tonalcounterchangenotonlyappealstotheeyebutcreatesdepthinthe
painting.Byplacingalight-tonedfeatureinfrontofadarkerone,thepainterconvincestheviewerthatoneobjectliesinfrontoftheotherandthusalludestospace.Strongtonalcontrastandawiderangeoftonesincreasetheillusionofspaceandstrengthentheimpressionofthree-dimensionalform.
Herethecounterchangeisagainstanalternatingbackgroundtone.Thefurtherfigureisdarkagainstalightbackground,whilethenearerfigureislightintoneagainstabackgroundofdarkertrees.
Clambering20x25cm(8x10in)Beingboldkeepsthepaintingfreshandalive.Thedark-tonedrockswerepaintedwithone‘joinedup’washofastrongdarkmixofBurntUmberandUltramarineBlue.
BeBoldTheappearanceofvisualspontaneityinawatercolourarisesfromthemostimmediateapplicationofbrushstrokesandwashes.Itisthereforetoyouradvantagetolaycolourintherighttoneatfirstapplicationorasearlyaspossible.Attemptingtodarkenatonewithlayeruponlayerofsimilarlyweakcolourwillresultindullnessratherthanstrength.Donotbeafraidofthedark,butaimtobebold.Itisheartbreakingtohavepaintedsomelovelywatercolourwashesonlytofindtheyaretooweakandmustbereworkedtomakestructuralsenseinthepainting.Onceoverpaintedthesewasheslosetheirimmediateappealandtheghastlysenseofregretstartstoseepin.Thissapsconfidenceandthenetresultisafeelingoffailure.Beingboldmaynotalwaysworkbutusingstrongcoloursandmakingbravebrushstrokeshastheemotionalresultofincreasingconfidence.
5PaintingtheLight
VenetianShades,StMark’sSquare30x40.5cm(12x16in)Thewhitepaperandtransparenthuesofwatercolourareexcellentatcapturingtheeffectsofsunlight.
Watercolourisrenownedforitsabilitytoportraylightinapainting.Watercolourpaperisacreamyoff-white,andyetsuchistheluminosityofthevirginpaperthatthesegmentsleftuntouchedbetweenbrushstrokesandwithinwashesrenderthepresenceoflightperfectly.Sincelightisrepresentedbyuntouchedwhitepaperitfollowsthatitisimpossibletopaintlight.Onlybypaintingtheshadesurroundingthelightcanlightbemadevisibleinawatercolour.
Thehighlightsonthetopsofhatsandbentbacksareuntouchedwhitepaper,deliberategapsleftintheViridianwash.
ReservingWhitePaperThewhitepaperprovidesthebrightesthighlightsinwatercolour,soitisnecessarytosafeguardthoseareasfrombrushstrokesorwashes.Inasimplesketchorcompositionthisisastraightforwardmatterofleavingspacesbetweenthebrushstrokesortakingpressureoffthebrush,butinamorecomplexdesignitrequiresplanning.Apencildrawingmakesagoodguideforthebrush,totellitwhereitcanandcannotgo.Themarksshouldbefluidandlightandcanbemadewithanythingfromasoft2Bpenciltodarkgraphite.Aimtoruboutaslittleaspossibletoavoiddisturbingthepristinesurfaceofthepaperanduseaputtyrubberwhentheneedarises.Itisquiteallrighttoleavethepencilmarksshowinginawatercolourandoncecoveredwithpainttheycannotbeerased.
DuskyCanal15x35.5cm(6x14in)Becauseofthemanyhighlightsinthiscanalscene,apreliminarypencilsketchwasmadetomarkwherethewhitepapershouldbeleftuntouched.
RunninginBareFeet38x56cm(15x22in)Theshapesofthewhite-paperhighlightsontheclothingarefairlyspecificandbenefitfromtheimmediacyofthebrushstrokes.Theyareindicativeofthemovementinthefabricsasthechildrenrun.
LozengesofLightThefreshestwatercoloursarethoseinwhichtheshapesofthehighlightsaremadebythegapsbetweenthesmoothandroughedgesofthesurroundingbrushstrokes.Trynottofollowyourpencillinestoocarefully–theshapesoflightdonothavetobeexact.Ambiguityandvarietyaregreatassetsinawatercolourandoftenitisthequirkyshapesoflightthatlendthemostshimmertoapainting.
StreetArt30x25cm(12x10in)Lookingtowardsthelightsourceistermed‘contrejour’.Thisbacklitdirectionpresentsinterestingpatternsoflightandshadowstotheartist.
DirectionoftheLightItisimportanttobeconsistentwiththedirectionofthelight.PaintingoutsidewillmakeyoumoreawareofthisastheEarth’smovementchangesthedirectionofthelightandtheswiftprogressofshadowscanbeeasilyfollowed.Photographscaptureamomentintime,soworkingfromasingleimagewillgiveyouaconsistentlightsource,butifyouarepiecingtogetheracompositionfromseveralsketchesorphotosmakesureyoumaintainharmonyinthelight.Undernormaldaylight,thetopsidesofobjectswillcatchthelight.Inthemorningandafternoonthelightwillcomefromalowerangleandlightthesidesaswell.Alwaysnotethedirectionofthelight–thewhitepaperhighlightsmustbeonthelitsideofanyobject,andifyouunwittinglyleavesliversofwhitepaperontheshadedorundersidesofyoursubjectthepaintingwillnotmakesense.
MultipleHighlights
Inacomplexpaintingwithmanyhighlightsalatexliquidcalledmaskingfluidisoftenusedtopreservesmallareasofwhitepaper.Ithasatendencytomakeglobular-shapedhighlightsunlessyouapplyitwithcarefulattention,butitsusemeansyoucanfreelypaintwashesacrossthepaperwithoutfearandsogivesconfidenceandfreedomofmovementtothebrushstrokes.Useonlylight-colouredorcolourlessmaskingfluidasanythingdarkerwillmakeithardertoestablishtheothertonesinrelationtothehighlightsyouareprotecting.
TheFistoftheOcean,CapeofGoodHope25x35.5cm(10x14in)Thefinespraythrownupbywavesdashedagainsttherockswasreservedwithmaskingfluidspatteredfromthebristlesofatoothbrush.Atthisunfinishedstageitisrubbedoffbeforethefinaldetailsofthepaintingarecompleted.
BathedinLight25x20cm(10x8in)Thedirectcontrastbetweentheradiantshadesandthebrighthighlightsensuresavibrantlightglowsinthispainting.
ContrastThegreaterthecontrastoftonebetweenthehighlightanditssurroundingshadethebrighterthehighlightwillappear.Onceagainboldnessisrewarded–trytopainttherighttoneadjacenttoyourhighlightwiththefirstbrushstrokestoavoidmultipleedges.Theirregularityoftheedgeofthefreshbrushstrokeismoreappealingthanrepeatedlayers.
TintedLightLightistintedbythecolourofitssource–asettingsunwillbathethelandscapeingoldenlight,arisingsunwillthrowarosyglow.Thelightcanbetintedwithglazesofdilutedcolouroverthereservedwhitepaperhighlightsoranappropriatetintcanbelaidasanundertonebeforepaintingontop.Colourswithtransparentpropertieswillhavegreaterradiancethantheopaqueones–forexample,use
IndianYellow(T)foragoldensunratherthanCadmiumYellow(O),andformoregentletintsuseadilutesemi-opaquecoloursuchasYellowOchreorCobaltBlue.
GlidingonMirrors23x28cm(9x11in)AnundertoneofRawUmbertintsthebuildingswithawarmglowandanovertoneofRawUmberlinksthewatertothesky.
WhitePaintWhitepaintcanbeusedtocreatesmallhighlightsinapainting.Paintthemattheendsoasnottocloudthewater.Whiteglazescanalsobeusedtomutebrightness.Whitepaintneverprovidesasbrightalightasthevirginpaper,butforsmallareasofhighlight,narrowlinesandflecksoflightitisidealandsavesworryingaboutfinickydetailsduringwashes.ChineseWhiteisthemostpopularwhite;itissemi-opaqueandhasablueundertone,idealfordullingcolourmixesduringpainting.TitaniumWhiteisfullyopaqueandhasgreatercoveringpowerthanChineseWhite.
Unfurling10x10cm(4x4in)ThesmokecurlingfromthecigarwaspaintedwithChineseWhiteindifferingstrengthsofconcentration.
TheBoyintheRedSweater20x28cm(8x11in)TitaniumWhitecanbeusedtorestorehighlights,likethoseonthefountainandtreetrunksinpainting.
TheProphetsintheClouds30x35.5cm(12x14in)OpaqueCadmiumandLemonYellowbroughtbacktheeerieyellowlightunderthestormysquall,whichhasbeenlostwhenthefieldwaspaintedtoodark.
ColouredOpaquesAlltheopaquepigmentshavegoodcoveringpower,whichmeanstheycan,inconcentratedform,obliteratethecolourtheycover.Usedneatfromthetubeorpan,theycanbeusedtopaintcolouredhighlightsontodarkpassagesofcolour,forexampleinfoliage.ForwarmhighlightsuseCadmiumYellowandCadmiumOrange;forcoolhighlightsuseLemonYellowandCeruleanBlue.Youcancreateyourownopaquecoloursbymixingtransparentcolourwith
white.Toresurrectaglowinghighlightlayaglazeoverdriedwhitepaint,asifyouweretintingthevirginpaper.
6OpenforManipulation
RidersintheStorm35.5x51cm(14x20in)Thelightonthewetbeachisentirelycreatedbyscratchingoffthepigmenttorevealthewhitepaper.
Thefreshnessandimmediacyofwatercolourisitschiefappealandbecausethisaspectiseasytoloseithasearnedareputationasanunforgivingmedium.However,onceyouunderstandwhatcanandcannotbecorrectedyouwillfinditisactuallymoreforgivingthaniscommonlythought.Paintingsthatseemedlostcanoftenbemanipulatedsafelybacktosuccess.Knowingwhatconstitutesaproblem,andwhatdoesnot,isthekey–whentocorrectandwhentogiveup!Theattractionofawatercolourisinitsappearancemorethanitscontent,soalwaysputthe‘look’ofthewatercolourbeforetheaccuraterenditionofthesubject.
FreshnessMatters
Inpreviouschaptersyouhaveseenhowimportantfreshandimmediateapplicationistotheappealofawatercolourpainting–thestrengthofawatercolourisfoundintheclarityoftheinitialwashes.Themoreyoutrytocoercewatercolourthemoreitresists.Theareasofblendedpigmentaretheessenceofwatercolour;theyareitscharacteristicactionwhenlaidandallowedtoflowunmolested,soitgoeswithoutsayingthatthesearetheareashardesttoengineeriftheygowrong.Thesmallareasofapainting,ontheotherhand,whichbringtonalvarietyandvitalitycanmuchmoreeasilybetamperedwithwithoutruiningthewatercolour.Duringapaintingdonotworryaboutdetails–theycanbecorrected–butconcentrateonthewashedblendsandabovealldonotdestroyalovelypassageofwatercolourforthesakeoflikenesstothesubject.
Thefreshimmediacyofthisunfiddled-withwatercoloursketchismoreappealingthanitwouldhavebeenhadItriedtocorrecttheaccuracyoftheview.
Unintendedbackrunsendupmakingentertainingrainclouds–betterleftalonethantryingtocoercethem!
Fromthisverysimplesketchitisplaintoseehoweasilytheeyecanbedistractedfromthebackgroundlandscapebytheadditionofsomedarkerbrushstrokes,intheformofreeds,strategicallyplacedacrosstheimage.
TheArtofDistractionErrorsoraberrationsinlight-tonedearlywashesarenotaproblem.Assoonasdarkertonesareemployedtheeyeisdistractedfromthepaletones.Sothereisnoneedtoworryaboutanimperfectskywash–leavewellalone,anddonotfiddleortrytocorrectoryouwillonlydrawattentiontoit.Ifattheendofapaintingthepartthatbothersyouisstillglaring(toothers,nottoyou,sinceitwillalwaysbeobvioustoyou)youmaybeabletoliftitoutordisguiseitwiththeapplicationofopaquepaint.Oftenthesimpleuseofadark-tonedaccentnearbyisenoughtodistracttheeyeawayfromtheproblem.Ifallelsefails,resorttoaningenioustitletoguidetheviewertowardssome
philosophicalthoughtortodirectthemtosomethingyoudolikeinthepainting!
ToTouchorNottoTouchSinceyouarethecreatorofthepaintingyouwillalwaysseetheerrorsandirritations.Ihaveamottotopreventmemakingneedlessbrushstrokesandcorrections–‘ifindoubt,chickenout’.Beforeattemptingtocorrectanissue
confirmthatitisindeedcausingaproblem.Youcantrytojudgeimpartiallybyviewingthepaintinginreverseinamirror;however,youwillneedtobeverydisciplinednottohomeinontheareainquestionatfirstglance.Asympatheticcriticcanbehelpful,butthedistancecreatedbytimeisusuallythebestjudgeofall.Whenyounextviewyourpainting,iftheerrorimmediatelysticksout,youknowitneedsattentionbutifitisnotthefirstthingyounotice,leavewellalone.Youwillalwaysregretneedlessfiddling.
WildDogs35.5x99cm(14x39in)Thehindlegsofthelastwilddogwererepaintedtocorrectaninitial,impossiblystretched,pose.Thecorrectedlegsdistracttheeyefromthesponged-offlegsandthesenowservetoenhanceafeelingofmovement,asifthedoghasjustmovedforward.
ProblemorOpportunity?Anomaliesinafreshlylaidwasharebestleftaloneuntiltheendofapainting.Smallgapsinthewashorconcentrationsofunmixedpigmentcanberectifiedlater.Avoidthetemptationtofilltheminoreasethemoutwhilethewashisdrying.Sincemostlargewashesaremadeatthebeginningofapaintingthechancesarethatthe‘errors’willgoundetectedoncethedarkertonesareinplace.Sometimeswhatyoumaythinkismessyintheearlywashturnsouttobeapluslater,sodonotjudgeyourworktoosoon.Ifthe‘gaps’inawashneed‘filling’mixpigmenttothesamecolourandtoneandspot-fillthemcarefullyattheend,asifyouwererestoringapainting.ExcesspigmentmarkscanusuallybeliftedoutwiththetipofthebrushordisguisedwithapreciselyplacedtintofChineseWhite.
LiftingOutToalargedegreewatercolourpigmentcanbeliftedorwashedoffthesurfaceofthepaperwiththeuseofaclean,dampbrushoraclean,dampsponge.Many
watercolourshavestainingproperties,sotheyleavealighttraceonthepaper,butsincedarkertonesdistracttheeyefrompalertones,theremovalofexcessivepigmentinthiswaymayoftencureajarringcolourortone.Somewatercoloursarenotstainingcolours,mostnotablyUltramarineBlueandBurntSienna,andthesecanbeliftedoffintheirentiretyfromagood-qualitypaper.Ifapigmentisaliftingcolouritfollowsthatitcanalsobedisturbedby
subsequentlayersofwetpaintorbywettingwithcleanwater.Begentleandthriftywithyourbrushstrokeswhenpaintingoverliftingcolourssothatyoudonotdisturbthemandendupwithmuddiedcolour.
AspongeswipedacrossaswatchofUltramarineBlueeasilyliftsoffthecolour.
Lineardetailssuchasbranchescanbeliftedoffwiththetipofaclean,dampbrushinapatchofBurntSiennaandUltramarineBlue.
UltramarineBlue,aliftingcolour,wasusedinamixwithAlizarinCrimsonandBurntUmbertomaketheblackofthegrapes.Thisallowedtheretrievaloflightonthegrapes,lostintheinitialfast-dryingwash,byliftingoffthepaintwithaclean,dampbrushandkitchentowel.
OpaquestotheRescueOpaquecolourshavecoveringpower,sotheycanbeusedtorestorelosthighlights,orlightenpersistentdarksthatcannotbeliftedoff.TheprovocativeedgesofbackrunscanalsobecleverlydisguisedbyoverpaintingtheirregularlinewithChineseWhiteappliedwithasmallbrush.Thismaytakesometimetogettotherighttone(oftenlongerthanactuallypaintingthepaintingagain!),butitisaworthwhilerepairiftherestofthepaintingworkswell.Whitedrieslessopaquethanitlooks,soitmaytakeseveralattemptstoreachthesametoneasthesurroundingareaeithersideoftheline.Waitforeachapplicationtodrybeforeapplyingthenext.Errorsofshapecanalsobe‘re-drawn’attheendofapaintingbyobliterating
thetransgressionwithopaquecolour,particularlywhereliftingoffwouldbedangeroustothesurroundingwashes.IftheshapeisagainstwhitepapertheapplicationofconcentratedTitaniumWhiteeasilydisguisestheerrorandnoonebutyouwillnotice.Ifthebackgroundiscoloured,chooseormixamatchingopaque.
Zig-zagLight,Collioure28x35.5cm(11x14in)OpaqueWhiteandCadmiumYellowareusedneatfromthetubetoreshapethelightestpalmleaveslostamidthebackgroundwashes.
ScratchingOffOneofthewaystorestorevirginwhitepaperistoscratchoffthetopsurfacewithasharpblade,andthismethodisespeciallyeffectiveonheavypapers.Thestainofpigmentcanbecompletelyremovedanduntouchedpaperrevealed.Makesurethepaperiscompletelydrytoavoidtearinganddothisonlywhenyouhavefinishedapplyingwetpaintastheexposedareabecomeslikeblottingpaperwherethegelatinesizehasbeenscratchedaway.
ABiggerSplash46x102cm(18x40in)Severalofthewhite-paperhighlightsinthewaterbetweentheelephants’feetwereretrievedbyscratchingoffthepaintedsurfaceoftheheavykhadipaperwithasharpblade.
ColouredCrayonsTheproblemsofapaintingareoftentodowithmisjudgedtonesandthecorrect
tonemaybehardtoassess.Repeatedlyapplyinglayersoftintsinthevainhopeofreachingtherighttonalstrengthmayservetodeadenthecolour.Insteadyoucanusecolouredcrayonstofindtherighttone,thenrubthemoffandapplythesametoneinpaint.Ifthecolouredcrayondoesthejobperfectlyandthetexturelooksacceptableonthewatercolouryoucanevenleaveitinplace.Youcanalsouseacolouredcrayonorsoftpencilwhendecidingifaformneeds
adarkedgeoroutline.Ifnot,itiseasilyerased.
Feline56x76cm(22x30in)Colouredcrayonwasusedontheforemostlegtodarkenthetonegentlyandgiveittexture.
WaitTilltheEndDonotbeinahurrytocorrectyourmistakes.Mostofthemanipulationsinthischaptercanonlybedoneattheendofapainting–theearlyintroductionofconcentratedopaquecolourswouldmuddysubsequentlayers;scratchingoffcreatesblottingpaper;andtheerasureofcolouredcrayonsscuffsthesurface.Besides,howdoyouknowwhichmistakemattersuntiltheendofthepaintingisreached?Maintainingtheintegrityofthepapersurfaceiscrucialtodynamicbrushstrokesandattractivewashes,sobepatient,trustthewatercolourmediumandonlypassyourfinaljudgementwhenyoufeelyouarenearingtheconclusionofthepainting.
UndergroundMovement28x35.5cm(11x14in)Thelargebackruninthewashontherightoftheplatformseemedsohorriblywrongbeforethefigureswereadded,butitceasestomatterinthefinishedpainting.
FragmentsofaGarden30x30cm(12x12in)Eveninfailedpaintingsthereareoftenpassagesofattractivewatercolour.Puttingaselectionofthesetogetherinagroupcancreateaninterestingimage.
BeyondRedemptionSomewatercolourmistakesareirredeemable.Ifapaintingisoverworkedandtransparencylostitishardtoregainfreshness.Atothertimesitisamatterofavailabletime–itmaytakeanhourortwotopaintawatercolour,butitcantakeawholedaytoputitright.Sosometimesitisbettertoabandonapaintingandstartoveragain,towastepaperratherthantime.Thebeautyofpaperisthatitcanalsobecropped,soiftherearewatercolourpassagesinafailedpaintingthatdohavelifesimplycutawaythedrossandpreservethegoodsection.Watercolourissolovelyinitselfthatevensmallfragmentshavegreatappeal.
Workingonaheavypaperwithasharpblade,boldlyscratchoffthepaintedsurfacetosuggestsplashesofwater.
7TheKissofSimplicity
LinksofTrust38x56cm(15x22in)Themeaninginanimageisclearertoreadifthecontentandstylearekeptsimple.
Theessentialbeautyofwatercolourisfoundinthemediumitself.Adirectnessofapproachmorereadilydisplaysthequalitiesoftransparency,brillianceandradiancethanaclutteredstatement.Knowingyourfocusandselectingwhatmattersgivesclarityofpurposetothemixingandbrushwork.Watercolourpaintingischallenging,sokeepthingsassimpleaspossibleandyouwillcreatepaintingsthatallowwatercolourthechancetoshowoffallitcando.
WhiteOnWhite,Cadaqués35.5x48cm(14x19in)Withonlyanhour’spaintingtimeavailable,acomplexscenewasdistilledbychoosingthechurchasthefocalpointandworkingoutwardsfromthere.
KnowingYourFocusThefocusofapaintingisusuallywhateverattractedyoutopaintitinthefirstinstant.Itcouldbeaphysicalfeature,suchastheshapeofatree,personorobject,itcouldbethelightfallingonthefeatureorscene,oritcouldbesomethinglesstangiblesuchasatmosphereormood.Becausepaintingtakestimeitiseasytolosesightoftheoriginalfocusasthepaintingproceedsandalltoooftenthereasonforthepaintingisovertakenbyotherconcernssuchasaccuraterendition.Agoodpracticeistowritedownthefocusatthestart;thismaychangeduringthepaintingassomethingofgreaterinterestarises,buttheimportantpointistoknowwhatattractsyou.Thiswillhelpyoujudgewhenyourpaintingisfinished,whichisoneofthehardestaspectsofpainting.
Selection
Aphotographertrainsthefocusofthecameralensonthefocalpointofthecomposition.Therestoftheimagemaybeinoroutoffocusdependingonthedepthoffield.Everythingintheviewisrecorded,whetherithelpsorhindersthecomposition,andonlywithasophisticatedcameraorsoftwarecanthisbemanipulated.Thepainterhasahugeadvantageinbeingabletodirecttheeyebyemphasis,toleaveoutextraneousmaterialandtoopenorclosethespacesbetweenobjectsorfeaturestostrengthencomposition.Whenpaintingfromlife,thisselectiveprocessoccursnaturallysincethepainterisforcedtoreducetherealworldtothesizeofthepaper,andthevagariesofchanginglightputconstraintsontime.Whenphotographicreferenceisthesourceofthepaintingthedangeristoincludeeverything,soyouhavetodecidewhattoputinandwhattoleaveout.HowmanytimeshaveIheard‘well,itwasthere’astheexcusefortheinclusionofaparticularfeaturethatclearlydoesnotbenefitthepainting!
Pienza25x35.5cm(10x14in)Theattractionherewasthelightonthewhiteumbrellas.Byhominginonthesmallgroupofpeoplehavinglunch,vastlyreducingthenumberofchairsandtables,andevenlosingoneumbrella,thewatercolourbecamemuchmoremanageable.
Thisisahugelysimplifiedsketchofwhatwasactuallyacomplicated,messyscenewithmanytreesandmyriadlightsdancingongiantboughs.Lookingthroughscrewed-upeyes,themainlightsandshadowsonlywereselected,inordertomanagethecomposition.
MakingDecisionsHowdoyouselectwhatmattersandwhatcanbeleftout?Whenyourinspirationisaready-madecompositionitignitestheurgetopaintbecauseitisalreadyagoodbalanceoftone,colour,lineandshape.Youcanmaketheselectionprocessbysimplyscrewingupyoureyesandconcentratingonthemaintones–highlightsjumpout,midtonesunite,shadowsblendandirrelevantdetailsvanish.Asyoupaint,avoidbeingswampedbythedetail.Iftheinspirationisaparticularfeatureinaviewyouneedtodecidewhichpartsoftheviewservethefeatureandwhichdistractfromit.Youmayneedtogeneralizeorsimplifythebackgroundsothatitservespurelytobringtheforegroundfeatureintoexistenceonthepage.
TheFountain,Uzès20x28cm(8x11in)Thesquarewasteemingwithpeople,butdecidingononefigure,perchedontherimofthefountain,wasenough.Theadditionofmorefigureswouldhavedistractedfromthedappledshadowsontheground,whichweretheattractioninthefirstplace.
MarchofEducation23x30cm(9x12in)ThisisoneofawholeseriesofpaintingsofschoolchildreninNamibia.Ijustcouldn’tgetenoughofthejoyandhopeIwitnessedastheypouredoutofschool,liningtheroadswiththeiroptimism.
UniquelyYouBeinganartistallcomesdowntowhatexcitesyouandwhatyouwanttopaint.Yourtaskasafigurativeartististofollowtherulesthatgoverntheformalelementsofpainting–shape,lines,coloursandtones–insofarastheyserveyourpurpose.Thevisualworldisyourinspiration,notyourmaster,sotakefromthesubjectonlywhatyouwant.Awatercolourdoesnothavetohaveabackground,askydoesnothavetobe
blue,legsdonothavetohavefeet.Assoonasyourealizethatyouronlyobligationistoyourowninspirationyouarefreetoleaveoutalltherest.Oneofthejoysofwatercolourpaintingisthatyoucanproducemeaningful
paintingsatspeedandonquiteasmallscale.Thisalsoreleasesyoufromhavingtosayeverythingintheonepainting–youcanpaintthesamethingoverandoveragainwithdifferentemphases.Wecannotre-createtheworld,butwecanre-createourownimagesofit.
HeatoftheDay46x23cm(18x9in)ThesearingheatonagirlwalkinganAfricanroadisevokedbyafewsimplepatchesofcolouredtone,strungtogetherinapatternoflightandshade.Thereissolittledetailhereandyetthenarrativeisclear.Thisisthepowerofwatercolour.
Watercolourhastheabilitytosayalotwithafewstrokes.Herethebabyzebraisbarelyindicated,butweknowitistherehidingunderitsmother’sprotection.
LessIsMoreThemediumofwatercolourissolovelyinitselfthattooverworkitisawasteofitsgreatestassets.Theadage‘lessismore’isparticularlypertinentforthismedium,whereadding‘more’mayoftenmakeitlessappealing.Concentrateontransparencyofcolour,andmakeradiantblendsyourfocus.Asimplecompositionhasjustasmuchmeritasacomplexview.Learntoseefragmentsofviewsorselectsomethingfromwithinaviewthatmakesagoodcompositioninitsownright.Thensimplifyeventhat.Thinkofyourpaintingasaformofshorthandandseehowmuchyoucansuggestwithafewstrokes.Youwillbesurprisedhowlittlepaintyouneedtoconvinceaviewerofsomething’sexistence.Itisamatterofchangingyourthinkingsothatyouusethesubjecttopaintthewatercolourratherthanthewatercolourtopaintthesubject.
IncludeonlythemainshapesandtonestomakeacomplicatedsubjectlikethisVenetiancanalmanageable.
8LearningtoSee
VacantSpaces28x35.5cm(11x14in)Thesedeckchairsarepaintedbydrawingtheshapesofthespacesbetweentheframeworkratherthanthechairsthemselves.
Watercolourissuchawonderfulmediumtopaintwiththatevenbydefaultatotalbeginnercanmakedeliciousblendsofcolourandlivelybrushstrokes,andexperiencegreatsatisfactioninpainting.Thosewhohaveworkedwithitforawhileknowitisachallengingmedium,requiringthoughtandplanning.Howeverwellyoumix,layandblendit,watercolourrequiresanartist’seyetobringoutitsbestqualities.
ThePainter’sWorldIsFlatPaintingisatwo-dimensionalinterpretationofthethree-dimensionalworld.
Howeveraccuratelyanobjectisportrayed,itcanneverbethatobject;itwillalwaysbeapainting.Thisisgreatnewsbecauseasanartistyouhavenoobligationtomakealandscapelooklikealandscapeorapersonlooklikeaperson;youronlyobligationistomakeapaintinglooklikeapainting.Youarefreetotranslatethreedimensionsintotwodimensionsandgetakickoutofdoingso.Infigurativepaintingtheartistusestoneandperspectivetosuggestthatthreedimensionsexistontheflatpage,butthesearemerelytoolsofillusionandcanbemanipulatedtoenhancethepaintedsurface.Howeverdeepthemeaning,orprofoundthecontent,paintingsaremadeupofshape,colour,lineandtone,theformalelementsofpainting.Byusingperspective,contrastandmeasurementanartistplaysmake-believewithpaint.Justasmusicismadeupofmanydifferentnotesplayedsidebyside,sopaintingiscomposedofbrushstrokes,placedsidebyside,interlacedandoverlaid.Themorepertinentthestrokes,themoremeaningfultheresult.
DesertLines25x100cm(10x39in)Thispaintingofwildebeestonthemoveisreminiscentofthecavepaintingsofearlyman.Wehavealwayshadthedesiretorepresentourworldintwodimensions.
EverythingIsRelativeOnceyouareseeingtheworldthroughapainter’seyes,lookingatthethingsapaintingneeds–shape,tone,line,colour–youwillfindawholenewdelightintheperceptionofyoureyes.Everythingisonlywhatitisinrelationtoitsneighbour.Nocolourortoneisabsolute.Eachaffectsthosearounditandtheimageasawhole.Thismeansyouneedtoseetherelationshipsbetweenfeaturesandobjectsratherthanconsideringtheminisolation.Thisisthepainter’sdelightandanever-endingsourceofinspiration.
RelativeToneJustasamusiciancanhearminutechangesinthenuancesofsound,sotooanartistnotesthecountlessadjustmentsoftonethatplayacrossascene.Thebeautyofwatercolouristhatthenaturalgradationofblendingcoloursandtheassimilationofoverlappingtintscreatethesemyriadtonesfortheartist,buttheyneedtobeacknowledgedbeforetheycanbeinterpreted.Thebestwaytoteachtheeyetoreadtoneistopractisewithslicesofaview.Leadtheeyeslowlyacross
asection,assessingtherelativetonalvaluesaslighterthan,darkerthan,muchdarkerthan,lesslightthan,andsoon.Traintheeyetoberigorousinworkingoutifatoneislighterordarkerthanitsneighbour,andhalfcloseyoureyestohelpdecide.Viewascenethroughpolarizedsunglassestodefinesimilartones.Turnthisobservationintopracticebypaintingsimpleitemsontowhitepaperwithattentiontotone.Onceyoucanseetheinnumerablechanges,starttosimplifythetonesintobandsofrelativevalue–lights,midtonesanddarks.
MediterraneanGeometry,Collioure20x28cm(8x11in)ThefacetsofcuboidMediterraneanbuildingsfallintobasicgeometricshapes–squares,parallelograms,trapeziums.Thosefacinginasimilardirectionwillreceiveacomparablelightandsobeanalogousintone.
BusStop20x28cm(8x11in)Thetwoladiesmergetogetherasoneshape,settingupanattractivetonalexchangeoneitherside:lightagainstthecomparablydarkertoneoftheyellowgrassontheright,darkagainstthelightgrassontheleft.
LightAgainstDark,DarkAgainstLightAnexcitingcompositionrestsonacontrastorvarietyofrelativetone.Theeyeneedneverbebored–trywhilingawayalengthystayinawaitingroombysimplymovingyourheadupanddowntoviewawindowframeagainstanalternatingbackground.Thebarcouldbedarkagainstalightsky,butifyouloweryourheaditmaybecomelightagainstdarktrees.Thusyouwillgraduallyrealizethatalltoneisrelative;thewindowframeisneitherlightnordarkinitselfbutonlyinrelationtowhatitissetagainst.Thissimplerealizationholdstheessenceoflearningtopaintadjacenttones.Abackgroundisonlyusefulinsofarasitsustainstheforeground–ashadedsideofanobjectissetagainstalighter-tonedbackgroundandalitsideismadeapparentbyadarkertonebesideit.
TheSpacesBetween
Thepainterlearnstoseebyshapeandtone.Thespacesbetweenandaroundobjectsareasvaluabletothesuggestionofformsontheflatpaintedsurfaceastheshapesandtonesofthephysicalobjectsthemselves.Seeingthespacesbetweenobjectsisagoodwaytostartlearningtoseeasan
artist.Observeitemssuchaschairsandtablesandpaintthempurelybypaintingthespacesbetweentheirlegsandrungs.Gointotheparkandlookattheintervalsbetweenalineoftrees,andatthespacesbetweenpeopleingroups,sittingonabenchorstandingtalking.Observethetriangulargapsbetweenstridinglegs,thetrianglebelowthekneeaswalkinglegscross.Notethespacesbetweenthebodyandcrookedarms,andbetweenbranchesandfoliage.Spendyourtimelookingatthespacesbetweenthingsandwheneverpossibledrawthem,becauseyounevertrulyknowwhatsomethinglookslikeuntilyoudrawit.Oncethiswayofseeingbecomeshabitualyouwillfinditmucheasiertotranslatethethree-dimensionalworldontoflatpaper.
DiamondoftheDelta20x28cm(8x11in)InthispaintingofanOkavangolilyyoucanclearlyseethatthetriangularspacesbetweentheopeningpetalsareasimportantinmakingtheirshapesasthetriangularspacesofwhitepaperleftbetweenthem.
PositiveMarksandNegativeShapesTocreateanimageinthetransparentmediumofwatercolourtheartisthasachoicebetweenmakingpositivebrushstrokesandleavingnegativespaces–thatis,leavinggapsinawash,orpaintingaroundashape.Thetoneofthebackgrounddeterminesthischoiceofmark.Ifanobjectisdarkerthanthebackground,apositivebrushstrokewillbringtheobjectintobeing;ifthebackgroundisdarker,thentheshapeoftheobjectmustbeomittedfromthesurroundingwash,makinganegativeshape.Spacesbetweenobjectsmayberepresentedbypositiveornegativeshapes,dependingontherelativebackgroundtone.
Thebackgrounddeterminesthechoiceofpositivebrushstrokesornegativespaces.Thetophalfofthisplantstandsagainstalightbackground,sotheleavesarefashionedfrompositivebrushstrokes;lowerdownthebackgroundisdark,sotheleavesarefashionedwith‘negative’shapes.
SeeingandDrawingThevisualinformationneededforfigurativepaintingisfoundinthephysicalinspiration.Thismeansyouneedtohoneyourobservationalskills.Never
presumeyouknowwhatsomethinglookslike;youhaveneverbeforeseenitunderthisparticularlight.Thebestwaytotrainyourobservationalskillsistopractisecontourdrawing,
andtodothiswithoutlookingdownatyourpaper.Thismayseemillogicalatfirst,butyouwillbesurprisedhowwellyoucandrawsomethingifyouconcentrateontheactualsubjectratherthanthemarksonthepaper.Startontheleftifyouareright-handedanddonottakethepenciloffthepaperuntilyoureachtheendofyourchosenoutlineoryouwillloseyourwayandyoursenseofscale.Onceyoufeelmoreconfidentdroptheoddglancedowntoyourpapertocheckthepencilisintherightposition,thenyoucandomorecomplicateddrawingthatrequiresyoutoliftyourpenciloffandreposition.Soonyouwillrealizethattomakeapaintingyoumustcontinuouslyrefertothe
subject.Itisimpossiblefortheeyetoholdthenuancesoftoneandcolourneededforwatercolourpaintingforverylong,soyoumustkeepreturningyoureyestothesubjecttogaintheinformationneeded.Toanonlookeryouwilllooklikeanoddingdogonthedashboardofacar!
ThisoutlineofAvignonwasdrawnwithoutlookingdownandwithouttakingthepenoffthepaper;itissurprisinglyaccurate.
MistRisingBelowAvignon28x35.5cm(11x14in)Bykeepingtheeyeonthecity’sskylineandquicklyglancingdowntothepaper,aflatbrushcouldbeusedtopaintthesilhouettewithassuranceandwithoutanypreliminarydrawingatall.
TransferofTime(NoordhoekRocks)28x35.5cm(11x14in)Therhythmofthevariedheightsoftherocksandthebalanceofalternatinglightandshademakeasatisfyingcomposition.
RhythmLinesCompositionisthedesignofapaintingonthepaperandisusuallymadewiththeuseofdrawnlines.Therhythmsofthelinesestablishbalancewithintheboundariesofthepicturespaceanddirecttheeyetothefocusofthepainting.Asyouobserveyoursubjecttrytoseethelinesthatwouldbeusefultofulfilthesefunctions,andignorethosethatservenopurpose.Graduallyyouwillstarttorecognizewhichviewslendthemselvestopaintingcompositionsbytheleadinglinesandpatternsinherentwithinthem.Youwillrealizethatwhileeverythingcanbepainted,aviewdoesnotnecessarilymakeagoodpaintingunlessithascompositionalstrength.Donotbesurprisedtofindthatsometimesthemostpicturesquesubjectsdonotnecessarilymakegoodpaintings.
Abriefpencilsketchfindstherhythmofthecompositioninthreesimpleflowlinescomingtogetherbesidetheocean.
CrystalArchSaltcrystalstossedintowatercolourSaltcrystalsofferafunwaytooverrulethetendencyto‘copy’colours.Paintastrongmulticolouredwashandtosssaltcrystalsintothewetpaint.Letitdrycompletelyandbrushthemoff,thendrawandpaintthetonalstructureontopofthevariegatedwash,criss-crossingthepatternmadebythesalt.
ChangingColourWhileitiscrucialtogetyourrelativetonalvaluesrightitisnotnecessarytofaithfullyfollowcolours.Underanygivenlightcolourschange,sonoobjecthasasetcolour.Inapaintingthelitsideofafeaturewillbeadifferentcolourtotheshadedside,eveniftheobjectismonochromatic.Allcolourisrelative,soitisthecolourbiasthatisimportanttothepainter.Learntolookfortherelativewarmthorcoolnessofacolourinrelationtoitsneighbourandinrelationtothewhole.Whenobservingyoursubjectlookforcoloursthatpervadethewholeorthemajorityoftheview,andnotewheredarkcoloursarelitandlightcoloursareinshade.Thesearethekindsofdecisionsyouneedtopractiseforpaintingwatercolour.Learningtoseeasanartisttakestimeandpractisebuttheprocessisexcitingandrewarding.
DeepHeartofPienza35.5x51cm(14x20in)Tonesarerelativetoeachotherandtothewhole.Herethedooristhedarkestpartofthepaintingbutitneednotbepaintedasdarkasitisinreallife,itjusthastobepainteddarkerthaneverythingelseinthepainting.
IntheZone
Watercolour,withitsintrinsiccharacteristicsandtheneedfordecisiveness,istheperfectmediumforapainter.Adrenalinemaypumpinthefaceofwhitepaperandemotionscanbeonedgebutthemindiscentred,thebodyforgotten,theartistislivinginthemoment.Relax,thisisbliss.Watercolourmaybeanartbutwhatishappeningonthepaperisscience.Ifyou
canharnessthepropertiesofthiswonderfulmediumandthengivethemplentyoffreedomyouwillmastertheart.Concentrationandpatiencearecrucial,focusonplanning,mixing,layingtherightbrushstroke,attherighttime,intherightplace…andthenmagicwillhappen.
Gallery
DrunkwithColour46x56cm(18x22in)
DriftingThroughTuscany25x35.5cm(10x14in)
LazyLion43x43cm(17x17in)
SheCarriestheBreeze35.5x51cm(14x20in)
NoNextTimeAround35.5x51cm(14x20in)
FirstpublishedintheUnitedKingdomin2011byBatsfordThiseditionfirstpublishedintheUnitedKingdomin2017byBatsford43GreatOrmondStreetLondonWC1N3HZAnimprintofPavilionBooksCompanyLtd
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