Bicycle Shadows

Introducing "Bicycle Shadows", one of my latest works. It was created on a half sheet of Arches 140 pound paper. This piece, as most of my latest work, was "poured".
A friend recently suggested that I come up with a different name for my process than "poured", as I don't really pour the paint. To create these works I use a value scale of 1 through 6, 1 being white and six being the closest color to black I can create from the colors on my palette.
I first create the drawing, trace the pencil sketch and then do a value study in various shades of gray and black marker. Then I transfer the drawing to my watercolor paper and mask the white areas. At this point I wet the entire sheet of paper with a puddle of water and allow it to soak in for a few minutes. Then, using a large round brush, either 14 or 16, I dip into the paint on my palette and dribble and stroke it gently onto the very wet paper. I use three primary colors for each application: my favorites are New Gamboge, Quinacridone Magenta, and French Ultramarine Blue. I apply the colors next to one another, not directly on top of one another, then I tip the board that holds my paper (I tape the paper to a foam core board with 2-inch masking tape) and I allow the colors to gently blend a little. The first application provides the 2 and 3 levels of value on my painting.
As I proceed through the painting I allow this to dry completely - usually overnight. Then, I mask the level two and three values that I want to save, and again wet the paper and apply the pigments. Each time I apply stronger and stronger pigments, never brushing to disturb the layers of paint below. I continue on with the process: dry, apply masking, wet the paper, apply the pigment. This continues until I reach those darkest values of deep color.
It's a fun, messy, and time-consuming process that produces colors and glow that I have not been able to achieve in any other manner.
If you have any ideas for a name for this technique I would love to hear them. My husband and I will go over the suggestions and if we pick yours, I will send you a small print of one of my paintings using this technique!
I would love to hear from you!

Convolution - Newest Painting

This is one of my newest "poured" paintings which I call "Convolution". This is a fun, but challenging technique based on Jean Grasdorf's pouring technique. I don't actually pour, but I apply the paint to a very wet surface. I am finding that certain subjects lend themselves better to this technique than others. I just smile when I remove my masking and see the final result of colors blending into subtle mixtures!

Palm Tree Wet In Wet Technique

I have applied another wash. After this dries I will add more masking to save the next level of values! Lots of work, lots of patience, lots of results!!!

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Sunlit Coconuts Lesson 4

Today I am going back to my French Ultramarine Blue and adding it as an under-painting where my darker values will be developed. I like to build my shadow areas with glazes. If I start out in the light to middle value range, I can easily correct colors as I progress through the painting. This process also helps me to navigate through the piece.

Each painting is a study project for me. I love to study the values, shapes, colors and textures of whatever I am working on. If I work slowly, I can see more clearly every little detail.

Since this piece is very detailed and there is a lot more in the reference photo than I actually want to paint, I sometimes use bits of scrap paper to mask off areas of my reference photo. This helps eliminate some of the visual clutter in a very detailed subject and I can more easily focus on the area at hand.

I have added some Permanent Sap Green in the cooler, shady areas near the bottom of the piece. I varied the concentrations, values and edges to help create depth and interest.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 11

Here I used a very wet application of the same colors from the previous wash (New Gamboge, Quin. Gold and Burnt Sienna) to Scooter's back, where he sports a large brown spot. Be careful to use soft edges where the fur blends from light to dark and dark to light, but use a dry, crisp edge when there is a definite change from one value or color to the next.

You can see the crisp edge on Scooter, where the white hair blocks the light and creates a distinct value change in the center of his chest. You can see it again where the brown spot on his back meets the white hair on his shoulder.

Crisp edges must be painted on dry paper, whether it already has an underlying color or not. Wet paper will create soft edges.

More values are developed with French Ultramarine Blue for cool areas, and Burnt Sienna and VanDyke Brown for warm areas.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 10

This is the continuation on an on-going blog lesson. You can see the previous lessons by visiting my most recent posts.

Now it is time to work around the dog's bodies and develop the over-all color and values. This is done very wet-in-wet. I applied water, then dripped pigment into the relative areas where the lights and shadows were represented in the reference photos and my drawing. I want these edges to be very soft. I will work in details later, but these foundational glazes are very important to the over-all impression of shapes in the painting.

I applied a very wet mixture of New Gamboge, Quin. Gold and Burnt Sienna to Riley's body, leaving a few areas of white paper where the values were the lightest.

Scooter and Riley Lesson 4

At this stage I am using VERY WET pigments. I want to create light stains to develop some of the variations in value. I used various combinations of Burnt Sienna and French Ultramarine Blue, with a wet-in-wet technique. I applied small puddles of clear water to the areas I wanted to paint, then dripped in the wet pigments and allowed the edges to flow and soften. I worked on a very small section at a time and worked around the fellas so that the previous areas could dry. I looked at my photo references and searched for warm and cool variations and applied them in the corresponding areas on my watercolor paper.

Lemons Lesson Number 3

I used clear water to wet the lemons with a nice, juicy puddle. As the water soaks in it will have a sheen, but it won't run over the edges if you tip your paper. This is the stage when you can begin to drop in strong pigments - strong because the water will dilute them. Be sure the pigment is not so thick that it doesn't blend and spread.

With practice you will get a feel for how much pigment and water to use. The pigments should be strong, but wet. I used Aureolin Yellow and Sap Green for the first application here. Let the water do the work for you.

Don't over-brush. Just drip the pigments into the areas where you see those colors and let the edges blend as they will. If you want to move it around at all, tip your paper to direct the flow of the pigment. You can add just a small touch of Burnt Sienna into the darkest shadow areas - just don't over do it. Allow this to dry thoroughly before the next step.

Sunflower Lesson 2

Today I am adding a very, very wet wash of Aureolin Yellow to the sunflower petals, seed head, and some of the leaves. I am going to leave the stem white for now. As the wash is very, drippy wet, I can play with it just a little, by dripping in some New Gamboge into some areas. This will create subtle little color plays in the underpainting which are not obvious in the final painting but add richness and volume. Using this wet-in-wet technique creates beautiful soft edges.

Painting the Flower Pot in the Apple Study

For this installment of the apple and napkin study, I want to get a glaze of color on the flower pot. I have mixed a very wet puddle on my palette of Burnt Sienna, VanDyke Brown and Quinicridone Gold. I applied this wash to the top of the flower pot and then, while the glaze was still wet, I applied some of the individual colors directly into the wash, in a wet-in-wet style. I used VanDyke Brown to emphasize the shadows directly under the leaves, being sure to apply it only to one side of the leaf to indicate a shadow. Remember, the light will usually be stronger from one direction, which will cast shadows in the opposite direction.
I like adding the colors directly into the wash when creating a flower pot because it replicates the various rust and water marks that usually exist on the clay pot.
This glaze must dry before I apply the next wash onto the bottom of the pot. A hair dryer works well to dry the wash if you are in a hurry to move on to the next step.

Apple Study in Watercolor Continued

It's time to add a wash of color to the background! I mixed some Indigo, with a little French Ultramarine Blue and a touch of VanDyke Brown. I started with a number 10 round brush and worked from the leaf area out toward the right edge of the paper. Once I worked around the leaves, I quickly picked up my one inch flat brush and completed the flat wash. I tried not to brush an area more than once. I applied a "row" of paint, then scooped up more pigment and just barely touched the brush to the already wet area, as I applied it to the next "row".

After completing the right side, I turned my paper around and used the same procedure to finish the left side. Remember that it's fine (and sometimes beneficial!) to turn your board as you go. Especially when working with large, wet washes, it is a good idea to allow gravity to move the paint around the wet area. It eliminates some of the brushwork, and helps the pigment to flow evenly. Notice that the value of the paint lightened quite a bit after drying!

On another note, as the holidays are quickly speeding by, I am planning to get my teaching schedule organized and I will be posting upcoming classes and workshops soon. If you are interested, please visit my website: http://watercolorworksart.com/Classes.

Apple Study in Watercolor Number Three

The table now has the first glaze of color. I will add more details later. As I move around the painting I have decided to add a very wet wash of Aureolin Yellow and Sap green to the leaves on the plant at the top of the painting. Again, for my underpainting I have used a wet-in-wet wash. The blending of colors gives a lime-green look to the leaves. I dropped in the Sap Green in areas where I wanted to create the soft illusion of shadows. Later I will add more detail to this, but for now I am happy with the wash.
The painting is beginning to lose it's "flat" look. When painting realism, it's important to use the lights and shadows as a guide for how and where to apply the paint. I start out rather loose, then add details onto that foundation of color and value.
Check back soon for another update on this painting!
For more images of my work, please visit my website: http://watercolorworksart.com

Apple Study in Watercolor Number Two

For this painting, I want to create a wooden table for the foundation. The first thing I do is wet the entire table area with lots of water. The water will keep the pigment edges soft and will allow any additional color I add to blend. Lots of water is required for this stage so the paper will stay moist and provide time to work. Keep the other areas of the image dry. For instance, I painted the clear water AROUND the apple and napkin.

Now I add a solution of Burnt Sienna and Brown Madder. This should be relatively wet, yet strong enough to see some color. It will become quite diluted as it is added to the very wet paper, and therefore lighten quite a bit as it dries. I continually tip and roll the board so the colors move about on the wet surface.

Now, while this mixture is still wet, working quickly, I use my Number 12 Round Brush to add a fairly strong, yet wet solution of VanDyke Brown. I don't want this to totally blend in. I just want softened edges. This will provide a foundation for the look of wood grain on the table. I apply this mixture in "V" shapes to replicate the shades of the grainy wood.



This procedure is continued with the same colors until I like the look. It is important not to scrub the paint brush on the paper at this stage. I just want to use the brush to push the puddles around and to drop wet paint onto the wet surface.
The more the board it tipped and tilted, the more the colors will blend and soften. Gravity and water will do a lot of work for you if you put the brush down and tip the board/paper around! It's lots of fun. The area that was wet initially will keep the paint from running further as long as the paper isn't tipped so drastically that the puddles run beyond those areas painted with water. (Hope this makes sense!)

More to come on this painting this weekend. Stay tuned.

Apple Study in Watercolor

I have a new painting in progress and I wanted to share it with you. I used two different photo references for this piece, both taken from my own "stuff". One photo references the apple, napkin, and the bottom of the flower pot. The other photo was my reference for the flowers in the container. I want to make the apple and the napkin the focal point. I would like to keep the composition very simple.
The drawing is transferred onto the paper using a graphite stick on the back of my drawing. Then I tape the 300 lb. Kilimanjaro paper to a foam core board. It's important to be sure at least 1/2 inch of tape covers the paper so that when it gets wet it doesn't lift the tape and curl the paper.
I washed water over the image of the apple, leaving the areas I want to keep white dry. As I flow pigments into the water, I work to avoid the dry areas so the whites will stay crisp and clean. I use Permanent Rose, Permanent Alizarin Crimson and Aureolin Yellow with only a little water. I don't need much water because the colors will be diluted in the water that I have already applied to the paper to control the wash area.
I have used Permanent Rose and Cadmium Red for the flower petals. And I applied them in a wet manner so the colors run together a little.
More coming soon on this piece. You can follow this blog by clicking on the icon at the left of the page.
More on my artwork : http://watercolorworksart.com