Masterclass

Jigsaw MASTERCLASS PAINTING

For this autumnal step-by-step demonstration, illustrator MATT JEANES shows how being selective with details and experimenting with texture can create focus in a complex subject offers the chance for a more painterly approach

As autumn is well under way and the dark nights have crept in, now is the time to forget the warmth of the summer and look to our brushes and paints to keep us company.

I find as the seasons change, the beauty of autumn can create the most beautiful colour palette for an artist. The leaves move from green to brown with their own specific rainbow of ambers, yellows and reds, which are all quite beautiful. Taking a walk one day, the age-old subject of inspiration came to mind and it struck me that we often look up for inspiration, but we rarely look down.

If we go outside in the autumn, we will often find a carpet of leaves under our feet, which is what became my inspiration for this piece. I am always looking to challenge myself with each new painting and I knew this subject would be just that.

Having taken a photograph of some fallen leaves with which I was happy, the task was how to create an interesting painting out of such a vast jigsaw puzzle of colour and detail. The answer involves experimenting with textures, layering masking fluid, and being selective with details, as I will show you in this demonstration. www.matthewjeanes.co.uk

Matt's materials

•Paints Winsor Lemon, New Gamboge, Permanent Rose, Quinacridone Magenta, Winsor Violet (Dioxazine), French Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue (Red Shade), Antwerp Blue, Manganese Blue Hue, Winsor Green (Blue Shade), Viridian, Hooker’s Green, Green Gold, Naples Yellow, Naples Yellow Deep, Gold Ochre, Quinacridone Gold, Indian Red, Perylene Maroon, Burnt Umber, Indigo, Payne’s Gray and Neutral Tint, all Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colours; Permanent White, Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache •Paper Fabriano Artistico Traditional White 300gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper, 45.5x61cm •Brushes ProArte Prolene Series 007 round brushes, sizes 1, 3, 10 and 20; ProArte Prolene Series 008 flat brushes, size 1”; Royal Sovereign colour shaper, taper point, size 2 •Masking fluid •HB pencil •Coloured pencils •Old toothbrush •Tracing paper (optional) ORIGINAL PHOTO

1Start simply With an intricate and complex subject like a pile of leaves, the biggest issue is avoiding confusion and trying to get your head around so much information.

With that in mind, I started simply by focusing on just a couple of leaves. I drew each leaf in a different coloured pencil and then used a colourless masking fluid to paint around the outside of the leaf shape, before adding watercolour washes within it. 2 Add textures Looking closely at my reference, I noticed each leaf was so different, not only in colour, but also shape and texture – some were fresh and clean, others battered and starting to decay. I wanted to capture some of this variety in my painting.

I set myself the challenge of working on one leaf at a time, so I didn’t lose my place. I use an old toothbrush to spatter paint onto the lighter base layer. This can be repeated again when dry to create more texture.

3Remove the mask Once the paint on the first few leaves had dried, I removed the masking fluid with my finger. (You could use a putty rubber to remove masking fluid but after a time it will clog up and ruin the rubber). If you have a large build-up of masking fluid from a lot of layering and re-masking, take your time removing it. Rushing this stage can damage the surface of the paper and also cause blisters. 4 Mask inside Once I had removed the masking fluid outside the line of a leaf, I then applied a new line of masking fluid within the line of the same leaf. This allowed me to start painting the next leaves around it, repeating the processes from above. I spiced up the palette with various combinations of New Gamboge, Naples Yellow, Hooker’s Green and Burnt Umber with hints of Quinacridone Gold and Green Gold.

5Link the image When only the bigger leaves on the top of the pile were painted, it looked disjointed, but as I started to add leaves underneath, this jigsaw puzzle of a painting began to come together. Building up this complex underlayer of leaves, shadows and grass takes concentration, yet with the top leaves still protected by masking fl uid, this next stage can be a bit quicker.

Using a size 5 brush, I added colours quite boldly, starting at the top of the page and working my way down. Don’t worry if your painting doesn’t resemble the reference photo yet, it’s still a work in progress. 6 Splatter masking fluid Making each leaf different from the last gives us great opportunities to try out different techniques. Once the paint is dry, I tried a negative spatter technique. For this, I used a toothbrush dipped into masking fl uid to spatter on a leaf, be careful not to overload the tip of the brush to avoid drips. The trick is to aim your brush close to where you want the effect to be created. When the masking fl uid spatter dried, I added another layer of paint to the leaf. When this is removed later, it will reserve lighter spots of colour.

7Assess your progress When all of the leaves and background were painted and completely dried, I removed all of the masking fl uid again. It is important to take your time – there will be quite a build-up and you don’t want to rip your paper.

You can now assess your progress. The painting may look a bit rough and ragged, but don’t be disheartened – these masked areas create extra texture and interest, and they can be refi ned in these fi nal stages. 8 Add seasoning I now started to pull the elements of the painting together. Stems, veins and blades of grass that were masked needed some colour. Some leaves stood out too much, others not enough, so I added shadows and more texture.

A neat way to do this is with salt. If you add a wash to several of your leaves (if they are different colours, make sure they don’t touch each other), sprinkle some table salt into the wet paint at the end and leave it to dry thoroughly. When you brush this off, you will fi nd exciting watermarks and stains.

Top tip

Use an old brush to apply the masking fl uid and keep rinsing it in water to avoid it clogging up

9Touch up the painting With the masking fluid and salt removed, now was the time to refine the painting. Each element needed careful consideration: adding a touch more colour, a line of shadow, or a little detail. Consider adding exciting and unexpected colours to spice up your image at this stage. You might try reds and lavenders in the shadows, or turquoises and oranges for the grasses. I opted for a smaller size 3 brush here, which was perfect for adding detail and still big enough to apply mini washes of colour.

11 Pick out highlights It was important to define the edges of the leaves, as otherwise all the colours would blend together into one indistinct mass. I used white gouache applied with a size 1 brush to pick out highlights on the edges of a few leaves, which helped draw attention to certain ones and create a balance of things appearing in and out of focus.

If neat white gouache is too bright, mix a little of the leaf colour with it instead. The opacity of the gouache will still give the leaf an accurate edge highlight. 10 Draw attention After using so many different techniques and mediums, it was time to bring them all together. A painting like this needs a focal point for the viewers’ attention. I liked to use coloured pencils for this to emphasise the drawing on a specific part of the painting.

I used the pencils to add strength to the stems and a little natural damage to a few of the leaves. Don’t add too much detail to all of the leaves, just the ones you think draw your attention into the painting.

12 Finishing touches I added little highlights and drops of water to make the leaves glisten. A neat way to do this is to take a sheet of tracing paper, draw around the leaf you want to work on, cut it out carefully, and lay the background over the leaf. This will protect the rest of your painting. You can then use the toothbrush dipped into some white gouache to gently spatter your leaf. Use this sparingly as less is definitely more. Once I removed the tracing paper and added a few final little highlights, my painting was done.