Let's Paint January 2013

Let’spaint!

FREE step-by-step guide

Basic techniques, clearly explained • Create bright, colourful artworks in minutes

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Let’s Paint!

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WITH THANKS TO

Rob Dudley, Glyn Macey and Mark Mehaffey

Welcome to the second installment of our Let’s Paint! series.

We’ve put together another selection of easy-to-follow painting demonstrations and simple techniques for you to try at home.

Let’s Paint! is designed to offer a little gentle encouragement to artists when they are starting out, helping you to build your confidence with your brush. And if you have already mastered the techniques explained here, why not pass it on to a friend to try instead?

Contents

4 HOW TO MAKE… A FLAT WASH

Deceptively simple yet hard to master, Rob Dudley explains this basic technique

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HOW TO CREATE… A LAYER OF WASHES Learn how to combine layers of watercolour to vary colour and tone

8 HOW TO PAINT… SHAPES IN “CLOUDS”

Let chance marks be your guide in this demonstration by artist Mark Mehaffey

10

HOW TO PAINT… A POPPY FIELD

Glyn Macey shows you how to find movement and colour in a simple landscape

MAIN COVER IMAGE

Taken from Glyn Macey’s Acrylics Unleashed (Search Press)

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How to make…

A Flat Wash By The importance of the watercolour wash cannot be overstated. It can be used to fill an entire sheet of paper or to pick out the smallest area of detail.

It can be applied to unpainted areas, to a previously painted area; it can

You will need • A sheet of Bockingford 130lb NOT surface watercolour paper • A size 10 kolinsky sable brush • A tube of French Ultramarine artists’ quality watercolour • A flat board

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The flat wash is, as the name implies, a wash with no gradation in tone or colour. The colour is evenly applied across the painted surface, from top to bottom or side-to-side. On a sheet of stretched watercolour paper, define an area approximately the same size as a post card with masking tape. Mix up a sufficient quantity of colour before beginning painting – I’ve chosen to use artists’ quality French Ultramarine blue for this exercise.

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y e l d u D b o R

be graduated, variegated or used to build up layers of tone or colour. It is an essential skill that the watercolour artist needs to practice.

When practicing, I would suggest that good quality materials are essential; if possible, use artists’ quality watercolours as these will give the most satisfying results. Pan colours are acceptable, however when painting larger areas I prefer to use tubes as I can mix a good pool of colour more quickly.

Mix colours in a palette that has deep wells; a saucer makes a good alternative if a palette is not available.

Mix plenty of your chosen colour. It is

so difficult to mix more colour in the middle of painting, not only in terms of trying to match the colour and tone, but also to make it up quickly enough to avoid the waiting wash drying. It is far better to mix up too much paint rather than not enough.

Work with a brush that is large enough to hold sufficient paint. Too small a brush will require constant visits to the palette, which in turn is likely to result in a wash that looks streaky. Keep your mix clean by using clean water at all times. Use a minimum of two jars of water: one to clean the brushes in and the other to add to the wash.

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Taking a fully loaded brush and with the board slightly sloping towards you, on dry paper, begin to apply the wash to the top of the paper. As the board is slightly raised, a bead of colour will form along the leading edge of the wash and it is this bead of colour that the next full stroke of the brush should incorporate.

Continue to bring the wash down the paper until it reaches the bottom.

Work quickly. Any excess colour at the bottom of the paper can be removed by lifting it off with a dry brush or mopped up by carefully using the corner of a sheet of kitchen roll.

HOW TO MAKE… A FLAT WASH

Winter Beach Watercolour, 50x70cm In this example, you can see how a quickly painted, freely applied wash produces a lovely clean sky. To achieve this finish, it was essential to have a sufficient pool of paint ready mixed – the effect would have been lost if more colour had to be mixed during painting.

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At this point I will often lay the board flat to allow equal drying time: if the board is left at an angle, the top will dry faster than the bottom. The water will run down the slope taking the colour with it and will consequently dry more rapidly.

This might result in an uneven wash, an unwanted drying line or a cauliflower-like effect.

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If the area painted is not too large, or it is a particularly ‘wet’ wash, I will often lift and tilt the board to spread the colour more uniformly over the required area to ensure an even distribution of the wash.

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If you are happy with the distribution of the colour, lay your board flat and allow the wash to dry undisturbed. Avoid the temptation to test the dryness with a finger. The wash will dry with a matt finish; any shine will indicate the continued presence of water and any testing is likely to result in an unsightly mark.

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How to create…

A Layer of BWashes y l ey One of the exciting characteristics of watercolour is its capacity to produce transparent washes. Many artists exploit this characteristic by building up layers of washes that will produce interesting tones and modulated colours, tones and colours that would be difficult if not impossible to produce in any other way.

Watercolour washes must be allowed to dry completely before any over painting is attempted. If a wash is applied before the previous wash is bone dry it is likely to result in unsightly drying marks or the dreaded ‘cauliflower’. This can be particularly apparent in wash that is meant to be uniform, flat and without blemish.

A completely dry wash will be ‘matt’ in appearance; any shine will indicate the presence of moisture meaning that the wash is still damp and any over painting should be avoided.

You will need • A sheet of Bockingford 130lb NOT surface watercolour paper • A size 10 kolinsky sable brush • A tube of French Ultramarine artists’ quality watercolour • A flat board • Masking tape

Low Tide, Mothecombe Watercolour, 50x70cm A good example how the layering of watercolour washes creates lively, interesting colours and variation in tone, particularly on the beach and distant fields.

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Ro b Du d

how to create… a layer of washes

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On a sheet of pre-stretched and dry watercolour paper, I marked out a rectangle in masking tape that was approximately 10cm by 15cm. Within this shape, I painted a flat wash, similar to the one in my demonstration on page 4. Leave the wash to dry.

On a separate stretched piece of watercolour paper, mark out a rectangle of masking tape, as before. Mix plenty of paint. The mix does not have to be too strong – the overlapping layers of colour will create different tones, not by the addition of more paint.

Apply the wash to the defined area.

Don’t be too concerned if a few areas of paper are left unpainted; these little flecks of white paper add to the overall interest within the painting. Allow this first wash to completely dry.

Starting a third of the way down the first wash, paint a second wash over it, using the same paint mix. If the second wash is added before the first wash has dried, the effect will be lost. Again, allow to dry completely.

Apply a second wash, starting about one third of the way up and using the ready-mixed paint – this wash will represent my distant riverbank. Work quickly and avoid the temptation to ‘fiddle’. As part of this second layer, add another wash to the foreground – the near bank. Allow both to dry.

Now add the third and final wash to the bottom third of the rectangle.

When this is completely dry, note how the layering of paint has created three different tones from one colour. Once you have mastered this, move onto step 4, where I will show you how this tonal layering can be used to create a very simple riverscape.

In the foreground, add the third and final wash over the near riverbank that you created in the previous step. By doubling up the colour here, this third and final wash will create the strongest tone in the image.

Layering muLtipLe coLours The colour produced by layering one colour over another often produces interesting and sometimes unexpected effects. It is always useful for the artist to be aware of how different paint colours behave when they are layered.

Time spent producing charts showing the colours that can be created by layering is seldom wasted.

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How to paint…

Shapes in “clouds” e h aff ey M k r a M By

Let’s just say I’m over 50, but I still love to watch clouds. I have fun imagining all sorts of creatures, faces and objects in them as they go by.

In this project, you’ll find shapes within “clouds” of paint. Specifically, you’ll do an underpainting of light-value washes, then look for shapes in that underpainting. Whatever you see in the paint clouds will be the subject of your painting. You’ll use negative painting to reveal shapes.

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Do the UnDerpainting

Use a 1” flat brush to flood the paper with clear water. Wait until the shine has just started to disappear, then brush on random strokes of Cobalt Blue, Quinacridone Rose, and a violet made from those two colours plus New Gamboge. Allow this to dry; use a hair dryer if you want it to dry quickly.

Take a long look at the result. Turn the paper in every direction. Do you see something? Part of something? Keep looking, and something will become evident to you. In my underpainting I saw a complicated bloom and abstracted leaves and stems with strong light coming from the right.

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2

Begin to Define the SUBject

Mix slightly darker versions of the colours you used in step 1. With a 1” flat, cut in around the large bloom that will be the focal area. The underpainting here is a strong Quinacridone Rose, so make that mixture only slightly darker than in the previous step.

As you work to the right, the underpainting changes to a violet made with Cobalt Blue and Quinacridone Rose; switch wash colours as you go. Define the edges of the leaves and stems. Switch to the lower-right corner and define that area with washes of New Gamboge and a violet mixture. Allow all of this to dry completely.

3

Bring oUt More Detail

Usually, as one progresses from larger to smaller shapes in a painting, one uses smaller brushes. In this painting, for a looser, unlaboured look, stay with a 1” flat as long as possible.

Mix slightly stronger washes of the same colors you used in step 2. Move to the lower right of the painting and define some of the leaf and stem shapes.

Occasionally let one side of a stroke define a shape negatively while the other side of that same stroke becomes a positive edge for another shape.

Move back to the top of the painting, which should be dry by now, and use an even stronger, darker wash to redefine some of the leaf shapes. Create one stem by painting around it; add another stem by painting it in. Allow all of this to dry.

HOW TO PAINT… SHAPES IN “CLOUDS”

ÚYou will need

• Watercolours Cobalt Blue, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Rose and Winsor Red • Paper 140lb (300gsm) coldpressed, stretched 56x38cm watercolour paper • Brushes ½” (12mm), ¾” (19mm) and 1” (25mm) flat brushes

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SEE THE BLOOM, PAINT THE BLOOM

Switch to a ¾” flat. Mix strong puddles of Quinacridone Rose and Winsor Red on your palette. Begin on the left edge of the focal area, the bloom, and paint the small shapes that form the petals. As in step 3, use one stroke to paint one side of a petal and define the negative space around another petal. Vary the temperature of your reds: let some of the petals lean toward cooler Quinacridone Rose, and let other petals lean toward warmer Winsor Red. As you move to the right within the bloom, let the values get dramatically lighter. This will create the illusion of light coming from the right.

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ADD THE DRAMA

Use a ½” flat to directly paint more petals within the bloom. The petals on the left are away from the light and should be quite dark. As you move toward the right side, make the petals lighter. As in step 4, vary the temperatures of the reds.

Continue around to the light side of the bloom, adding petal shapes. Directly paint a couple of leaves. Also add an accent of stronger Cobalt Blue to the edge of the flower to help pull the viewer’s eye away from the bull’s-eye created by the circular center of the bloom.

Final painting Clouds to Flower, watercolour on cold-pressed paper, 56x38cm

This is an extract from Creative Workshop Watercolor & Acrylic

by Mark Mehaffey, published by North Light Books, RRP £16.99. northlightshop.com

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how to paint… a poppy field

How to paint…

A Poppy Field y e c a M n y

By Gl

For this painting I chose a beautiful field of poppies, which sway in the breeze on their long willowy stems creating patterns almost like the waves on the ocean.

Flowers help to create a lot of movement in a painting, and a great way to understand that movement is to get amongst the action.

Capturing movement is not easy but applying loose areas of paint with sponges and rags helps to realise the transient nature of movement. When using such unconventional methods to apply paint, accidents will occur. These accidents can be happy accidents that fill you with joy and create painting magic or simply accidents that do not work! Fear not, acrylics are so versatile that even ‘naughty accidents’ can be brought under control by over-painting or simply wiping the offending marks away with a wet sponge.

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 You will need

• Paper Rough watercolour paper, 76 x 56cm • Acrylic paints Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red Medium, Phthalo Turquoise, Cadmium Yellow Medium • Brushes Size 8 short flat/bright, Size 2 filbert • Conté sticks Green, orange • 4B pencil • Painting board and easel • Masking tape • Red-brown watersoluble pencil • Blue pencil • Sponge

HOW TO PAINT… A POPPY FIELD

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Make a grid of 10cm squares using a red-brown watersoluble pencil, then lightly sketch the main shapes on to the watercolour paper using a blue pencil. Next, secure the paper to the board using masking tape and place it on your easel.

Use a damp household sponge to gently rub the watersoluble pencil grid from the sky area.

TOP TIP Taking the sky colour below the horizon creates tonal unity across the painting.

TOP TIP

Using the edge and point of a sponge allows you more control to get stronger definition. You can also dance other parts of the sponge over the surface to give looser, lighter touches. I call this technique ‘fairy fingers’!

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Make a dilute mix of Titanium White and Ultramarine Blue.

Pick up the mix on the sponge and use long horizontal strokes to apply it to the sky, working from the top down to slightly below the horizon.

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Tear a sponge into a point and pick up Cadmium Red Medium.

Use it to block in the main poppies in the foreground, then dilute the paint slightly to suggest the mass of poppies on the horizon. This gives the colour a lighter tint and helps to create a sense of distance. It may seem odd to use the red now, but using it over the clean white paper gives the best vibrancy.

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how to paint‌ a poppy field

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Add a little Phthalo Turquoise to Cadmium Yellow Medium to create a bright green. Use a size 8 short flat/bright to apply a slightly diluted mix to the background. This allows the blue paint below to show through, creating an optical mix and giving greater clarity of colour.

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Use the edge of the sponge to run in lines of undiluted green fairly randomly to the foreground to suggest grass and flower stems. Use areas where paint has dripped down the painting to your advantage, reinforcing them to help suggest areas of shadow.

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Use a fresh piece of sponge to apply gestural, calligraphic strokes of the green to the foreground. Bigger, more energetic strokes make things seem closer to you, helping to reinforce the sense of distance.

Add a touch of Ultramarine Blue to the green mix to darken it slightly, and use the size 8 short flat/bright to create shadow areas around the foreground. Use the paint fairly dilute, so that it runs and drips, but do not over-dilute or you will lose the strength of colour.

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Still using the size 8 short flat/bright with the dilute green mix, press the brush on to the edges of the central poppy and twist it to create an area of shadow.

HOW TO PAINT… A POPPY FIELD

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Repeat the process on the other large poppies in the foreground, then use the green mix – very diluted – to add light glazing touches to the background poppies.

Make more of the dark green mix (Cadmium Yellow Medium, Phthalo Turquoise and Ultramarine Blue). Use the size 8 short flat/bright to establish the dark area in the background, scrubbing the colour in undiluted. As the paint runs out, turn the brush side-on and use a dry brush technique to suggest foliage – the paint will pick out the surface texture of the paper (see inset).

Spatter the very dilute green mix (a little Phthalo Turquoise, Cadmium Yellow Medium and Ultramarine Blue) over the background field.

Develop the darks in the foreground with the same mix, applying the mix with shorter, more controlled strokes.

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HOW TO PAINT… A POPPY FIELD

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Still using the same dark mix, use a size 2 filbert to pick out the chimney pots on the building in the top right-hand corner.

Still using neat Cadmium Red Medium, break up the line between the back of the poppy field and the dark background by applying dots and dashes with the size 2 filbert.

Use Cadmium Red Medium neat from the tube to suggest the poppies in the background. Suggest the distance by making only small marks using the edge and corners of a fresh size 8 short flat brush.

Allow the painting to dry thoroughly, then draw the sharp edge of a green Conté stick (see inset) to add some vertical strokes in the central foreground.

This article features in Acrylics Unleashed

by Glyn Macey, published by Search Press, RRP £14.99. www.searchpress.com

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HOW TO PAINT‌ A POPPY FIELD

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Pick out some highlights on the poppies using the orange ContĂŠ stick.

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Darken the lower left foreground with the dilute dark green mix and the size 8 short flat/bright, then scrape out some stems below the poppy using the back of the brush to finish.

The finished painting

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