Fearless Watercolor for Beginners: Adventurous Painting Techniques to Get You Started

296 Pages·2015·11.41 MB·English

by  Pelissier

Fearless
Watercolor
for beginners
ADVENTUROUS PAINTING TECHNIQUES TO
GET YOU STARTED
SANDRINE PELISSIER
CINCINNATI, OHIO
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LEAVES LACE
Watercolor on paper
17" × 29" (43cm × 74cm)
Dedication
I think it takes courage to be an artist and to express yourself by any art
practice, because you are showing a personal part of yourself to the
world and exposing yourself to criticism and praise. I would like to
dedicate this book to all the artists who are taking risks in sharing their
creations and living a creative life.
CONTENTS
Special Offers
Introduction
Materials Used in This Book
CHAPTER 1
Before You Start
It’s All About the Water • The Importance of Taking Risks, Making
Mistakes and Having Fun • About Style and a Place and Time to Paint •
Documenting Your Process • Planning and Improvising
CHAPTER 2
What You Will Need
Different Kinds of Papers and How They Affect Your Painting • The Star:
Paint Tubes and Pans • Brushes and Alternatives • Other Materials •
Transferring Your Drawing
CHAPTER 3
Basic Techniques
Washes: The Basis of Watercolor Painting • Graded Washes •
Variegated Washes • Properties of Your Pigments • Mixing Colors • The
Basics of Color Theory • Mixing Colors on Paper • Layering Colors •
Painting with Multiple Color Mixing Techniques • The Importance of
Edges
CHAPTER 4
Techniques for Adding Texture
Splatters, Drips and Drops • Salt Textures • How to Paint with a Dry
Brush • Cutout Wax-Paper Shapes • Alcohol and Water Textures •
Scratching Off Paint • Wax Resist • Back Runs • Plastic Wrap • Soap
CHAPTER 5
Incorporating Mixed Media
Breaking the Rules and Having Fun • Mixing Dry or Oil Pastels with
Watercolor • Adding Gouache to a Watercolor Painting • Adding Acrylic
Paint • Adding Colored Pencil • Drawing with Watercolor Pencils • Sewing
on Paper • Adding Zentangles® with Markers • Combining Painting and
Drawing • Drawing with Watercolor Pencils and Pastels • Mixed Media on
Yupo Paper • Effects on Yupo Paper
CHAPTER 6
A Few Last Thoughts
Be Your Own Critic • Criteria for Evaluation • Finishing
About Sandrine Pelissier
Dedication and Acknowledgments
FREIGHTERS
Watercolor and watercolor pencils on paper
15" × 22" (38cm × 56cm)
After painting this picture with watercolors, I accentuated a few areas with watercolor pencils and
then splashed the entire surface with lots of water. The watercolor pencil spreads when the paper
is covered in water and thus accentuates the splashed effect. This technique works well with
marine themes.
INTRODUCTION
The first time you painted with watercolors, you might have been
surprised by this medium, which seems to have a life and mind of its
own, as the paint swiftly moves across the paper.
It is also translucent, which means marks are not easily covered.
Watercolor can feel like an unpredictable and unforgiving medium at first.
This is what makes watercolor both challenging and exciting. With
experience and the right tools you will learn how to gain some control
over the paint, be able to predict how the pigments will behave, master
different techniques and learn how to fix mistakes. Even though an
element of chance will always be part of the appeal, you can enjoy a
fearless and relaxed approach to watercolor painting.
Watercolor is a very versatile medium that can look quite traditional or
contemporary and is suited to a variety of styles from photorealism to
abstract, from low contrast to very high contrast, from precise to loose.
It can be painted in a traditional transparent way on paper or it can be
mixed with other media and painted on a variety of supports: Yupo paper,
canvas, paper prepared with medium or gesso, paper mounted on board,
and more.
This book will give you an overview of some of the many possibilities
watercolor painting offers. You will learn a series of basic skills that will
give you the knowledge you need to get started. The book consists of
three main parts:
before you paint (preparation, planning and materials)
when you paint (techniques)
after you paint (assessment and finishing)
For some techniques there are a variety of ways to achieve the desired
result. I don’t believe there is just one way or one technique that will work
for everyone. I would like you to choose what you think will work for your
particular style or taste, and leave behind what won’t work for you.
Each new technique is illustrated with a step-by-step demo, and some
include links to online videos that show how to apply that technique to a
specific painting or that share exercises to help you practice.
You will learn about preparation, materials and various techniques:
washes, painting wet on wet and wet on dry, blending or layering colors,
preserving the white of your paper, lifting color, achieving a variety of
edge qualities, adding textures to your paintings and fixing mistakes.
We will also discuss how to plan out your painting (one of the keys to
growing confidence and avoiding confusion while painting), how to
assess your own work and what finishes you can apply.
THE TREE PLACE
Watercolor and gouache on paper mounted on board
Triptych, three pieces each 24" × 24" (61cm × 61cm)