Fun With Watercolor

76 Pages·1988·11.4 MB·English

by  Tom Lynch

fMNWITfi
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13 Paintings in Four Stages and Full Color Ik Jffjr
Ibm Lynch (Biography HMBM
byLinda GassmanRhodes
NBm! Eleven-year-oldTomLynchpeeredanxiously inthe kitchenathis mother. Hehadrecently
. I mWihsebnehhaevehda,ndaenddhsihsemwoatsheuprsheits.dHroapwiinngg,toshmeapkreaipseeadcet.heLpyincctuhroef'fsebreeaduthiifsumloblmueaspkayi,ntainndghheermaandgee.r
I meltedaway.Proudlysheanchoredhisarttotherefrigerator,andLynch'slatestcreationwas
displayedinthe"gallery"withhisotherworks.
ThusbeganIllinoiswatercoloristTomLynch'scareer.Todayheisanationallyrecognized
teacherandartistwhosepaintingshanginprivate,public,corporate,andmuseumcollections
acrossthecountry.
Tom'sMagicofWatercolortelevisionseries,viewedin150citiesnationwide,hasmadehisface
almostasfamiliarashisworks.Asauthorofabookthatsupplementsthetelevisioninstruction,and
illustratorofcards,calendars,andmagazines.Tom'stalentsareacclaimedinseveralareasofthe
artworld.Alsonotedforhisastutebusinesssense,heprovidesararecombinationoftalentsofthe
creativeandbusinessworlds.
Tomdisplayeddeterminationanddriveevenasachild.Unlikemanyyoungsterswhowouldn'tgiveanotherthoughttotheirpaintings
aftertheyweredisplayed,hecontinuallyevaluatedhiswork,seekingimprovement."OftenIwouldseesomethingsIwishedIcoulddo
betterordoagain,soIwouldgobackandimprove.Iwouldalwaysfeelthechallengeofdoingitwell,becauseIknewitwasgoingtobe
ondisplay,"saysTom.
Tom'sfascinationwithartdevelopedalthoughhisgrammarschoolhadnoartclasses.Hisinterestgrew,fedbypraisefromparentsand
teachers.Finally,hisseventhgradeteacherrecognizedTom'stalentandrecommendedhetakespecialartclassesatnightatthenearbyhigh
school."OnceIstartedtakingclassesatthehighschool,"Tomsays,"thenIwasexposedtoqualityart.That'swhenIsaid,'That'swhat
Iwanttodo.'"Inhighschool,hewonanartcompetitionandtheprize:16weeksofclassesatChicago'sAmericanAcademyofArt. After
completingtheclasses,TomcontinuedattheAcademythroughouthighschoolandforthreeyearsaftergraduation.Thenheattendedthe
UniversityofIllinois.
In1972Tombeganworkingasanillustrator,doinglayoutsandpreparationsfornewspaperads.Atthesametimehewaspreparingfor
afineartscareerbyobservingartfairs.Forayearhetraveledfromfairtofair,notinghowpicturesweredisplayed,comparingprices,seeing
whysomeartistsweredoingwellandothersweren't.ThenextyearTomexhibitedinfairs.Becausehehadresearched,heknewhowto
displayhisart,priceit,andreachthepublic.Lynchattributesmuchofhissuccesstoresearch,planning,andg—oodbusinesssense.Infact,
hestressestheimportanceofthebusinessaspect."ThefirstthingIdid,"saysTom,"wasdevelopaclientele alistofpeople,whonot
onlypurchased,butwhoshowedinterestinmywork."Usingaguestbookatshows,offeringadrawingforafreeprintorpictureatdisplays
(peopleregisterwithnameandaddress),takingnamesandaddressesfromchecksofpeoplewhobuyhisartarewaysTomcontinuesto
increasehismailinglist. (continuedinsidebackcover)
WITH
FUN
OK
It II K< 01
I
ThisbookisbasedontheT.V.SeriesFunWithWatercolor.
ProducedbyGraphicsPlusofFloridaInc.andRaphaelArtistBrushes.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments 2
Introduction 3
Preparation 4-17
ReadytoPaint 18
PaintingTitles 19
VillageChurch 20
RedBucket 24
BigSky 28
DryDock 32
NightTown 36
RagDolls 40
MorningLight 44
FreshFlowers 48
CountryRoad 52
High Seas/Calm Seas 56
RiverReflections 60
BreakfastTable 64
SnowShadows 68
LearnMoreAboutWatercolorPainting 72
Publisher;GraphicsPlusofFlorida,Inc.
Author, ArtistandCreatorofInstructionMethods:TomLynch
EditedBy:DonnaJ. Pintek
ProductionDirector:GordonChabot
ProductionAssistant:FrankDobieski
Photographer: GaryHester
Firstpublishedin1988inDelrayBeach,FloridabyGraphicsPlusofFlorida,Inc.Copyright©MCMLXXXVIIIbyGraphicsPlusofFlorida,Inc.Allrightsreserved.Permissiongranted
retailpurchaserofthisbooktousedesignsforpersonaldevelopment.Drawingsandpaintingsmadebythepurchaserofthisbook,maybesignedandsold.Nootherreproduction,
inpartorinwhole,byanymeans,graphic,electronic,ormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,tapingorinformationstorageandretrievalsystems,maybemadewithout
expresswrittenpermissionofGraphicsPlusofFlorida,Inc.,400N.E.3rdStreet,DelrayBeach,Florida33483.
ISBN0-943295-03-3
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:88-071-283 SecondPrinting 1989 PrintedinUSA
(Dedication
. . .this book is dedicated to myfather.
Ilove all myfamily, butdads tend to
hearabout it last. This timeIwant
you to hearitfirst. . .
Ilove you, Dad.
ftckfiowkdgmmts
TfohrerheavairnegmhaenlypepdeoapslseemwbhloetdheeseTrVvesaerwieosr,dthoifstbhoaonkk,saannddbcertetdietr hadAdadicthiaonncaellyto,sIhtahraentkh:isJaonnelel,toTgaetmhie,r.anFdorTrtahcei.tr.ue.Im'emagnliandgwoef
yet,me. successisdiscoveringourheartsandhavingsomeonetosharelove
Tomyparents:Youhavespentyourlifegivingofyourselves with.I'mhappytosaywehavethebestofboth.Thankyouladies.
tome.I'mgladnowthatIcanfinallyreturnthefavor.Tomy Tomystaff:Whenthepressurewasonme,youknowwhoIgave
sisters,Sharon,PatandLisa:Afewmilesandafewkidsmaykeep itto.Youdeserveabigthankyou.Ihaveaskedyoutojumpthrough
usapart,buttheywillnevercomebetweenourlove. hoopsattimes.Youhavedonesoaboveandbeyondthecallof
howToyomuyrfirdieeansd,anRidcehnaerrdgJyagmoitoltkhioswsalkli:staIrfttehd.eTwhoralndksonRl.yJ.knew doSulctkhyow.wesnkTkih,,anSDktaesvviedtBeJaoamdm.iino.el.kNaoenwddsrkaTio,dStdAotnBtn,ayJuSakhme.iiollakoVwasukig,haSnt,eveMaJratmhia-
ZForleTtdraoincmkSyszoantb,eoa,cBhNueirrttsa,SEJinolghlvnee,rPmIiarknve,,ShREaidpcihrWaohr,idtWniEelaylr,liaRmTohbFoelmrotpresEno.cne,W,oJBoodoh,bn booAk,spReiccihaalrtdhaVnaknstSottohcekcuomll,ecHtaorrrsywh&osMearpiaeinCtoinlgvsinI,usKeedntforMathri-s
Doherty,andVernStake:ItwasafewyearsandafewTVshows burger,RickRubner,HerbHarding,andHarryRichards.
ago,butIstillhaven't forgotten...Thankyou. Tomynewfriends,LouLewisandMaryLewis: Younever
dthoonTueosainnmdywsorsotkfusndheeonwptssf:riisIe'rnvedefsl,ettcrhtaeavdneklisendttohairysoobuuo.nodMk.uthcYehouworofrdwlehdsairtaenwdteomlhaeaadvreen ckaannldloTwwaVwshseaorimiesas.gnoBoiufntgvbietssoitcooanlflaalnyldo,uIahcatanivdoenw,lhiafanetdl,ownihglelfnrccieoefnmoderstohin,ftiath.enWLeiewtwhibsot'hosik.s
hashelpedkeepalivemydesireforexcellence...Thankyou. ToGordonChabot...Anyonethatcanputtogethermynotes,
sioTnaolimsymWanXdEhLafradmieflfyo:rtIsaimnmgraaktienfuglmfoyrnyoeuwrTsVuppsoerrti,espraofsetse-p cpoaionrtdiinngastedeaselravyeosutg,reaatndapporregcainaitzieonm.yThannukmserfoorusyodurraewxipnegrsthaenldp
forward.I'dliketoextendthankstoCelestefordirectingandto inassemblingthisbook.
JimMoranfortakingachanceonsomenewideas.
SI wordfrom ^om Lynch
Ifyouhavesensitivityandtheabilitytothink,youareanartist.
Artisaprocess,notaproduct.Withartwehaveachancetodo talentgrows,you'llconsidergoingontotakeclassesinadvanced
something impactful with our lives, for we are reviewed and watercolortechniques.Withwatercolor,aswithallformsofart,
rememberedmostbywhatweleavebehind.Whatcouldbebetter youneverstoplearning.Istillconsidermyselfastudent,intenton
thanart?Artshowswhatweare,whatwethink,andwhatwefeel becomingamaster.
abouttheworldaroundus. Thereisnotjustonewaytopaint.Ihavebeentaughtbysome
Myambitionistocreateapainti—ngwherethepowerofsugges- ofthiscountry'smasterwatercolorists,peoplelikeJohnPike,Ed
tionisstrongerthanthetechnique theimpactstrongerthanthe Whitney, Robert E. Wood, Zoltan Szabo, Nita Engle, Irving
detail.Thisforcesme(andtheviewer)touseourimaginations. Shapiroandothers.Iamaproductofalltheirtalents.Thereare
Imaginationisthekeythatunlocksthedoor.Ifyouhaveanopen touchesofeachoftheminwhatIdo.Expandingsomeoneelse's
mindandapositiveattitudeaboutpainting,thepagesaheadwillbe ideaorapplyingsomeoneelse'stechniqueismywayofsharing
easyandfunforyou.Mostimportant,thinkpositive,always. withyouwhattheyhavesharedwithme.
Throughoutthisbookandthetelevisionseries,myaimhasbeen Come with me and together let's explore this fascinating
tointroduceyoutothefunandexcitementofwatercolorpainting. medium called watercolor. I ^am not your teacher but rather
aBnydgtiavkiinnggyyoouutthoewfhuenrdeamtehnetpaaltsh,bIeagminsl.eaIdti'sngupyotuoytohurotuogfhotlhleowdotohre swiotmheoynoeuwwhhaotwIahnatvsetofosuhnadr.e /tfM.fIaWn. '
pathtowhereveritmaylead.Myhopeisthat,asyoupaint,andyour
Introduction
Theobjectiveofthisguidelineistobrieflyexplainthemechanicsofwatercolorpaintinginordertosparkyourimaginationand
inspireyoutopaint.Experiencewill,ultimately,beyourbestteacher.Allowyourselfthetimetoabsorbthefascinatingqualities
ofthesepaints.Rewardswillsoonfollow.
TOMLYNCHDEFINESWATERCOLORS
Watercolortodayisahighlydiversifiedandexcitingmeansof withthemandpracticingeachoverandoveragain. Allofmy
expression.Itofferstheartistgreatlatitudeandflexibility.Itcan techniqueshavebeenacquiredthroughconstantactionandinter-
besoft,quietandillusionary,orbold,positiveandprecise.Itis actionwithotherlearnedtechniques.
capableofdepictingtextureswithquietreserveorexplosiveim- Tobegin,trythetechniquesexactlyasIhaveshownthem,then
pact. addyourownideasandexperiments,andexperimentfurther,so
Versatilityisthekeynoteofwatercolorpainting.Onecanwork beforeyoustartawatercolorpainting,practice,practice,practice!
in a variety oftechniques ranging from thin, dry, transparent Yourpaintingswillshowtheseefforts.Importantly,havefunwith
washesglazedoneoveranothertothick,rich,nearlyopaquebuild- allthesepracticeexercises;youmightendupcuttingthemupand
ups ofcolor painted wet into wet. This versatility allows the usingthemasgreetingcards.Don'tbeconcernedaboutmaking
watercolorartistachancetocreatetheillusionofsolidformwith somethingoutofthembuthavefun,staylooseandbebold.Keep
transparentpigment.Theintrinsicqualitiesandunlimitedpoten- experimenting,testing andtrying yourownmethods untilyou
tialofwatercolorsencourageartiststoexplore,experiment,and havegainedafeelingandconfidencethatwewatercoloristsmust
expressthemselves.Watercolorpaintingisamirrorfortheartist, have.Oilpainterscanpushpaintaroundandthenthink.Water-
reflectingmoods,emotions,strengthsandweaknessesatanygiven coloristshavetothinkfirstandthenputbrushtopaper.Onceyou
moment. become familiar with these techniques, start painting and be
Manythingscan besaidaboutwatercolor,butyoumustpaint confidentofyourresults.
and paint often to really get the feeling for this magnificent
VARIETY
medium.
WATERCOLORPAINTINGTECHNIQUES Varietyisthecornerstoneofsuccessfulpainting.Inthepagesthat
follow,Iexplainseveraltechniquesindetail;however,keepin
Tome,experimentingwithtechniques(highlightedinthefollow- mindthatinusinganyandalltechniques,youmusthavevariety.
ingpagesofthebook)isactuallymoreimportantthanfollowing Demonstratevariety in size,varietyin shape, variety incolor,
thesteps,orlessons,ofcompletingafinishedpainting.Ifyoucan variety in value and variety in edge. The eye and mind are
masterthetechniques,youcancreateanypainting.Merelyfollow- connected. The more changes we can give the eye, the more
ingtheexamplesanddoingapaintingstep-by-stepwillonlyhelp excitementandstimulationwegivethemind;thereforeourview-
youinachievingthatonesingleworkofart.Experimentwiththe ersdetermineinasingleglancetheenjoymentofwhattheyare
techniquesonthefollowingfewpages;onceyouhavemastered lookingat.Lookingbackasawaytoimprovemypaintings,Ican
them,youhavemasteredwatercolorwithoutevencompletingyour seethat90percentofthemcouldbeimprovedfurtherbyadding
firstworkofart. varietyofonesortoranother. Seldomcanyougetyourselfin
Ilearnedthesesametechniquesbyusingthem,experimenting troublebyhavingtoomuchvarietyinapainting.
3
Preparation
PAINTS shouldpositionyourworkingsurfacesothatthetopofthepaper
Watercolorpaintingsgleamwithfreshnessandbrilliancebecause issomewhathigherthanthebottom,tiltedatabouta15-degree
watercolorpaints,althoughopaqueemergingfromthetube,be- angle.Thisslightslanthelpscolorstoblendtogether.Whenyou
cometransparentoncemixedwithwater.Theirtransparencythen wanttostoptheblending,youwillwantthepapertobeflat,soyou
letsthewhitenessofthepapersh—owthrough. — shouldhaveasmallblockofwoodorotherobjecttoslipunder
Forthepaintingsinthisbook andforallmypaintings I yourpaintingtoliftthetoptwotothreeinches.
usetubewatercolors(HuntSpeedballbrand).Non-stainingcolors
erase,andallowmetochangemymindevenafterthecolordries.
BRUSHES
Yoush—ouldbuygood-qualitytubepaintswithpure,brightpig-
ments notthosedulledwithfillers. Squeezeoutfreshpaint
ever>'dayyoupaint;don'ttrytosaveyourpaintovernight.Inwa-
tercolor,waternotwhitepaint,isusedtolightenpaint.And,for
objectsthatarepurewhite,thatpartofthepaperissimplynot
painted.
Mytheorywithpaintistoselectalightvalueanddarkvaluefor
eachcolor.Ialsoselectthebrightestcoloravailable,becauseitis
veryeasytograydownabrightcolor.Itisveryhardtomakeagray
colorlookbright.Idon'tlikemuddycolors,soIusebrightfresh
professionalcolors.
PALETTE
Thepaletteistotheartistwhatthestockpotistothecook:aplace
where ingredientsare storedandblendedinpreparationofthe
masterpiece.Palettesforwatercolorpaintcomeinmanydifferent
setdyglTeehst.eo(hbBoeetlgtdietrnhnepeaprlusertmeteapsayihneatvv,eeannsdcehvaeolroaasrlegedaeuwenhdpiitwveeildpleosdrcameliloxaniignngtphalerateoeau.i)tnsitdhee Gyoooudw-iqtuhalbietayutbirfuuslhreessualrtesa.wIohratvhewhaillweayisnvseasitdmetnhtat,tthhaetbwriulslhreiwsamryd
ckfeeeanettpuerrtefhsoearnpdadiilanulttsiomngothiarsnetdeomdvieexeripnniwgge.hltTl.shefIobrdeemssitixpgianlneegdttleaasrgpheaalpveutedtaedllweidisttohhfattchowelisolelr "bseiKsnotgl.lieAnmssoksyw"titiShmapbaolnreyttaihsnitnkgnt,oootlwh.neItbbehesrltoiuecgvoehsotiusntnatahtlieutrtawl—elormhlaodirref.borruYsboheueirsn,goantnlhdye
fortoning,glazing,orpaintinglargeareasthesamecolor.The assuranceisthatyou'llhavethefinestbrush onethatwilllast
itnhtateraiolrloiswsropoaimnytsentoousgtahytmooeinsctlofsoerauplatrogeamwoeieskt.sponge,afeature aliIfhetaivmee.beeninmanystudios,andeveryonehasafavoritebrush.
Ninety-ninepercentofthetimeitisaKolinskySable.Surprisingly,
thereisadifferencebetweenbrands.MyfirstchoiceisRaphael,
bothbecauseofthebrushandthecompany.Ihavebeentothe
factoryandseenboththeworkmanshipandthequalitycontrol.
PAPER They are meticulous in assembling theirbrushes, (o—ften times
undermagnification).Theytestandre-testeachbrush wetand
Thepaperyouchooseforyourwatercolorpaintingmustbetop dry.Ihaveseenthemrejectabrushbecausealetteronthehandle
quality,justasyourpaintsandbrushes.Formostofthepaintings wasnotdarkenough.Furthermore,thecompanyisfamilyowned
inthisbookand,indeed,foralmostallwatercolorpainting,the andstandsbehindeachproduct.(Theyreplacedoneofmystu-
paperofchoiceis140-pound,cold-pressed,from100percentrag dents'newbrushesbecauseahairfellout.)
fibers.Thispaperisheavyenou—ghtowithstandsomeofthemore Quantityisnotimportant;youneedonlyafewqualitybrushes.
—abusivewatercolortechniques scratchingoutanderasingpaint Picturedhereareafewofmy'olereliables.
anditisthickenoughtousetheothersideifyoudonotlikewhat Whentestingabrush,asktheclerkforacupofwater;wetand
youhavepaintedononeside."Cold-pressed"referstoapaper- softenthebrush.Dosomeimaginarypaintingtoseehowmuch
finishingtechniquethatmakesthesurfaceofthepaperslightly bouncethebrushhas,howitcomestoapoint,howmuchwaterit
textured,whichhelpsinturn,toaddtexturetosomeofyourbrush holds(willitsplatteroff?).Doesthebrushsplitorwillitfanout
strokes.Also,thefibercontentofthepaperisimportant.Iinsiston evenly?
papermadeof100percentragfibers,whichisacidfreeandwillnot Neverl—eavethebrushstandinginwater.Avoidtouchingthe
becomebrittleoryellowovertime.Don'tbemisledintobuying brushhair theoilsonyourskincanadverselyaffectthedelicate
"ragcontent"paper. fibers.Finally,alwaysshapeyourbrushafteryouhavefinishedfor
Regardlessofthetypeofpaperonwhichyouarepainting,you theday.
(Preparation
OTHERSUPPLIES
Youhaveallthebasicsuppliesin
paint,paper,andbrushes.When
you get hooked on watercolor,
like I have, you'll wanttoadd
someextras.(Whatdotheysay
aboutgrownmenandtheirtoys?)
Well,I'veusedmanyofthefol-
lowingitemsonTV; someyou
canfindlayingaroundthehouse:
largeplasticwatercontainer,tis-
sues, sponges, pencils, stapler,
softclothtowel,saltshaker,cot-
ton swabs, spray bottles and a
hairdryer. Plus there are other
specialty items you can add to
your collectionasyouprogress.
Thesearethebask,suppliesyouwill
needtocompletethepaintingsinthis
book.Allareavailableatyourlocal
artstore.
\*fn\y
(Preparation
STRETCHINGTHEPAPER typeofmarksthateachcanmake. Ideally, yourbrush strokes
shouldappearverynaturalandnotstifforgeometric.Ioftenhold
thebrushata45-degreeanglewiththesideofthebrushtouching
the paper, and work with it in a swirling fashion. I used this
techniqueforthecloudsinBigSky.
Drybrushissomewhatofamisleadingtermsincethebrushis
notreallydry;itisjustdampbutdrierthanwhenpaintingalarge
heavywash.Whenpracticingbrushstrokes,practiceshape.Make
themarksinterestinganddifferentinsizeandshape.Avoidtoo
manystaticorgeometricshapes,whichcanbedistracting,unless
theentirepaintingisloadedwiththem,thenitbecomesaunifying
forceinthepainting.Thelinesonthepaperindicatethedirection
inwhichthebrushwasmoved.
SHAPES
INTERESTINGSHAPES
Thesafestruleofthumbforwatercolorpaintingispre-stretching
the watercolorpapersothatwhileyouarepaintingitwillnot
buckle.Todothis,completelyimmersethepaperinwater(your
bathtub willdo) andletitsitforone halfhour. Next, lay the
soaking-wetpaperonasheetofplywoodoradrawingboard,and,
usinganopenedstapler,applyarowofstaplesalongoneedgeand
thenliftandpulltheotherend.Asyoupull,havesomeoneelse
continuestaplingallaroundthepaper.Becarefulnottodentor
smudgethewatercolorpaper;itisverysensitivewhilewet. Putin
staplesevery 1 incharoundentirepaper.
BRUSHSTROKES
Itismyfeelingthattheshapeofthepaintedobjectisthefirstthing
T) thattheeyefocusesonwhenlookingatapainting.Regardlessof
whetheritisthehairofadoll,theleafofatree,orarockinthe
CLOUDS foreground,asky,oracloud,theviewerwillnoticefirstandenjoy
most,thefactthatitisaninterestingshape.
Certainshapes,however,aretabooinpainting.Inalandscape,
i,Mii*&(~ ' ' ' ftoarngelex,amtrpilaen,gleI,sourggaessttrasitgahtyilnigne.awWahyenfervoemrapocsisricblle,e,scqrueaartee,yroeucr-
GRASS owninterestingshaperatherthanresortingtooneofthesestatic
shapes.Overlaptwoorthreeshapestocreateauniquelook.Using
-ft I 45°ANGLE alargeflatbrush,andusingdifferentpartsofthesamebrush,you
FLATBRUSH willbeabletocreatesomeofthedifferentshapesseenintheex-
ONSIDE ample.Again,whereyouhavetouseastraightlineorarectangular
— shape,overlapitwithothershapessothatthestark,staticquality
Whatevertypeofbrushy—ouuse roundorflat,shorthairorlong, willnotbeoverbearing.
naturalhairorsynthetic youshouldpracticewiththatbrushto Inthecourseofmyowntraining,Ihavedonepagesandpages
learnthedifferenttypesofbrushmarksthatthebrushwillmakeon oftheseinterestingbrushstrokeshapessoIalmostautomatically
thepaper.Dependingonhowwetthebrushisandhowyouusethe paintinthismanner.Whetheritbetheshadowacrossabottle,
brush,eachbrushcanformavarietyofstrokes.Theexampleabove acrosstheroad,orafield,Iamthinkingofthickandthin,largeand
showsseveraldifferentbrushstrokesallfromthesameflatbrush. small,upanddown,inandout,andnothavingthesamemarktravel
Noticethedifferencesbetweenusingtheend,theside,theheel,or formorethanfourinchesinanydirection.
theedgewherethebrushisheavilyloadedwithcolor,orlightly Thinknotonlyofthebrushmarkthatyouaremaking,whichis
loadedwithcolor,scrapingquickly,ormovingslowlyacrossthe thepositiveshape,butalsothenegativewhitespacesofpaper
surface.Experimentfirstwithallyourbrushestogetafeelforthe whichcreateyournegativeshape.Thesetooneedvariety.
Preparation
Anysinglebrushmarkcanbeaninterestingshape.Thenext VARIETYOFCOLOR
concernisaddingotherbrushmarksthatarevariedbothinsizeand
volume.Repeatingthesameinterestingshapedefeatsthepurpose.
Again,myfeelingisthattheeyefirstcomestogripswithwhatthe
shapeisandbasedonthatdecideswhetherornottocontinueto
lookatthepainting.
Lookatthecenterofinterestabstractsandnoticetheirshapes;
overlooktheobjectstheyrepresent.Findandcollectinteresting
picturesinnaturethatdisplayinterestingshapes.Noticetheshape
ofthetreeinRiverReflections,chapter11.It'snotacirclewitha
stickunderit.NotethevarietyofsizesofthecloudsinBigSky,boat
inDi-yDock,andshadowsinSnowShadows.Theseshapeswere
improveduponfromwhatnatureoffered.Practicecreatingshapes
inyourbrushstrokeexercise.
WASH
Itgoeswithoutsayingthatthecolormakesthepainting.Without
variationinthiscategory,yourpaintingwillbelifeless.Inalmost
allofmypaintings,Istriveforavarietyofcolor,withsubtlevari-
ations gradually moving across the page. This is achieved by
startingapaintinginoneareaandthenslowlymovingacross,
makingthechangesasyougoalong.Becareful,however,tomake
thesechangesgradualandnotabrupt.Youcanoftenrepeatcolors
aslongasyoukeepinmindthattheshiftshouldbegradual.
Comparethetwoexamples;youwillnotethatonehasasubtle
varietyofcolorandtheotherhastooabruptachangeincolor.Also
keepinmindthatyouwanttohavedifferentshapesandnotacolor
changeexactlyeveryoneortwoinchesacrossthepaper.Iusually
createapaintingwithathemeofeitherallwarmcolorsorallcool
colors.Thiswillhelpcreatethelookofunityinapainting.
DOUBLE-LOADINGTHEBRUSH
Iwilloftenrefertotheterm"wash"incoveringapartofthepaper
withpaint.Thisdoesnotrefertohangingtheclothesouttodrybut
rathermeanstakingaheavybrushloadedwithcolorandwaterand
initiatingpainttopaper.Transferringpainttopaper,80percentof
thetime,isdonewithaloadedbrush,meaningtheentirebrush
fromtiptoheelissaturatedwithcolorandwater.Thistransferlets
thepigmentfloweasilyoffthebrushandallowsyoutimeinwhich
tore-evaluateyourbrushstroke,thusgivingyoutheluxuryof
adding more shape to the stroke you've already applied. This
additionwillblendinnaturallyandlookasthoughitwasdonein
onestroke.
Theamountofpaintthatflowsfromthebrushisfurtheraffected
bythespeedthestroketakesacrossthepaper.Aslowstrokewill
leavemorepaintthanafaststroke (seeexample). Finally,the
amountofpressureappliedasthebrushmovesacrossthepaper Therewillbetimeswhenyouwanttopaintanobjectwithone
determinesthethicknessoftheline.InthepaintingBigSky,asI brush stroke, buttheobjecthasavarietyofcolorvalues. Try
ppariondtuecdetdhetphelotwheicdkfiteoldtsh,itnhelosolkoworfeltehaesepolfopwreedssfuireeldo.nAthesipmaiplearr lwaotaedri.ngThaeflnattoburcuhshthweitshpotnwgoe;cotlooursc.hSotnaertsbidyectloeoanniencgotlohre,barnudshthien
approachofvaryingpressurewasusedinHighSeasforthedistant othersidetoanothercolor.Youcansoftenthecolorbytouching
water.Again,allittakesismerelypracticingwiththebrushandthe thepalettefirst,orgodirectlytothepaperifyoufeelthecoloris
differentwaysinwhichyoucanapplypainttopaper. softenough.Youcanpainttreetrunks,rocks,flowerpetals,roof-
tops,almostanything,usingthistechnique.Thepossibilitiesare
endless.
Preparation
MIXINGGREENS GRADEDWASH
PAYNESGRAY&LEMONYELLOW ULTRABLUE&LEMONYELLOW COBALTBLUE&LEMONYELLOW
CERULEANBLUE&LEMONYELLOW PAYNES,LGEERMMAnOYNN&YYEEULLLTLLROOAWWBLUE& PLdPAEcEYMdRN0uMENhASuNYlEGEuNRLtTALY0mMW&AeG&EnNTA
I
^i
PAYNESGRAY&LEMONYELLOW&BURNTSIENNA
Forthemostpart,Ihavenotusedatubeofgreenpaint.Instead,I Beforeyouapplycoloracrossanarea,besurefirstthatthepigment
mixavarietyofyellowsandbluesandblackstoachievegreen.The iscompletelydiluted.Usingyourbrush,transferasmallamountof
mainreasonforthisissoIwillhaveavarietyofcolorfromwhich watertothecenterofyourpalette,addsomepurecolorandscrub
tochoose,ratherthanhavingtorelyonthecrutchofjustusingthe untilthatpuretouchofpigmentiscompletelydilutedinthewater.
preparedcolor. Besureandturnthebrushoverseveraltimessothatanyandall
Experimentwithyourcoloronasparesheetofpaperbymixing tracesofpurepigmentfallfromthebrush.
the differentcombinations ofSpeedball Yellow, Paynes Gray, Afundamentalprincipleofwatercolorpaintingisusinglight
UltraBlue,CobaltBlue,CeruleanBlue,andBurntSienna.When anddarktonesfromthe samecolor.Worktowardachievinga
mixingthevariedcolorstogether,makeadarkaswellasalight gradedwashinthesamearea.Trythisfirstonwetpaperandthen
valueofthesamecolor. trytoachievethesamegradedwash,goingfromdarktolight,(or
lighttodark)usingdrypaper.
MIXINGGRAYS
Asinmixinggreens,youcanproduceamuchmorestrikingeffectbyusingvariedcolorratherthandilutingPaynesGraywithwaterto
achievealight,middle,oradarkgray.Iwouldrathermixtwo,andmostoftenthreeprimarycolorstoachievethedesiredtoneofgray.This
letsmeaddmorebluetoachieveacoolergray,moreredtoachieveawarmergray,ormoreyellowtoachieveaneutralgray.
Forlightgray,useCeruleanBlueand
Speedball Red, with atouchofLemon
Yellow. For medium gray, use Cobalt
Blue, Permanent Magenta, and Burnt
Sienna. For dark gray, use Ultra Blue,
Permanent Magenta,and Burnt Sienna,
withatouchofyellow.Experimentwith
yourcolortofindtheperfectcombination
foryourspecificneeds.