Watercolor painting: a comprehensive approach to mastering the medium PDF
Preview Watercolor painting: a comprehensive approach to mastering the medium
JIAUR RAHMAN, SILENT LOVE, 2002 WATERCOLOR ON PAPER 30 × 22 INCHES (76 × 56 CM) Copyright © 2012 by Tom Hoffmann All rights reserved. Published in the United States by WatsonGuptill Publications, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.crownpublishing.com www.watsonguptill.com WATSONGUPTILL and the WG and Horse designs are trademarks of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hoffmann, Tom (Thomas Burton) Watercolor painting: a contemporary approach to mastering the medium / Tom Hoffmann. p. cm. Includes index. Watercolor painting—Technique I. Title ND2420.H63 2012 751.42′2—dc23 eISBN: 978-0-82300674-8 2011045489 Front cover art: Tom Hoffmann v3.1 JAMES MICHAEL, WINTER DUNES, 2008 WATERCOLOR ON PAPER 22 × 48 INCHES (56 × 122 CM) TO YOU, EILEEN The idea for a book about becoming fluent in watercolor came from my students, as did the inspiration to stick my neck out. I am grateful to all for the risks they so willingly take. Thanks, also, to my teachers, Douglas Jones and Carl Schmalz, who wound me up forty years ago and set me down on the track that could only have led right here. Cynthia Hibbard, equal parts fine watercolor painter and insightful reader, gave indispensable guidance, without which there would be much more mud. Thank you to Gary Faigin and Pamela Belyea, who encouraged this project more than once, and in many ways—most notably by building a community at Gage Academy where watercolor can thrive. Many thanks to my Gage colleagues, Mitchell Albala and Suzanne Brooker, for help navigating the twists and turns of preparing a manuscript. Thanks also to Alison Hagge, my patient and perceptive editor. To all the artists whose work enriches this book, I am in your shadow. I am especially grateful for the support of my wife, Eileen, who has always been the bridge that connects me to the rest of the world, and to our sons, Gus and Cal, who believe in me and tell me the truth. “The reason I paint is because it makes me sane.” —David Yaghjian TOM HOFFMANN, NEW YEAR (detail), 2010 WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES HOT PRESS PAPER 22 × 30 INCHES (56 × 76 CM) CONTENTS Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication INTRODUCTION: UNDERSTANDING WATERCOLOR CHAPTER ONE: TRANSLATING A SUBJECT INTO THE LANGUAGE OF WATERCOLOR Being Mindful of Your Subject Revisiting Your Purpose Identifying the Tricky Parts Knowing Where to Begin Knowing When to Stop Maintaining Intentionality with Your Marks Recognizing What Works Using the Language of Form CHAPTER TWO: KNOWING WHAT NOT TO PAINT Identifying the Major Shapes Creating a Five-Value Monochrome Study Evaluating a Simplified Study Creating a Two-Layer Geometric Sketch Thinking about Stopping Creating a Three-Layer Thumbnail Sketch CHAPTER THREE: SEEING IN LAYERS Resolving an Image through Layers Learning to Exercise Restraint Identifying Individual Layers Evaluating the Layers CHAPTER FOUR: UNDERSTANDING VALUE Identifying the Lightest Part of the Picture Reserving the Whites Reserving Non-White Elements Identifying the Darkest Part of the Picture Bracketing the Values Knowing How Dark You Can Go Critiquing the Darks Knowing When to Depart from “Accuracy” CHAPTER FIVE: SHARING CONTROL OF WETNESS Working with Hard and Soft Edges Planning the Wetness of the Paper Providing Enough Time for Each Task Gauging How Much Paint You Need Gauging the Wetness of the Brush Rewetting an Area Knowing When to Depart from “Accuracy” CHAPTER SIX: GETTING THE MOST OUT OF COLOR Serving Your Main Goals with Color Evaluating Your Palette Mixing Your Colors Identifying the Dominant Color Evaluating the Effects of Color Temperature Knowing When to Depart from “Accuracy” Enlivening Your Darks Choosing Colors for Your Neutrals CHAPTER SEVEN: DEVELOPING AN INSTINCT FOR COMPOSITION Sketching Your Subject Translating Form into Content Knowing When to Depart from “Accuracy” Creating the Illusion of Space Being Mindful of Abstraction Establishing Balance CHAPTER EIGHT: BECOMING YOUR OWN TEACHER Identifying the Qualities of a Good Teacher Establishing Who Is in Charge Painting for Its Own Sake Devising Alternate Strategies Identifying What Worked Well Expanding Your Range Asking the Questions Parting Thoughts INDEX
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