Calling All Artists - Both Good and Crappy! (page 5)

nilfun

Stephanus, I think it would be interesting if you posted a series of scans showing the painting's progression from start to finish.

Heh, heh Nilfun. Like that Irish bloke in Simply Painting? That carries a grave risk - watercolour is very hard to correct mistakes in - there's already one at this stage - the wash in the foreground is supossed to be sand on the rockshelf, but it's a little too dark - may have to try lifting off some of it. After posting the above I was thinking of doing a progressive post. We'll see how we go.

Just tried the lifting off process - seems to have lightened things up a little - have to wait for it to dry now...

nilfun

Stephanus, what is the lifting off process? Do you brush over it with plain water? Or...?

Stephanus

Yep - soak it with water, then attack it with a brush to loosen some of the pigment (I used a toothbrush! ), then rinse it under a tap and leave to dry. It'll never remove all the pigment; it both stains and soaks into the watercolour paper, but the process can significantly lighten the paint layer (wash).

Warrigal

Hi Stephanus! You do some excellent work and watercolors are my favorite medium tho I haven't been able to work with them in a while. I had the opportunity to take classes with Frank Rose and he is known here as a premiere realist watercolor painter

Some things he taught were; Work light into dark. Don't be afraid to use dark backgrounds and dark skies. You can always lighten the cloud areas with a damp sponge. Use 'frisket' lightly or not at all...most things in nature don't have a hard, sharp edge. Its good for close-up tree leaves or branches in the foreground. Be bold! If that doesn't work you can always rinse the whole thing under the faucet and start again.

In the foreground, a bit of salt sprinkled into the sand (musn't overdo) will give a nice texture when the wash is wet. Experiment with different areas and different levels of moisture in the paper.

Keep that hairdryer handy to quickly dry wash areas so that you can go in quickly with another color. Work in layers you can always lift off what you don't want. Dip an old toothbrush in paint and spatter judiciously for sand texture. Use lots of shadows. Enjoy!!!

nilfun

Ok, thanks for the explaination Stephanus. If you do decide to show the next stage in your painting's progress, would you show everything? I mean, beyond the borders of the watercolor paper, and a bit of what you are using to support the painting while you are working on it (drafting table, easel, etc.)?

edited to add:

Warrigal, even though your post was for Stephanus, I really appreciated learning something more about painting with watercolor...thanks for posting those techniques.

(Got anymore? )

Edited by - nilfun on 18 January 2003 18:24:35

Warrigal

Hi Nilfun; I've enjoyed painting boulders in watercolor....those honkin' big rocks alongside creeks and rivers. (No, I don't spray them with grafitti!) To get the planes and angles in watercolor I use a cut up credit card to wipe across the wet surface of the stone and then I can come in when its dry and use a dry brush technique to create texture. The card has several angles from full width to a sharp point. Good for laying in cracks in the stone. I've also sharpened the handle of the paintbrush to use for grasses and twigs in the pictures.

Its important to do tests of the paints to determine which ones are permanent (anything with Thalo in the name) and those that are 'fugitive colors'. These are the ones that can easily be wiped off with a dampened sponge. When painting the creek or river I sometimes use a bit of rubbing alcohol to change the flow and swirl of the water. The hardest part for me is to paint the rocks on the bottom of the creek as their shadows and highlights have to appear to be beneath the waters surface.

Just seeing some of Stephanus's works makes me want to go grab the old palatte box and head for the canyons! You are all so talented. Warrigal

Okay, so here is my contribution. . .Monet's bridge at Giverney. . .I got me a scanner this week!!!

Love,

ESTEE

Edited by - ESTEE on 19 January 2003 16:3:3

Calling All Artists - Both Good and Crappy!

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