GCWS Workshop

This is the rubber cement chicken.  I transferred the chicken drawing and  applied the rubber cement in a loose pattern (but payed attention to my subject).  This is after 2 passes of color all over the paper.

This is the rubber cement chicken after 4 passes and the rubber cement is removed.  On the last pass with color I paid particular attention to the subject matter.

This is the chicken superimposed on an abstract rubber cement painting (one I had done in another class)

This is the start of an abstract rubber cement painting (one pass).  This is a great creative exercise, allows for experimentation with color, etc. , and can be finished as an abstract or used as a background for something else.

This is the painting after a few passes (the rubber cement is still on).

GCWS Workshop

This is a painting process where I add color to the paper and either superimpose the subject matter on top or carve it out from the background.  This works especially well with dark subject mater (such as a black chicken).

GCWS Workshop

Coffee painting after two passes, this was the one started before the workshop.

Coffee painting after four passes, this was the one started before the workshop. 

Coffee painting after one passes, this was the one started in the workshop.   Painting with coffee is a different experience than painting with watercolor.  Each of these pieces needs a little more work and detail.

Value study painting.  This started out being painted with  permanent rose only.  I then added a washes and glazes of color.

Value study painting after some more color ( a dark green) has been added.  At this point I need to work on details and shifting my values as needed.  I add detail by drawing with the watercolor at the end.  I worked generally from wet to 'dry' on this painting.

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

I added color and detail to the chicken and the background.

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

I added color on top of the indigo value study.  This piece needs more detail and more darks (especially in the area I wiped off with the 'magic eraser').  I added glazes and washes of yellow and warm red/orange.

Tuesday Morning Class

This is the frog from another group that I worked on in class.  I worked on the light areas adding white and a little black in some shadows as well as red and yellow in a few areas.

Tuesday Morning Class

Watercolor on Watercolor Ground.  This is the frog after I added the purple to the background, the shadow, and the frog .  This piece needs a little more more detail and work on the background.

Tuesday Morning Class

Acrylic.  This is about where I want this frog to be before we apply the Acrylic Ground for Pastel.  I can add the rest of the details with colored pencil after the ground is dry.  I added red to the background around the shadow area and added more yellow and red to various areas on the frog.  I used my fingers quite a bit to create texture.

GCWS Workshop

Photos used in the workshop demonstrations

Aqueous Acrylics

Value study done before class.  This is acrylic on a canvas panel.  I have thinned the paint with polymer and water.  I  lightly sanded the surface and then transferred the drawing before starting the painting.  I paint the darkest areas first and guide/pull the paint toward the medium and light areas.

This is the value study with color glazed over the value study.   I  still need to add some glazes to the background and then add details and adjust values as needed.

Value study done in class.  This is acrylic on a canvas panel.  I have thinned the paint with polymer and water.  I  lightly sanded the surface and then transferred the drawing before starting the painting.  I paint the darkest areas first and guide/pull the paint toward the medium and light areas. 

Aqueous Acrylics

Background prepped before class.  Acrylic on masonite sealed with Kilz 2.  I premixed my colors with polymer or matte medium (or whatever medium you have),  I paint the colors on with quite a bit of water (either from the brush or sprayed).   I use a Styrofoam plate as my palette.

This is the chicken drawing, transferred onto the surface with graphite paper.  I then painted with black again thinned with polymer and water.  Use the brush strokes to create the feather areas.  I negative painted the grass below the chicken.  The chicken of course needs more details and colors glazed over the black (after I finish the chicken). 

Background prepped in class.  Acrylic on masonite sealed with Kilz 2.  I premixed my colors with polymer or matte medium (or whatever medium you have),  I paint the colors on with quite a bit of water (either from the brush or sprayed).  I used the green from my 'extra paint', added green gold, yellow,  cobalt, and red.  I painted it leaving the brush strokes and blotted with a wadded-up paper towel to get some texture.

Aqueous Acrylics

Photos used in the workshop

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

Chicken photo

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

This is the new project.  Remember we started by transferring the drawing, wetting the paper, and adding color to the paper.  After this was dry I mixed a dark (indigo and permanent alizarin with a tiny bit of new gamboge) and started painting the chicken on dry paper. adding water as need, lifting as needed.  The bottom grass area was negative painting (masking fluid could have been used).  I added more color to the dark as needed.

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

This is the rubber cement painting.  I have started adding a path of darks as well as pushing some areas back with a glaze.  I will keep working on the composition and values as I go.  It still needs areas of rest for the eye and some organization.

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

This is the complimentary color value study.  More dark values as well as details are needed.

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

This is the value study.  It needs more dark values on the face and hair (remember I erase some with the magic eraser) and I need to re-attach it to the page.  More detail needs to be added as well.

PCRD

This is the watercolor on Watercolor Ground.  I worked on the legs, feet, eyes, and shadow.  Remember, we are not using green, but mixing it.  There is still some detail work to be done.  Remember about shadows - they are a great place to pop in color (I stick to the colors I am using in the painting already).

PCRD

I added a little more detail and warmed up the frog with glazes of yellow.  There is only a little more to do since we are finishing this with the Acrylic Ground for Pastel and colored pencil on top.  The colored pencil will be used to add most of the detail work.

PCRD

This is still very much in the beginning.  I worked a little more on the frog using yellows and blues plus some white and put some red in the background.  I used blue and other colors from the frog in the shadow area.  

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

Rubber cement painting.  I added another layer of rubber cement when the paper was dry and then more washes  and glazes of color once the rubber cement was dry.  Keep layering and exploring on this project.

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

Value study.  I have started adding detail.  Remember the lifting I showed you on his face with the magic eraser and the use of gouache on the right side of his shirt and the use of watercolor ground in his hair  (the curved strand shape) and on the left side of his shirt.  I used salt and splattered color and water in his hair.  I will demo adding more details during the next class.

Saw this quote today that is a lovely answer for the always present question of how to know when a piece of art you are working on is done - None of my works are ever finished. They just stop at interesting places.

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

Notes:

Watercolor is about learning to guide and control the water.  The water is the key.  The way to learn this is by practice and getting a feel for it.  Different things happen with different amounts of water.

Use good paper.  In my opinion you can use slightly 'lesser' paints and brushes, but good paper is essential.  'Lesser' watercolor paper does not let the water and paint flow and can be like painting in sludge.  I use my 'lesser' paper for other mediums such as colored pencil, gouache, or acrylic

When using salt, put it on when your paint it still wet, but not soaking (the paper will be shiny with no puddles).  If you put salt in a puddle it dissolves and does not make a texture and then you have to scrape it off after it's dry.

I do not spray rubbing alcohol much, but try it as it makes interesting textures and shapes.

My basic palette of colors was chosen because the colors are very transparent and mix well.  My basic palette is quin. rose/perm. rose, cobalt, aureolin, perm. alizarin, indigo, new gamgoge.  I also often add burnt sienna, viridian, ultramarine/french ultramarine, pthalo blue, pthalo green, green gold, and sometimes sap green although I can make so many green with my palette colors.  There are many other colors I use as well, but these are the ones I use the most.  Try colors when you can and find the colors and mixes you like.  I really like a lot of the quin. colors (quincridones), they are lovely and I may some day do an entire palette with only quin. colors on it.

There are many ways to paint with watercolor.  The most basic and the one that is best, in my opinion,  for learning to control the water is the value study painting using one dark color only.  I learned by doing this long ago and continually return to this way of painting to keep my skills sharp (and it's always pleasant for me to paint this way).  I either use the painting as is or it becomes an under-painting and I add other colors on top with washes and glazes.  I also suggest painting with complimentary colors and then three primary colors as practice (you can change the primaries in different paintings).

My basic method for painting is to start out very wet and get more and more dry as I progress.  My first pass or two are most often wet-n-wet (wet the paper and drop the color onto the paper).  I like to get my basic shapes and values in place and let the watercolor 'do it's thing'.  There are textures and shapes I can not get without letting the watercolor flow and acting as a guide.  Then, I take more control (a little less water) and shape the painting in the middle set of passes.  I add color to dry paper and move it where I want with a little water.  The last few passes over the painting are very dry and basically I am drawing with the paint as I add and/or subtract to get the details.  Dry brushing is using a slightly damp, almost dry, brush to apply the pigment.  I do not often dry brush but use it most often for fur, hair, etc.  Remember - the paint will go where there is water.

The way I learned watercolor was to take different classes and workshops when I was able.  I also used books from the library and online tutorials.  Every teacher and artist has a different approach to watercolor.  I use what I like from each class/artist and make it my own by incorporating it into my work.  Many of the things I learned I do not use often, but it is fun to try something new.

Be true to who you are.  Take what you learn and make it your own - fit it into your style and personality.  If you are a more detail oriented or controlled individual then that is how you may paint.  You may prefer to work with paint that is a little more dry and add many details.  If you are a less controlled or more experimental person you may paint mostly wet and add less details.  Both ways of painting are beautiful.  Always try everything when you take a class/workshop, but then make it your own.  Art is about self expression - put 'you' into your work (this took awhile for me to be able to do...).  Art is supposed to be enjoyable with a very little dash of suffering, lol.

In a group or class there will always be beginners and more experienced painters.  Some may have lots of drawing experience (which helps) or experience with other mediums.  We have ALL been beginners at some point and remember how hard that can be.  We all struggle as we work to improve and it is a process and happens at different speeds and at different times for everyone.  Do not 'judge' your improvement by looking at others as that actually tells you nothing - it took me awhile to figure this out and to only look at how much I have learned and improved.  There will always be people who can paint much better than I can which is great because I can learn and grow from watching them and working to improve my own skills and voice.

Happy Painting!

Continuing Watercolor - Sertoma

Watercolor Notes:

When whites are lost from a painting you can lift (see below), use gouache (especially for highlights and small areas), or completely cover an area and restart it by using Watercolor Ground (Daniel Smith), Absorbent Ground (Golden Acrylics) or one of the Liquid Paper products.  Some use white acrylic ink (I have not) and others scrape whites out with a sharp instrument.

To lift paint from a watercolor painting first try a damp brush and a paper towel, then try a 'soft' scrubbie brush and a paper towel, then a harder scrubbie brush and a paper towel, or for large areas use the magic sponge (Mr. Clean or any off brand).  I try to lift more towards the end of the painting process if possible.  It does change the texture of the paper.

A great dark/black mixture - Pthao Blue and Permanent Alizarin Crimson.

A good grey mixture - Burnt Sienna and Cobalt.  Try mixing complimentary colors to see what other greys you can get.  There are many more beauties to be mixed.

An interesting green - Viridian

To glaze - Mix a very wet pigment and apply it to either the entire painting or sections.  I most often do this to change the temperature (warm or cool) of an area or because it looks really nice.

Gouache is opaque watercolor and can be used similar to watercolor (if a lot of water is used), but it is quite a different medium than watercolor in many ways.  Lights can be added at the end and the paint lifts very easily.   There is more of course, but this covers some main points.

To save your whites or certain areas of the painting you can use masking fluid (friskit) or rubber cement.  This is applied when the paper is dry, before paint for saving whites or after some paint is applied and the paper is dry to save certain areas.  You lift the masking or rubber cement with a rubber cement remover (made of crepe rubber) when you are done with all washes.  Then, you often must do a little work to 're-attach' the white areas to the painting and/or soften the edges.

There are several ways to stretch 140 lb. paper.  I often use a Zip Clamp, but they need to be ordered and are expensive and not always available.  So, I also stretch by using either thick foam core or gator board.  I wet both sides of the paper, place it on the board, and staple all the way around.  When it dries I cover the stapled areas with tape (masking or painters tape).

Think - values, values, values!