NCBG Drawing (8/2014)

Blind Contour (5 minutes).  This is the palm of my hand.  Draw slowly really looking at your hand.  Do not look at your paper.  Blind contours are amazing for warm up and to shift you into your 'right brain'.

Blind Contour (5 minutes).  This is the side of my hand

This is the symbol of a hand.  We must let go of the symbols and learn to really SEE to draw accurately.

Contour Drawing.  I measured, made some marks, mapping out the leaf.  I drew the leaf paying attention to relationships between the parts and the whole.Then I did a contour drawing.  Note the variation in value (light and dark) of the lines.

Contour drawing (not complete). This is partly mapped out and begun.

Mapping, step 1.  This was done on tracing paper.  I drew bare minimum, the structure, the 'bones' of the object.  I used a unit of measurement, in this case a ruler as the object was small and in my hand.  Remember that units of measurement can also be things such as leaves on your plant, or a specific stem for instance.  I used my pencil at times to determine correct angles.  I paid attention to proportions and how parts relate to each other.  Ignore all details and texture.  Take the time to get the correct proportions and angles here.   Really LOOK and SEE.

Mapping, step 2 - A second sheet of tracing paper is taped down over the first.  I can see the 'bones' and use those to draw the subject correctly.  I then drew the 'flesh' of my subject such as the walls of the pepper.  Ignore details and texture.  Really look and see your subject again.  Make any corrections. 

Mapping, step 3 - Add a third sheet of tracing paper is added.  Look and see your subject again.  Make any corrections.  Start adding details and texture.  Make this interesting and beautiful. 

The start to shading, we did not have time to get to this in class (I figured we would not...).  This is done on drawing paper.  First I added graphite to the paper to give it a tone (I shaded some pencil on and used a paper towel to smooth it out).  Next I transferred my drawing using transfer/graphite paper.  I then used my eraser to lift out lights and used my pencil to add darks.  This gives me at least 3 values and it a simple way to start shading.

Mapping, step 1.

Mapping, step 2

Texture rubbing.  Place paper over the object and rub a pencil on its side over it. 

Texture rubbing.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)

I worked on this at home adding some dark and color to the foreground and some dark values and highlight textures and details to the mushroom.

I have added more darks and lights as well as details to the mushroom.  I have also added in the green background.  For the background I wet the area, washed in a medium green and dropped in dots of yellow green, darker green, and white.  I have used white over the dark areas of the foreground adding texture and toning it down.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)

Local color.  I worked on the blueberry 1 up from the bottom right.  I added more detail, value, and color.  I also worked on the branch adding color and value (esp. highlight textures).

Textured background, rubber cement.  This is after 3 layers of rubber cement and color with the rubber cement removed.

This is a texture sheet I forgot to post.  It has sponging, water to add texture (small sprat bottle and blossoms).  Also, at the top is the gum arabic texture.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)

I worked on the berry second in from the right.  It needs more adjustments, but is coming along.  I added a bit more values, color, and detail.

I added shadows in the white area as well as some color, adjusted the purple on the bottom background (darkened it a bit)added color and highlights to the middle (it needs darks now), added some values to the buds, and worked on the stems a bit.  It is close but needs a bit more tweaking.

I added another layer of rubber cement and then another layer of color (all of the rubber cement is still on the paper).

I wet the mushroom and bottom foreground area and dropped in a yellow-orange color.  I tried to use salt but it did not work (possibly too humid).  After this was dry I started adding the medium and dark browns to the stem/stalk and the underside.  I also added darks to the bottom foreground area.  I wet a shape, added a dark brown and dotted it while wet with yellow, indigo and/or a red brown.  I textured the top right of the mushroom with an orange color sort of like a messy pointillism with a brush.  While it was still damp I dotted it with white.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)

Plastic wrap texture. This texture was created by wetting the surface, dropping in color, and while it's still wet I laid plastic wrap on it scrunching the wrap into shapes and in the direction I wanted.  This background was done specifically for the dogwood demo.

I cropped the background to the size I needed.

I transferred the drawing and then used only white on the flower for my first layer.  I mixed a brown and did the branches.  I allowed this to dry.  I did a second layer of white (often 2-5 layers are needed, especially in the lightest areas).  I added some color to the white and started adding a few details on the petals.I added some white to the k=light areas on the branches

The left side is a method of blowing the paint (I used a straw, a blow dryer works well).  The right side is called sanding.  I wet the rectangle and used rough sand paper and watercolor pencils.  I sanded the pencil over the wet area and the dotted texture is created.  When I use this I use it towards the end on my last pass of washes.

On the left side is wax paper texture.  I wet the paper, dropped in color,  crumpled the wax paper a little, and laid it on top with something like a book to press it down.  Do not remove until it is dry.  On the right is plastic wrap texture.  This texture was created by wetting the surface, dropping in color, and while it's still wet I laid plastic wrap on it scrunching the wrap into shapes and in the direction I wanted.  Do not remove until it is dry.

Rubber cement texture, first layer.  I drizzled and brushed rubber cement on the paper.  After dry I wet the paper and dropped in color.  I plan to do at least 2 more layers.

Salt texture.  I wet the surface, dropped in color, and when the surface is shiny, not puddles, I drop in salt (when the paper is thin and not stretched this is done in sections as the paper dries).  I used a large salt and a fine salt - you can see the different texture it makes.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)

Local color.  I have started to add some color and value to the original local color (bottom right) and I finished adding the rest of the local color.

I have started adding the values and some details.  I often use white a lot during this stage.

Value Study.  I finished the value study.  The bottom right berry has some color added.

I have added more color and have adjusted values as well.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)

Gouache Value Study.  I started this with one color.  I wet the berries and used the gouache similarly to watercolor and concentrated on the values.

I started to add some other color.  I will keep enhancing the values as I add the color.

Gouache Value Study, a second version.  I started this with one color.  I wet the berries and used the gouache similarly to watercolor and concentrated on the values.

I finished the values.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)

Gouache Local Color.  This technique starts with putting down flat local color (the basic color of the object).  Later the values and details will be painted on top.  If this were not a demo I would finish all the local color before adding values.

This is after the addition of a few values on the two berries.

Gouache Local Color, a second version.   This technique starts with putting down flat local color (the basic color of the object).  Later the values will be painted on top.

This is after the addition of white gouache on the two berries

***The colors of the demo photos for the same subject often vary as the method of taking the picture and/or time of day has varied.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)Gouache exercise

Gouache exercises (incomplete of course)

This is an older version.  It is not exactly like yours as far as numbers, but it has the colors finished.

NCBG Gouache (June 2014)

The Gouache exercise sheet partially completed.

Local Color.  Paint flat color, close to the dominant color of the subject matter.

Value Study.  Use one color and paint the values, the darks and lights, to create form.  This will be the same as using watercolor.

BAL Workshop

Photos from the workshop

Burlington Artists League Watercolor Workshop

We started this with a rubber cement textured surface.  I did this by drizzling rubber cement on white paper, allowing it to dry, painting light color, allowing it to dry, drizzling more rubber cement, drying, more watercolor, drying, more rubber cement, drying, more watercolor (I usually do 3 - 6 passes of rubber cement and color).  After dry I used a rubber cement pick-up to remove the rubber cement, transferred my drawing, and started painting the chicken allowing some background texture and color to come through.  It of course needs more work and detail.  I will post it here as I work on it.

For this one I transferred the outline of the chicken.  I made registration marks so I could replace the drawing later and transfer the entire drawing.  I drizzled the rubber cement in a grassy pattern, allowed it to dry, added watercolor, allowed it to dry, added more rubber cement, allowed it to dry and so on for about 3 rounds.  I meant to keep the rubber cement on  as I painted the chicken but accidentally took it off.  I made the grass patterns in the chicken with negative space painting (would have been easier if I had left the rubber cement for a bit as I put the chicken in...).  It of course needs more work.

This chicken was about this far as I started in in another workshop.  I worked on the head for you showing you how to use white gouache to add light details.

I started this by transferring the drawing first - tape the drawing onto the paper, slip graphite paper underneath, trace the drawing and it transfers to the watercolor paper.  I do my original drawing on tracing paper and transfer them as needed often doing an image more than once.  I wet the background and leaves dropping in purple and drops of water to create 'blossom' textures.  After dry, I wet a petal and worked with purple (any color will do...) to create form and shadowed areas.  I only did a few petals as examples (if working on my own piece I would finish the petals completely in purple).  Then I used green yellow and brown to do the leaves (I wet them first).  Next I showed a few different areas on the background to show you several background options.  The top was done with indigo and a little yellow.  The bottom left was a yellow glaze and the bottom right was a rose glaze.   This of course is not complete. 

Plastic wrap texture.  I often paint and draw on these background or put them in spots on paintings as I work.  The process is to wet the paper, drop in color, place plastic wrap scrunching it and leaving it until it's dry.  Then it leaves a texture.

 This is a rubber cement textured paper with the rubber cement still on.  I did this by drizzling rubber cement on white paper, allowing it to dry, painting yellow, allowing it to dry, drizzling more rubber cement, drying, adding more watercolor various colors, drying, more rubber cement, drying, more watercolor (I usually do 3 - 6 passes of rubber cement and color).  After dry I will use a rubber cement pick-up to remove the rubber cement.  I need to do maybe another pass or two.

This painting started by transferring the drawing first.  I then started with wet-in-wet.  Wet the paper, dropped and guided various browns, keeping it slightly loose, paying close attention to the values.  After it dried, I added more details and values with watercolor, much less wet than the first pass.  I also added blue to the shirt and a little gray (mixed with brown and blue) to the head scarf.  I will continue with basically the same colors working on the values and the details.