About Aileen

Aileen is a multi-medium artist/tutor. Her portraits have been included in major portrait exhibtions and she has been commissioned to paint VIP. Aileen has been a guest on national TV pertaining to her art and appeared in various leading magazines. Portraits are a great love and she welcomes commissions in this and other subjects/mediums.

Visit Aileen’s Site by Clicking Here.

Aileen offers lessons in other mediums and subjects are available on CD /DVD. She also offers personal critique via email . Please contact her for more information.

Step By Step Watercolor Painting Lesson

I love to share this SPONTANEOUS EXPERIENCE in WATER COLOUR.

This sweet face belongs to Harmoni and I was drawn to paint her portrait for her first birthday. The paper used was Canson 33.gms. a lovely surface for detail and a good weight to prevent buckling. No. 12 and 4 sable brush was my choice.

STEP 1. Sketch the features with a Light Red aquarelle pencil.

STEP 2. A wash of Burnt Sienna was used to establish the shadows.

STEP 3. Golden Red was washed into the hair.HINT: Try to hold the brush in a relaxed manner as in sample 2.

STEP 4. Flesh was painted in for the face tones and the cheek colour, Vermillion was then placed in, still using the same brush.

STEP 5. The eyes were painted in Brown with No 4 brush and the eyelashes were established with a Dark Brown tone. HINT: Do not paint the individual lashes.

STEP 6. Still using the No 4 brush the mouth is painted with Vermillion. some deeper tones were painted into the hair with Brown plus Burnt Sienna.

STEP 7. Decisions….decisions….I was not sure whether to leave the washes in the free-flowing technique…see sample 3:

I then decided to apply some Flesh plus White into the lighter areas of the face; this blended the edges of the shadows and formed some middle tones. With a No 4 brush and White I then established the reflected light on the side of the face and some highlights on the cheek, chin, nose and upper lip. The highlights on the lip, tongue and the eyes were painted in with the tip of the brush.

STEP 8. Golden Brown plus White was used for the highlights of the hair while some Brown indicated darker tones and tendrils. Brown plus Blue was used for the pupils of the eyes, corners of the mouth, and the nostrils.

STEP 9. Using a No 12 brush I washed White over the background, this gave “tooth” to the paper. I then painted Permanent Green with quick stroke coverage across the paper, taking it up to the hair and the face line. When the background was dry the tendrils of the hair were exaggerated. See sample 4.

STEP 10. Time for checking and I notice the cheek is just a tiny bit too full so I mix Permant Green plus White and with N0 4 brush I came up to the side of the cheeks and painted in the background. I also took some off the top of the hair.

STEP 11. The shadows were deepened on the side of the face. a Sienna wash was painted over the hair. The Green background was continued to the top and sides of the paper, with a wash of Yellow here and there. This painting has a spontaneous appearance and that is exactly what I set out to achieve. I hope you enjoy your “Spontaneous Experience” when you use this technique.

About Steve

I am an artist and teacher who primarily works in watercolor. I have been painting for nearly 35 years, and teaching for 14. I believe that the goal of art should be a creative interpretation of the world around us and not the perfect rendering of what we see. I also strongly hold that art is a process not just a product. We should spend more time involved in the making and experiencing our art and less time worrying about the successful marketing of the piece we are working on. Good art is the result of hard work and dedication, but it only happens when the artists finds their own story to tell.

Please click here to visit Steve’s website to learn more about him and to view his work.

Brushwork

Although it is sometimes not what we notice first about a great watercolor painting, expressive brushwork is one of the most important qualities of a good work. Due to the fact that watercolor is fairly hard to remove from the paper and is somewhat less workable than oils, pastels, graphite and to some extent acrylics through the use of overlaying opaque colors on top, it is critical that you begin and end the painting with solid and creative brushwork. It will be very difficult to correct sloppy and repetitive brushwork in those major areas of the painting. Think of the trees you have painted with brushwork that evoke the look of a broom, not an elm, or the water you
painted that has the feeling of a parking lot, not a tranquil pond or the light on the side of a model’s face that looks like an advertisement for a beard commercial and you will understand that your freedom with the brush is a critical factor is expressing your creative intent.

Now I must say that there are times when you apply paint in big washes or solid color forms without a major concern for the individual brushwork, but you still want the brushwork in these forms and pieces of color to be reflective of your intent for this area of the painting and not be cluttered movement, conflicting movement or unintentional texture. If brushwork is not an important consideration in your painting then your work will not have the finish or quality of a masterful painting.  Learn to apply your paint with a purposeful and deliberate brush stroke and try to avoid continual rubbing onto the painted surface with a wet and soggy brush.  Get in the habit of thinking about the brushwork before you touch the paper and then have a confident and direct approach when your brush is in contact with the paper. The brush is the extension of your creative intent — it is your partner in the process, not just a stick with hair on it. Until we get to the point of painting with our hands and feet, the brush is the major way that the paint will get on the paper and the painting will always record for the viewer the  skills you possess in brushwork. Neglecting the improvement of your brush skills will always hold back your painting progress.

Ways to Improve Your Brushwork

First it is important to understand the factors that control the expressive marks you want to learn to produce.

Type of Brush

If you are like me you have a multitude of brushes in your bag and you have your favorite few with which you have a relatively good relationship. Each brush type whether it be flat or round, natural or synthetic, big or small has a range of marks it is capable of producing.

There is quite a bit of overlap in the type of marks brushes will make for the painter who will take the time to practice with each of the brushes in the bag. Some of these strokes are very familiar to you but I am quite sure that most painters have not really experimented with all of the favorite brushes to really see what they will do.

I think it is amazing how many brushes some of my students have and how few they really use. The common statement I hear is “Gee I really don’t like a round brush, they don’t work for me” or “flat brushes always make the same type of mark” or “I don’t have any control with that big brush so I use this small one”. These statements or this type of thinking leads us to buy a special brush for each specific problem when it would be a better idea to develop a varied repertoire of expressive marks using only a few brushes.

I am convinced that John Singer Sergeant could come back from the dead and do quite well with just a few sable rounds. Take the time to bond with your 1” flat sabeline, your #12 sable or white sable round, a 1.5 inch white sable wash brush and maybe a #4 rigger and your paintings will definitely improve. Think of them as the main tools in your tool box and then get some real mileage out of them — don’t move to new brushes until you can make these few really do the job in your paintings.

Angle and Edge

Brushes are very creative tools in the painting process when they are used by an artist who thinks about a variety of contact possibilities for the brush. Each brush has several edges to use and by exploring the different marks that can be made by each, your paintings will have a much more enlivened application of paint.

Try not to use the same edge repeatedly because this will lead to a tired and boring style. Also experiment with the pressure or amount of brush surface you are using. To complement your understanding and exploration of the edge, put more focus into pushing the brush in and out when in contact with the paper. Most brushes can take a whole lot more abuse than we give them — just remember to not put so much pressure on the bristles that you permanently break the bristles at the ferrule.

One last word of caution, when you are using a round brush or for that matter a flat brush, try not to paint too much with just the point because this will prematurely wear down the point. It is a better idea to paint with the side of the brush pulling it to the point, which keeps the bristles longer and the edge or point more defined and perfect. You can definitely use the point for those moments when it is required but keep it to a minimum.

Amount of Water in Brush and on Paper

The secret of watercolor painting is understanding the relationship between the amount of water in the brush to the amount of water on the paper. When experimenting with your brushes is the time to really pay attention to this secret.

Any brush will make a completely different type of mark when it is fully charged with water than when it is dry. It will also make a totally different type of mark when it is stroked across a wet, damp, or dry piece of paper. The amount of pigment in the brush also factors into the quality or character of the brushstroke. To really get the brush working for you in your painting you have to feel totally comfortable painting on the ever changing surface of the paper.

For me it is not as desirable to wait for the paper to dry before I move from stage to stage in the painting — I want to be able to keep right on working. I have learned to do this by practicing using a brush and applying pigment continuously throughout the painting process whether it is on wet or dry paper. I have found I can regulate the amount of water or pigment in the brush and be fairly comfortable painting whether the paper is wet, dry or somewhere in between. But I have to pay attention to the conditions on the surface of the paper and regulate the brush accordingly. Variety and creativity will be the result in your paintings if you work on changing the amount of water and pigment in your brush and paint on different types of surfaces.

Speed and Direction of the Mark

The faster the brush moves across the paper the less time there is for the paint and water to come off onto the paper. Practice using a fast pass across the paper and you will begin to see the wonderful textural effects you can achieve. Also by moving the brush quickly you can highlight a damp or wet area with a color and not have the usual explosive blossoms that are so problematic. I have found I can use the speed of the brush to put glisten on water or to highlight the light in trees without having to wait for the paper to dry. This does take some practice.

Distance from Paper and Arm Movement

For me there is no way I can really get into the painting process and develop expressive brushwork if I am sitting down and I am too close to the paper. I need to be able to get back from the painting and really get my arm and wrist working for me. I never hold my brush like a pencil I hold it like an extension of my arm and I work on  achieving a fluid and rhythmic painting motion. I believe this keeps me involved on all levels when I paint and the movement is translated into my expressive brushwork.

If you are so close to the paper that you feel cramped your work will show it. Your brushwork will be tight and tedious and your painting will lack rhythm and  movement. If you can’t stand up for physical reasons at least try to get back from the painting when you work. I always keep in mind that the brush is one of my most important tools I can use to translate my creative intention to the paper so I want to give it the most freedom and possibilities I can.

Exercises

Make as many brush marks as you can with all of your favorite brushes. Think of all of the factors listed above. Work on dry and wet paper and keep working until there is no white paper left. This is not about making paintings — this is about learning how to make creative marks and to develop a mental library of things you can do to create texture and interest in your washes and shapes.

Visualize a subject and make all of the marks that evoke the essence of the subject. Remember some subjects will require overlaying of washes and marks to really describe the object. Be creative not literal.

Learn to use two brushes, one flat and one round, better. Make every type of mark with these two. Try to duplicate the same type of marks and shapes with each. It is possible to come close to painting exactly the same types of shapes and marks with a flat and a round but it takes practice.

Wet to Dry over lay. This is a great lesson to combine both brushwork, value control and movement across the paper. Begin on wet paper and just start making expressive color washes and splatter marks — “Prouts Marshes” leave some large varied pieces of white paper. Immediately follow this without letting the paper dry, using expressive and varied brushwork. Try to think only of movement and creative line. Begin to cut away at the white paper creating more interesting and dramatic shapes. Remember to watch the water content in your brush and don’t over rub the pigment into the paper. Finally using big flat and round brushes lay on some dark values creating exciting and expressive areas of focus and interest. Keep working until you are using extremely dark passages of color and have really forced the viewer to move all around the paper. This lesson if done enough times will produce fabulous abstract results and give increased confidence with your brushwork and ability to apply paint.

Below is a wonderful step by step watercolor painting demo by the very talented artist Alistair Butt. Please take a moment to visit Alistair’s site when you are finished reading through this demonstration. There a handful of other demonstrations on his website, tips on painting supplies, limited edition prints for sale and more.

	Alistair Butt’s paintings are principally of coastal and landscape scenes, with a distinctive feature of his work being the skilful way that he includes interesting detail yet without compromising the sense of mood and the special qualities of light. His style is true to the great traditions of British landscape painting, and indeed all his inspiration comes from subjects within the UK. “From Cornwall and Kent to Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales, each area provides an endless source of material for my paintings, and each has its own identity and feeling,” he says.
Stage One
A drawing of the subject was produced on pre-stretched Bockingford 250lb watercolour/watercolor paper. Before any painting is started all the white areas of the painting are masked, in this case all the swans (I used colourless masking fluid from Winsor & Newton). Next the whole paper area is given a wash with plain water and while this is soaking into the paper I’ll pre-mix the first wash colours/colors on the palette. The first wash is to establish the sky and remove the remaining white areas of paper. A light grey/blue for the sky which was extended down to the river as this colour/color would become the highlight areas on the river and the beginnings of the shadows placed in the foreground.
Stage Two
Two methods can be used for the this stage. The first is to mask all the foreground leaves and paint the background first or second (as I have done here) is to paint the leaves first and then mask before painting the background. The leaves are created from three washes, each of changing colours/colors working from light to dark.
Stage Three
All the leaves painted in stage two had masking fluid painted over them plus highlight areas on the water were also masked. Having pre-mixed the colours/colors needed, the background was painted using two wet into wet washes, the first wash was allowed to dry before applying the second, softening any edges that were too sharp using clear water. I also painted the reflections while the correct colours/colors were on the brush. Some loosely applied detail was added to the middle distant trees.
Stage Four
With the masking fluid still on the leaves I painted the foreground tree trunk with four washes. Starting with the highlight colours/colors then starting the modeling with a mid to dark colour/color wash followed by adding the details, like the branches, splits in the bark etc before the final shadow wash. The masking fluid from the leaves was then removed and some softening of the edges is done. More detail for the reflections on the river is added before a darker version of the sky colour/color is washed over the whole river.
Stage Five
Moving to the foreground. The whole area is given a wash to establish the sunlight parts of the grass and tree on the right
Stage Six
Two darker washes followed in the tree and on the grass to start creating the shadows cast from trees to the right hand side. The washes were a mixture of wet into wet and wet on dry.
Stage Seven
Further detail was added to the tree on the right. The final grass shadow wash was added and as sharper edges were required the details like the twigs on the grass, gate and the plants by the river edge were painted last.
Stage Eight
The final part (having removed the masking fluid that covered the swans from the beginning) was to paint the swans. The swans were painted with four washes, the first being a warm wash to capture the sunlight on the swans with the following three for the modeling and shadow areas working from light to dark and allowing each wash to dry before progressing, whilst being careful not to paint a shadow wash over a swan standing in sunlight. The details for the heads and legs being the last parts to be painted.

All Images and Text are © Copyright, Alistair Butt