About Arnold

Arnold Lowrey has been painting for 36 years. He has regular exhibitions of his paintings in the South Wales area and has had work accepted and exhibited in the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. He has won several prizes for his paintings in a number of Art Exhibitions.

He is a painting demonstrator for major art material suppliers e.g. Winsor & Newton, . and Art Profile and regularly provides painting demonstrations to Art Societies throughout South Wales and Southern England.
He has demonstrated for a number of years with Winsor & Newton  in Zurich, Switzerland, and has tutored workshops and painting holidays in Portugal and Texas.

Over the past eighteen years, a considerable number of artists have attended these courses, which  cover watercolour, acrylics, pastels and oils. The subjects of his paintings vary from landscapes to still life, portraiture, abstracts etc. The weekly courses are currently located at Taffs Well Rugby Club, Taffs Well, Near Cardiff.
His motivation is a desire for good shapes and texture in his paintings but foremost is his desire to interpret his feelings for each subject using colour and luminosity.

Follow this link to visit Arnold’s Website

The Control of Water in Watercolour

I see so many watercolours fail because artists have not come to grips with the control of water in their paintings. Many books on watercolour concentrate more on pretty pictures and the materials used, rather than tackle this subject, which is vital for success.

Most watercolours fail because too much water is used and the results are a wishy- washy mess. So, let’s come to grips with this important subject.

The question you must always ask is “Where is the water? – Is it in the brush, the palette or on the paper?”

If you have a lot water in your brush and water on the paper, the result is two lots of water combining and flooding everywhere out of control. To have full control of water, you must have a palette with a flat mixing area that does not collect unwanted water. It is also advantageous to have one with open-ended colour wells.

So here are the five most important ways of water control.

• Dry on Dry
• Wet on Dry
• Wet on Wet
• Dry on Wet
• The Half-loaded Brush

Dry on Dry

This is where the paper is dry and all the water is squeezed out of your brush, so that when you pick up paint and paint it on the paper, virtually no water is involved and the result is a scumbling mark.

(No water on the paper and virtually no water in the brush.)

Wet on Dry

If you load you brush with wet paint and paint on dry paper, an area is produced which is soft and flowing in the middle but with hard edges.

(No water on the paper and water in the brush)

Wet on Wet

When the paper is wet and the brush is fully loaded with wet paint, the result is two lots of water on the paper. Consequently, the paper can’t handle this amount and the paint pigment flows on the surface. Tipping the paper will allow the pigment to flow around creating a lot of interesting shapes but accurate control is missing. Useful for backgrounds but you are relying on “happy accidents” to produce any meaningful shapes.

Dry into Wet

If you paint an area of paper using “wet on dry” above and then squeeze all the water out of your brush, you are able to lift the paint off the paper.

This is because you are using a “thirsty brush” i.e. there is less water in your brush than is on the paper. The water travels from the paper back into the brush leaving an area of paper dryer than that surrounding it. (This is the same effect as wringing out a sponge and soaking water out of a puddle.)

If you now repeat this, but having squeezed all the water out of your brush, you pick up some neat pigment (no water!) and paint it into the wet, you will find that you can place it accurately without it flowing all over the place. Water has, again, traveled back into your brush so that the new painted area is dryer than its surroundings.

Watch how the wet area tries to attack the dryer area and softens the edges. This is ideal for those soft-edged misty trees in the background of your landscapes or soft reflections.
To lighten the tonal value of the added colour, drag out some of the pigment from your brush onto a dry piece of paper before applying. This will ensure the brush stays “thirsty”.
(Paper wet but virtually no water in the brush)

The Half-loaded brush – Mingling

Dry into wet techniques tend to replace the existing paint with the new, so if you wish to create an area (say skies) by accurately painting into another whilst the paper is still wet, this method is the only way it can be done.
Mix your first colour with water (on a flat palette) to a suitable tonal value. Paint this first colour on the surface wet on dry.

Clean you palette and repeat this with the next colour. If necessary thin the colour with water so that tonal value is near the first colour. However, before you pick up the paint, squeeze out your brush, then pick up the wet paint with one sweep only. The brush loads from one side of your brush and is half loaded. This allows you to paint the new colour into the wet area without it flowing all over the place. You have total control. This action can be repeated as many times as you like as long as you keep the paper wet. All the different pigments mingle down to one layer and you keep the resulting luminosity.

What about “Cauliflowers” (back runs)?

These are caused by painting wet paint into half dry areas. The water in the new paint leaches into the old causing strange light shapes.
This often accidentally when water drips off your brush into a newly painted area which is “damp dry”. Do not, ever, try to paint this out while it is still wet – you only feed the cauliflower with more water and it gets worse.

Here you can see where a drop of water accidentally was dropped into an area of half dry paint.

Glazing or Mingling?

Glazing

The traditional watercolour techniques, which are so often taught, create a series of glazes, (wet on dry), allowing each one to dry before the next is applied. Each new glaze stacks on top of the next, making the thickness of the overall paint greater.

This method can produce some effective results.
However, the down side is that every time you paint on a new glaze of colour you reduce the luminosity of the painting, as light, which creates the luminosity, has to travel through these layers and reflect back off the paper.

Notice that the shadow glaze has been painted over the windows. This unifies it. If the windows had been painted in afterwards they would have a “stuck on” effect.

Mingling

Mingling is achieved by using the dry into wet or half loaded brush technique shown to the right. Painting into wet areas allows the pigment to settle on one level instead of stacking one on top of the other. Luminosity is retained

Another mingling example:

Keep the paper wet and pump in new colors with a half loaded brush.

Wet on dry – the windows have sharp or rough edges

This painting uses most (although not all) of the previous techniques. Remember, if you have control of water you have control of watercolour.

Dry into wet allows the door, steps and handrail to be placed in the wet and the images to be retained with soft edges.

The Finished Painting – “Orange Wood Cottage”

Spending the time to come to grips with these techniques will move you forward with your watercolour. The above techniques are important keys to practicing your watercolour crafts and mastering them will allow you to concentrate on the importance of the art in your paintings. Composition, design, unity, value, colour, intensity, etc. which, when applied properly, will put you a step ahead of the crowd and help you to sing with your own voice!

Keep painting and good luck!

Arnold Lowrey

(A special thank-you to Phyllis Franklin (llis) who worked with me as editor for this article!)

By Susan Harrison-Tustain

I developed my Priming Method over a period of many years, and I now teach this watercolor technique to all of my students. It is a simple but very effective 3 step process:

The first step is to apply water to the region you wish to paint and then allow the moisture to be absorbed into the paper.

Next, while the paper is still barely damp from step one, i.e. the sheen of the surface has just disappeared, lay in another light wash of clear water.

In the 3rd and final step of the Priming Method, while the previous wash is still wet and shiny, lay in your pigmented wash. Before moving on to apply further washes it is extremely important to ensure your watercolor paper is BONE DRY.

That’s it! 3 simple but extremely effective steps to mastering watercolors.

My Priming watercolor technique is successful because it allows pigment to be absorbed as far as possible into the inner layers of the paper. I use this method at the early stages of a painting. As the painting advances and I feel I have reached the tonal depth I desire – I then change to a wet-in-wet method for the middle few washes.

Before I create my finest detail with dry brush I fine-tune the colors I have achieved by laying in final washes to adjust color temperature, depth of hue or change of color as I see necessary.

Once totally dry I then use the age-old dry brush method to establish fine detail where needed. Naturally, you can’t wash over dry brushing unless you intend to lift off some of it. Dry brush sits on the surface of the paper and is easily dispersed. You can of course use this to your advantage but generally my dry brush layer is my final layer.

I never have a problem with the fibers in my paper lifting despite using anywhere from 2 – 20 washes! Take a look at my work. I hope you agree this glowing method speaks for itself.

Here is a simple experiment you can try at home. Draw three 1 inch circles. Use my Priming Method in the first circle, Wet in Wet in the second and Wet on Dry in the third. Why not use a transparent yellow for this so you can play with the glow of this in subsequent washes?

Now allow all of the circles to become bone dry. Use a dryer if needed. To check for dryness: Once the heat from the dryer has gone from the paper, touch the paper with the ball of your hand. If it feels cold – there is still moisture in there. If it feels room temperature, then it should be dry.

Now lay in clear water washes over all three of the circles. If you have used transparent colors and my Priming Method – you will find there is very little pigment movement. The Wet on Wet will lift a little more easily and of course the Wet on Dry will move very easily. Now add further washes and hues to your Priming Method circles and see how the yellow underwash glows.

Where my final tones are to be light – I use very little yellow. Naturally where the final tones are dark – I may use three or four priming sets of washes to create enough depth of yellow so it can glow through even the richest dark hues.

Yellow underwashes take away the raw look of colors and establish a look of substance that can almost feel palpable.

Susan Harrison-Tustain is an internationally acclaimed watercolor artist and teacher. For more information you can visit her website at http://www.susanart.com or take a look at her best-selling watercolor lessons on DVD at http://www.susanart.com/pennyfarthing

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Harrison-Tustain
http://EzineArticles.com/?Watercolor-Techniques—My-Simple-3-Step-Process&id=2942531

About Doug

Doug Purdon was born in Toronto, Ontario. He is a full-time painter, teacher and writer. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists and Ontario Society of Artists. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife, the writer Rosemary Aubert.

He exhibits his work in galleries in Canada, the US and the UK and his paintings are in many private and corporate collections, including The Toronto Public Library, The City of Toronto, The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, Sears Canada, and The Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic CT, where his painting Tugboat Alley was awarded the Museum Purchase Award in 2005. A major retrospective of his work was held in October 2007 at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto.

Doug believes that artists should continue the tradition of passing on their skills and knowledge to other artists and does this through his workshops, seminars and writing. He currently teaches courses at Loyalist College, Belleville, Ontario; Bridgewater Retreat, Tweed, Ontario; and the School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto and in workshops for art associations across Canada.

While he paints his native Ontario, he also enjoys travelling to different locations and has painted in Scotland, England, France, and the American Southwest and on the eastern and western seaboard of North America. He is represented by Studio 737, Tweed, Ontario; Arnold Fine Art, Newport RI; and the Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic CT.

For the past eleven years Doug has been the Educational Advisor for Winsor & Newton in Canada. In that capacity he visits colleges and universities demonstrating the working properties of artist’s materials, their correct use and safe working practices. Winsor & Newton has arranged for him to visit major art museums including The Tate, National Gallery of Art Washington and to meet with curators and conservators to discuss the technical and historical aspects of painting and materials. He incorporates the knowledge of painting techniques and proper working practices that he has learned from these visits into his teaching programs.

To learn more about Doug and view more of his work, please visit his website by following the link below:

http://www.dougpurdon-artist.com/

Painting a Detailed Painting in Watercolor and Gouache

When painting complex subjects in watercolour, it is often hard to avoid losing some of the highlights and the details. While masking fluid can be used to cover areas that are to remain white, it is hard to remember to cover areas of colour that will become highlights within the darks. I also find masking fluid tends to create hard edges and can often damage the surface of the paper when it is left on for extended periods of time. In this article I will show you how I tackled a very complex subject using watercolour and gouache.

Painting from sketchbook – Lower Broadway – New
York 1982

When travelling, I always carry a sketch book and make studies of scenes that interest me and that I feel could be done as a painting when I return to the studio. I take photos as reference for details, especially when the subject is as complex as this one. When I returned from New York City in 1982, I had every intention of starting work on this painting, but I put the sketch book to one side and got busy with other paintings and the painting was never completed. In 2001 after the events of September 11, I remembered the little sketch I had done of New York and the World Trade Center in happier times. I decided to complete the process that had started on that September morning in 1982. Looking at the sketch, I found the picture needed more information on the right hand side so I knew I could move the twin towers from the centre of the painting for better composition. I also added an additional building. Luckily I had a reference photo of it on file.

Using the sketch and reference photos, I drew the image lightly on 300 lb. Winsor & Newton watercolour paper using a 2H pencil. When I was satisfied with the drawing, I went over the pencil with diluted India ink. Once the ink was dry I removed the pencil with a kneaded eraser. When painting a detailed image in watercolour, I use this method instead of graphite pencil alone as the ink will not smudge or mix into the washes as they are applied.

I applied a pale warm yellow wash to the paper the colour of the early morning light. Sunlight is seldom pure white, and as it is the prime source of illumination, its colour will effect all other colours in the painting. I use both pan and tube watercolours in my paintings, the pans being reserved for small amounts of colour and the tube colours used when I require a larger amount for washes. Once a large flat area such as the sky is complete, I cover it with paper to protect it from spatters or finger marks.

Flat washes were applied establishing local colour and then details were added. In this picture you can see the preliminary, intermediate and completed painting. On the drawing board is the butcher’s tray and various dishes I use to mix washes. Some of the best mixing dishes for watercolour are not to be found in the art store but in a kitchen utensils shop. Stainless steel is ideal for mixing colours as it won’t react with pigments, will not rust and is easy to clean and unbreakable.

I have now finished painting with transparent watercolour and am adding details, lights and cleaning up rough edges with gouache. The amount of gouache that I use depends on the individual painting and can range from a few details to a complete repainting of areas. I also darkened some areas more to increase the contrast, signed the painting and it was finished.

All content and images in this painting demonstration are copyright of Doug Purdon and may not be copied, reprinted, published, reengineered, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission of Doug Purdon.

To learn more about Doug and view more of his work, please visit his website by following the link below:

http://www.dougpurdon-artist.com/

About Cyrille

Once upon a time … August 96, weary of the ordinary pleasures of the seaside, I left my wife and children playing on the beach and went to write a few letters to our friends in France. My children’s felt pens were lying on the table, so I used them to sketch a few scattered scenes to illustrate my letters. I sent out about 20 letters. Back home, at the end of the holidays, I received a very enthusiastic phone call : “your letter was great and we absolutely loved your drawings ! You should become an artist”. In the space of a few days, I received 18 identical phone calls. Eighteen ! That’s a lot !

“Bet I will !”

It was then and there that I decided to become a painter before even having touched a single paint brush. I started with my wife’s watercolor box, my kid’s gouache paint brushes and began my own experimenting. Not taking a few watercolor lessons and learning it all on my own could be considered a total waste of time, but instead, I just see the good side of it: I created my own style !

To be honest, I should tell you that this little talent, stumbled upon at the age of 42, was written in my genes. My mother received the first prize of the Beaux-Arts drawing contest. This small heritage has been transmitted intact to my children who already draw remarkably well.

October 96, when I decided to become a painter, I spent about 9 months painting game birds in still lives. Woodcocks, partridges, ducks, suspended head down on a wall in the very classic (French) manner. Why French manner ? In France, artists have always painted game birds hanging from one leg. I discovered when I exhibited in the U.K., that British birds were hung upside down, hooked by the head.

You already know that Brits are very strange. Why else would they be sitting in the passenger seat of the car to drive on the wrong side of the road?

My watercolor game birds stood out, perhaps, by their light, the freshness of their colors and by the meticulous attention given to each detail. Each individual feather was painted without omitting any reflected light or any shadow. I was painting for my own pleasure, taking all the time I needed to go to the end of my dreams, creating beauty…..

Follow this link to learn more about Cyrille and to view more of his work

HOW TO PAINT WITH 4 PIGMENTS BY CYRILLE JUBERT

My palette :

cobalt blue, yellow ochre, magenta et indigo. The indigo will allow me to create dense colors, close to black, while melting it with ochre and magenta. The cobalt melted with the same two pigments, will give me light shades of grey close to white.

Watercolor paper:

Arches 140 Lb Hot pressed 12″ x 16″ . For once, I did not stretch my paper before painting.

Drawing:

“A beautiful watercolor is first a great drawing”. I drew my portrait in Paris, to be able to paint at once in front of my students with a light 3H graphite pencil.

Learn to see

The most important teaching of this page is perhap’s to learn how to look at the reflected colors on your subject, in deep or light shades. Try “to see” with an artist eye who exagerate contrasts and colors. It is rather easy if you start with photos. When you will be more familiar with this way of seeing, perhap’s ill you look at life differently.

REFERENCE PHOTO

On the left :

The photo portrait of a drathar. Concentrate your eyes on his left ear. Do you see the blue reflection on the top of it ? and one inch on the richt, the violet-blue lock that become purple and ochre blond in the sun light ? Now look at the top of the skull. Do you see the blue, violet or purple shades, where the fur reflects the dark sky, while the fur on the forehead reflects the ocre and orange colors of the sunset?

On the right:

The same photo contrasted with photoshop to exaggerate these reflections. I drew blue, yellow and red lines pointing to the strongest shades in the dog’s fur.

First glaze

The first glaze will give roughly the prevailing colors in the fur.My aim for that portrait painted in a workshop was a demonstration. So I ovedid a bit, and exaggerated the colours. But I think now that it gave a more artful portrait. Glazes after glazes, these strong colors will melt. Notice that from the first brush stroke, each lock is painted in the sense of the fur. From the beginning to the end, whatever the size of the brush, you should always comb the hair and remember that each brush stroke will be seen by transparency. On the right side, this strong color close to black is a mix of indigo, ochre and magenta.

Succeed the Eyes

Is there anything worse than this blind mask ? Before to go on with the fur, I had to create the eyes of the dog to give a soul to the portrait. If the eyes turn out well, the whole painting will be successful.

As I paint in watercolor without adding white gouache, I have to search for the most intense light in the reference photo and always think to preserve it in my painting. My first brush stroke in the eyes will be for this white sparkle in the middle. I shall use a very light glaze of cobalt blue. So light, that I dont see the pigments when it is done. Nevertheless, I think it is really necessary.

Working on the iris, I paint a very light glaze of ochre and let it dry. The next glaze will add a mix of ochre and magenta on the edge of the iris. Then I start to paint the pupil with a mix of my three colors, close to a dark brown-red. I did not try to find the exact shade at my first glaze, not even the exact shape.

Colors are relative data:

Their values change with their immediate surrounding. Consequently, I shall take my time before to finish the inside of the eye. While painting the eye lids with a very light glaze of indigo, I create a humid light reflection, even if it is not in the photo. I know that such a tiny detail will bring more life in the eye.

Now thet my first glaze of the pupil is dry, using a very dark mix of pigments based on indigo, I paint the edge of the sparkle in the eye and what is pehaps the heart of the pupil.

NB: I painted these eyes during the workshop. As we used to scan the portrait only once a day, I cannot show you images of all the stages. I shall try to create a special watercolor lesson, step by step, on “painting the eyes”.

A few steps further, details of the same eye. As you may see, instead of adding a glaze on the iris to get closer to its brown red color, I chose to keep the transparency of the thin original ochre layer and added red-brown streaks. They give at the same time more volume to the eye.

The lower eyelid was not painted in one horizontal brush stroke, but with small vertical strokes to give matter and volume. On the upper eyelid, you see my three basic colors : blue, yellow and magenta.

On the eyebrow but also on the top of the head, I paint the wooly fur with “tremolo” brush strokes. Even if I paint stronger glazes over it, your eyes will see it and feel the impression of wool.

On the final image, the basic colors are still there, as strong as at the beginning: The magenta and indigo mixed in a deep violet blue sing beside their opposite colour ochre.

A very humid nose

Most of the time, ahealthy dog has a very humid truffle. The nose of the dog will allow the painter to give light, life and brio to his portrait. So take your time to succeed it. Underneath, a blow-up of the first glazes. The above of the nose has been painted wet on wet, with a light cobalt shade and a darker mix on the right side, where you can see a few magenta and ochre pigments. With a large brush I sucked part of the cobalt pigments to give more light on the top.

On the left, you see the first glaze of the nostril. On the right, the attempt to paint its relief. It seems perhaps difficult to realize, but it is not. Have a closer look. You have streaks to the right crossing streaks to the left. Easy and quick, but giving a great effect, even with darker shades painted over it.

The proof underneath !

As the fur was getting more color and contrast around the nose, I dared to give more value to my nose. I damped again all the top of the truffle and part of the fur around it, before to add a mix of cobalt and magenta, wet on wet , wthout laying any pigment on the light. The hole of the nostril is painted with indigo, magenta and ochre, wet on wet first. Then dry on dry. The darker the shadows, the brighter the light.

This detail shows the fine work on the dog moustache. Once more you can see brush strokes of pure colors, whose shades are changing by superposition.

Complementary colors

The blind mask of the beginning take sense as soon as the eyes appear. The whole head is searching for its balance between truffle and eyes. Consequently, You have then to counterbalance colors and masses.

A dog portrait close to “Fauvism”

Notice the background:

Nearly pure ochre at the bottom right, pure cobalt on the top left and a violet blue (cobalt-magenta) at the bottom-left painted wet on wet.

Dedicated to my friend, Nina Gagarin.

I hardly worked 3 days on this portrait during this workshop in Palm Beach. So it is not really finished. I could hardly be concentrated enough during the workshop hours, while each one of my students was hoping for my particular attention and advices on their own work. On sunday, I painted about 10 hours as on monday morning, I had an appointment in a gallery to present my paintings. This Fine Art gallery uses to present each year in Palm Beach, the Willian Secord’s dog paintings. Beyond my prints and press-book, I needed a portrait to loud me to the sky. Please, tell me I succeed ! I did not meet him, but he saw my work. Next year perhap’s ?

Last glance Look at this photo in B&W. Interesting, is not it ?

This watercolor painting video tutorial for painting distant hills and mountains is taken from my Watercolor Secrets course. This is the first lesson in the “hill & mountains” DVD and we progress gradually from here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAZTBqP4KHQ