Plein Air Painting in Watercolor
By Sue Doucette
Once you have arrived at your location and found a subject you like, begin by making two or three “thumbnail” pencil sketches, being sure to state your values clearly. (Values are your lights and darks. Three to four shades between white and your darkest dark are enough. These quick drawings will guide you as you are painting.) This is the time to clarify your composition as well. These drawings are quick and spontaneous and should measure about 3″ or 4″ square. After you’ve completed your thumbnails choose the one you like the best, then set up your equipment. Now you are ready to paint.
Set up your work station so you are not looking directly into the sun. Clip your paper to your board in preparation for sudden gusts of wind and keep your thumbnail sketch handy. Remember when painting with watercolor, to leave the white paper where your whites will go, then sketch your subject matter onto your watercolor paper. It is helpful to spray the back of your paper with water before painting. This will keep it from curling up when the front becomes wet.
Watercolor Lesson – The Control of Water in Watercolour
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
Watercolor Painting Tutorial – Abstracting the Shapes, Simplifying the Message
About Steve Fleming
Good art is the result of hard work and dedication. It only happens when the artist finds his or her own story to tell and then learns to do so with his or her own unique language.
I am an artist who works in watercolor and acrylic, and I teach both for The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as workshops across the country and abroad. My goal as an artist is to be creative; my goal as a teacher is to help my students learn to interpret the world around them, not to promote the belief the goal of art is the perfect rendering of a subject. One of my core messages: art is a creative process and is not just the sum total of the work we sell. In this era of digital cameras, I caution artists to look — really look both inside and outside — for the subject matter that lights our artistic fires. Otherwise, our work will be lacking everything but technique.
Watercolor Painting Tutorial – Value Pattern
About Steve Fleming
Good art is the result of hard work and dedication. It only happens when the artist finds his or her own story to tell and then learns to do so with his or her own unique language.
I am an artist who works in watercolor and acrylic, and I teach both for The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as workshops across the country and abroad. My goal as an artist is to be creative; my goal as a teacher is to help my students learn to interpret the world around them, not to promote the belief the goal of art is the perfect rendering of a subject. One of my core messages: art is a creative process and is not just the sum total of the work we sell. In this era of digital cameras, I caution artists to look — really look both inside and outside — for the subject matter that lights our artistic fires. Otherwise, our work will be lacking everything but technique.
How to Mix Grays in Watercolor for Atmospheric Perspective
About Mara
I enjoy being an artist! And I’ve been at it longer than this internet blogging stuff. In fact, blogging is all new to me! So I will start by telling you a little about myself. Our nest is not quite empty because we still enjoy the presence of our college-aged kids at home. And because they are busy with work and school I am able to enjoy uninterrupted painting sessions during the day-light hours instead of in the middle of the night like I did when they were little. A bit here, a bit there and I keep my projects alive! One project I’m working on is a cookbook. Originally written for my husband and children, I re-structure classic recipes we love, to make them healthier. I’m also writing and illustrating a series of children’s books. Finding time to Draw, paint, and teach has been a challenge while raising a family but finishing a project is very rewarding to me. And I hope you like my artwork and lessons and enjoy watching my progress with various projects!
Please follow this link to visit Mara’s website to view more of her art lessons.
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Watercolor Techniques – My Simple 3 Step Process
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.
Watercolor Drybrush Technique by Ottorino de Lucchi
About Ottorino
OTTORINO DE LUCCHI, born in Ferrara, works in Folgaria (Trento). In recent years, he has developed a painting technique based on watercolor drybrush which allows to mantain the brightness of the watercolor.
To learn more about Ottorino and to see more of his work, please visit his website by following the link below:
http://www.ottorinodelucchi.com
Watercolor Drybrush Technique by Ottorino de Lucchi
Watercolor drybrush is an unconventional artistic technique. It creates unique painting effects that are not produced by other methods. It requires practice and skill and a good deal of patience, perseverance and inclination to experiment .
How to Paint Darks and Shadows in Watercolor by Mara Mattia
About Mara
I enjoy being an artist! And I’ve been at it longer than this internet blogging stuff. In fact, blogging is all new to me! So I will start by telling you a little about myself. Our nest is not quite empty because we still enjoy the presence of our college-aged kids at home. And because they are busy with work and school I am able to enjoy uninterrupted painting sessions during the day-light hours instead of in the middle of the night like I did when they were little. A bit here, a bit there and I keep my projects alive! One project I’m working on is a cookbook. Originally written for my husband and children, I re-structure classic recipes we love, to make them healthier. I’m also writing and illustrating a series of children’s books. Finding time to Draw, paint, and teach has been a challenge while raising a family but finishing a project is very rewarding to me. And I hope you like my artwork and lessons and enjoy watching my progress with various projects!
Please follow this link to visit Mara’s website to view more of her art lessons.
How to Paint Darks and Shadows in Watercolor
Technique of Watercolor Painting: WC07 PLANNING
By John Blenkin
It is not a matter of preference but of personality. To a great extent the subject will decide the issue. A painting of a building a design a specific place – a record painting a commissioned painting will usually lead the painter into an approach where pre-planning naturally results.
In this type of work pre-planning will reduce errors and the target idea will more likely to be realized. Any measured work – enlarging – portraiture anything technical animal bird or plant illustrations are usually best planned beforehand. Professional work to deadline is a pre-planning must.
In general where the subject of the painting has to conform to the requirements or standards of others or to a specified known standard for a fee by a certain date it is best to pre-plan.
Watercolor Painting For All Ages and Abilities By Dean Novosat
By Dean Novosat
Watercolor is a type of paint made from pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder, such as gum Arabic. Watercolor paints can be bought in tubes or pans (small blocks). It is one of the most dynamic mediums available to the artist. Watercolors are great for outdoor painting because of their quick drying nature and ease of use and watercolor painting offers a wide range of varieties and consistencies.
Watercolor techniques have the reputation of being quite demanding, although they are actually no more demanding than those used with other media. In the 17th and 18th centuries, ink, pen and watercolor tints were common mapmaking tools, portable and convenient to use outdoors and in remote locations. At the beginning of the 18th century, the topographical watercolor was primarily used as an objective record of an actual place in an era before photography. It was also a popular choice for landscape painting. Watercolors have moved from mapmaking to the mainstream in the past 300 years. Now, watercolor painting can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities.
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