Copyright©2011,2014byFelixScheinbergerandVerlagHermannSchmidtMainz
Allrightsreserved.
PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyWatsonGuptillPublications,animprintoftheCrown
PublishingGroup,adivisionofRandomHouseLLC,aPenguinRandomHouseCompany,New
York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.watsonguptill.com
WATSONGUPTILLandtheWGandHorsedesignsareregisteredtrademarksofRandomHouse
LLC.
OriginallypublishedinhardcoverinGermanyasWasserfarbefürGestalterbyVerlagHermann
SchmidtMainz,in2011.ThistranslationarrangedwithVerlagHermannSchmidtMainz.
TranslationbyFaithAnnGibson.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Scheinberger,Felix.
[WasserfarbefürGestalter.English]
UrbanWatercolorsketching:aguidetodrawing,painting,andstorytellingincolor/Felix
Scheinberger.—FirstAmericanEdition.
pagescm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
1.Watercolorpainting—Technique.I.Title.
ND2420.S323132014
751.42′2—dc23
2013019316
TradePaperbackISBN:978-0-7704-3521-9
eBookISBN:978-0-77043524-0
DesignbyNicolaAehle,FelixScheinberger,andKatyBrown
v3.1
CONTENTS
CoverTitlePageCopyright
INTRO
Watercolors—InorOut?
APaintingfortheEmperor
GumArabic:WheretheWatercolorsGrow
Pigments:TheStuffThatDreamsAreMadeOf
YellowandOrange:OfCamelsandCrocuses
RedandPurple:OfBugsandSnails
Blue:OfLapisLazuli,Indigo,andWoad
Green:OfPlantsandPoison
IntroducingColortoSketches:We’reNotinKansasAnymore
FIRSTATTEMPTS
MultipleChoice:ToDesignIstoDecide
FromDusktillDawn:ShadowsandLight
BlackIsBack:GlazingwithIndiaInk
LayerforLayer:TheGlaze
MixingColorswithGlazes
FishSoup:PracticingtheGlaze
TheWash:ThePaintDoesasItPleases!
OntheRun:GradedWashTechniques
OnceMore,withFeeling!:Washes
It’saGiveandTake:ApplyingandRemovingPaint
Wet-on-Wet
CombiningTechniques:ALittleBitofThisandThat
EXCURSIONINCOLORTHEORY
WhereDoColorsComeFrom?:TheSimpleScience
ArrangingColors
OppositesAttract:ColorContrasts
FromSouthParktoStoplights:TypesofColor
TrueColor:TheEffectofLight
EveryColorTellsaStory:IntensifyingYourSketches
It’sAllRelative:TheEffectsofColors
ColorHarmonies:SimpleandComplex
Analogous,Monochromatic,andComplementaryHarmonies
TriadicandTetradicHarmonies
Cool-CoolandWarm-WarmHarmonies
CollectingColors
DesigningColorHarmonies:WorkingwithColorCodeStrips
GettingOutofYourColorComfortZone
TheBlueRidgeMountains:ColorandPerspective
YOUROWNSTYLE
LessIsMore
Me,Myself,andI:FindingYourOwnStyle
StyleandCreativity
ThrowingDown:LooseningUpYourPainting
SeekNotandYouShallFind:Imaginationvs.Internet
MakeItMatter
Priorities
BASICS/TOOLS
Paintboxes
WatercolorPencils
BuyingPaints
MixingPaints
ImpossibleHues:BrightColors
PimpingWatercolors:MakingColorsPop
LiquidWatercolors:BrightNow,PaleLater
IntotheWild:Brushes
EvenMoreBrushes
Paper
ThePermanentWave:StretchingPaper
TheContentsofMyBag
OUT&ABOUT
BadWeather:PaintingOutdoors
TheOtherViewpoint:ChangingPerspective
PaintingWater
Air,Fog,Smoke
SmogandAtmosphere
WhatIsBeautyAnyway?
TIPS&TRICKS
CompositionandDesign
SmudgesandSpots
PaintingWhat’sNotThere:NegativeSpace
White:ASpecialCase
Studies,Sketches,andDrafts
Undo
MergingColors:WorkingfromOneColor
WorkingwithColoredPaper
SpecialEffects
LetteringandWriting
Layouts,Scribbles,andStoryboards
WatercolorIllustrations
HowMuchIsYourPictureWorth?
EverythingEnds:WhenIsaPictureFinished?
AbouttheAuthorIndex
INTRO
WATERCOLORS—INOROUT?
Whenwethinkofwatercolor,manyofusimmediatelypicturesentimentallandscapesandpaintingsofruinsandpicturesquescenes.Althougheighteenth-andnineteenth-centuryEnglishartistsestablishedwatercolorasasophisticatedpaintingmedium,itoftenyieldsstrangelynegativereactionsfromcontemporaryartists.Anentiregenerationquicklyrelegatesittoahobbyist’smedium.
Yetwatercolorisfarmorethananamateur’smedium,asitrequiresintenseconcentrationandpractice.Onceit’sputonpaper,mistakesaredifficulttoremedy,andonlywhenitisappliedwithconfidencedoesithaveatrulysuccessfuleffect.Watercolorinvolvesacertaindegreeofuncertainty,butitalsoteachesustosee.
Watercolorwasthefirsttechniquetofreetheartistfromthestudiobecauseitcouldeasilybetakenoutdoors.Itrequirednotubes,easels,canvases,orsimilarimplements,onlyaboxofpaintsandpaper.Eventoday,watercolorisatoolthatfreesusfromthestudio,ourlaptops,andcountlesschargingcables.
Watercoloris,however,notjustatechnique;itisalmostanattitude.Watercoloralwaysdoeswhatitwants.Inaway,itiswillfulandanarchical.Therefore,forme,thesecrettousingwatercolortocreatepicturesliesinstrikingabalancebetweencontrolandlettinggo.Picturesareoftenonly“reallygood”whentheysurpriseus—whentheyrevealwhatwesensedandfelt,butcouldnothaveconsciouslyexpressed.Ifwesacrificetherightamountofcontrolintheartisticprocess,watercolor’sinherentqualitiesbegintoworktoouradvantage.
Thisbookhastwogoals:toteachyouwatercolortechniquesandtotellyousomethingaboutcolor.
However,itdoesnotaimtoexplain,forexample,howyoucanpaintacertainskyinfoursteps.Iseriouslydoubtwhetherreaderslearnmorefromsuchinstructionbooksthantheydobyactuallypaintingthatsky.Whatiftheskyshouldsuddenlycloudover?Instead,thisbookwishestoshowyouthebasicprinciplesofwatercolorpaints,soyoucanflexiblyapplythemtowhateveryouwanttoachieve.
Iimagineit’salittlelikelearningchordsonaguitar.Forme,itseemsimportantthatyoulearnthefingerings,butwhatsongyouplayisuptoyou.
Anddon’tworry,everythingthatweneedtoknowaboutcolorcanbelearnedwithasimpleboxofpaints.
Whetherwatercolorpaintingissophisticatedandlegitimateornotisn’tthepoint.Watercolorcangoanywhere.Itisanautonomous,free,andcreativemedium.Itmakestheworldourstudio.
Yourstruly,
APAINTINGFORTHEEMPEROR
ThisstorywaspasseddownfromancientChina.Anemissaryoftheemperorvisitedafamouspainteroneday.
Theemperordesiredapainting,theemissarytoldhim,askinghimwhetherhecouldpaintaroosterforhismajesty.Thepainterrepliedthathecoulddoso,butitmighttakehimawhile,foragoodpictureneededtime.
Now,theemissaryknewthattheemperorwasnotblessedwithmuchpatience,sohegrantedthepaintertwoweekstopainttherooster.
Whenthetwoweekshadpassed,heappearedagain.
“Whereistherooster?”heaskedthepainter,whorepliedthathewasworkingonit,butthepicturewasnotyetfinished.Theemissarycursed,butgrantedthepainteranotherweek,sincehewasawarethatthepainterwasagreatmasterofhiscraft.Forhispart,thepaintervowedtofinishtheroosterintime.However,whentheweekwasoverandtheemissaryappearedagain,thepicturewasstillnotcompleted.Theemissaryrantedandshouted,butnothinghelped.Thepainterdemandedyetanotherweektoworkontherooster.
Now,theemperorwasnotaccustomedtowaiting,andwhentheweekhadended,hearrivedinperson,accompaniedbyhisroyalhousehold,tovisitthepainter.
Heinquiredwhethertheroosterwasnowfinished.
Thepainterliftedhisfaceandresponded:Yes,indeed,theroosterwasnowfinished.Andbeforetheeyesoftheperplexedemperor,hetookanemptysheetofpaper,pickedupabrushandpaintedaroosterfortheemperor.
Theemperorwasspeechless.Hebarkedatthepainter:Whydidheallowhisemperortowaitsolongforsomethingthathecouldpainthereandnow,atthedropofahat?Thepainterremainedverycalm.Hecrossedhisstudioandopenedadoortoarearroom.And,asallpresentlookedintotheroom,theycouldseeaspaceaslargeasthe
painter’sstudiothatwasfulltotheceilingwithweeks’worthofsketches,attempts,anddraftsfortheemperor’sswiftlypaintedrooster.
Thisstoryhasagreatdealtodowithwatercolors.Watercolorinvolvestechniquesthatrequiresometimetofine-tune.Itdoesnot,however,takemuchtimetoactuallypaintwithwatercolor;itisaveryfast,immediatemedium.Nevertheless,nomatterhowlittletimeittakestopaint,it’simportanttotakethetimetopracticeandgetthehangofthetechniques.Tobefrank,thismaynotbetheadvicepeopleexpectfromawatercolorinstructionbook,which,bynature,attemptstohelpreadersachieverapid,dramaticresults.However,theChinesemaster’swatercolortechniquehasgreatpotential.AndsinceeventhegreatestChinesemasterwasnotmadeinaday,we’lljuststartoutonourwaytogether—asswiftlyaspossible.
GUMARABICWheretheWatercolorsGrow
Itishotwherethewatercolorsgrow,andifthereisonescarcecommodity,it’swater.
Sudanisoneoftheworld’sharshestregions:asemidesertregioninnortheastAfricawithsandstormsandtemperaturesthathavereachedashighas120degreesFahrenheit.
However,thesubstancewatercolorsaremadefromcomesfromtheheartofSudan,fromKordofan,Kassala,andDarfur.
Tounderstandhowpaintswork,wemustfirstlookatwhattheyaremadeof.Watercolorsareoneoftheoldestkindsofpaints,andtheirsecretliesinanamber-likeyellowsubstancethathasmadeitswayfromthefaraway,hotdeserttoourpaintboxes.We’llgettothatinabit.
Paintbeginswithpigment,amaterialthatusuallycomesinpowderformandthatvibrantlyreflectsaparticularcolor.Thispowderistheactualdyingagent.Itcancomefromaplantormineral,ametal,oranoxide.Paintcontainshundredsoforganicorinorganicsubstancesthatalloriginateinpowderform—andthusposeaproblemfortheartist,sincepowderdoesnotreadilyadheretothesupport(thatis,thepaperorcanvas).
Tobecomewhatwerecognizeaspaint,thepigmentneedsanadhesive,a“vehicle,”toholdthepainttogetherandadhereittothepaperafterdrying.
Overthecenturies,peoplehaveconstantlybeeninventingnewwaystosolvethisproblem.IntheMiddleAges,artistsusedeggyolks,towhichtheyaddedpigmentsinordertomakeeggtempera.DuringtheRenaissance,theyusedboiledlinseedoiltocreateoilpaints.
Itisactuallythevehicle,orbinder,thatdistinguishesonetypeofpaintfromtheother.Whetherapigmentisturnedintoacrylicpaintoroilpaint,whetheritispressedintoacoloredpencilortheshapeofawaxcrayondependsonthebinder.
Watercolorsaremadeofaresin,calledgumarabic,which,aswementioned,comesfromSudan.Thesmall,thornytreesfromwhichitisharvestedarecalledAcaciaseyal(redacacia)andAcaciasenegal(gumacacia).Thebarkofthetreeiscutintoatadownwardangleandreleasesamilkyjuicethatiscollectedanddried.Thisdriedandgroundresinhasservedasabinderforpaintsfromtimeimmemorial.TheancientEgyptiansalsouseditintheirmummificationprocesses,andtheChinesemixedtheirinkinit.
Tomakewatercolors,theoddhoney-coloredresinchunksaregroundanddissolvedinwarmwater,towhichpigmentpowderisadded.Watercolorpaintisbasicallystillmanufacturedinthesamemannerasitwasathousandyearsago,becausethereisnoappropriatechemicalsubstituteforgumarabic.
Gumarabicisunique:thebinderistranslucentandreflectslight.Thisintensifiestheluminosityofthepaint.Also,gumarabicisnontoxicandcanberedissolvedinwaterafteritdries.
PIGMENTSTheStuffThatDreamsAreMadeOf
Theactualdye,orwhatgivesthepaintstheircolor,isthepigment,whichisseparatefromthebinder.
Pigmentscomeasveryfinelyground,colorfulpowders.Theyarecreatedfromgroundorganicandinorganicsubstances,whicharelatermixedwithabindertomakepaint.
There’sareasonwhy,overcenturies,pigmentswerehighlycommodifiedandconsideredawell-keptsecretofpainting.Pigmentsarecolorsthat—asstrangeasitsounds—staycolorful.
Colorsareeverywhere.Flowersrepresentanarrayofcolors,asdofruits,fields,forests,thelightofsunsets,spectacularbirds,andbutterflies.Theproblemwiththesecolors,however,isthattheydonotlast.Everytimewintercomesalong,thecolorsdisappear.Whenthesungoesdown,thereisonlynight.Ifsomethinglivingdies,itscolorsfade:flowerswither,fruitslosetheircolors,and,whenfallcomes,thegreenofspringtransformsintoearthyhues.
Theideaofmixingpigmentsandgumarabictogethertomakewatercolorpaintisveryold.But
atthebeginningofthenineteenthcenturytheEnglishchemistsW.WinsorandH.Newton
werethefirsttoaddglycerintotheblendtomakethepaintsmaintainasemi-moist
consistencywhenstoredinpaintboxes.Honeyhasalsobeenknowntoachievethiseffect.
Itcanbedifficulttomakecolorsholdpermanently.Forexample,ifwesqueezearedfruit,itsjuiceisprobablyalsoredatfirst.Butthiscolor
graduallyfadesasitdries.Andifwedeliberatelyexposethedriedjuicetolight,itsbrilliancefadesmoreandmorewithtime.Itwillprobablysoonbecomebrownorgrayandwillcertainlynotglowasitdidshortlyafterpressing.
Mostcolorsfade,whichisaproblemforartistswhowanttheirsketchesandpicturestoremainluminousandvibrant.
Toagreatextent,lightisresponsibleformostpaintslosingtheircolor.Thoughpaintsmayglowinthelight,theyarealsodestroyedbyit.Ifyouexposepaintstolightandairforalongtime,theyfadeevenmorerapidly.Theeffectislesserforinorganicpigments,oxides,orearthcolors,butmanyofthesepaints,too,fadewithtime.
However,therearealso“lightfast”paintsthatresistfadingandaremadefromspecialpigments.
Pigmentscanbemadeoforganicandinorganicsubstances—ofminerals,plants,oreveninsects—andtheycanalsobechemicallymanufactured.Watercolorpaintisusuallymadeofchemicalpigmentsthataregroundparticularlyfinetoallowforoptimalglazingcapabilities.Usuallythepaintsinourpalettestodaycontainverylargeamountsofpigment,soevenintinyamounts,theyprovideanadequatepunchofcolor.
Pigmentsarethetruesoulofthepaints.Whencombinedwithgumarabic,glycerin,andhoney,theybreathelifeintoyourpictures.
Andonemorething:
Watercolorpaintsmaychangecolorastheydry.Manyshadesalteronlyslightly,sowhilethisdoesnotmeanthataredwillsuddenlyturngreen,itcan,forinstance,lookdulleronceitdries.Theonlythingthatcanhelpyouanticipatethischangeisexperience.Intime,youwillgettoknowyourpaintsbetterandwillbeabletoworkwiththeseparticularcharacteristics.
YELLOWANDORANGEOfCamelsandCrocuses
ThereisastoryaboutIndianyellowthathasmadeitswayintoalmosteverybookaboutcolor.Asthestorygoes,Indianyellowfirstcamefromcamelsthatwerefedasteadydietofmangoleavesandwerenotgivenenoughwater.
Theurineofthepoorcreatureswasthenheatedtoproduceapigmentofintenseyellowcolor,calledpurree.Thismethodwasbannedintheearlytwentiethcenturybecauseitwasinhumane.
Forobviousreasons,therehavebeenmoreandmoredoubtsaboutthistaleinrecentyears.
Forone,inIndiathestoryisunknownorknownonlyfromEuropeansources.Andsincemangoleavesdonotreallyhavedyingcapabilities,wecanassumethattheyellowcolorprobablycamefrommineralsorcalciumphosphatetowhichurinehadbeenadded.It’spossiblethatthebitaboutthecamelwasaddedtomakethepigmentmoreinterestingandthereforemoreexpensive.
Yellowisthelightestoftheprimarycolorsandthereforethemostsensitivetoblemishesandclouding.Eventhetiniestimpuritiescanmakeyellowshadesappeardirtyorweak.Forcenturies,yellowpigmentsweremadefromtoxicarsenic,cadmium,orchromium.Alternativedyes,suchassaffron(whichcomesfromthepollenofthesaffroncrocus)wereexpensive.Furthermore,onlyverywhite(andthereforeverycostly)fabricscouldbedyedyellowsincethesmallest
impuritieswouldcloudthecolor’sbrilliance.Thus,inancientChinaonlytheemperorandreligiousdignitarieswerepermittedtowearyellowrobes,whichweredyedwithsaffron.
Thenagain,inmedievalEuropethecoloryellowalsohadnegativeconnotations.Whenyellowflagswavedaboveacity,itmeanttheBlackDeathwasragingthere.
Youonlyneedtwoyellowtonesinyourpaintbox,cadmiumyelloworpureyellowandNaplesyellow.Actually,thewhitecontentofNaplesyellowmakesitbreakintoapastyhuewhenmixedwithothercolors,forming,forinstance,dramaticgraysforstormyskies.
Thestoryoforangepigmentbeginsinancienttimes,morepreciselyinthefirstcenturyADduringafireintheharborofAthens.Barrelsofwhiteleadpigmentarereportedtohaveburnedinthefire.WhentheAthensharbormastersinspectedthedamagesafterthefirewasputout,theyweresurprisedtoseethechangeinthewhitelead.Ithadturnedareddish-orangecolorandwentdowninhistoryas“redlead.”
Beautifulwomenandgladiatorsuseditasmakeup,wallswerepaintedwithit,andbookswereilluminatedwithit.Sadly,itwasdiscoveredthatredleadisextremelytoxicanditdisappearedfrompaintsetsinthetwentiethcentury.
Orangewasalsooftenmanufacturedfromsafflowersortheresinofthedragontree.Itisnotquiteclearwhetherthecolororangewasnamedafterthefruitorviceversa.ItisbelievedthatthefruitoriginatedinAsiaandwasprobablycommoninEuropeaftertheRenaissance.TheFrenchcityofthesamenamemayalsohavebeentheeponym(ithasorangesinitscoatofarms),sinceitliesclosetotheocherquarriesofRoussillon,whereorangeandredpigmentshadbeenminedforcenturies.
Foralongtime,orangewasnotconsideredacoloronitsownbutratherreddish-yellow,andwascategorizedwithoneofthesetwocolorsdependingonitssaturation.Orangedidnotdebutasanindividualcoloruntilmoderntimes,whenitwasusedextensivelyintheworksofVincentvanGoghandEdvardMunch.Orangeiseasytomix,butitisbesttohaveapremixedorangeinyoursetforfastpainting.
Tip:Yellowisverysensitivetoimpurities.Whenpainting,makesurenottodipyourbrushintoyellowifanyotherpaintisalreadyonit,anduselotsoffresh,cleanwaterwhenworkingwithyellow.
REDANDPURPLEOfBugsandSnails
Weseeredwhenlightabovethespectrumof600nanometersmeetstheconephotoreceptorcellsonourretina.
Bycontrast,thecolorred—atleastinitsmostbasicform—isfairlydown-to-earth.
RedearthcontaininganironoxidecalledhematitehasbeenusedbypeoplesincetheNeolithicera.Dependingontheshade,itcanbeeitherusedasisorburnedtomakeIndianorEnglishred.
However,brightredcannotsimplybemined.Ocherredisalwaysabitearthy,ashadebetweenrustandautumnleaves,butneverwhatwe
wouldconsiderasbrightred.Thoughitmaysoundstrange,redwasobtainedfromcochinealsformillennia—andnotfromjustafewofthesebugs,either:tomake3.5ouncesofcolor,you’dneedabout14,000cochineals,eachofwhichhadtobegatheredfromplants(usuallycertaingrassesorfromthepricklypear).Driedandpulverized,theyprovidedtherawmaterialforpurple,crimson,andscarlet.
Therubiaplantprovidedanothersourceofred.Usedsinceancienttimes,itcanstillbefoundtodayinyourwatercolorsetasalizarincrimsonorrosemadder.
Purple,whichtheRomansusedtodyetheirtogas,wasalsodifficulttoobtain.Inancienttimes,thesecretionsofasmallseasnailwereusedtocreatethepurpledyeknownasmurex.
Inthiscase,theratioofcolortoanimalwasevenlessfavorable:for3.5ouncesofdye,100,000snailshadtosacrificetheirlives.
Interestinglyenough,althoughweconsiderredawarningcolor,mostothermammalscanhardlyseeit.Humansareanexception.
Birds,however,canseeredverywell,whichcouldbewhybirdsflocktofruitthatisred.
Recommendedredsandpurplesforamedium-sizedpaintset:cadmiumred,alizarincrimson,magenta,andmanganesepurple.
BLUEOfLapisLazuli,Indigo,andWoad
Inearliertimes,bluecamefromveryfaraway.High–qualityindigocamefromIndia,and
brilliantultramarinecouldonlybeobtainedinAfghanistan.
Inthepast,blueposedaproblemforpainters,notbecauseitisamelancholycolor(there’sareasonwecallit“theblues”),butmainlybecauseoftheexpense.Nothingwasascostlyaspure,brilliantblue.Bluewasthecolorofprinces,Madonnastatuesworebluerobes,andofcoursethename“royalblue”didnotcomeoutoftheblue(pardonthepun).
Onceuponatime,purebluecouldonlybemadetwoways.Onewaywastomixtheleavesofthedyer’swoadplantwithurineandfermentthemixture.Thealternativewastoobtainthegroundpigmentofapreciousstonethatonlycamefromonesingle,inconceivablyremoteAfghanmine.Ultramarine,orlapislazuli,wasmorepreciousthangold,anditpassedthroughthehandsofmanypeoplebeforeitevenreachedpainters.
So,bluewasaproblem.Intensebluewaspracticallyunattainableanddull-blueindigoproducednauseatingsmellswhenitwasmade.StartingintheMiddleAges,indigocamefromIndia,whereavarietyofwoadwasdiscoveredthathadmuchstrongerdyingcapabilitiesthantheCentralEuropeanvariety.Thisindigoeventuallyreplacedtraditionaldyer’swoad.
Blueisirreplaceableasaprimarycolorforpainting.Inmyopinion,agoodgroupofbluestoincludeinyourpaintsetconsistsofcobaltblue,ultramarine,andindigo.Turquoiseisalsogoodtohavesinceitisadifficultcolortomixyourself.
P.S.Apersonis“blue-blooded”whentheydonothavetoworkoutdoorsinthesunandtheirveinsshinethroughtheirpaleskin.
Tip:Bluetonesareveryintenseincolorandthereforeofferyouamarvelousrangeofshades.Adarkblue(suchasindigo)canalmostlookblack,whiledelicateshadescanalmostappearwhite.Thatiswhyblueisgreatforportrayingsubtlenuancesincolor.
GREENOfPlantsandPoison
Greenisnotonlyadominantcolorinlandscapes,trees,andfields,butalsorepresentsanessentialpartofnature.
Thegreenchlorophyllcontainedinleavesproducesoxygen,makinglifeonearthasweknowitpossible.
Itishardlyanywonderthenthatgreenisconsideredasacredcolorinmanycultures.Greenisparticularlyesteemedinplaceswhereitisrareinthelandscape,suchasdesertregions.
Yet,althoughgreenisconsideredthecolorofnature,forcenturiesithasalsobeenassociatedwithsomethingdeadly.
Poisonissometimesportrayedasbeinggreen,mainlybecausegreenpigmentsusedtobemadeoftoxicmetaloxides,suchascopperoxidedissolvedinarsenic.Lickingorchewingonapaintbrushwouldhave
costpainterstheirlivesinoldendays.
TodayitisconjecturedthatNapoleon’schoiceofinteriordesignkilledhimintheend,sincethewallpaperinhishomewasgreen,treatedwithadyethatcontainedarsenic.
Usinggreenismoredifficultthanonemightimagine.Inapainting,greenthatisn’tcarefullyblendedcanquicklyappearunnatural.
Forinstance,ifyoupaintatreejustwithlightgreen,itwilllooklikeplastic.
Sotrybreakingthegreenupabit—especiallyforpaintingsofnature.Trymixingasmalldropofyelloworofgreen’scomplement,red,intothepaintandyourmeadowwillimmediatelylookmorenatural.
Tip:Adecentpaintsetrequiresatleasttwodifferentgreens.GoodonesaresapgreenandWinsorgreen.
INTRODUCINGCOLORTOSKETCHESWe’reNotinKansasAnymore
Whatisresponsibleforsuchadramaticchangewhenweswitchfromblackandwhitetocolor?Howcanweexplainthebigdifferencebetweenadrawingandpaintedpicture?
Comparedtopaintings,drawingssometimesseemoddlyaloof.Thischangesabruptlyoncecolorisadded.Colorisalive;it’semotionalandbringsustoanentirelynewplace.
TakealookatadrawingandthenatanimagewithcolorandI’msureyou’llseewhatImean.
Adrawing—andevenmoresoasketchdoneinpenorpencil—conveyssomethingthatishardtograsp,somethingthatseemsindefinite.Whencolorisadded,inamannerofspeaking,weenterthe“realworld.”
Thismaybeduetothefactthatblack-and-whitedrawingsworkona
strangelydistancedandcircumscriptivelevel.Throughlinesandoutlines,drawingdefinestheworldquitedifferentlythanpaintingdoes.Drawingremainsintherealmofplanninganddrafting.
Realityiscolorful.Withtheexceptionofhyperrealisticdrawings,thedrawingmediumservesbetterfordraftsormodelsforcoloredimages.
Paintingattemptstocreateillusion,whiledrawingmainlyexplains.
Paintingisariskymedium,butalsoawonderfulone.Colorisdemandingandenrichesourpictureswithasensualaspect.
Adrawingofacakemerelydescribesitsshape,butapaintingofacakemakesitmouthwatering.Drawingisamodel;paintingistheworld.So,let’scomeoutofhiding.
Drawingwithcoloradded.Thecookie“comesalive”inthoseplaceswherethedrawingis
emphasizedbycolors.Inadditiontocreatingasenseofspace,paintalsocreatesasensual
effect:thecookiebecomesappetizing.
FIRSTATTEMPTS
MULTIPLECHOICE
ToDesignIstoDecide
Firstandforemost,theprocessofdesigninvolvesdecisionsandunderstandinghowwemakethem.Ourresultevolvesaccordingtothepathwedecidetotake.Moreblue,moreyellow.Itisyourpictureandyoualonedecidewhatitwillcontain.
Ofcourse,that’swhatmakesdesigningapicturesodifficult.
Artistscomposeworldsandpopulatethemwithsubjects.Indoingso,theymakecountlesslittledecisions:thecolorofthesweaterorthecar,thesizesoftheindividualelements,andhowimportantsinglecolorsorshapesare.
Thus,yoursketchistheresultofaseriesofchoices.Onlyfromtheoutsideandtounknowingviewersisitaclosed,finalwork.You,however,perceiveitmoreasachainofdecisionsinthecreativeprocess.Thisistheactualdifficultyofart,becausedecisionscanbesohardtomake.
Whyisthisso?
Ourworldviewiswhatmakesdecisionssohard.Sinceancienttimes,ourwayofseeingtheworldhasbeenmarkedbypolarities.Wethinkintermsoflightanddark,goodorevil,heavenorhell.Andundertheassumptionthateverycoinhastwosides,weunknowinglydeveloptheideathatanythingbutthe“right”decisionis“wrong.”
Stop!
Thereisnorightorwronginpainting.Everydesigndecisioncontainscountlesspossibilitiesandsubtleties.
Therefore,myadviceistonotthinkintermsofresults,of“finishedpictures,”butratherintermsofhundredsofminorintermediatesteps.
Onceyougetonyourway,yourpicturewillgrowonitsown.Andusuallydecisionsareonlyhardtomakeduringtheinitialstages—onceyoubegin,everythingwillseemeasierandyouwillbeamazedathoweasypaintingcanbe.Withalittlepractice,youwillcarrythiseaseinto
yournextpicture,aswell—withallitscountlessdecisions.
Jordansketchbook.
Medium:blackfine-tippenandfeltpenonpaper.Thegrayareaswereaddedquicklyand
economically.
Jerusalemsketchbook.
Inthiscase,afeltpenwasusedtofillthegrayareas(capandsweater)moreextensively.
FROMDUSKTILLDAWNShadowsandLight
It’sprettysimple:shadowsarewherenodirectlightfalls.
Thisexplainsalmosteverythingyouneedtoknowaboutpainting.
Producingasenseofspacewithwatercolormainlyinvolvespaintingtheshadows.Don’tworrysomuchaboutpaintingthelightsincethelightestcolorinawatercolorpaintingisjustthewhiteofyourpaper.Thecontoursareestablishedbyyourdrawing,andtheglazeiswhatbuildsabridgebetweenthelightandcontours.
Togetabitofpracticeandafeelforthephenomenonoftheglaze,ourfirststepisn’tjusttoswitchoffthelightwithlotsofpaint.Instead,we’llstartwithasmallshadow.
Thesimplestexerciseforthisrequiresafeltpen.
Trygivingyourexistingdrawings(inyoursketchbook,forinstance)asecondtone,amidtone,forexample.Useafeltpenoramarkerwithamedium‑grayshade(likelightgray)toaddgrayareastothesketch.Inordertoregistertheshadowsofthereal-lifesubjectyouaredrawing,trysquintingyoureyesabit.Thissimplifiesyourview,intensifiesthegrays,andmakesiteasierforyoutocopythemontothesheet.You’llsuddenlynoticehowthisenhancesyourdrawing.Theglazethengivestheseshapesasenseofspaceanddimension,andyourdrawinggainsdepth.
Tip:Onewaytodevelopagoodfeelforgrayormidtoneareasisbystudyingoldblack-and-whitephotos.
BLACKISBACKGlazingwithIndiaInk
Simplyput,Indiainkisjustlikeanoldschoolmagicmarker.
Thegrayareasamarkercanmakecanbecreatedjustaswellwithabrushanddilutedink.Notonlythat,butinkhasanadditionalunderestimatedadvantage:younolongerneedanassortmentofmarkersinvariousshades.WithIndiaink,youcansimplymixashadeyourself.Thismakesiteasytoachievevariousshadesbetweenlightanddark.Themorewateryouuse,thelightertheshade.Youcanproducecountlessgradationswithasinglepotofink.
Inthisway,Indiainkisagoodintermediatesteptowardworkingwithwatercolors,sinceitworkslikeaglazebutallowsyoutoexperimentwithshadesanddifferentvalues.
Intermsofitscomposition,Indiainkisablendofsoot,water,andabinder,suchasshellac,acrylic,orgumarabic.Toobtainblack,burntwoodorironwasused,andburntbonesandcharredivoryproducedverydeepblacktones.Forbrowns,ashfrombeechwood,calledbister,wasused.Twoother“classical”typesofinkweresepiaink—abrownmadefromcuttlefishink—andgoldinkmadefromarsenicandmercury.
Ofcourse,theserustic-soundingmaterialsarethingsofthepast.Butlittlehaschangedovergenerationsintermsofink’spracticalityandversatilityasadrawingandpaintingmaterial.
Theonlydisadvantageisthatinkstains.Maybethisiswhypaintersalwayswearblack.
LAYERFORLAYERTheGlaze
Insimplestterms,aglazecanbecomparedtoapairofsunglassesinthatitprovidesadarkerlayeroverlight.Ifyouweretoputonepairofsunglassesonoveranother,youwouldnoticethatthingsgetalittledarkerwitheachpair.Aglazebasicallyworksthesameway:weseeourdrawing(orpartsofit)throughalayerofcolor.
Thisiswhatmakeswatercolorsounique.Withanyotherpaintingmedium,thewhitespaceofthesupportissimplycoveredupbyopaquemediums.Inawatercolorpaintingorsketch,thiswhitespaceplaysanincrediblyimportant—ifnotthedecisive—roleinglazing.Thiswhitespacebecomesthelightinyourpicture,andwhatyoupaintis
theshadow.
But,let’sbackupforaminute.
Sincewatercolorsaresomewhattranslucent,wecanseenotonlythewhiteofthepaperthrougheachlayerofpaint,butalsoalloftheunderlyinglayersofcolor.Andsinceeachlayerislikeacoloredfilm,multiplelayersadduptodarkeranddarkershades.Whenwepaintthesamecolortwice,onelayeroveranother,thissamecolorbecomesdarker.Thiseffectintensifieswitheachnewlayer.
Theexamplesofthecarandthecubeillustratehowtheglazeisused.Weleavethelightest
layerwhite,paintthesecond-lightestlayer,allowittodry,andapplyanotherlayeroverthatto
createdarkerareas.
Theschoolbuswasalsopaintedusingtwolayersofyellowwatercolor.Alittlebluewasused
forthewindowpanes.
MIXINGCOLORSWITHGLAZES
Inanutshell,themaindifferencebetweeninkandpaintbecomesobviouswhenwemixcolor.
Whenweputanumberoflayersofpaintoveroneanother,thecolorintensifieswitheachadditionallayer.Thisisalsothecaseforink.
Yetpaintdoesfarmore:itblendswithothercolors.Whenwelayerwiththesamecolor,ofcoursethatcolorwillintensifywitheachnewlayer.Butwhenyouglazeusinganumberofdifferentcolors,theyinfluenceoneanotherandvisiblyblendtocreatenewhues.Inkdoesnotblendlikethisanddoesnotproduceassuccessfulresultswhenusedthisway.
GlazingistheequivalentofPhotoshop’smultiplymode.
Justimagineifyouwereworkingwithcoloredglassorcoloredtransparencies.Ifyoulaidmultiplecoloredtransparenciesontopofoneanother,theshadeswouldnotonlygetdarker,astheydowithink.Theircolorswouldblend.Abluelayerandayellowlayerlaidontopofeachotherbehavethesameasifyoumixedthepaintsonthepalette.Theymakegreen.
Thismakesworkingwithwatercolorsalittletrickyatfirst.Youneedtothinknotonlyintermsofvaluesbutalsohues,takingintoaccountthatglazesblendonpaperandcreatenewcolors.Itisthereforewisetostartwithjustafewrelatedcolors.
Withalittlepractice,you’llquicklygetthehangofitandwillbeabletoconjureupnewmixturesrelativelyquicklyandeasily.
Tip:Whentwopaintareasoverlapintheglaze,thisinfluencestheir
saturationandtheircolor,aswell.Paintsblendonpaperjustastheydoonapalette.Thatiswhyblueandyellowinthiscasemakegreen.
FISHSOUPPracticingtheGlaze
Onegoodglazingexerciseistopaintyourfavoritefood.Therearefoodsinalmosteverycolor.Thegreatthingaboutthemisthattheircolorspectrumlooksnaturaland(hopefully)notlikeplastic.Thatmakespaintingyourfavoritedishtheidealexercise.
So,whynotpaintarecipebeforecookingit?Painttheingredients,paintthekitchenutensils,andpaintthefinisheddish!Applylayerafterlayertoyourdrawings,whichwillcausethemtodevelopfurtherwitheachbrushstroke.
Youwillbeamazedathowmanycolorsfishscalesortheskinofanonion,forexample,contain.
Andwhenyoupaintyourfavoritedish,it’snotjustgoodforexerciseinpainting.Itoffersyouavisualandaculinarypleasure.
Tip:Inmostcases,twotothreelayersaresufficienttoachievecoloranddepthwithaglaze.Remembertoleteachlayerdrythoroughlybeforeaddinganother.
THEWASHThePaintDoesasItPleases!
Splish-splash.Onceyoustartusingmoreandmorewater,thingsgetreallyexciting.However,thedifficultywithturningonthetapswillbecomeobviousafteryourfirstfewstrokes:you’llfindthatthepaintdoesasitpleases.Thereisnowaytocontrolit,butitwillopenupawholenewworldofpossibilitiestoyou,ifyoujustletthepaintpaint.
Therearetwobasicwatercolortechniques:theglazeandthewash.Allotherstechniquesarebasicallycombinationsofthesetwo.
Glazing,orapplyingthepaintinlayers,involvespaintingwithcontrol.
Washingworksdifferently.Heavilydilutedpaintsimplyrefusestobehavelikeamarker.Itreliesoncoincidence.Ononepartofthepictureitdriesmorequickly;anotherformspuddles.Justasthepaintdriesirregularly,sowillirregularthingshappeninyoursketch.However,whatlookslikeanunsightlyblotchofpaintatfirstglanceactuallyrepresentsabeautifulcharacteristicofwatercolor.Whenlotsofwatercollectsinoneareaandlotsofpaintinanother,itcreatesadelicate,cloudytransitionincolorthatyoucanusetoyouradvantage.
Inreality,thisisclosertohowweperceivelight.Itisnotjustthere(ornotthere)likebulbsinourlivingroomslamps;lightofferssubtleintermediates.Applyingawashkeepsyoufromportrayingwhatyouseeinstark,choppygradationsandallowsyoutolenditdepththroughintermingling.
So,don’tbeafraidofalittlewater.
Tip:Screw-topjarsorcupsarepracticalwhenyou’reonthego,likeusedjamjarsorplasticvialsfromthepharmacy.
ONTHERUNGradedWashTechniques
Wetpaintbehavesstrangely.Itdoesn’tjustdrypredictablylikeamarkerdoes;itchanges.Sometimesitcontracts;sometimesitsimplywandersoffinitsowndirection.Anditbehavespeculiarlyindeedwhenitmeetsmorewetpaint.Paintedareasmayflowintooneanotherwhentheymeet.Thecolorsblendandformintermediateshades,createtransitionalzonesandboundaries.Inthissense,yourcolorscanmixwithoutapalette.
Thesetendenciesarepreciselywhatwerelyontocreateagradedwashinapicture.
Lightcreatesdepthbecauseitdoesnotreachallthepartsofaroomevenly.Itilluminatestheareasithits,andtheareasitdoesn’treachremaindark.Betweenblackandwhiteitformsgradationsofgraysandcolors.Wetrytomimicthisinourpaintings.Wepositioncertaincolorsnearoneanothertocreatedarkerareasand—particularlywithwatercolors—allowthewhiteofthepapertotakeontheroleoflighterareas.
Wesawinthepreviouschapterthatwecanuseglazestocreatenuancesandtransitions.Now,wewillcreateintermediatehuesbylettingareasofpaintruntogether.Itdoesn’tmatterwhetherwemixthepaintsorjustlightenonearea,perhapswithwater.Ineithercase,werelyonpaint’stendencytoactuallymovearoundthepapertocreatethetransitions.
Inpractice,thismeanslettingthepaintedareasruntogethercarefullywhereverwedesirecolorstoblend(forexample,tocreatedepthwithtwoshades).Conversely,inplaceswheretransitionswouldnotbeappropriate(likebetweenthedancer’sdressandherskin),weleavealittlebitofwhiteasaborder.
Washtechniquesinthesketchbook.
Above:DomeoftheRock,Jerusalem.
Below:ZecheZollverein,Essen.
ONCEMORE,WITHFEELING!Washes
Whenyouletthepaintsintermingle,thedifficultyliesinachievingthecorrectratioofwatertopaint.
“Easiersaidthandone,”you’llthink.
IwishIcouldjustgiveyouarecipefortheperfectmixtureofpaintandwater.Somethinglike“take2tablespoonsofwaterand4tablespoonsofpaintandwhisktogetheronhighspeedfor15minutes.”Sadly,thereisnosuchrecipe.
Again,controlisessential.Toomuchwaterisjustasuselessastoolittle.It’salsonohelpifonecolorjustwashesawaytheotherorswallowsit.
Youhavetodevelopafeelforit.It’sacombinationoflettinggoandmaintainingcontrol.Theeasiestwaytolearnitissimplytotryitagainandagain.
Youcanuseawatercolorbrushbothtoapplypaintandtoremoveit.Iusuallyhavemybrushinmyrighthandandaclothortissueinmylefthand.WheneverIwanttoaddpaint,Imixitwithwaterfirst.WhenI’veusedtoomuchpaint,Iwipemybrushdryontheclothandthenusethebrushtowicktheexcesspaintfromthepaper.Thisworkssurprisinglywell.
Tip:Watercolorpaintneedstobecarefullydiluted.Itcan’tbetoodry,butifit’stoowetitishardtocontrol.Intimeyouwilldevelopafeelfortherightamounts.
IT’SAGIVEANDTAKEApplyingandRemovingPaint
First,tryintensifyingasingleareaofpaint.Dabalittlewetpaintonjustonepartofabrushstroke.You’llsee:thecolorintensifies.Ifyouthinkthere’stoomuchwetpaintinonearea,useyourdrybrushtoremovealittlebit.Observewhatthepaintdoeswhenyouinterferewithitthisway,andletitsurpriseyou.Witheveryattempt,youlearnalittlemore.Onceyoufeelcomfortableapplyingandcarefullytakingawaypaintwithadrybrush,it’satremendouslyfastandusefultechniquetohaveinyourarsenal.Justafewstrokesandyoucanachievewonderfuleffectsofcolor,texture,anddepth.
Tip:Youcanalsodistributewetpaintbycarefullyholdingthepaperataslant.
Bycautiouslytiltingyourpainting,youcanjustletthepaintedareasflowintooneanother.
WET-ON-WET
Takingthegradedwashtechniquetotheextremeiswhatwecallwet-on-wet.
Themethodbasicallyworksexactlythewayitsounds:wetpaintisapplieddirectlytoawetsupport.Thistechniqueistypicallyusedforsubjectsthathaveblurry,fluidedgessuchassky,clouds,air,andwater.Tobehonest,wet-on-wetcanquicklylookprettykitschy.Butthereisalsosomebeautyinthevaguenessofawet-on-wetpicture,asatmosphere,color,andmoodcannotbeconveyedaswellwithanyothertechnique.
Forwet-on-wet,wecompletelywetourpaperwithwater(youcantintthewaterwithabitofcolorforabasetone,ifyoulike)andthenapplythepaintdirectlytothewetsurface.Thiscreatescloudyareasthatrequiresomepracticetocontrolandmaster.Thepaintspreadssoftly,andallofthetransitionsappearsurprisinglynatural.Themaindifficultyofwet-on-wetisclarifyingalloftheshapes’contoursandmakingthewishy-washinesssolidagain.
Howdowedothis,then?
Onewayistowaitforthemomentwhenthepictureisjustalmostdrytosolidifytheshapesusingyourbrush.
Anothertried-and-truemethodistoleavelittlewhitepathwaysbetweenareasofpainttokeepthemfromconverging.Butthesimplestwayistoemploywet-on-wetduringyourpicture’sprimarystages.Youcreateacloudy,vagueatmospherefirstwiththistechnique,andthenafteritdries,youcontinuewiththemorespecificaspectsofyourpainting.Wet-on-wetwillbecomeavaluedfriendinyourquestforbetterpaintings.
Tip:Withthewet-on-wettechniqueinparticular,you’llnoticethat,whenwet,thewatercolorpaintappearstoglowfarmore.Thisistypicalforwatercolorpaint.However,itwilllosesomeofitsintensitywhenit’sdry.It’sbesttorecognizethisrightawayandusealittlemorepaintfromthestart.
Cloudswet-on-wet.Colorsused:ultramarineandindigoforthesky,verydilutedblendof
umberandultramarinefortheshadowsoftheclouds.
FishmarketinKorea.
Forthispicture,Ifirstwettheentiresurfaceandusedawet-on-wettechniquetoletthecolors
runontoit.Ileftdetailslikethewoman’sfaceortheletteringwhiteatfirstandcoloredthemin
later.
COMBININGTECHNIQUESALittleBitofThisandThat
Ifyouonlyrelyonthesetwomaindirectionsofwatercolorpainting,you’llsoonrealizethatonetrumpetedtechniqueonitsownwon’tsuffice.Bynow,youcanprobablyascertainthatboththeglazeandthewashhavetheiradvantages,buttheydonotofferthebestsolutionforeverypainterlyproblem.
Washingisafantasticmeansofcreatingtransitionsandforcingcolorstomingle.Butglazingisfarmoresuitedformarkingoffandtreatingspecificareasorportrayingtextures.
What’stobedone?
Mysolutionistothrowtheideaof“onetechniqueonly”overboard.You’llreachyourgoalmuchsoonerbycombiningthetwo.So,myadviceistoforgetpuretechniqueandtryalittlebitofthisandthat!
Afteritdries,awashcanusuallystandupverywelltoanotherglazedlayer.Addingaglazeelaboratesandaccentuatesasubject.Italsodoesyourpicturesomegoodtoallowthepreciseboundariesoftheglazedlayertorunintosomeneighboring,wet,washyareaseverynowandthen.
Itmayseemunorthodoxatfirstglance,butalternatingbetweenthetwomaintechniquesiswhatbringswatercolorstolife.
Tip:Combinethewashandglazetechniques.
Intheexampleshownpreviously,awashwasappliedandlateraccentuatedwithglazedelements.
EXCURSIONINCOLORTHEORY
WHEREDOCOLORSCOMEFROM?
TheSimpleScience
Colorscancaressusorassaultus.Theycanpileuptocreatesunsetsorevenjackupthepriceofacar.Colorsarenothinglessthanwonderful,andyetthequestionofwhatcolorsactuallyareoftenremainsunanswered.
Whatmakesupthestuffthatbringsourworldtolife?
It’sscience.Sunlight,theby-productofahydrogenfusionthatoccursattensofmillionsofdegreesFahrenheit,containsamixtureofelectromagneticwaves.Sunlightfirstarriveshere,justlikeheatorultravioletrays,aspartofawaveofenergy.Thecolorsweseecomefromtheseelectromagneticwaves.Theyareminusculeelementsthatdashthroughspaceasbitsofalargerwaveandthat,uponmeetingoureyes,triggerelectricalsignalsinouropticnerves.Butwhatdetermineseachcolor?Whyisanapplered?Whyistheseablue?
Afteritsjourneythroughspace,thelightarriveshereasanenergywavewithavisibleandaninvisiblespectrum.Theentirevisiblepartofthiswaveappearswhiteatfirst.Colorsenterthisspectrumwhenitmeetsasurface.Itmaymeetawatermoleculeorapieceofcarbon,orperhapsthatapple.Thelightraythatwasoriginallywhiteisnoweitherabsorbedorreflected.Sometimesonlypartsofthelightrayarethrownback.Andthosearethecolorswesee.Whentherayoflightisswallowedupentirely,thesurfaceslookblacktous;whenitisthrownbackcompletely,thesurfacesappearwhite.Butwhenpartsoftherayoflightarereflected,weseeaparticularcolor.Everyrayoflightconsistsofallcolors,which,alltogether,lookwhite.Whenasurfaceswallowsupallofthepartsofanarrivingrayandthrowsback,forinstance,justtheblueparts,weseeblue.Weonlyseetheelementsofthelightraythatarenotabsorbed.
Therefore,colorsdependonsurfacestructuresthatabsorblightraysdifferently.Itmaybehardtoimagine,buteverythingaroundusislitupbybillionsoftinyelementsthathurtlethroughspaceandilluminateourworld—or,toputitmorepoetically,that,dependingonwhatthey
reach,burstintored,blue,oryellow.
Itmaysoundlikeaplatitude,butforacoupleofreasons,thereisabigdifferencebetweenthecolorsweseeandthecolorsweusetopaint.Thisisanotherbitofphysics:luminouscolorandnonluminouscolor,orsurfacecolor.
Wecanseethatwhitelightcontainseverycolorwhen,onitswaythroughtheclouds,itbreakstoformarainbow.Throughthisrefraction,ittransformsintoeverypossiblecolor.
Butthereflectionandabsorptionoflightwavesdonotexplaineverything.Intermsofphysics,coloredlightandthecolorsweuseforpaintingareverydifferentthings.
Mixingdifferentcolorsofpaintexplainsthedifference.Whenyoumixpaintswithoneanother,youwillnoticethateverytimeyouaddadifferenthue,themixturegetsdarker.Themorecolorsyouuse,themoreyourresultwilllooklikeadarkgrayish-browngravy(inreality,ifyoumixedallthepaintsinyourbox,you’dendupwithalmostblack).
Strangelyenough,coloredlightbehavesexactlytheotherwayaround.
Ifyouweretomixcoloredlight,allthecolorsofthespectrumwouldultimatelyunitetocreatewhitelight.
Thismaysoundodd,butitexplainsagreatdealaboutthestructureofcolors.Lightisenergy.Whenyoukeepaddingadifferentcoloroflight,justasanilluminatedroombecomesbrighter,thecolorspectrumbecomesmorecomplete,producingbrightwhite.
Asmentioned,it’sthecompleteoppositeforcolorsthatconsistofasubstance—likeanappleorthepaintsinourset.Theircolorisdeterminedbythespecificpartsoftheoriginallightwavethatarereflected.Remember,coloriswhat’sleftoverwhenpartoftheoriginalrayisabsorbed.Whenwemixpaint,weareaddingtothesubstancethatabsorbsthespectrum.This,ofcourse,leadstoevenmoreofthespectrumbeingabsorbed,whichmakesthecolorsdarker.
Enoughtheory.
I’llletyouinonasecret.Thesecrettounderstandingcolorsisnotsomuchknowingabouttheirstructureorthewaytheycomeintothisworld.Thesecrettousingcoloristounderstandthewayweperceive
themandwhattheymeantous.Theoryremainstheoretical,butpracticeiscolorful.
Tip:Thedifferencebetweenluminousandnonluminouscolorsisillustratedbyprinting.Theblendedcolorsonourscreensareadditive,orablendofluminouscolors.Colorsprintedorpaintedonpaperaresubtractive,orablendofnonluminouscolors.
ARRANGINGCOLORS
ThefirstprintedcolorwheeloriginatedinEnglandinthelateMiddleAges.ItwasactuallypublishedinamedicaltextbookbyRobertFludd,whorecommendedusingthecolorwheeltoobserveabnormalitiesinpatients’urine.
WehavethestudiesofIsaacNewtontothankforatrueunderstandingofcolors.Newtonwasthefirsttoattributecolortolight,andhiscolorwheelfromOptickswaspublishedin1704(seefollowingpage).Hearrangedtheprimarycolorsinacircle,placingthecomplementarycolorsbetweeneachprimary,therebyinventingaverymodern-lookingcolorwheel—butitcontainedanasymmetricalsevencolors.
Largedetail:ColorwheelaccordingtoGoethe,1809.
Inset:Newton’scolorwheelfrom1704.
Bycomparison,theoften-citedsymmetricalcolorwheelbyGoetherepresentedsixcolors.Allhislife,Goethe,who,bytheway,consideredhisworkinnaturalsciences—nothispoetry—hismagnumopus,vehementlyopposedNewton’steachings.Hecontestedthatcolorsareassociatedwithemotionalstates(“Reasonandgoodnessareyellow”),which,althoughaninterestingbodyofthought,hasn’tgainedwide
respect,sinceweperceivecolorssosubjectively.Newtonwascertainlyontherighttrackwithhispurelyscientificassessmentofcolors.Termslikebeautyandaestheticshavealottodowiththeculturewelivein.Forexample,ourcolorofmourningisblack,whereasinJapan,whiteisworntosymbolizeloss.
So,whydoweneedasystemfororganizingcoloratall?
Alookatyourpaintsetwillanswerthatquestion.Systemsfacilitatethework.Thecolorwheelisagreataid.Itoffersasimple,easy-to-graspsystemfromwhichwecanaccuratelyderivecolorcontrastsandcolorharmonies.Forinstance,complementarycolorsarealwaysoppositeeachotheronacolorwheel.
Inaddition,mostcolorharmonysystemsarealsobasedonthecolorwheel.
Thecolorwheelnotonlyorganizes,italsomapsourhumanperceptionofcolors.
ThemostusefulcolorwheelforourpurposeswasinfluencedbytheBauhausteacherJohannesItten(seeabove).Hismodelconsistsofthethreeprimarycolorsofred,yellow,andblue,andtheircombinations(secondarycolors)oforange,green,andpurple.Theouterringalsocontainsthecombinationofprimaryandsecondaryhues,calledtertiarycolors.Forourwork,however,thesimplifiedmodelontheleftherewithsixcolorswilldojustfine.
Wewillcomebacktothatlater.
Above,left:Simplifiedcolorwheelmadeofprimaryandsecondarycolors.
Above,right:Itten’sColorwheel.Theprimarycolorsareinthemiddleandnexttothemarethe
secondarycolorssurroundedbyacircleofprimary,secondary,andtertiarycolors.
OPPOSITESATTRACTColorContrasts
Contrastscreatedifferencesthatarehighlynoticeable—largeandsmall,coolandwarm,blackandwhite.
So,whatdocontrastshavetodowithpainting?Firstofall,wecanusethemtocreateemphasisinoursketches.Thinkaboutit;agiantdoesn’tlook“reallybig”untilweplacehimnexttoachild.Wecanonlyproduceareallydarknightifit’spairedwithastarrysky.Inotherwords,wemakeuseofopposingelementstomakethemintensifyeachother.Forpaintsthatarenotverystronglypigmented,likewatercolorpaint,thisisagoodtrick.
Complementarycolorsintensifyeachother.So,ifwewanttopaintastrongorange-coloredsunset,wesimplyneedtoaddsomecomplementaryblueintheforegroundshadows,andtheorangebeginstoglow.Redstrawberrieslookmuchfresherwithgreenstemsandleaves.Andatinyspotofpurpleconsiderablyenhancesasketchdominatedbyyellowsandoranges.Whenweputcomplementarycolorsnexttoeachother,therefore,theyintensifyeachother’shue
andbrilliance.Thus,contrastsservenotonlytodifferentiate,butalsotoinfluencecolors’effectsinasketch.
Havingsaidthis,directlymixingcomplementarycolorstogetherdetractsfromthisilluminatingeffect.Ifwemixredandgreen,theyturnintoadarkbrown;purpleandyelloworblueandorangealsoresultingrayish-browntones.It’sasiftheintenseeffectofcomplementarycolorsiscompletelyreversedoncethehuesaremixed;asneighbors,complementarycolorsintensifyeachother.Whenmixed,theyeliminateeachother.
Incolortheory,thereareseventypesofcontrasts,“themagnificentseven,”whichyoucanusetoenhanceandilluminateyoursketches:
1.Light-darkcontrastistheeffectofcontrastingbrightnesses,especiallyforblack,white,andgrays.
2.Cool-warmcontrastistheeffectofcontrastingwarmandcoolcolorsinthesamecomposition.
3.Purecolorcontrastisthecontrastingeffectbetweenpurecolorsthathavenotbeenmixedwithothers.
4.Qualitycontrastistheeffectcreatedbysurfacesthataretreateddifferently,forexampleluminousandclouded,saturatedandunsaturated,definedandblurred,etc.
5.Quantitycontrastistheoppositionbetweencoloredsurfacesofdifferentsizes.
6.Simultaneouscontrastisthereciprocaleffectthatadjacentcolorshaveoneachother.
7.Complementarycontrastistheintensifyingeffectofcomplementarycolorsplacednexttoeachother.
Tip:Complementarycolorsarethosethatweperceiveasthemostdissimilar,whichiswhytheysitoppositeoneanotherinthecolorwheel.
FROMSOUTHPARKTOSTOPLIGHTSTypesofColor
Whenwetalkaboutcolors,it’sworthwhiletofirstexaminethewayswecanusethem.Basically,wedifferentiatebetweenthreebasictypesofcolor:localcolor,iconographiccolor,andtruecolor.
Firstthingsfirst.Localcolorprovidesyouwiththesimplestwaytowork.Localcolorcreatesasimple,graphicpictureandisnotgradated
withanyshadowsthatmightcreatedepth.Lightandshadowareignored.Thegrassisgreenandtheskyisblue.Comicstypicallymakegreatuseoflocalcolor.ScroogeMcDuck’sredjacketisjustaflatred.Itisnotsubjecttolightorshadowandisnotmodifiedinvariousdifferentshades.Similarly,therocketonHergé’scoverortheclothingontheSouthParkkidsdoesnotappearindifferentshades.Thecoloroftheobjectissimplytransferredtwo-dimensionallytothepicture,unchanged.
Usinglocalcolorisagoodwaytoworkwhenwewanttokeepthingssimplebutstillcreateadramaticeffect,orwhenwejustdon’thavethetimetomixpaints.
Intermsofeffort,localcolorgivesyouthemostbangforyourbuck;itissimplebutstillconveysahighdegreeofaccurateinformationaboutyoursubject’ssurface.
Thesecondtypeofcolor,iconographiccolor,headsentirelyintheotherdirection,unconcernedwithacolor’soutwardappearance.Instead,iconographiccolortapsintoahue’ssocialsignificance(theGreekwordeikonmeanspicture,thewordgrapheinmeanstowrite).
Iconographiccolorisanolderprinciplethatinterestinglyseemsbotharchaicandmodernfromtoday’sperspective.
Thiskindofcolorismoreaboutthemeaningofcolorsthantheactualappearanceofasubject.Iconographiccolorconnectshuestocontentormeaning.
Forexample,inmedievaltimes,bluewasthemostvaluablepaint.Bluewasmorethanprecious;itcamefromthefarawaylapislazuliminesofAfghanistan,whichiswhythispigmentwasasexpensiveasgoldintheMiddleAges.Italsoimpliedquality.Kingsworeblue(whichiswherethetermroyalblueoriginates).Inimagesfromthistime,theVirginMaryalwayswearsabluerobe.Goldwasalsousedinmedievalpaintingsandwasnotsimplygoldcolored—artistspaintedwithgolddust.Therefore,inpaintingsfromthisperiod,weassociateblueand
goldwithrichopulenceandlight.Bylinkingthecolortoameaning,weopenanotherlevelofinterpretationtotheviewer.
Thisprinciplestillexiststoday.Considerpoliticalcolors,colorsofmourning,orthingslikered-lightdistrictsandgreentrafficlights.They
areallexamplesoficonographiccolor.
TRUECOLORTheEffectofLight
Thingsgetmorecomplicatedwithtruecolor.Weusetruecolorwhenwepaint“properly,”orattempttoportrayrealityasitappears.Colorsherearenotmerelyflatareas;theyaresubjecttotheinfluenceofthelight.Basically,allpaintingsincetheRenaissancehasaimedtocapturetheillusionoflightandspace,makinguseoftruecolor.
ThepaintingGirlwithaPearlEarring,below,isaclassicexampleofthis.Itdemonstratestheinfluenceoflightoncolor,andtheartist’sthetrueimpressionofeach.
Deceptivelyrealisticportraitsaregenerallycreatedfromstudiesofrealmodelsandnotthe
imagination.Adheringtothispracticeteachesustoobserveandsee.
Truecolorsoundssimpleatfirst,butitcanbesubjective,sinceweallhaveaveryclearideaofhowthingsshouldlook.
Andasoddasitsounds,howwethinkthingsshouldlookoftenhasverylittletodowithreality.
Itiscleartousthatatomatoisredandthatithasagreenstem,andweactuallyriskpaintingitjustthatway.Ifwedoso,itwillenduplookinglikeplastic.Alltoooftenwepaintthingsonlyasweimaginethemtobeandnotasweexperiencethemfromobservation.Learningtoseeasapainterisaterrificstart.Truecolorforcesustolook.Inreality,colorsarenotflat,delineatedfieldsastheyarewhenweuselocalcolor.Ifyoulookcarefully,youwillascertainthatthewayacolorlooksreallydependsontheinterplayoflightandshadow.Theredofthetomatoisnotjustred.Perhapstheskinofthetomatotendsalittletowardpurpleintheshadowarea,andperhapsthegreenofthestemisnotjustgrassgreenbutratherreflectstheothercolorsaroundit.Colorcontrastsinparticulardon’tlooklikecutoutsfromdisparatesources.Inreality,theyworktogether.Ifyouaddtheseobservationsofrealitytoyourpictures,theywillbegintohavealifeoftheirownandseembelievableandharmonious.Ofcourse,paintingsarenotphotographs…
Exampleoftruecolor.
Thecolorsareapproachedastheyareseen.
EVERYCOLORTELLSASTORYIntensifyingYourSketches
Let’sfaceit.Noonecanforceyoutoapplycolorstoasketchexactlythewayyouseethem.
Thisisoneoftheadvantagesofpaintingoverphotography.Ofcourse,you’llwanttotogivetheformalelementsofyourpicturealittleboost.Butthenagain,everythingthatyouportrayismorethanitsoutwardform,itssurface.Everychaircantellastory,everylandscapecanconveyamood.So,itmakessensetointensifynarrativecomponentsofapicture,andcolorisagreatplacetostart.
Allowthecolorstotellussomething.Inreality,thewomanintheexampleontheleftprobablydidnothavesuchblazingredhair,andthemandrinkinginthesketchbookontherightprobablydidnothavesucharedmouth.Butinartthatisnottheissue.Evenifthecolorinasubjectisnotreallyasbrightredasitseems,exaggeratingyourperceptionmayhelptoconveyit.It’smerelyaquestionofwhatitmeanstoyou.Perhapsintensifyingacolormakessenseinyoursketchandtellsavisualtruththataphotographwouldn’thavebeenabletoconvey.
Yoursketchismadesolelyfromfragmentsthatremainfromyourimpressions.
Exact,verifiable“reality”doesnotexistforevenonebatofaneye.
Whenyouheadhome,thebirdwillhaveflownaway,thelightwillhavechanged,andnoonewillreappeartocheckhowredtheredreallywas.Whatmattersishowyouperceiveit.Ifyouwanttomeasure,weigh,orcount,thenartisnottherightmediumforyouanyway.
Sograspthemomentbeforeitfliesaway,takingallitscolorswithit.
Apagefrommysketchbookdrawnintheweehoursatawinebar.Evenifthemandidnot
havesucharedcomplexioninreality,itmakesnarrativesensetodescribeitthiswayinthe
picture.
IT’SALLRELATIVETheEffectsofColors
IfIweretoaskyoutopaintpassion,emotion,andwarmth,youwouldprobablycreateapicturedominatedbyred.Redstandsforfeelingandwarmth.Redisthecoloroflove.Strangelyenough,though,youwouldprobablybelievemeifIalsotoldyouthatredcansymbolizehate,violence,andaggression.
Acontradiction?
Thesamegoesforgreen.Ofcourse,greenstandsforhope,harmony,andreliance.Greenisgenerallyconsideredthecolorofspringandrejuvenation.Ontheotherhand,poisonisusuallydepictedasgreen,asareinexperienceornaïveté.Let’stakeblue:clarity,loyalty,butalsodepression?
Uponcloseinspection,allthatwethoughtwehadlearnedaboutcolorbecomesparadoxical.Whycancertaincolorssimultaneouslyevokestarklyoppositefeelings?
Theansweractuallyliesintheothercolorsinacomposition.Whetherredisaggressiveorgreenishopefulisnotaquestionofthosehuesalone.Colorsmayhaveeffectsontheirown,buttheirsurroundingcolorsstronglyinfluencehowweperceivethem,too.So,whetherredisaggressiveornotdependschieflyonwhataccompaniesit.Nexttopink,forinstance,redsmilesatusinafriendlyway.Butnexttoblackithitsushard.
Ourevolutionaryhistorymayofferonepossibleexplanationforthis.Bynature,wearenotreallyprogrammedtoperceivecolorsinisolationbecausetheypracticallyneveroccurinnatureontheirown.Theyarealmostalwaysincorporatedincomplexrelationships.Thered,forexample,ofacherryonacherrytreeisconnectedtothegreenofthe
leavesorthebrownofthetreetrunk.Whetherredappearsasbloodinawoundorastheredofaflameinthefire,acolor’senvironmentisalwaysdifferent.Hence,dependingoncontext,ahuecansignalpositiveornegativeassociations.Thisisalsowhatalwaysmakeslookingatindividualcolorsstrangelyabstract.Whencolorsaredetachedandremovedfromothers,theybecomeablankcanvasforourthoughtsandcaninvokeanykindoffeelinginus.Bycontrast,ifcolorsareinterwovenwithhuesorimages,theyconnoteassociations.Colorrelationshipssubstantiatethingsinapicture.
Thisexplainswhyredcanmeanloveaswellashate—enoughreasonforustotakeacloserlookatcolorcontexts.
Noone,notevencolor,isanisland.
Tip:Theperceptionofbeauty—andofbeautifulcolorcontexts—isalsolinkedtoculture.InAsiaorIndia,verydifferentcolorcompositionsareconsideredbeautifulthan,say,inScandinavia.Coloralwaysdependsontheindividualwithinagreaterculturalcontext.
COLORHARMONIESSimpleandComplex
So,whatcolorsgotogether?Asitdoesforalloflife’sburningquestions,theInternethasanastonishinglysimpleanswer:colorgenerators.Onsomesites,youcanentercertaincolorsandaprogramgeneratesthecolorstogowiththem.Looksgoodandworksfine.
Basically,Icanquitwriting.
Ifweareonlyworkingwithcoloronacomputermonitor,thesegeneratorsreallydowork,asdomixingtablesorusingcolorwheels.
Inreallife,though,forrealpictures,theseonlyaidus.Paintingsarenotamatterofjustcomposingafew,calculatedcolorareas;rather,theyinvolvecomplexcolorsystems.
You’llnoticethisrightawaywhilesketching.Yourpicturechangeswitheverybrushstroke.Forinstance,whenyouapplyasecondcolornexttoonethat’salreadythere,theeffectofthefirstchangesimmediately.Relatedcolorscalmoneanother;complementarycolorsintensifyeachother.
Thingssuchascolorintensityandthesizeofacolorareaplayamajorroleinpainting.
Inanutshell,whenpainting,you’lldealwithcomplexcolorsystemstowhichdigitaltoolscanonlybrieflyintroduceus.
Colorwheel.
Diskmadeofcardboardformixingcolors.Witha“harmonygenerator”ontheotherside
(triadic,tetradic,andsplit-complementary).
Inspiteofallthistheory,Iliketothinkofcolorasafeeling.Theworldisnotmadeupofflatsurfaces,blueprints,andcalculatedmechanicalsketches;itismadeupofodors,sounds,textures,andflavors.
Theworldismadeupoflightandofcolor.
Therefore,let’sfirsttakealookatcolorharmonies,startingwiththosemostfrequentlyencounteredinpainting.
Internetcolorgenerator(monochromatic).
ANALOGOUS,MONOCHROMATIC,ANDCOMPLEMENTARYHARMONIES
Theeasiestwaytocreateharmoniouscolorsinacompositionissimpleandingenious:useasfewcolorsaspossible.Youcan’tmakemistakeswithjustonecolor.Forexample,youcancombinealighterordarkerhuewithyourmaincolor.
Thiscreatesmonochromaticharmony.
Icanguaranteeyouthatthisalmostalwaysproducesharmoniouscolors.Icanalsoguaranteethatthisalmostalwayslooksveryunspectacular.Monochromaticpicturesusuallylookliketheywerepaintedinthefog.
Itwillcertainlymakeitmoreinterestingifyoucombineyouronemaincolorwithtwoorthreeneighboringcolorsthatarenexttoone
anotheronthecolorwheel.Thesearecalledanalogousharmonies.Whenoneofthesehuesdominatesslightlyovertheothers,thiscombinationverysoonappearsharmonious.
Butyouneedn’tonlypositionrelativesforalovelyfamilyportrait.Oppositescanalsolookgood.Ifyouusecomplementarycolorsindifferentproportions(likeasmallredladybugonabiggreenleaf),theeffectcanappearharmonious.Transitioningbetweencomplementaryhuesalsoproducesharmonies(seenintheexampleatleft,thedarknessseparatesthecomplementarycolorsblueandorange).
Itmaybeabittrickytowrapyourheadaroundcomplementaryharmonies,buttheireffectissurprisingandenchanting.
Tip:Onevariationoncomplementaryharmonyissplit-complementaryharmony.Insteadofrelyingonacolor’scomplement,split-complementarysystemsusethecolorstotherightandleftofthecomplementarycolor(astheyappearonacolorwheel).Forexample,asplit-complementtriadcouldbegreenwithred-orangeandred-purple.
ThecolorationoftheMayastatueincludesjustonehue.Thatiswhywecallita
monochromaticharmony.
TRIADICANDTETRADICHARMONIES
ThesetermssoundlikesomethingoutofStarWars.Butnoneedtopanic!
Theominous-soundingwordstriadicandtetradiconlymeanthatthecolorsinvolvedareatevenintervalsfromoneanotheronthecolorwheel.Triadicharmoniesinvolvethreecolors,andtetradicharmoniesinvolvefour.
Justimagineatriangleorasquareinthemiddleofthetwelve-colorwheel(whichincludestheprimary,secondary,andtertiarycolors).Eachcornerorpointwouldlieoncolorsthatareharmoniouswithoneanother.
Inpractice,thissimplymeansthatcolorsthatareallspacedthesamedistancefromoneanotheronthetwelve-colorwheelresultinmoreharmoniouscolorspectrumsthanthosearrangedatdifferentdistancesfromoneanother.
Onemorething:
Inspiteofallofthiscolortheory,therearealwaysthingsthateasilyfitintoanyscheme.Evengarishcolorscanlookgorgeousintriadic,tetradic,andanalogousharmonies.
Inmyopinion,alotofthisissimplyamatteroftasteanddependsonwhatandhowwepaint.Perhapsagaudilycoloredpageofbutterfliesisbeautifulandharmonioussimplybecausebutterflieshappentobebeautifulandharmonioussubjects,nomatterwhatcolorwepaintthem.
Sodon’talwaysplaybytherules.Ifyouheadoutontheroadequippedonlywithcolortoolsandmixingwheels,youmightmisssomereallybeautifulsights.
Tip:Oneruleofthumbisthatiftwocolorsproduceadullbrownorgraycolorwhenmixed,it’sactuallylikelythattheyharmonizequitewellwhenseparate.
COOL-COOLANDWARM-WARMHARMONIES
Thetermscoolcolorsandwarmcolorsaresomewhatmisleading.Ofcourse,suchcolorsarenotactuallycoolorwarmtothetouch;theyjustseemthatwaytous.However,studieshaveshownthatroomspaintedwithredororangehuesactuallyfeelafewdegreeswarmertopeoplethanwhiteroomsdo.Likewise,inblueorgreensurroundingswetendtofeelcolderregardlessoftheactualroomtemperature.
Thisreactionis,again,probablyaresultofourevolutionaryprocess,passeddowntousbyourancestorssittingbythefire:Colorsthatremindusofsourcesofheatsimplyseemwarmertous.Colorsthatremindusofsnow,water,orrainseemcool.Thisappliesprimarilytothecolorsthemselves:red,orange,andyellowhaveawarmereffectonusperse.Therearealsocolorswithineachfamilythathaveeitheracoolerorwarmereffect.Therearebluesthatappearwarmer(forexample,red-tingedultramarine)andbluesthatappearcooler(forexample,blueshadesthatshimmerturquoise).
Whenyoubuyasetofwatercolorstheyarealreadyarrangedincoolandwarmhues.Thereisusuallyacoolandawarmrepresentativeofeachcolor.
Weoftentakeadvantageofthewarmandthecooleffectsofcolorswhenwewanttocreateaspecificmoodinourpictures.Obviously,wetendtochoosewarmcolorstocreateafriendly,cozyatmosphere.Or,forinstance,ifweneedacrisporsubduedmood,wemightusecoolercolors.
Keepthissimpleruleinmind:Coolcolorsalwayslookharmoniouswhencombinedwithothercools.Warmcolorsareharmoniouswithotherwarms.
COLLECTINGCOLORS
Colorharmoniescannotonlybestudiedasanaspectofcolortheory,butcanalsobefoundbythewayside.It’salittlelikethewayJackaccidentallydiscoversagiant’shouseinthesky(nottomentionhisriches)inJackandtheBeanstalk.
Watercolorscaneasilybeusedtosketchcolorharmonies,andyouwilldiscovercombinationsalmosteverywherethatareworthsaving.Justlikethesketchesinyoursketchbooks,thesecanlaterbedevelopedfurtherinotherworks.Keepastockofpotentialcolorcombinationsthatyoulikeinyoursketchbook,andtryrecyclingsomeinnewpicturesandsketches.
Ithinkofitlikerememberingthemelody(orachord)fromacertainsongandplayingitlaterwithnewlyrics(there’sareasontheyarecalledcolor“harmonies”).
So,goget’em.Findingbeautiful,excitingcombinationsisfreeofcharge.Yousimplyhavetoopenyoureyes.
Tip:Ofcourse,youcanalsocollectcolorharmoniesfrommagazines,photographs,orpaintings.Whentheyaretakenoutofcontext,somethingcompletelynewwillbecomeofthem!
DESIGNINGCOLORHARMONIESWorkingwithColorCodeStrips
Ofcourse,youcanalsoinventyourowncolorharmonies.Colorcodesgiveyouasnapshotofacolorschemeforquickreference.Theseareextremelyusefulandareoftenusedinfilmproduction(forinstance,totesttheeffectofaset’scolorschemeinadvance).Colorcodesarecolumnsofadjacentbrushstrokes,eachrepresentingadifferentcolorinyouroverallscheme.
Especiallywhenyouareplanningapainting,adesign,oranillustration,itishelpfultohavetakennotesofcolorssothatyoudon’thavetodesignthecolorschemesdirectlyonthepreparatorydrawing.Instead,try“rehearsing”yourpicturefirst.
Beginwithafewstripsofthecolorsthatyoudefinitelyplantouse,andthengraduallyaddothercolorsthatyouthinkareharmonious.It’sbesttousetwosheetsofpaper:onesheetofscratchpaperformixingcolorsandtryingthingsout,andoneforyourcolorcodes.Theharmonyproducedcanthenserveasthemodelforyouractualpicture.
Tip:Theadvantageofcolorcodes,or“colorbarcodes,”isthatyoucansee,inadvance,whichcolorsharmonizenexttooneanotherandwhicharedissonant.
Thecolor–code–striptechniquenotonlyallowsyoutotestthecolorcombinationsinadvance,butitalsoletsyoudeterminehowmuchofeachcolorwillappearinapicture.Afewmorestripsofthesamecolorinyourcolorcodesimplyimplieslargercolorareasinyourlaterpicture.
You’llrealizejusthowpreciousscrappaperiswhenyoustartcreatingcolorcodes.
Tip:Havescratchpaperonhandforthis.Settingupcolorharmoniesinadvancemakesyourworkaloteasier.
GETTINGOUTOFYOURCOLORCOMFORTZONE
Justlikehavingfavoritemusicorafavoritefood,weallalsohavefavoritecolorsthatweliketouseagainandagain.I,forexample,loveindigo;IlikeNaplesyellow,red,mountainblue,andturquoise.
Havingfavoritecolorsandcolorharmoniesisnatural;allartistshavetheirownpersonalpalettes.Justtakealookinyourbox:Whichpaintsdoyoualwayshavetoreplaceandwhichoneslastforever?Favoritecolorsaretheoneswhosetraysortubesarealwaysempty.
Ononehand,colorpreferenceisamatteroftaste,butitalsohassomethingtodowithcomfort:wefeelateasewithfamiliarcolors.And,thethingaboutcomfortzonesisthatwedon’tliketoleavethem.Becauseofthis,“elsewhere”remainsunexploredtous,andwedon’ttrytovisititmorefrequently.
Comfortzonesareunderstandablebutdangeroustoartists.Ifwetakealookaround,ofcoursewerealizethatother,unfamiliarcombinationsofcolorsalsolookmagnificent.
Myadviceisforyoutodeliberatelytakeadetournowandthenfromthehighroadofyourfavoritecolorsandtrythebackroads.Allowfashion,films,ormagazinestolendyounewideas;takealookatthecolorharmoniesofotherartistsorborrowsomefromnature.
You’llseethatunfamiliarcolorharmoniescanbeinspiringandopenupnewvistastoyou.
Ifyougetreallystuck,simplyswappingpaintsetswithsomeonecanbeagreatexperience!
Ipaintedthisbeachscenewithanotherartist’swatercolorsand,therefore,hercolorpalette.
THEBLUERIDGEMOUNTAINSColorandPerspective
Howdoyouportraysomethingfaraway?Howaboutsomethingupclose?
Forgetlinearperspective;coloralsooffersusanopportunitytoconveydistance.
TaketheexampleoftheBlueRidgeMountainsintheAppalachiansortheBlueMountainsofNewSouthWales,oranynumberofrangesaroundtheworldthatarecalled“blue”mountains.Technicallyspeaking,theyshouldbecalledthePaleBlueMountains.You’veprobablyseenpicturesofthem:amountainchaininthebackground,faraway,blurred,blue,andsoftlyoffsettingtheclearcontoursintheforeground.Whydotheylooklikethat?Aren’ttheslopesthemselvesbrownandgreen?
SketchbookfromFrance,Côted’Azur.Themountainsofthecoastlineappearpalebluefroma
distance.
Physicsofferstheexplanation.Aswediscussedearlier,lightisablendofelectromagneticwavesthatrangefromlong-wavedredtotheshorterwavesofblueandpurple.Inotherwords,colorsthatlookwarmertoushavelongerwaves,andcoolercolorshaveshorterrays.Airandtheparticlesinairscattershorterwavelengthsbetterthanlongerwavelengths.So,whenarayoflightmeetsoureyesfromafar—forexample,fromamountainrangeinthedistance—theshorterwavelengthsarewhatreachus.Asaresult,themountainslookbluefromadistance.Atthesametime,theintensityofthelightraysdecreaseswithdistance.Onitswaytous,thelightpassesthroughever-thickerlayersofair,whichreducetherays’intensity.Thiscausesthecolorstolookpale.Wecanmakewonderfuluseofthiseffecttoportraydistances:Thefarthersomethingisfromus,thesmaller,paler,andbluerweshouldpaintit.Warmcolorscometotheforeground,andcoolcolorsrecedeintothebackground.
Additionally,layersofaircausemoredistantobjectstoblur.Subjectsthatarefarawayloseboththeirdistinctcontoursandtheircontrast.Whileclosethingscontainaspectrumofcontrastsrangingfromverybrighttoverydarkandeverythinginbetween,thingsthatarefarawayareleftwithonlythein-between.Themidtone.Therefore,objectsintheforegroundarefocusedandsharp,andobjectsinthebackgroundaremoreblurred.
Thisisparticularlybeneficialtowatercolorpainting,becauseitisquiteeasyforustoportraypalenessandblurrinessifweuselotsofwater.Todepictthedistanceofamountainchain,weonlyhavetoapplyashadeofbluetothepaperusingthewet-on-wettechnique.Theblurrinessofthewet-on-wetandthespecificshadeoftheblueproduceafantasticillusionofdepth.
Themountainsshouldactuallybecalledthe“small,blurry,low-
contrast,cool,palebluemountains.”Butthat’seasiertopaintthantofitonamap.
Themountainsonthehorizonappearblueinthedistance,althoughinreality,theirdominant
colorsaregreenorbrown.
YOUROWNSTYLE
Theroofofthefarmhousedoesnotneedtobeincolor,sinceoureyescompletethepicture.
LESSISMORE
Beeconomicalwithcolors.Youwilloftenachieveafargreatereffectwithwatercolorsifyoudonotpainteveryemptyspaceinyourpicture.Trytoreduceyourpaintedareasandleavesomepartsuntouched.
Makeuseofthewhiteofthepaperasanelement.Ifyoudaretoleavetheareasontowhichthelightfallswhiteandinsteadonlyusecolorintheshadows,youreyeswillautomaticallyunderstandthepicture.Keepthisadviceinmind—thewhiteareasofthepaintingwillbecomelight-suffused,reflectiveareasthataccentuateyourcoloredshadowsallthemore.
You’llsee:Lessismore!
Humanfiguresthathaveparticularlyprofitedfromeconomicalcoloration.
ME,MYSELF,ANDIFindingYourOwnStyle
Oneofthemostcommonconsiderationsforartistsisdevelopinganunmistakablestyle.Yetthewords,“Thatsomehowremindsmeofso-and-so…”canbeanartisticdeathsentence.
Weallhavetheneedtobeuniqueanddistinctive.
What’sallthisaboutanyway?Tobesomethingnew,tobenoticed,toriseabovethecrowd?Isitaboutamarketniche?Isitaboutimmortality?
Itisratherstrangethatweallhavethefeelingthatassoonasanewmovementoranewwavecomesalong,everythingthatcamebeforeitisobsoleteorthateveryartisticnoveltyautomaticallysupplantseverythingpriortoit.
Forexample,whentheCDwasdeveloped,therewasimmediatelyadebateaboutwhetheritwastimetodisposeofrecordplayers.Whene-bookscameout,everyoneworriedthatprintbookswoulddisappear.
Focusonsubstance!Whateverisnewandmodernnowwillstillage.Substanceneverfades.
Oursocietyvaluesprogressveryhighly,andpeoplehavesetthebarveryhighthroughouthistory;theprintingpressandpenicillinwereinventedinEurope,andtheartificialheartandtheairplanewere
inventedinAmerica.Inadditiontothis,wethinkintermsofindividualsuccess.Wetraceeverysingledevelopmentbacktoanoriginator.ColumbusdiscoveredAmerica,andNewtondiscoveredgravity.It’sjustaneasierwayofthinking.
Artinparticularisusuallymorecomplicatedthanthat.Movementsareoftendevelopedbyanumberofartistsworkingtogether.Culturalaccomplishmentsbuildupononeanother.Newpathwayscanevenbeopenedupthroughapparentsetbacksorintermediatesteps.
So,don’tmakesuchabigdealofitall.Ultimately,youjustwanttopaint,notinventsteamengines.Letyourselfbeinspiredbyothers(whichisnotthesameascopying)andevolvefurtherfromthere.Alwaysattempttobroadenyourownhorizons.Talkwithotherpainters,learnaboutmovements,andvisitartanddesignexhibitions.Allofthiswillinfluenceyourownstyle.
Andonemoresecret:Youwillprobablybethelasttorecognizeyourown“unmistakablestyle,”simplybecauseitissodifficultforustodistanceourselvesfromourwork.Butultimatelyyou’llfindthatyourstyleisjustasunmistakableasyouare.
STYLEANDCREATIVITY
Anotherremarkonthesubject:yourpersonalstylegrowsonitsown;itshouldnotbecomeastraitjacket.
Asstrangeasitsounds,“yourownstyle”and“creativity”areoftenopposingprinciples.
Anartistisexpectedtobecreative,tocomeupwithnewideasandtakenewpathways.Strangelyenough,wealsoexpectartiststoberecognizable.Theyshouldbebothinnovativeandhaveauniquestyle.Thisfacilitatesclassificationofartthroughouthistoryandrepresentshowtheartmarketworks.
Inshort,artistAisexpectedtobeinstantlydistinguishablefromartistB.PeopleexpectPicassotopaintsomethingthatlookslike“aPicasso.”Andthiscreatesatrap:innovatingwhilecomplyingwitheveryone’saestheticexpectationshasverylittletodowithcreativeprocesses.
Creativityisunpredictable—afterall,we’remakingsomethingnew.
Hence,theambitiontoalwayscreatesomethingnew,whileatthesametimechangingnothingwhatsoeverissimplynonsense.Nicheslikethismaybenefitartcritics,buttheyinhibitcreativity.
Thepointofinnovationandinspirationistonotknowbeforehandwhattheresultwillbe(someDylanfansstillresenttodaythathedidn’tstoptryingnewthingsin1967).
Youshouldpaintpicturesbecauseyouwanttopaintthem,notbecauseeveryonewantsyoutopaintthem.
THROWINGDOWNLooseningUpYourPainting
“Ah,loosenup!”isanincrediblystupidcommand.Aconsciousefforttoberelaxedandnaturalusuallyleadstotheexactopposite.Expectationsmakeustenseup.Youcan’tbecasualatwill.Theideaoffulfillingsomeoneelse’sdesireorademandwemakeofourselveskillseventheslightestsparkofcreativity.
Advisingpainterstojustthrowdownsomepaint,todevelopalooseline,demonstratesacolossallackofunderstandingofhumannature.Weonlyloosenupwhenweknowsomethingisn’timportant.Assoonaswewanttoliveuptoexpectations,thingsbecomeimportant.
Ofcourse,itstillmakessensetousewatercolorswitheaseandspontaneity.Agoodpartofthisisduetothenatureofthemediumitself.Watercolorpaintappearsatitsmostluminousifwedon’tspendalotoftimepaintingbutjustquicklythrowitonthepaper.Everytimewepaintanewlayerorre-wetitabitmore,thepicturebecomesalittlelessvibrant.
Yet,knowingthis,ofcourse,doesnotmakethingseasier.Itmakeseverystrokecarryincrediblepressure:Nomistakesnow,concentrate,concentrate,Igotta,Igotta,Igotta…It’satruedilemma.
So,trytoputalittledistancebetweenyourselfandyourexpectations.Outwityourself.Thisiswhyyoushouldattempttopaintyourpictures
insketchbooksoronplainpaperratherthanongiantsix-footpanels.BattlingwithmaterialslikeSiberiansable-hairbrushesthatcostasmuchasanewcarwillnoteasethetension.
Inspiteofgoodmaterials’allegedimportance,theystillintimidateus.
It’sevenworseifweareawareofhowourpaintingswillbeusedlater.
Ifyoualreadyknowwhomighthangyourpictureontheirwallwhenit’sfinished,orwhichcriticswillreviewit,you’llfaceahugementalroadblock.Youriskpaintinginanticipatoryobediencetolatercritics.It’sobviousthatthiswon’tmakeyourprocessanymorespontaneousorrelaxed.
Freeyourselffromthis.Thinkofyourpictureasastudyoradraftwhenyoubegin.Alwaystakeintoaccountthatyoupaintforyourself,asanexercise,andnoonebutyourselfeverhastoseeit.(Forexample,IpretendthatmypictureisjustthesketchandthatIwillpaintthe“realpicture”asasecondattempt.)
Paintyourpicturesasiftheyarejustinprocess.Afterall,youdon’t
accompanyeachmorning’sruninthewoodswithastopwatch,spectators,andalivebroadcast.Trytokeepitfun.Thisisfarmoreimportantthanmakingitlook,toviewers,likeyouwerehavingfun.Andasaresult,youwillrealizewhatbeautiful,carefreepicturesyoucanpaintwhenyou’renottryingreallyhardtopaintbeautiful,carefreepictures.
Tip:Ifyounoticethatyouonlypaintunderpressure,busyyourselfwithsomethingelseforawhile.Goforarun.Afterward,you’llbeabletoapplyyourselftopaintingmuchbetter.
SEEKNOTANDYOUSHALLFINDImaginationvs.Internet
Anotherremarkoncreativity:naturally,weallworkwithpictures.Andnaturally,insteadofjustgettingtowork,itistemptingtofirstGooglesomereferenceimages.
Nonetheless,weshouldnotforgetthatanInternetsearchcannotreplacethecreativeprocess.
WhenyouGooglepictures,allyoufindiswhatalreadyexists,whatsomeoneelsesawbeforeyouandputonline.Googleisasearchengine;itjustsortswhat’salreadyoutthere.Therefore,youcan’tfindanythingnewonasearchengine,justotherpeople’spictures.Thismakesmattersworse,sinceyou’rewalkingthebeatenpath.
Essentially,theInternetisalibrarywherethebooksborrowedmostoftenarefoundrightattheentrance.Thiscausesustoborrowthesebooksmoreandmore.Sincethestructureofthesearchenginesoftenfavorswhatissoughtthemost,thereisahighprobabilitythatweareallwanderingthroughtheWebonthesameroutes.Asaresult,weallabsorbsimilarinformationandhaveseenthesamething.
ThismakesstrongcreativeprocessesindispensableespeciallyintheageoftheInternet.
Whenyoudrawandconceiveofsomethinginpaint,youarecreatingsomethingnew,somethingthatuntilnowwasonlyeverinsideyourownhead.
Makeanefforttocreatesomethingnewinsteadofreproducingwhat’salreadythere.Creatingsomethingunexpectedandnewlieswithintheartisticprocessitself.Itisnotgoal-oriented,anditisnothelpfultoaiminacertaindirectionfromtheverybeginning.Ifyoualreadyknowwhattheendresultofyourpicturewillbe,usuallythereisnoendresultatall.Quitetheopposite:seeknotandyoushallfind.
Tip:Oneofthebesttimesforcreativethinkingiswhenyou’restillhalf-asleepinthemorning.Ifyou’renotquite“there”yet,you’reless
likelytogetinthewayofyourcreativity.So,keeppencilsandpapernexttoyourbed!
MAKEITMATTER
Whatyoufeelwhileyoupaintapictureisfarmoreimportantthaniscommonlythought.
Copyingaphotographofastranger,forinstance,producesacompletelydifferentpicturethanpaintingyourownmother.Thepictureofyourbelovedcatwilllookdifferentfromastudyofarandomturtleinapetstore.Yourrelationshiptoyoursubjectreallymakesadifference.
Therefore,whetherapictureisgoodorpoorisnotmerelyatechnicalquestion.Composition,color,andproportioncanultimatelyrevealhowmuchthesubjectmatterstoyou.Whatdecideswhetherapictureisgoodorpoorismainlyhowyoufeelaboutit.
So,ifyouwantyourpicturetobemeaningful,itssubjectshouldhavemeaningforyou.Ifyouhaveapersonaloremotionalrelationshipwithyoursubject,thismeaningwillcreepintoyourpicturealmostmagicallyandwillalsoreachitsviewers.
Makeitmatter.Thenthematterwillstopbeingjustmatterandwillgainasoul.
Howyouseewhatyouseeinfluencesyourpicture.Youwillonlypaintreallyinteresting
picturesifthesubjectactuallymatterstoyou.
PRIORITIES
However,thesubject’ssignificancetousisnottheonlythingthatdeterminesapicture’squality.Itisalsoexcitingtobeabletolookbackatasketchorpictureandseewhatwasimportanttouswhilewewerepaintingit.Everypicturehasvariouselements.
AstreetinRomania.Especiallywhenthereis“alotgoingon”inpictures,itseemsdifficulttoset
priorities.
Pictureshavemainfocusesandsupportingcharacters;theyhaveinsignificantthingsandsurroundings;theyhaveforegrounds,middlegrounds,andbackgrounds.Andasfunnyasitmaysound,ifwetreatallofthisequallyandwiththesameattention,itmakesourpicturesoddlymeaningless.Blanketphotorealismistoughonoureyes.Myadviceistoprioritizewithinyourpainting.Picturesbecomemuchmoreinterestingifsomethingispackedintothem—ifyoucanseewhichpartsofthepicturewereimportanttothepainter.Thiscanbedone
withcolororcompositionalchoices,orsimplyamoreintense,morepreciseexecutionofindividualelements.Youmayalsochoosetotonedowncertainelementsinordertoemphasizeothers.Forexample,itmaybenefitthemainsubjectifthebackgroundrecedes.Allofthisfocusesandguidestheeyesoftheviewer.Sodon’ttreatyourpictureequallyinallplaces—showwhereyourprioritieslie.
BASICS/TOOLS
PAINTBOXES
Watercolorboxesareniftylittlethings:black,pristine,andshiny.They’remadeofsturdyblacksheetmetalwithdepressedmixingareasandlittlepansthatholdourpaints.They’reidealgifts,tobestoredawayandallowedtoagewithdignity.
Butseriously.
Awatercolorboxenablesyoutoworkquickly—aswatercolorsdemand—becausethepaintsaresoreadilyavailable.Noscrewlids,nosqueezingorstirring;justeasypainting.
Forthisreasonawatercolorboxisagoodinvestment.However,there
isawidevarietyofboxes,allofvaryingquality.Themostwell-known(andthebest)manufacturerisWinsor&NewtoninEngland,butDanielSmith,inSeattle,isalsoagreatchoice.Bothofferexcellentpaintsandboxesthatareusuallyequippedwithanassortmentofreadilymixedcolors.Inmostcases,thisassortmentconsistsofbasiccolorswithonewarmandonecoolalternativeofeach.
Ofcourse,therearewatercolorboxesinallsizes—fromsixtoforty-eightpans—andatallprices.Whichoneyouchoosedependsonyourtasteandbudget.Thestandardtwelve-panboxesareplentysufficient.Asyouknow,youcantheoreticallymixeveryothercolorfromthethreeprimarycolors.Ultimately,it’samatterofyourskillsandrequirements—notsomuchofwinningaprizeforbestmaterials(“Myhouse,myyacht,mywatercolorbox…”).
Remember,greatmaterialsalonedonotmakeagoodpainting.
Tip:Beforebeginning,moistenallofthepaintsinyourboxwithafewdropsofclearwater(eventheonesyoumightnotneed—youneverknow).Thiswilldilutethepaintsaheadoftime;incaseyouneedonewhilepainting,yourworkflowwillnotbeinterrupted.
TubesversusPans
Watercolorpaintisalsoavailableintubes.Thereisnodifferencebetweenthetwo,atleastinhigherqualitypaints.Pansessentiallycontainthesamepaintastubes,exceptit’sdried.Youcanalsorefillthepansfromyourtubepaints,ifyouwish—butthenyouneedtoallowlotsofdryingtime.
Still,watercolorpaintinpansismuchfasterandeasiertohandle.Youcaneasilyswitchbetweentheindividualpaintsanduseyourpaintstraightfromthebox.Tubesprovidealargeamountofpaintandarethereforeidealifyouwanttopaintverylargeorvividlycoloredareas.Usingpanstopaintonasurfacethatislargerthanabout11×16incheswillbeprettylaborious.Tubes,therefore,arestudioequipment.Forpleinairandsmall,rapidsketching,pansarebettersuited.
Tip:Anoldartists’fallacymaintains“Youdon’tneedtocleanyourpaintbox.”
Justlikeyourworkplace,yourpaintboxshouldnotbeallowedtogetfilthy.Alittlecleaningnowandthenwillmaketheyellowglowagainlikenew.
WATERCOLORPENCILS
“Giveyourwatercolorpencilstoyourlittlesister,”isawidespread,butunkindopinionamongartistsandillustrators.Aspopularasthesepencilsmaybeamonghobbyists,theycanbeamaterialofcontention.
Thisismainlybecausewatercolorpencilsareneitherfishnorfowl.It’snotsimplyamatterofchoosingbetweenpencilsandpaint(thatchoiceshouldbeeasy!).Whenwelookatthemclosely,theymightseem
inferiortobothcoloredpencilsandwatercoloratfirst.Theyneitherrivaltheluminosityofcoloredpencils,norprovidethecoverageofwatercolors,especiallyonlargesurfaces.
Firstwemustnotethatthetermwatercolorpencilissomewhatmisleading.Watercolorpencilsdonotcontainanywatercolorpaint.Theyarenotmadeofgumarabicandpigmentsbutarewaxpencilswithawater-solublebinder.So,itislesssurprisingthattheyalsobehavelikewaxcrayons.Thecolorsdonotdissolveastransparently,andtheydryfarmoreopaquely.Theircoveringpowerisquitedifferentthanthatofpaint.Theyareacompromise,butonethatdoesofferotherstrengths.
Iwouldthereforeliketotakeupthebatononbehalfofwatercolorpencils,becausetheydooffergreatpossibilitieswhenusedcorrectly.
Simplybeingabletocombinecolorsandlinesisagreatoptiontohave.Watercolorpencilsenableyoutousealittlewatertosoftenlinesyou’vedrawnandtransformthemintocoloredareas.Thisisvaluableasanaddedeffectandasacorrectivemethod.
Butwatercolorpencilsareevenmoreinterestingifweusethemdirectlyinmoistareas.Thelinebreaksupandsoftens,butunlikebrushstrokesonwetareas,itstillretainsitssolidity.Brushstrokesdissolvewhenappliedwet-on-wet;watercolorpencilsusedforthesameapplicationretainfarmoreshape.Thismakesthemagreattechniqueforaccents.Itreallygetsinterestingwhenwecombinewatercolorpencilswithwatercolorpaint.Forexample,whenyouwantsomethingwithinapaintedareatobeabitmoresolidortointensifypartofacolor,nothingbeatsawatercolorpencil.
Inplaceswherepaintmightsimplyflowaway,linesmadewithwatercolorpencilsnotonlystaywheretheyarebutretaintheirluminosity,too.Becausetheysoftenalittle,though,theydon’tclashwhencombinedwithwatercolor.Onthecontrary,theyaccommodateyourpicturejustenoughtoappearorganicandhelpyouoverafewhurdleswhenworkingwithwatercolors.
Shouldtheopportunityarise,Isuggestthatyouactuallydoborrowyourlittlesister’swatercolorpencilsandusethemnowandthen.
Tip:It’salsoreallynicetosimplydrawwithwatercolorpencilsinamoistarea.Ifyoumoistenyourpaper,forexamplewithaspraybottleforplants,itcreatesagreatpaintingsurface!
BUYINGPAINTS
Thepaintsyouputinyourpaintboxareprimarilyamatteroftaste.
Thereare,however,oneortwothingsthatIthinkyoushouldconsiderwhenchoosingyourassortmentofpaints.
Thefirstboxyoubuywillprobablyalreadycontainpaints.However,theassortmentprovidedisnaturallyacompromisebetweenyourcolorpreferencesandthoseofthemanufacturer.Tostart,thepaintsinabeginner’ssetaremostlikelystudent-gradepaints,whichmeansthattheyarenotthebestquality.Thisisnoproblemforabeginner’sfirstattempts,butyouwillnoticethedifferenceif,whenreplacingcertainpaints,youswitchtoprofessional-gradepaints.Thepigmentdensityishigher,andtheluminosityofthecolorswillbemuchbetter.
Themixedcolorsinpaintsetsareusuallycoordinatedtobethemostcompatiblewithoneanother.
Normally,you’llreceiveanassortmentofbasiccolors,withwarmandcoolversionsofeach.Thesemaysufficeforawhile,butyou’llsoonrequiresupplementarycolors.
Thesesetsmayalsocontainallsortsofnonsense.AsfarasI’m
concerned,youcanbanishblackandwhitefromyourpaintset.Whitecomesfromthewhiteofthepaper,andyoucanmixamuchbetterblackfromblueandbrownhues(suchassepiaandindigo).
Ofcourse,thecolorsyouchoosetoincludealsodependonthesizeofyourbox.
Biggerisnotalwaysbetter,asyouwilldiscoverwhenyouhavetolugyourboxaround.Ipersonallytendtoprefersmallerboxesforthatreason.Ifyouhavetoleavesomecolorsoutinordertofitthingsintoasmallerbox,youcanstillmixtheseyourselfinnotimeusingcolorsthatyoudoinclude.
However,italsodoesn’tmakemuchsensetoonlycarryaroundtheprimarycolors.Paintboxesaremadeforspur-of-the-momentwork.Besidesspendingallyourtimemixing,youmightalsowanttopaintoccasionally.
Asyoupaintmoreandmore,you’llgraduallychangewhatyouincludeinyourboxaccordingtoyourneeds.Useanassortmentofbasiccolorsandsupplementitwithamixofyourfavoritecolorsbasedonthesizeofyourbox.
Oneadditionalaspectthatisreallyimportanttomeisbuyingcolorsthataredifficulttomix.Therearecolorsthatyoucaneasilymixfromexistinghues,butthereareothersthatarealmostimpossibletomixyourself.Olivegreen,forexample,canbemixedinnotimefrombrownandgrassgreen.Ontheotherhand,astrongturquoiseormagentacannotbereproduced,oronlywithgreatdifficulty.Iwouldthereforeadviseyou—inadditiontotheprimarycolors—topurchasecolorssuchasthese,whicharenotsoeasytomixfromexistinghues.
Tip:Inmyopinion,youcantossblackandwhitefromyourboxandyou’llnevermissthem.
Thesymbolsonyourpaintsmean:
Square:transparency
Emptysquare:transparentHalf‑filledsquare:semi‑transparentFilled-insquare:opaque
Star:lightfastness
Howresistanttodaylightisyourpaint?(Uptofivestars)
Triangle:reusabilityofthehue
Emptytriangle:fullyreusableHalf‑filledtriangle:somewhatreusable
Fulltriangle:difficulttoreuse
From:Schminckeassortment
Thenumberinthecircle:pricecategory(ascending)
MIXINGPAINTS
Youalreadyknowthatyoucanmixanycolorfromthethreeprimarycolors.Watercolorpaintinparticularisexcellentlysuitedforthis,becausewithtransparentcolorsyoucantheoreticallyproduceanendlessnumberofshades.Nonethelessthereareafewthingstonotewhenmixing:
Asmentionedbefore,noteverycolorcanbereproducedsuccessfully.Colorslikegoldandsilveraredifficultbecausetheireffectisnotprimarilyderivedfromcolorbutfrommetallicparticles.
Thesameappliesforluminescentandneonpaints,whichusuallycontainchemicalreflectorsasadditives.Sincetheseadditivesare,ofcourse,notavailableformixingwiththeprimarycolors,itisdifficulttoimitatethesecolors.(Incidentally,thesecolorsalsodon’tmixwellwithothers.)
However,mixingcolorsisanextremelyworthwhileandimportantpractice,sincewedon’talwayshave(orevenwanttohave)everycolorathand.Butpayattentiontothefollowing:
Asabasicrule,itisbestnottomixmorethantwocolorstogetheratatime.Ofcourse,inlaterstages(whereyoumightactuallycombinecolormixtures)anythinggoes,butifyoustirtogethermorethantwocolorsatatime,thingsgetconfusinganddifficulttocontrol.
Itisalsoimportanttoaddthedarkerhuetothelighterhuewhenmixing,andnotviceversa.Thisisbecauseadarkerhuecanquicklyswallowupalighterhuewithoutchangingmuch,whileyouonlyneedasmallamountofthedarkercolortoalteralightercolor.Becausethelightercolorismoresensitivetochange,useitasthebasecolorwhenmixing.
Trypracticingafewmixturestogetafeelfortheprocess.Startwitha
lightercolor,andcarefullyaddmoreandmoreofadarkcoloruntilyouachievethehueyouwant.
You’llseethattheoldtechniqueofmixing—somewhatforgottenduetotheoverabundanceofhuesinoursets—isaverydecisivestepindevelopingagoodfeelingforcolor.
Tip:Makesamplesofyourmixedcolorsonscrappaper.Thiswillspareyoufromencounteringunpleasantsurprisesinyourfinishedpicture.
Brushwork
Howyouworkwiththebrushinfluenceshowyouapplyyourpaint.Pressingharderonthebrushheadresultsinadifferentstrokethanifyoujustgrazethepaperwiththetip.
Inaddition,theanatomyofourarmsmakesiteasiertogestureoutwardawayfromthecenterofthebodythantomoveintowardthebody.Itisthereforebesttopaintthisway.Don’tclenchyourmuscles.Usethebrushasifitwereanaturalextensionofyourhand.
Also,don’thesitatetoturnthepaperaround.Itisfarbettertopaintwiththesubjectupsidedownthantoturnyourselfupsidedownwithfrustration.
Bytheway,youcanreuseanypaintsyouhavemixedaftertheydrybyrewettingthem—evenmonthslater.
Tip:Youcanmixcolorsinthepaletteofyourpaintbox,butifyouwanttoachieveverypurehueswithoutanyimpurities,itisbettertousesmall,cleanpansorglassplates.Althoughtheextrapalettesinstoreslookreallynice,alargedishworksjustaswell.
IMPOSSIBLEHUESBrightColors
Let’snotkidourselves:Watercolorpaintisweakifwe’reafterbrightcolors.Itcan’tmatchtheluminouscolorsofacomputerscreen—andalsolagsbehinditsbrother,oilpaint,itssister,acrylicpaint,anditscousin,ink.Ifwewantbright,saturated,flashycolorsinoursketches,we’vegotthewrongmedium.Watercolorpaintsareknownforcreatingdelicate,pastelhues.Areaspaintedwithwatercolorsimplyaren’taspigmentedasthosepaintedwithnontransparentmediums.Ifneedbe,oilpaintcanbeappliedlikeapasteinlayersthatarehalfaninchthick.Bycontrast,watercolorpaintisadelicatekindofpaintthatcreatesadelicateeffect.
Becausemostwatercolorpaintscontainnaturalpigments,youwillnotdiscovermanyartificialorgaudycolorsinyourset.
Furthermore,whilepainting,colorsoverlapandinfluenceoneanotherbecausewatercoloristransparent.Whenyouapplyalayerofpaintoveranother,itvisuallyblendswiththecolorbeneathit,creatinganewhue.Forexample,ifyouapplyalayerofredontopofalayerofgreen,you’llgetbrown.Thisisn’tthecaseforthick,opaquepaintssuchasacrylics,anditmayseemlikeadisadvantageofwatercolor.
Yet,oncloserlook,amediumthatreadilyblendslikethishasitsbenefits.Ifyoulookaroundatyourenvironment,youwillnoticethattherearenotmanyintenselybrightcolorsinoursurroundings.Justtakealookoutthewindow.Ifyoudon’tliveinTimesSquareoraren’tstandinginthemiddleofapoppyfieldinmidsummeryouprobablyrecognizethatthedominantcolorsinourenvironmentsarenotgarishhues.
PIMPINGWATERCOLORSMakingColorsPop
Generally,whenlighthitsasurface,itisreflected,dissipatesintheair,andblendswithothersurroundingcolors.Thecolorsjibewithoneanotherbecausetheybelongtothesameenvironmentandtherebyworktogethertocreateageneralmoodoratmosphere.
Mostofthebrightcolorsthatweencounterinrealitydonotcomefromreflectedlightbutareemittedbyartificiallightsources.Wefindtheminlamps,monitors,LEDs,neonlights,etc.Thisemphasizestheadvantageofwatercolorpaint:duetotranslucency,interweaving,andoverlapping,thecolorinawatercolorpaintingactuallymimicsthereflectionof“real”light.Thatiswhywecanusewatercolorstoportraylightsowell.Byinterminglingdifferentcolors,wesimulatethewaythatlightnaturallybehaves.Thisisoneofthemuch-trumpeted“naturalqualities”ofthewatercolorpalette.
However,itgetsdifficultwhenyoutrytodepictveryintenselycoloredsubjects,asyoumightifyoutireofautumnlandscapes.Paintingastreetfullofneonlightswithwatercolorpaintswillatfirstseemlikefittingasquarepegintoaroundhole.Thereareafewtricks,though,andthenextchapterwilldiscusssometechniquesyoucanusetospiceupyourcolors.
Thefirstthingyoucandotomakeyourpaintsglowistousethemefficiently.Idon’tmeanthatyoushouldworkfasterbutthatyoushouldnotkeeppaintinglayeroverlayer.Whenyoure-wetwatercolors,theylosetheirluminosity.Watercolorsareattheirmostvibrantwhentheyarelefttodrywithoutlotsofmanipulation.
Anotheroptionformakingyourwatercolorspopistomixyourpaintwithothermoreluminouscolors.Thereareanumberofdifferentpaints,inks,andcoloredpencilsavailableinbrighthues.Manyofthesemediumsmoveintothebackgroundofthefinishedpicture,sotheywillnotdominateyourwatercolorbutallinallwillgreatlyemphasizethe
colorsinyourpaintings.
Let’sstartwithsomethingsimple.
Coloredpencilsarethebestwaytointensifyareaspaintedwithwatercolor,especiallysmallareas.Inaddition,wecanusethemtoaddexcitinggraphicelements.
Unlikeregularpencils,whichcontaingraphite,coloredpencilsaremadeofcompressedpigmentsandofoil-orwax-basedbinders.Sincetheycomeinanarrayofhuesandproducelinesofvaryingthickness,dependingontheamountofpressureapplied,theyareanidealsupplementtowatercolorpaints.Goodones,forexample,arePolychromosbytheGermanmanufacturerFaber‑CastellorPrismacolorbytheAmericanbrandSanford.
Usingcoloredpencilsenablesyoutointensifysmallelementsofapictureeffectively.
LIQUIDWATERCOLORSBrightNow,PaleLater
Anothergoodwaytogiveyourpaintsaboostistomixthemwithotherwatercolors.Liquidwatercolorsareparticularlysuitedforthis.Theyarenotpurchasedinpans,butinliquidform.Theyareusuallyartificialpigmentsusedasisormixedwithwater.TheDutchcompanyRoyalTalens,forexample,offersawholepaletteofcolorsunderthetradenameEcoline.Thedistinctadvantageofthesecolorsistheirluminosity.
Acrossmadeoftraditionalwatercolorpaint(horizontalbrushstroke)andliquidEcolinepaint
(verticalbrushstroke).Thedifferenceinthecolors’intensitiesisobvious.
Butbeware,thereisacatchtotheartificialpigmentsthatliquidwatercolorpaintscontain;theyareoftenanythingbutlightfast.Theyreactsensitivelytosunlightinparticular.Therefore,picturesthathavebeen“pimpedout”withEcolinearemorepracticalforreproduction(printingmultiplecopies)thantheyareforthewall.Ifyouarepaintingasketchtouseforapresentationorforprinting,thisisnotaproblem,of
course.Butifyouplantohangitonawall,thelightwillverysoonrobitofitsbrightcolors.Therefore,ifyouseekvibrant,colorfulpaints,thismaynotbethewaytogo.Liquidwatercolorpaintisabitlikeaflame:thebrighteritshines,thesooneritgoesout.
However,weshouldnotethatliquidwatercolorpaints(nottomentioninks,retouchingdyes,airbrushpaints,andsimilarproducts)arenotaseasytoworkwithastraditionalpaintfrompans.Ecoline,forinstance,redissolvesveryeasily,whichisadisadvantagewhenworkingwithglazedlayers.Thisalsocausesittobleedveryeasilyintoneighboringareasifyouaccidentallytouchthemwithyourbrushwhenapplyingthepaint.Nevertheless,youcanstillachieveveryniceeffectsinapicture,especiallywithEcoline.Yousimplyhavetomakesurethatyouuseitlastifyou’reglazingandthatyoudonotrepaintareaswithit.
INTOTHEWILDBrushes
Humanshavebeenusingbrusheseversincetheystartedtopaint,andhumanshavebeenpaintingforaverylongtime.
EvenStoneAgepaintersusedprimitivebrushestopaintbison,deer,andhorseswithpigmentsmadefromredhematiteandocheronthewallsoftheircaves.Brushesfashionedfromhollowbones,feathers,andhairshavebeenfound,forexample,inthecavesofAltamirainSpain.
Brushesdependonthespacesbetweenthedenselybundledhairstobothabsorbanddispenseliquids.Althoughthisprinciplehasbeenknownforalongtime,ittookawhileforbrushestoachievethequalityweneedforpaintingwithwatercolor.
TheancientEgyptiansusedroughed-uprushesandtheearhairofcattletocolortheirhieroglyphsandtombpaintings,andtheRomansusedfeathersandgoathairstopaintthefrescoesonthewallsoftheirhouses.
ThefirstwrittendescriptionofsomethingclosetoprofessionalbrushescomesfromIllibrodell’arte(TheCraftsman’sHandbook),inwhichthefifteenth-centuryItalianpainterCenninoCenniniexplainedtheirprecisemanufacture.Infact,untiltheendofthenineteenthcentury,paintersnotonlymadetheirownpaints,butalsotheirownbrushes.
Tip:There’sanunconventionaltrickforgettingyourbrushpointyagainafterpaintingandwashingit:putyourbrushinyourmouthandsharpenitbytwirlingitwithyourtongue.Justmakesurethatyouonlydothiswithbrushesthathavebeencompletelycleanedofallpaint.Don’tforgetthatevenwatercolorpaintcancontaintoxicpigments!
Todaytherearecountlesstypesofbrushesaround,andartsupplystorescarryahugeamountofmerchandise.So,thequestionisobvious:Whichbrushesdowereallyneed?IsapreciousKolinskysablebrushnecessaryorwillasyntheticbrushforthepriceofacupofcoffeedo?
Tip:Agoodbrushnotonlyreleasespaintbutalsoabsorbsitagain.Whenyoupatyourbrushdryonatissue,youcanuseitto“wickup”pigmentagain.
EVENMOREBRUSHES
Maybeweshouldbeginsystematically.
Allbrushescanberoughlycategorizedintotwobasicshapes:roundsandflats.Themaindifferenceistheshapeoftheferrule,whichdetermineswhetherthetufthasaroundorflatform.Theroundbrushisveryusefulsimplybecauseithasapointedtip.Flatsmaybeverysuitableforlargeareas,andtheycanbereplacedbythickroundsbutnotviceversa.Let’stalkabouttheroundsfirst.
Roundsareavailableinallsortsofmaterialsandsizes.Whenyouholdthebrushinyourhand,thefirstthingyou’llnoticeisthenumberonthehandle,whichdelineatesitssize.Thereareanumberofincrements,beginningwith0andusuallyendingat24.Thedifferencesaresofinethattheseincrementsaren’tveryimportant.Youwilllearn,however,thatmostpaintersdohaveapreciseideaofwhatsizestheyliketousewhenpainting.
Ifyouwantmyadvice,youonlyneedtwobrusheswhenyou’rejuststartingout—abigoneandasmallone.
Whatpreciselyismeantbybigandsmall(andwhatmaterialthebrushismadeof)shouldbedecidedbyyourbudget.Eveninvestinginthelargest,mostexpensiveKolinskybrush(madefromthefuroftheSiberianweasel)alonewillnotgiveyoutheskilltosolveeverypainterlyproblem.Togiveyousomenumbers,Iwouldrecommendtwobrushes,sizes6and10,tostartwith.
Agoodwatercolorbrushshouldbepliableandsoft.Itshouldpickupthepaintwellandhaveaverypointytip.Thehandleshouldnotbetoolongandtheferruleshouldbepreciselyshapedwithoutanysinglehairssplittingout.Anatural–hairbrushisthebest,butsincetheseareexpensive,syntheticwillalsodoforastart(especiallyforlargerand
thusmoreexpensivebrushes).Youcanalsofindbrushesthatmixsyntheticwithnaturalhairs.Otheralternativesaresquirreloroxhair,whicharerelativelymoderatelypriced.Whenyouarejuststartingout,youdon’tneedavastassortmentofbrushes.Later,youcangraduallysupplementyourcollection.
Thisalsoappliestoinvestinginflatsforevenglazingandtopetit-grisbrushesforapplyinglargeshapesorwashes.Thesebrushesareuseful,butsincetheirspecificcharacteristicscanalsobereplacedbylargerounds,theyshouldnotbeatopprioritytopurchase(thisappliesallthemoretospecializedtypes,likefanbrushesorriggers).
ThebestbrushesareKolinskysables.Thesebrushesareveryexpensive.However,theyalsolastalongtimeifcaredfor.Ifyoualwayswashyourbrusheswithsoapafteruse,youwillbeabletoenjoythemforalongtime.
Donot,however,letyourselfbefooledintothinkingyoucan’tpaintwithlessexpensivebrushes.Sometimespeoplebuysable-hairbrushes,sayingtothemselves“Well,ifit’ssable…”onlytofindthatthebrushstilldoesn’tfixalltheproblemstheythoughtitwould.Agoodsyntheticbrushmaybebetter,andwilldefinitelybemoreaffordable.But,it’salittlelikeagoodwine:youneedagreatdealofexperiencetoeventastethedifference.Ithereforeadviseyoutostartoutwithsynthetic
brushes.
Atanyrate,theimportantthingiswhatyoudowithyourbrushes.Brushesarereallyjustanextensionofyourhand,andit’syourhandthatisultimatelyresponsibleforyourpainting!
Tip:Portablebrusheswithacapthatalsoservesasthehandlearegreatfortraveling!
PAPER
PaperwasinventedbytheEgyptians.ThewordcomesfromEgyptianpapyrus,afibrouswaterplantfromtheNiledeltathatwasdriedandthatthepharaohsusedtowriteon.However,theMayansdevelopedasimilarpaper,amate,whichwasmadeofpressedplantfibersfromawildfigthatweredriedinlayerstomakelargersheets.Bothessentiallylookalittlelikewovenbark.
Butthefirstpaperthatreallylookedliketoday’spaperwasdevelopedbytheChinesealmosttwothousandyearsago.
Paperismadefromcellulose(foundinfibersandwood),whichiscleaned,boiled,mixedwithglue,anddriedinlayers.Inrecordsthatdateasfarbackasthefirstcentury,theChineseministerCaiLundescribesthemanufacturingprocessduringtheHanDynastyindetail(therewerealreadytissuesandtoiletpaperinfifth-centuryChina).Thecellulosepulpmadeofsilkresiduesandbast,whichisafibercollectedfromtheinnerstemofplants,wascookedanddriedonscreens.
InthelateMiddleAges,theChinesemethodofpapermakingreachedEuropeviatheSilkRouteandtheArabicworld.Untilthen,parchmentordriedanimalhidessmoothedwithpumicestonehadbeenusedforwritingintheWest.
Theadvantagesofpaperwereobvious;itwascheaperthanparchmentandwasavailableinlargeamountsandconsistentquality.
TheEuropeansusedthisnewknowledgeandsoondevelopedthepropertechnologyforpaperproduction.Newtypesofscreensandwater-poweredpapermillssoonfacilitatedmassproduction.
Evenifittookanotherfivehundredyearstodeveloptoday’spapermachines,whichcanchurnoutover6,500feetofpaperperminute,watercolorpaperisstillverysimilartothepapermadeinthebeginning
inChina.
Watercolorpapercontainspracticallynowoodandismadeprimarilyoflinenorcotton.Thismakesitmoretear-resistantandenablesittoabsorbpaintbetter.Itisusuallyhandmade(recognizablebytheirregular,ordeckle,edgesofthesheets)andsoldasindividualsheetsoringluedblocks.
Watercolorpaperalsocomesindifferentfinishes:coarse,medium,orsmooth.Smoothpaperisdriedwithhotcylinderpresses(henceitsnamehot-pressedpaper)andisprimarilysuitableforillustrations.Rougherfinishes,orcold-pressedpapers,havetheadvantagethatthepaintadheresbetter,andtheyslowthepaint’sdryingtime.However,itishardertoeraseonthesecoarserpapers.
Choosingatexturemerelycomesdowntopreference,sincepaintsbehavedifferentlyoneachkind.Manypapersalsohaveacoarseandasmoothside,bothofwhichyoucanuseforpainting.
However,itisnotamatterofpreference,butanimportantcriterion,thatyourwatercolorpapersareacid-free.Acids,usedtobleachmass-producedpaper,destroythepaperovertimeandalsoconsiderablyinfluencethepaint’sappearanceonthepaper.
You’llnoticethattherearemanydifferentweightsofpaperthatyoucanbuy.Theheavierthepaper,themorewaterandreworkingitcantolerate.Themostcommonlyusedweightis140pounds.
Regularofficepaper,forexample,weighs80gramspersquaremeter(gsm).Watercolorpaperismuchthicker;itusuallyweighs200to300gsm.Ofcourse,youcanpurchasemuchthickerpaper,butatahigherprice.
Ultramarineblueon“upscale”paper(Arches650gsm)andtotherightofiton“regular”paper
(Hahnemühle200gsm).
Thesekindsofinvestmentsdon’texactlyhelpbanishanyfearofthatemptysheetofpaper.Frommypointofview,theaffordablesolutionsaregoodenough.Ioftenuseoff-the-shelfmatte-coated185-grampaper(HahnemühleorArches)thatIstretchmyself.
I’llshowyouhowtodothisonthispage.
WhetheritwastheChinese,Egyptians,orMayanswhoinventedpaperisinconsequential.Wereallyhavenaturetothankforpaper.Waspsandhornetshavealwaysbuilttheirnestsofmasticatedplantfibers,apulpofcelluloseandstarch,whichdriesinthesuntomakedelicatepaperstructures.
Tips:Sheetsorblocks?Theanswerisnoteither/or,butboth.Bothhavetheiradvantages.Forastart,blocksarethesimplest.Inaddition,thepre-gluedblocks,gluedonallfoursides,aregoodfortravelingandspontaneouswork.If,however,youwanttoworkwithlargerformatsandsimplyprefertousemoreinexpensivepaper,Iwouldadviseyoutouseloosesheets.Ifthecockling,orbuckling,ofthewetpaperbothersyou,youcaneasilystretchthepaperwithmountingtape,asdescribedonthispage.
Watermarksarethinnerlayersinthepaperthatarereservedorembossedduringthe
manufacturingprocesstoguaranteeauthenticity.Herearesomewatermarksoffamous
manufacturers.
THEPERMANENTWAVEStretchingPaper
It’sexasperating;yougetthepaperwet(paintonitwithtoomuchwater),anditstartstowarp(aprocessknownas“cockling”).Innexttonotimethesmooth,whitesurfacetransformsintoamarshylandscape.Ifthatweren’tbadenough,thematerialthatwaseasytohandleamomentagobecomesuncooperative.Thepaintgathersinpuddlesinthenewlyformedvalleysandleavesuglyblotcheswhenitdries.Themoreyoupaintoverit,theworseitgets,becausenomatterwhatyoudo,youcan’teliminatethesevalleyswithabrush.
Peopleareconstantlycomingupwithnewideastosolvethisproblem.Cocklingismorecommonwhenworkingwiththinpapers.Youcantryathickerpaper,butthisstillwon’tcompletelypreventthepagefromwarping.Pre-gluedpaperwatercolorblocksaren’tagreatalternative,either.Forthepriceofthesewatercolorblocks,theyaren’tagreatsolutiontowarping.Althoughthepaperdoeswarpless,theblockscanbecumbersome.It’sdifficulttoplaceawatercolorblockonadraftingtable,forexample,totraceapreparatorydrawing.Asgoodasblocksmaybeforwhenyou’reonthego,theyaren’talwayssuitableformoredevelopedworks.
Inordertounderstandhowtopreventcockling,oneneedstoknowexactlywhatcausesitfirst:Paperconsistsoffiber.Itisusuallymadefromcellulose,woodfiber,recycledpaper,orcloth,whichisgroundtoapulpinpapermillsandthendriedinlayers.Thesefibersformthebaseofthepaper,heldtogetherbyglueandpressedinlayers.
Ifwemoistenthepaperagain,thefibersbegintoswell,andeachfiberpushesthefibernexttoitalittletotheside.Thefibernexttothatone—alsobusyspreadingitselfout—nudgesitsneighboringfiber.Sinceallofthefibersaredoingthisatonce,waves,valleys,andhillsarecreated.Furthermore,watergathersinthevalleys,resultinginthefibersthatare
locatedthereswellingevenmore,whichinturnenlargesthevalleys.Achainreactionbegins,andthemoreunevenlythewaterisdistributed,thegreatertheeffectwillbe.
Itsoundsdisastrous,buttherereallyisasolution:stretchingthepaper.Usingthismethodyoucanevenuselighter(andthereforelessexpensive)papersforwatercolorpainting.Thisishowitworks:Sinceeveryfiberexpandswhenitismoistenedandcontractsagainwhiledrying,weensurethatallofthefibersinthepaperareevenlywetted.Todoso,wefirstimmerseitincoldwaterforafewminutes.Alarge,flatplasticbasinfromaphotographystoreisbestsuitedforthis,butabathtubwilldo,too.Thismakesallofthefibersabsorbwaterandexpandevenly.
Oncethepaperhassoakedforaboutaminute,layitonawoodenboardandattachitwithgummedtapeorartist’stapeatitsedges.
Now,whenthepaperdriesandcontractsagain,thefiberswillbeheldtautbythetape,justliketheskinonadrum.Whenitismoistenedagainduringpainting,itnolongerhasthecapacitytoexpandandproducecockles.Professionalsalwaysstretchtheirpapers.Allthatyouneedareaboardmadeofplywood(suchasbirchplywoodfromahardwarestore),aclothorpapertowels,gummedtapeorartist’stape,afewtacks,andsinglesheetsofpaperinanyweight.
Tip:Ialwaysstretchafewsheetsofpaperinadvanceonboardsandletthemdryovernight.Then,Ihavemypaperreadywhenit’sneeded.
Here’showtostretchpaper:
1.Immerseyourpapercompletelyincoldwaterforapproximatelyoneminute.
2.Now,removeitquicklyandletitdripbriefly(donottaketoomuchtime;it’sallamatterof
speed).
3.Laythepaperonawoodenboardandstretchitsmoothwithbothhands.Dabatitbriefly
withaclothorapapertowel.
4.Affixthepapertotheboardalongallfoursideswithmoistenedgummedtapeandattachthe
cornerswiththetacks.
THECONTENTSOFMYBAG
Artsupplystorescanbequiteawe-inspiring.Materialstoweronyardsandyardsofshelves,andsuggestthatyouneedahugeamountofbasicequipment.Butwhatisreallynecessary?Whatpaintingutensilsarewespendingmoneyonneedlessly?Ibroughtsomethingsalongtohelpyoudecidewhatyouneed.
Tip:Afoldingchairmaybequitecomfortabletositin,butyoustillhavetolugitaroundwithyou.Asmallmatiseasiertocarry.
Sincewatercoloristheclassicpleinairtechnique,inmyopinion,allweneedforpaintingiswhatwecarryinourbagswhiletraveling.Whenwetravel,wetakenecessities—andnothingmore.Afterall,wedon’twanttheweightofourbagtodictatehowmuchtimewecanspendseekingoutasubject.Ideally,yourbagcontainsonlywhat’sabsolutelynecessaryforpainting.
Applythisideatoyourstudio,andyou’llseethatyouusuallydonotneedmuchmoretopaint.Perhapsathomeyou’lladdapencilorbrush,maybeahairdryer,orthingslikeadhesivetapeorfrisket,andmaybeathomeyou’llhaveafewmorepaintsorpapersathand.Althoughitis,ofcourse,amatteroftaste,basicallythecontentsofourbagsshowwhatisreallyneededandmostusefulinpractice.
So,let’stakealookinsidemyshoulderbag.
Tip:Nottransferabletothestudio,butalsousefulintransit:sunscreen,
asmallfoldableumbrella,andbugspray.
OUT&ABOUT
BADWEATHER
PaintingOutdoors
Sometimespeoplesay,“There’snosuchthingasbadweather,justbadclothing,”whentheyactuallymeanyoushouldstopwhiningandthatit’syourownfaultfornotwearingasnowsuitfortheSundaystrollinthepark.
Sketchfromskiingvacationpaintedusinggentianschnapps.
Nonsense!IfyoulookoutthewindowonanaverageNovemberday,youwillprobablyfeelasthoughtheweatheris,indeed,bad—sometimesevenverybad.Sincewatercolorisexcellentlysuitedforoutdoorpainting,itisexpedienttosayafewwordsaboutpaintinginbadweatherhere.
Thesayingaboverightlypointsoutthatyoucanprotectyourselfwithsuitableapparel.Itgoeswithoutsayingthatraingearandwarmclothingarehelpful.Inthewinteryouneedgloves(withthefingertipscutoff)andahattomakeworkingoutdoorsbearable.Itisjustasimportant,ofcourse,toprotectyourmaterialsandpicture.Onlyyourtechniqueshouldinvolvewetness.Nothingismoreuselessthanpaperthathasbeenrainedon(althoughraindoescreatealovelyatmosphereasasubject).Itisthereforeessentialtoalwaystakeanumbrellaalong.
Butthingsreallygetproblematicwhenitistrulycold.
Snowylandscapesarefantasticsubjects,butwaterfreezesat32degreesFahrenheit.Fromonemomenttothenext,thethinlayersoftheglazeinparticularfreezeintosheetsoficethatglobupthe
paper.Inaddition,yourpaintclumpsrightonthebrush,renderingituseless.
Inshort:Thereissuchathingasbadweather,especiallywhenitcomestowatercolors,becauseyoucannotworkoutdoorswhenthetemperaturedropsbelowfreezing.
Thesolutiontothissoundsabitoff-the-wallbutisquitesimple:replacethewaterwithalcohol.
Alcoholhasalowerfreezingtemperaturethanwater.Clear,transparenthardliquors(suchasvodka,fruitschnapps,orgrainalcohol)onlybegintofreezewhenthetemperaturereacheswellbelowzeroandworkperfectlyforpainting.Youwouldusethesebasicallythesamewayyouusewater,butbesuretoonlyuseclearalcohol(notJägermeisterorsomethingsimilar,ofcourse)andwashoutyourbrushesthoroughlywithwaterwhenyougethome.Aslongasyoudon’ttaketoomanysipsofyour“water,”thismethodcanassureyouasuccessfulwinterpainting.Forthereisonethingwecansayaboutbadweatherwithcertainty:itmaynotfeelverypleasant,butitsurelooksgreat.
THEOTHERVIEWPOINTChangingPerspective
“DoyouseethemoonoverSoho?”“Iseeit,darling.”—MacheathandPollyinThreepennyOpera
Weneverallseethesamething.Wealwaysperceivetheworldfromourownperspective.Twopeoplewalkingdownthesamestreetseeentirelydifferentthings.Whenwetalkaboutamutualexperience,weusuallystressverydifferentaspects.MacheathandPollyarenotseeingthesamemoon.Eachofthemisseeingadifferentone.
Atfirst,thissoundsalienating,butitisalsosomewhatreassuring.Sincetheworldiscolorfulanddiverse,ourpersonalperspectiveisasjustifiedasthatofthosearoundus.Itisthereforecompletenonsensetoaskourselveswhetherourpicturesrepresentasubjectrealisticallyornot.Thereisnoobjectiveviewpointinpainting;picturescandonomorethanportrayone’sownwayofseeing.
So,don’tdriveyourselfcrazy.It’syourpicture,andallthatisimportantisdevelopingyourownvision.Itonlyneedstopleaseyou;pleasingeveryoneisn’tpossible,anyway.
PAINTINGWATER
Theinterestingthingaboutwateristhatitunitesbothshadowsandlight.
Typically,surfacesaredominatedeitherbylightorshadow.Theonemaydissolveintotheother,butinthecaseofwater,wehavebothphenomenaatthesametime.Lightandshadowsreflectsimultaneouslyrightnexttoeachotheronitssurface.Thismakeswateranexceedinglyattractive,butdifficult,subject.Waterisarestivemirrorthatoureyesaresometimesabletopierce.Itgushes,flows,trickles,drips,sloshes,runs,andbreaksonshores.
Therefore,watercolorisperfectforportrayingwater.Itsspontaneityinparticularcaneasilyrenderthefluidityandconstantmotionofwater.
Themostnoticeablethingaboutwaterisitsreflectivenature.Itisthereforerelativelysimpletoportraywaterbynotpaintingthewateritself,buttheelementsweseeinit.Waterisespeciallyconvincingifthesereflectionsarenotdirectcopiesoftheobjectsthemselves.
Forexample,paintastickstraightuntilitmeetsthewater,andthenbreakitsreflectionintocurvesthatfollowthemotionofthewater.Thefurtheritsreflectionglidesacrossthewater,themoreitiscontortedbythemotionofthewaves.Ifyoudepictreflectionsinwaterwell,you’realreadyhalfwaytodrawingwateritselfwell.
Theeasiestwaytopaintwateristopaintwhatisreflectedinit.
Anothernoticeablethingisthatwateressentiallyhasnocolor.Thinkofaglassofwater.Itsonlycolorcomesfromimpurities.
Youmightassertthatwaterisblue,butthatisnotalwaystrue.Freshwaterinparticular—riversandlakes,ponds,etc.—isoftendominatedbybrownandgreentones.Thebluethatwesee,intheoceanfor
example,isusuallyjusttheskybeingreflectedonthewater’ssurface.
Therefore,wecanalmostalwayschooseasimilarcolorfortheskyasforthewater.Ifyoucontinuepaintingyourskyfartherdownonthepage,andpaintinlittlereflectionsoftrees,clouds,orwhateveryoulike,you’llhavecreatedthewater.Ifyoureservespotsofthewhitepaperassmallwavesorreflections,theeffectisquiteconvincing.
Makesurethatthebrightreflectionsonthewater’ssurfacecorrespondtothebrightestpartsofthesky.
Imagineacubemadeofmirrorsinthesun.Onesurfaceisturnedtowardthesunandoneisturnedaway.Thesidethatfacesthesunisverylight,andthesidethatfacesawayisdark.Thisisalittlebithowthewavesinwaterappear.It’seasytopaintthisifyoustartwithamediumhue.Asalwayswithwatercolors,donotpaintthelightestareasatall;simplyletthewhiteofthepapertakecareofawave’screst.
Thesecondstepistopaintthevalleys.Essentially,everymountainhasavalley,andthat’sexactlyhowyoupaintthesmallwavesinwater.Thewhitecombsarefollowedbydarkervalleys.
Ifyouincludethereflectionsofriverbankslopes,trees,buildings,orsimilar,you’llgetaprettydecentdepictionofwater.
Lookatitthisway:Thenicethingaboutwatercolorpaintisthatitsstructureissimilartowater’s.Theglazedlayersmakeitastransparentastheactualelement.Skillfullypositioningwashedareasandglazeddepthsallowsyoutorenderwaterinnexttonotime.Ifallelsefails,youcanalwaysincludesomethingswimminginthewater.Addaduckoraboatandyourwaterwillberecognizablenomatterwhat.
Tip:Skyandwateroftenarealmostthesamecolor,becausetheformerisreflectedinthelatter.
AIR,FOG,SMOKE
Asstrangeasitmaysound,oneofthemostmarvelouspaintingsubjectsisinvisible.
Eventhoughweusuallycannotseeitinreallife,airsimplylooksgreatinapicture.Everythingthatmakeslandscapesandspacesmagical,thefogthatlaysitselfovertheland,aveilofclouds,awispofsmoke,ahaze,everythingwedescribeasatmosphere,isair.Airismatter.Whenitisfilledwithclouds,smoke,ormist,itisjusthighlyvisibleair.
Inthesixteenthcentury,itissaid,theEnglishseafarerSirWalterRaleighwageredwithQueenElizabethIthathecouldweighthesmokeofacigar.Ofcourse,thebetswerelaidhigh.Weighthesmokeofacigar?Impossible!Raleighsmiled,twirledthecigarbetweenhisfingersandlaiditonthescale.Hewrotedowntheweightinhisnotebookandlitthecigar.Whenhefinishedsmokingit,heweighedtheashesandcalculatedthedifference.Thedifference,hedeclared,wastheweightofthesmoke.Hewasnotincorrect.
Ifwewereabletoputairaloneonascale,wewouldascertainthat61,024cubicinchesofairweighsabout2.8pounds.Inpictures,thedepictionofair—layersofairandhaze—isinvaluable,sincewhatwecallatmospherecreatesatmosphere.Airtransportsmoods.Fog,smoke,haze,orblurshavenarrativeforce.So,howdowedepictair?
Thetermatmosphericpaintingdidn’tcomeoutoftheblue;airhasahugeimpactonourpictures.Especiallywhenjoinedbyhaze,fog,ordust,theeffectisverynoticeable:Thethickerthelayersofair,thepalerthesubjectbehindit.Thesubjectlosescontoursandintensity,andtheoriginalluminosityofthecolorsdisappears.
SMOGANDATMOSPHERE
Mostdrawingandpaintingmediumsmakeitdifficulttocapturethemisty,ghostlyphenomenaofair.Bycontrast,watercolorpaintisadvantageouswhencreatingtheillusionofairinapainting,becauseitworksthesamewayairdoes.Botharetransparentmatterinwhichparticlesfloat,suchassmokeorfog(inthecaseofair)orcolors(inthecaseofwater).Depictingatmosphericsituationsisthereforesimple,astheyaresosimilartothephysicalnatureofourpaint.Inaddition,paintinwaterbehavessimilarlytohaze,smoke,orcloudsintheair:itfloatsinthewetareasandliesonthepaperincloudytransitions.Atthesametime,dilutedpaintisnearlyastransparentascloudsorair.
Soinordertodepicthaze,weneedtodonothingmorethanapplyareasofclearwaterandallowminimalpainttogentlyfloatintoit.
Webeginbyletting“air”intothearea,orwettingit.Thesecondstepistocarefullyaddthepaintandallowittowaftlikesmokeorfogintothewetterareas.Dependingonthedirectionourpicturetakes,ourdepictionbecomesmoretangiblestepbystep.
Amongotherthings,itisadvisabletoselectindividualelementsofapicturetoblurintothehaze,andtofindmorehardedgesintheforeground.
Weachievethisbylettingourfirst“layeroffog”drycompletelyafterwepaintitandthenplacingmoreconcreteshapesintheforegroundinthesecondlayer.Ifyouwishtodepictbrightcloudsorsmokeplumes,besuretomaketheiroutlinesabitmoresolid.
Itisfareasiertopaintairthanyouprobablyimagined.Nomatterhowparadoxicalitsounds,airisbestdepictedwithwater.
SteelworksintheUSA,withtheleftversionshowingwet-on-wettechniquesincorporating
atmosphere,haze,andsmoke.
WHATISBEAUTYANYWAY?
Whethersomethingisbeautifulornotisuptoyoualonetodecide.Often,watercolorpaintersareexpectedtopaintoldfarmsinProvence,sailboatsinMediterraneanports,orwindmillsinHolland.Ofcoursetheseareallbeautifulsubjects.Butintheend,itmakeslittlesensetoalwayspaintwhatothersexpectyouto.Inreality,Provencewascertainlymoreidyllicinthesixtieswhenacupofcappuccinodidn’tcost$8.50andthereweren’ttorrentsofcarslaboringtheirwaythroughperfectlyrestoredoldtowns.So,whyshouldwekeeppaintingthingsoverandoveragainjustbecausepeopleoncethoughttheywerebeautiful?
Myadviceistolookforyourownsubjects.
Ifyouplantopaintsomething,youshouldpaintitforitselfandnotfortheexpectationsofpastgenerations.Seeninthelightofday,ahouseinProvencemaymeanverylittletoyoupersonally.Itmaylookpretty,butisitjustasimportantasyourfirstlove’shouseorthehouseyougrewupin?
Ontheotherhand,weperhapsthinkthesupermarketaroundthecornerisaboringsubject—butisitreally?Youmayfindsomethinginterestingifyoulook.Plus,wespendagreatdealofourlivesthere—farmorethaninanovercrowdedtouristdestination.Isitthereforeapoorsubjectsimplybecausenooneeverthoughtofpaintingit?
Intwentyyears,Ibetyouwillderivefarmorepleasurefromthepaintingofthesupermarket.“Thosewerethedays”willprobablynotbeyourfirstwordswhenreviewingyourProvencepicture.Probablymorelike,“Wherewasthatagain?”
Inshort,paintwhat’saroundyou—thingsthatyoucaneasilyreference.Artistsoughttobeauthenticandtellsomethingabouttheirworld.It
makesnodifferenceifit’saprefabblockofapartmentsinRomaniaorasupermarketinupstateNewYork.What’simportantisthatyoupaintpicturesandnotreproductions.
TIPS&TRICKS
COMPOSITIONANDDESIGN
Topaintonebigpicturesuccessfully,youneedtopracticeonmanylittlepictures.
Inotherwords,designingapicturefirstisamust.Whetheranimageisgoodorbadnotonlydependsuponthesubject,butequallyreliesonhowtheindividualelementsarecomposed.
Whetherasubjectiscloseorfaraway,whetheramountainrangegrazestheedgeofthepainting,whetherabuildingintheforegroundisontherightorleftisbynomeansincidental.Compositioniselementary,andyoushouldneverleaveittochance.
Inmanyways,pictureslivethroughtheirindividualparts.Everyline,everyarea,andeverycolorinapaintinginfluencesitsvisualbalance.Everyelementthatyouaddtoyoursubjecttransformsthepicture.Witheveryadditionaldesignelement,wealteritsinnertension.Thismakesdesignanimmenselyimportanttopic.
Tip:Useminiaturesketches,orthumbnails,toputyourcompositionstothetest.
Howdowebegin?
Thisisamatterofdevelopingafeelingfordesignandcomposition.Ifyoulearnsolutionsbyheart,theywillonlyhelpyoutosolvethesameproblemsoverandover.
Trainyoureyesinstead;onceyoucanrelyonyourfeeling,youwillbeabletoencounternewdesignproblemswithoutreproducingthesameoldthing.So,leavethedrydocksandlearnfromyourexperiments.
Startsmall.
Compositionandpicturedesigncanbeplannedinadvanceusingthumbnails.
Thumbnailsareminiatureviewsthatenableustorunthroughvariouscombinationsquicklyinreducedsize.Whetherasubjectshouldstandontherightorleftcanberesolvedeasilythisway.Therefore,beforebeginningyourpainting,makeaseriesoflittlesketches(perhapson
theedgeofthepictureoronapageofyoursketchbook)inwhichyourunthroughthevariouspossibilities.Thecompositionisvisibleeveninthesesmallversions,andyou’llsavetimeandeffort.
You’llsee.Thisway,importantpicturecompositionissuescanbeclarifiedinadvancewithoutwastingtime,paper,andnerves.
Bytheway,weartistsoftenpretendtobeomniscient.
Somesay,“Artissynonymouswithskill.”Isay,freeyourselffromthat!Inreality,skillcomesfromdoing,anddoingcomesfromtrying.Goodcompositioncannotbememorized.Trydifferentthingsoutasoftenasyoucan—yourpictureswillbenefitfromit!
Tip:Thedistancetoyoursubjecthasconsiderableinfluenceonthecompositionofyourpictures.So,takealessonfromfilmmakingandworkwith“shots.”
HerearefourshotsusingtheexampleofmytomcatJuri:
Panorama:Juriisfaraway.Hedisappearsasapointinthelandscape.
Longshot:Juriinhismilieu.
Kneeshot/shortfocus:Jurifillsuptheframe,perhapswithtruncatedupperbody.
Close–up:Juriisextremelyclose,hisfacefillstheframe,andyourecognizeeverydetail.
SMUDGESANDSPOTS
Splotches,drops,andpaintsplatters—thingsthatcanusuallyruinpictures—canhaveanastonishinglygreateffectonwatercolorpictures.Onesplashorsprayintherightplacewillgiveyourpictureaboost.
Thedifficultywithmakingsplotchesisnotsomuchthesplotchingitself(weusuallylearnthatbeforepainting),butworkingconfidently.Wearealreadyfamiliarwiththisfromwatercolors:itisahard-to-graspblendofcontrolandlettinggo.
Ofcourse,youcanaddthesplotchesseparatelyinPhotoshop,buttoinsertthesplotchesskillfullyyourself,you’llhavetorelyonabagoftricks.
Firstofall,onceadropdripsitdoesn’thavetostaythewayitis.Forexample,ifwewanttoinfluencethedirectionitflows,wecancontrolthisverywellbyblowinggentlyatitthroughastraw.
Butitgetsevenmoreinterestingifweusesplotchesandsplatterstoimitatetextures.Sometexturesareverydifficultandtime-consumingtoimitateusingwatercolorpaintinthetraditionalway.I’mthinkingofcoarsetextures,forexample,likestonesanddust,orvegetation,butalsofinesurfacessuchasskin.Inthesecases,asprayedpatterncanbeveryhelpful.
Ifwetapthebrushagainstourfingers,thepaintspraysinroughsplattersonthepaper,creatingtexturessimilartothoseseeninvegetation.(Manypaintersdepictshrubberythisway.)Ifyouwanttoachievesmallerandfinertextures,useatoothbrushforsplattering.Atoothbrushisindispensableformimickingalmosteverythingfromsandtofreckleswithsplattering.
Tip:Youcan,bytheway,controlthedirectionofadrop’sflowsuperblybyblowinggentlythroughastraw.
Finerdropsandpatternscanbesplatteredusingatoothbrush.
Itcanbetrickytoprotectcertainareaswhereyouarecreatingtextureswithsplattering.IusestencilsthatImakemyselffromthickerpaper.Stencilsthatareperfectlycutlookveryunnatural,though,sotrytearingyourstencilsinsteadofcuttingthem.
Noonehasfrecklesthatstopasifcutoutwithscissors.(Ifyoureallywanttoreserveanareawithdistinctedges,likeeyes,youcanusemaskingtape.)
Nomatterhowyougetyoursplotchesundercontrol,whenmanipulatedskillfully,spotsandsplattersarenotdetrimental.Instead,theyarepreciselythatbitoftamedcoincidencethatmakeswatercolorssoterrific.
Tip:Stampsorprints(usingleaves,fabric,sponges)arealsoperfectforimitatingsurfacesandtextures(forexample,treesorshrubs)orjusttopepupyourpictures.
PAINTINGWHAT’SNOTTHERENegativeSpace
Somethingsaresoobviousthatwenevernoticethem.Yetalotdependsonwhatwemiss.
I’mtalkingaboutnegativespace.
Inapicture,notonlythepartsthatwepaintaresignificant.Thepartsthatwedonotpaintarealsoexceedinglyimportant.
Whitehasaneffect,andnegativespaceisadesignelement.Inreality,itisasignificantpartofyourpainting.
However,itisimportantthatthenegativespacedoesnotjust“happen.”Youhavetoconsciouslycomposeit.So,whilepainting,payattentiontowhatisthereandwhatisn’t.Thesuccessofapictureoracompositionisequallydependentonboth.
Tip:Tocomposethenegativespace,youfirsthavetoseethepositive.Simplifyyoursubject.Inyourmind,reduceittoaflatsurfaceorshape;therestwillhappenonitsown.
Wedonotjustseesubjectsastheyare.Thenegativespacethatresultsfromthemisalsoapartofourassessmentwithoutconsciously
realizingit.
Trytoalwayspictureboththeformofyoursubjectandtheshapesofitsnegativespaces.
You’resurelyfamiliarwithopticalillusions;forexample,ifyoulooklongenough,agobletbecomestwofaces.Trytothinkthiswaywhilepainting.Putalittledistancebetweenyourselfandyoursubject,andcheckwhetherthenegativeshapesarealsocompositionallyappealing.Reduceyoursubjectstoflatforms,andthenseewhatthenegativeshapeslooklike.You’llbesurprisedathowmuchyourpaintingsbenefitfromthis.
Tip:Theseprinciplesofwhitespacealsoapplyquitewelltootherareasofdesign.Thenegativeshapeofafont,alogo,oranotherdesignelementisalsosignificant.Here,too,whatweseeisnotallthatdecides“good”and“bad”;theresultingnegativeshapesalsocontributetoit.
WHITEASpecialCase
Aswhiteassnow,whitelikethelight,whiteaspaper.Withwatercolor,innocentwhiteisafartrickiermatterthanyoumightthink.
Theproblemliesinthenatureoftheglaze:everylayerweapplydarkensthepicture.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatcolorwelayernext;evenlightcolorsmakethepicturealittledarkerwitheverylayer,andeverystepwetaketakesusalittlefartherawayfromthelight.
Unlikeallotherpaintingtechniques,watercolorisaone-waystreet.Thetransparencyofthepaintmakesitpracticallyimpossibletoapplyalighterhueontopofadarkerhue.Appliedpaintcanonlyberetouchedwithdifficulty,andonceatoneisdarkeneditcanneverbemadelightagain.Withopaquemediumslikeoilsoracrylics,wesimplyuseatubeofwhitepaint,butwithwatercolors,wearesomewhathelpless.Whitewatercolorpaintstraightfromthepalettejustlooksdirtyandunnatural.Thatiswhytheruleforwatercolorsisthis:whiteisnotpainted.Instead,whiteisomitted,or“reserved.”Thisisalsooneofthereasonsthatwatercolorisnotaneasytechnique:wecannotmakecorrections.Thewhiteinourpicturesisthepaper,andthisforcesustoknowbeforehandexactlywhereinthepicturewewantittoshinethrough.
Inwatercolorpainting,thewhiteinthepictureforcesustoplanahead.
So,howdowegoaboutit?Simplypaintarounditandreservethelightestshade?
Inpractice,thisisanythingbutsimple,becauseoftenthelightestpartsofthepictureareonlyverytinythings,likethelightreflectedinaglass,thewhiteofaneye,orastrandofhair.
Tip:Maskingfluidhastheunpleasantattributeofclumpingupyourbrush.Therefore,neveruseexpensivewatercolorbrushestoapplyit.Instead,uselessexpensivemodels,suchascraftbrushes.Itisalsohelpfultodipthebrushbrieflyinsoapywaterbeforepaintingwithfrisket.
Obviously,insuchcaseswecan’tconstantlybe“hoveringaround”theseareas,especiallynotiftheyareincorporatedintolargerareasofcolor.
Forthesefinickycases,masks,orresists,areasolution.Thesimplestmaskcanbemade,forexample,frommaskingtape.Papermaskscanalsobeused,butthesearedifficulttoadheretothepaper.
Anothertrickistopre-drawthewhitepartsofthepicturewithwaxcrayonsorcandles.Thewatercolorswillnotadheretothepre-treatedplaces,andthesethenremainwhite.However,thismethodisnotveryprecise,andthewaxcannotberemoved.
Whenworkingwithwatercolors,frisket,ormaskingfluid,isthebestmaterialformasking.
Frisketisawater-solublelatexfilmappliedtoareasyouwanttoprotectfrompaint.Itisappliedinliquidformandthenallowedtodry.Once
thefilmisdry,youcanpaintoverit.Theplaceswherethefrisketadheresremainunpainted.Later,youcansimplyrubthelatexlayeroffwithyourfingerorarubbereraser.Fortunately,themaskingfilmcanberemovedwithnoresidue,andyoucanpaintagainoverareasthathadbeenmaskedlater.
STUDIES,SKETCHES,ANDDRAFTS
Watercolorisatransparenttechnique.
Thelayersofpaintdonothideoneanother,andtheirtransparencyalwaysensuresthatunderlyinglayersremainvisible.Thisistruenotonlyforthepaintbut,inparticular,forsketchesandstudies.
Thisisreasonenoughtotakeacloserlookatsketchesandwatercolors.
Youcanmakeapreliminarysketchusingalmostanything,ofcourse.Themostobviouswayistousewatercolorsthemselvesforthesketch.Forthis,weusethedilutedpaintofalighthue—saybeigeoryellow—toputdownarapidsketchonthepaperandlaterpaintthepictureoverit.Doingsowillcausesomeoftheinitialsketchtodissolveintothepaint,creatingacertainlightness.
Usingapencilforapreliminarysketchcreatesaslightlymorevisibleimage.However,penciltendstobecomeaffixedbywatercolorpaint.Evenathinlayerofpaintmeansthatwecannolongererasethepencillinesunderneath.Therearewater-solublecoloredpencilsthatblurordisappearwhentheycomeintocontactwithwater.Butinmostcases,thelineremainsandformsthescaffoldingofourpicture.
Besidesusingpencil,youcansketchusinganynumberofpermanentpens.Ipersonallyprefertoworkwithpermanentfine-pointpens,likeKoh-I-Noor,Copic,Sakura,orsimilar.
Agoodmethodfortransferringapreliminarysketchtowatercolorpaperistousealighttable.
Forthisyoumakearoughdrawingonathinsheetofpaperandthensimplytraceitonyourwatercolorpaperonthelighttable.Ifyoudon’thavealightorlayouttable,youcanjustuseawindowthatdaylightshinesthrough.It’sagoodideatotapethetwosheetsofpapertogethersotheydon’tsliparound.
Unfortunately,eventhestrongestlighttablewillnotshinethroughapadorblockwithacardboardbackingorapaperstretchedonaboard.Inthesecases,you’llhavetofindanothersolution.
TryworkingwithSaralpaper.Thisisakindofcarbonpaperfortracingdrawings,which,unlikerealcarbonpaper,isavailableinvariouscolors.Thetracedlinescanbeerasedaway.
Butyoucanalsomakeyourowntransferpaper.
First,weblackentherearsideofthesketchwithasoftpencil(3Borsofter).Whenwelaythissketchonourwatercolorpaperanddrawoveritwithaharderpencil,thelinesaretransferredthroughtotheunderlyingsurface.Anexactpenciledcopyofoursketchappearsonthewatercolorpaper.
Themainadvantageoftracing,inmyopinion,isthatitmakesusfeelmorerelaxedaboutourpictures,andyoudon’triskdamagingthewatercolorifyouneedtoeraseyourdrawing.Often,theattitude“Ifitdoesn’tworkout,I’lljusttryitagain”willleadtoyounothavingtotryitagainatall.Itsoundsodd,butsimplyhavingtheoptiontoredoapicturelowerstheprobabilityofactuallyhavingtoredoit.
Tracinginthreesteps:
1.Sketchbook
2.Copyortracingpaper
3.Watercolorpaper
UNDO
Ahardbrushwithpigbristlesisalsosuitableforfirmremoval.
However,atleastafainttraceofcolorwillusuallystillbevisibleonthepaper,sowashingoutthepaintisnotalwayshelpful.
Anothermethodistoremovethepaintnotwithwaterbutwithadrytechnique.Forinstance,youcanusearazorbladeorsomesandpapertoscratchofflayersofpaint.Thisworksparticularlywellonsmooth,hardwatercolorboard,butonlyonsmallareas.Ahardrubbererasermayremovepigmentsthathavesoakeddeepintothepaper,butthesecanbeverytoughonpaper.Erasewithcaution.
However,somecolors(manyredandgreenshades,inparticular)permeatedeepintothesurfaceofthepaperandaredifficulttoremove.So,donotexpectperfectlycleanresults.
Inpractice,acombinationofwetanddryremovaltechniqueshaveprovensuccessful.However,ifyoutrytoremovepaintwithwaterfirst,makesurethepaperdriescompletelybeforeattemptingadryremoval,becauseitmaytear.
Ofcourse,thebestthingtodoisstandbyyourmistakes.
Watercolorpaintscanprovestubbornwhenyouwanttoremovethem.
Somehuescanbewashedoutwithoutresidues.Forthecleanestremoval,moistenthepaint
brieflyanduseaspongeorsyntheticbrushtoremoveitafterafewseconds.
Somehuesleaveashadowbecausethepigmentshavepenetrateddeepintothepaper.Inthis
case,ahardrubbererasermayhelp,butonlyongoodqualitypaper.Left,top:Paintsthathave
beenwashedoff.Left,bottom:Afterusinganeraser,inadditiontowashingout.
Youcanalsoremovewatercolorpaintswithaknife,razorblade,orsandpaper.Thesematerials
arealsousefulincreatingeffects,forexampleimitatingthinbladesofgrassonameadow,
fluffyclouds,orreflectionsinwater.
MERGINGCOLORSWorkingfromOneColor
Thereisagrayveiloverthecity/Thatmymotherhasn’twashedoffyet.—DieFehlfarben,1980
Don’tyouagreethatonaJunedayat7:52p.m.,theworldisatitsloveliest?Whenthesunislowintheskyandimmerseseverythinginayellowglow?Orwhenthefogcomesinfromtheharborandlaysamilkyhueoverthehorizon?
Whatabouttwilight—whenthestarsappearintheeveningskyandthenightsteepsinallblueandviolet?
Acommonmoodinthelightingisnotjustlovelytolookat;itisalsoincrediblyimportantinpainting,asitunifiescolors.
Onewaytocreateaharmonious,cohesivecolorschemeistomergethecolors.Thismeanscreatingtheillusionthatyourentirepictureisimmersedinonesinglekindoflight.
Thisworksbestbyfirstpaintingasinglecolorovertheentiresurfaceofthepaperbeforepaintingthedetails.Thisestablishesatone,abasicmood,overwhichyouwillpaintyourpicture.Awet-on-wettechniqueworksbesthere.Sincelayersofwatercolorpaintblendwithsubsequentlayers,thisoneinitialtonewillbepresentintherestofyourpicture;allofthelayersofcoloryoulateraddwillblendwiththisinitialsinglecolor,andwillthereforebeharmonious.Theunderlyingtonewilldrawthecolorsappliedoverittogether.
Youcanalsodoittheotherwayaround,andlayasinglelayerofcoloroveryourfinishedpicture.Thissubduescolorsthatwerelesssuccessfulandalsodrawsothertonestogether.Grays,forexample,likePayne’sgray,appliedquicklywithalargebrushworkwellwiththis
approach.However,there’sariskthatthenewlayerwillrewetandblurallofyourunderlyingwork.
Therefore,mypreferredapproachistobeginwiththeunifyinglayerofcolorbeforeworkingonthedetails.
Theunifyinglayerwaspaintedfirst.
Whenmergingcolors,youcanalsostartbybuildingwet-on-wetgradationsintoyourpicture.Youcancreateshimmersoflightorshadowsinthefirstunifyinglayer,creatingagraphicelementuponwhichthepicturecanbuild.Forinstance,adarkspotaddedtothepaperduringapainting’sinitialstagescanevolveintotheshadowsofaroomorthecenterofaflower.
Thesetechniquescausetremendouseffectsandestablishageneraltoneandmoodforasketchrightfromthestart.
Theunifyinglayerwasaddedlater.
WORKINGWITHCOLOREDPAPER
Anothergreattrickformergingcolorsistochooseyourpaperaccordingly.Trypaintingoncoloredpaperratherthanwhitepaper.
Itiseveneasiertoproducepleasantcolorharmoniesoncoloredsupportsthanitisonwhitewatercolorsheets.Justasaninitialwashofpaintunifiescolors,coloredpaperprovidesabasic,cohesivemoodortonethatvisuallyguidesallofthelayersofpaintonitinonedirection.Basictonedpaperscreatelightsituationsbythemselves.
Tip:Oncoloredpaper,youcanevenuseopaquewhitewatercolorpaint,whichappearsmuchmorepureandpristinethanitdoeswhenpaintedontopofwhitepaper.
Yellow,gray,orbrownpapersworkbest.Recycledpapercanalsobeveryeffective.Oldenvelopes,bookpages,wallpaper,gift-wrappingpaper,andoldkraftpaperareexcellentoptions.
Actually,allthatmattersisthatthecolorofthepaperhasenoughintensitytounifythecolorsyoupaintwith,butnotsomuchintensitythatitswallowsupyourwatercolorglaze.Itsoundssimple,butcoloredpapercreatesabasicframeworkthatfacilitatesworkingwithcolors,sinceitlendsyourpictureanatural,unifyingcolor.
Tip:Coloredpaperisverygoodforcollagesbecausethecontrasttothenewbackgroundproducesaconvincingplasticity.
SPECIALEFFECTS
Thereareanumberofadditivesandtricksthataltertheeffectofwatercolors.Oxgallisverycommon,andsomemanufacturersaddittotheirpaintsetsasastandardfeature.Oxgallismadefromthegallbladderofcattle(don’tlickthebrush,ittastesnasty!)andischieflyusedtoimproveflow,delaydrying,andtoremoveoil,perhapsintroducedbyfingerprints,fromthepaper.
Tobehonest,Idon’tthinkoxgallisveryessentialinpractice.Unlessyouhaveplentyofspaceinyourpaintbox,youcandowithoutit,asfarasI’mconcerned.
Thereareoneortwothingsthatarenotinyourboxthatcaninfluenceyourpaintingfarmore.Ifyouwanttocreatesplotchesandspatters,forexample,youcansprinklesaltorsaliva(really!)onyourpainting.Youcanalsoscrapetheleadoffofwatercolorpencilsandsprinkletheshavingsintothestill-wetpainttoachievegreattextures.Thistechniquecreatesparticularlyinterestingeffectsandreallyturnsupthecolorinapainting.
Naturally,trickslikethesealonedon’tmakeagreatpainting,buttheyarefantasticwaystoenhanceapicture.Inawintersky,salivacanlooklikesnow,andshavingsfromwatercolorpencilslooklikeorganictexturessuchasplantsorrocks.Usedskillfully,thesetricksareinvaluable.
LETTERINGANDWRITING
Picturesandcharacterswereessentialforhumandevelopment.Theycouldbeusedtoconveyideaswithoutspeakingdirectlyfrompersontoperson,soinformationcouldbestoredandtransported—timeandspacewerenolongerobstacles.
Withoutpicturesandwrittencharacters,wewouldprobablystillbefollowingherdsofreindeeraround.Everythingthathasbeendevelopedinthemodernworld,frombookprintingtotheinventionofthetoaster,couldonlyfollowbecauseweenabledourselvestopreserveandpassonknowledgetoothers.
Aboutfivethousandyearsago,theSumeriansinthecityofUruk(modern-dayIraq)madeahugequantumleaptowardrefininginformationbymovingfrompictogramstocuneiform,anearlyformofwriting.Asweshouldknow,picturesandwritingarecloselyrelated.
Allwrittencharactersbeganaspictograms,ordrawingsthatembodiedtheirmeaning.TheEgyptianhieroglyphicswerepictograms,althoughtheywerealsoassociatedwithconsonants.Insometypesofwriting,theoriginalpictogramscanstillberecognized.Forexample,theoldformoftheChinesecharacterfor“person”actuallylooksabitlikeastickfigure,andthecharacterfor“moon”reallydoesresembleawaxingmoon.
Overthemillennia,however,theoriginalpictogramsgraduallylosttheirform,becameboundtophonemesandsyllables,andwereabstractedtobecomewhatwerecognizeaslettersandcharacters.
Writingisnotonlyinformative,however.Italsohasitsownintrinsicbeauty.
Justaswecanusepensandpencilstobothwriteanddraw,abrushdoesn’tonlyhavetobeusedforpainting;wecanalsowritewithit.
Brushletteringisagoodwaytoreunitethelong-lostsiblingsofwritinganddrawing.Ifwesupplementpictureswithhandwritingorpaintcalligraphicwatercolors,weare,inaway,goingbacktoonesinglepiece;wegetnearertotheimageandmoveawayfromtheabstractionofwriting.Inaddition,withourhandwritingwebuildabridgethatlinkswritingtosomethingpersonal.
So,useyourwatercolorsetforwriting,too.You’llseethathandwritinglooksgreatandnotonlythat:writingexpressesyoupersonally.Itisashortpathwayfromyourmindtoyourhand,yourthoughtscoupledwithyourpersonalstyle,whichisgoodforfarmorethanjustasignatureatthebottomedgeofapainting.
Tip:Ifyouhaveeverattemptedtouseletterstampswithwatercolorpaint,you’llhavenoticedthatthepaintdoesnotadhereverywelltoregularstamps.Analternativeiscreatingthegoodoldpotatostamp.Watercolorpaintsadherewelltothestarchinthepotato,makingstampingfeasiblefortypographicalwatercolorexperiments.
LAYOUTS,SCRIBBLES,ANDSTORYBOARDS
Wedonotencountermanyhand-drawntechniquesinapplieddesigntoday,andthereisasimplereasonforthat:therevisions.
Layoutsandstoryboardsarealteredmuchmorethanyou’dimagine.Everyoh-so-minoradvertisement,illustration,animation,andfilmgoesthroughametamorphosisuntilitisconsideredpresentable.
Inthecourseoftherevisions,thewomanintheforegroundofacommercial,forexample,maybereplacedbyaman,whointhenextphaseisreplacedbyacar,whichisreplacedbyaboy,which,inthenextmeeting,mutatesbacktoawoman(whoisalsogivenadifferent-coloreddressinthefinalversion).
It’snotsomuchamatterofchangingaestheticsherebutmerelyhavingtheabilitytorevise.It’sobviousthatdigitaltechniquesaremoresuitedforthisthananyanalogones.
Still,itdependsonwhatphaseofaprojectwe’retalkingabout.Inthefieldorduringameetingorpresentation,thescalestipveryquicklyinfavoroftraditional,hand-drawntechniques.Toexplainsomethingquickly,to“throwanideaoutthere,”sketchingissimplyunbeatable.Watercolorsarealsoaverygoodoptionforthis.Youdon’tneedtolugaroundanassortmentofdifferent-coloredpenswithyou,asyouwouldwithmarkers.Instead,yousimplywhipoutyourminiaturepaintsetandlendcolortoyourideas.Inpresentationsandduringmeetingsinparticular,alittlescribblecanunderscorewhat’sbeingsaid,therebyachievingafantasticeffect.
Butweallknowthat,intheend,allthatmattersareyourideas.Thevehicleyouusetotransportyourideasshouldbechosenaccordingtothesituation.
Tip:Waterbrushesareparticularlysuitableforworkinginthefield,inmeetings,etc.,toavoidsplotchesandhavingtorunaroundwithglassesofwater.Thesebrushesincludeareservoirofwater,whichflowsunderslightpressure.Waterbrushescanbefoundinwell-stockedartsupplystoresoronline,andtheyareasplendidportableoptiontohaveonhand.
Above,left:Storyboardsandlayoutillustrations.
Above,right:Scribbleillustrationforinternalcommunicationsandclientpresentations.
Client:FactorDesign,Hamburg.
WATERCOLORILLUSTRATIONS
Thereissomethinganarchicaboutwatercolorpaint.Italwaysdoeswhatitwantsandisthereforenotnearlyaspredictableas,say,computer-generatedvectorgraphics.
Watercolorsandrevisions,therefore,donotgotogetherverywell.
Withwatercolors,somethingthat’sbeenpaintedcan’treallybeerased,orworse,paintedover.Althoughwecaninterveneusingimage-processingprogramslikePhotoshop,revisingwatercolorsbyhandismoredifficult.It’snotanewproblem:sincetheirinventionwatercolorshavebeendifficulttoretouch,butthedigitalrevolutionhasincreasedtheeaseofand,consequently,thedemandforrevisionsconsiderably.
Inspiteofthis,watercolorpaintisexcellentlysuitedforillustrationssimplybecausetheuntamablenatureofthepainthassomethingspontaneousandbeautifulaboutit.Thisiswhywatercolorsareindispensabletosomefieldsofillustration—forinstance,intheliterarysphereandinchildren’sbooksinparticular.
So,makecarefulpreliminarysketches.Ifyougiveyourclientscoloredsketchesthatalreadycontainallofthepictorialinformationtheyneed,youcanstillimplementrevisionseasily.
Tip:Giveyourclientsinformativesketcheswhenillustratingwithwatercolors.Possiblerevisionscanthenbeconsideredandimplemented.
WatercolorillustrationforthemagazineMare(Hamburg).
Above:Initialsketch.
Center:Precisedraft,stillusinganentirelydifferentcolorscheme.
Below:Finalartwork,resultofrevisionphases.
HOWMUCHISYOURPICTUREWORTH?
What’sthevalueofyourpainting?$50,$100,$1,000?
Oddly,almostallartistsandgraphicdesignersfindthetopicsomewhatunpleasant.Weavoiditaltogether,quotepricesthataretoohighortoolow,andarehappywhenothers(galleryowners,agents,orfriends)dothepricingforus.
It’snotthatwearebadatbusiness,butalltoooften,weneglecttoseepriceasthematerialequivalentofothers’recognition.Weerroneouslymakethepricetheindicatorofourownartisticquality.
Ifthepriceistoolow,weseeourselvesdisappearingintoirrelevance;ifit’stoohigh,thepressuretoperformsuffocatesus.It’snotthepricewearetalkingabout,butourselves.Strangely,thisiswhatmakesitdifficulttopriceourwork.
Theysaythemarketsetstheprice.Themorepeoplewanttohangthispictureontheirwalls(orinthecaseofusagerights,themorepeoplewanttoreproducethework),thehighertheprice.Therefore,ahighpricemustmeanthatthepictureispleasingtomany.
Itisremarkablethatweallowourvalueasartiststorelysomuchonthisprincipleofmarketvalue,sincethemarketdoesnotnecessarilyhavethemostwell-trainedeye.Marketvaluecanalsomakesomethinginconsequentialexpensive,andviceversa.
Agreatpaintingcanbeworthlessonthemarketbecausenooneacknowledgesit.
Tosumitup,Ipersonallydonotthinkthatpriceandvaluearethesamething.Onthecontrary,trulysignificantthingsareusuallyunmarketable:therearenopricetagsonhappymemories,summerdays,andfirstloves.Similarly,regardlessoftheirprices,paintings,pagesofasketchbook,ornotespossessaspecialvalue.
So,weneedtoturnitaroundandaskthefollowing:Whatisitsvaluetomepersonally?Whatinmylifeprovidesmewithvalue?
Picturescanalmostalwaysbevaluable,butthatdoesnotnecessarilymakethemprofitablemerchandise.
Evenifthevalueisfarmoreimportantthantheprice,artanddesign
are,ofcourse,work.Thus,aworkofartalsoshouldhaveamonetaryvalue.
Butoddlyenough,bothsocietyandartiststendtoleaptothesameextremes:onequicklyunder-oroverestimatesone’spricebecausetherearenouniversalyardsticksforpersonalvalue.
Lowpayisoftenjustifiedwith“itwasfuntodo.”
Isetmypricesasfollows:thedecisivefactoriswhetherIamsellingthepictureoronlysellingtheusagerights.Inthelattercase,retainingaroyaltyseemsthemostpracticalbecausethen,withouthavingtociterealfigures,youretainareasonableshareoftheprofit.
Ifyouwanttosellapainting,thepriceshouldaccountforskill,quality,idea,effort,andsize.Inaddition,trytotakethebuyer’sbudgetintoconsiderationtoacertainextent.
Personally,Idonotthinkthatapaintingshouldbemoreexpensivethanthesofait’shungabove.So,youmaywanttoadaptyourpricetowhetheryourworkwillbehungbehindausedIKEAsofaorbehindanItaliandesignerchaiselounge.
Tip:Don’tforgetthatthepriceisnotthevalueofyourpicture.Thatvaluecannotbemeasured.
EVERYTHINGENDSWhenIsaPictureFinished?
ThequestionofwhenapictureisfinishedneverariseswithaPolaroid.Lookthroughtheviewfinder,click,release,andthepicture’sdone.Iteitherturnsoutwelloritdoesn’t.
Itisquitedifferentwithapainting.Apaintingevolves—fromapreliminarysketch,toanunderpainting,topaint.Weaddanelementandtakeanotheraway.
Apaintingaccompaniesus;weinvesttimeandenergyinitsgrowth.Asitgrows,wegiveitdirection.
Asketchisnotthesamethingasasnapshot.Itisnotfinishedthemomentyoureleasethe
shutter—whileitgrows,wegiveitdirection.
Yet,sincewealoneareabletocontrolit,wearealsotheonlyauthoritythatcandeclareitfinished.
Thisisthedilemma.Wespendsomuchtimewithourpicturethatweoddlyalsolosedistancefromit.
Thequestionofwhenapictureisfinishedis,towit,extremelyimportant.Shouldwechangeanelementoraddanother?Isthisreallytherightform,therightcolor?Yet,ifwejustkeeppaintingandcannotbringittoaclose,weriskdestroyingit.Watercolorpaintinparticularappearsdeadwhenwekeeppilingonelayerontopofanother.Watercolorsthatarere-wettedandpaintedoverbecomedullandlosetheirluminosity.
Thereisamomentineverypicturewhenanyfurtherpaintingdoesnotmakethepicturebetter,butworse.Painterstalkabout“paintingapicturetodeath.”Amajorcomponentofart—especiallyinwatercolorpainting—isrecognizingwhenthisisabouttohappenandputtingdownthebrush.
Onereasonthatweoftenworklongeronapaintingthannecessaryisthatweknowoncewedeclareapicturefinishedwesubjectittoevaluation.Unfinishedpicturescan’tbecriticized.Aslongasthepaintingisaworkinprogress,wearedelayingthatmomentoftruth.Merelyoutoffearofthismoment,wegetstuckinakindofpurgatoryanddabbleawayatourpaintingslongerthanweneedto.
Paradoxically,thisisexactlywhatmakesapictureworse.Ifwehadthecouragetodeclarethatthepaintingiscompleted,wecouldpreventitfrombeingpaintedtodeath.
Whenisyourpicturefinished?Themomentyoufeelthatitcannotgetanybetter,butonlyworse.
AbouttheAuthor
FELIXSCHEINBERGERisanillustrator,artist,anddesigner.Heistheauthorandillustratoroftwootherbooksonwatercolorsandhasillustratedmorethanfiftychildren’sbooksinthelastdecade.HisworkhasappearedinmagazinesincludingHarvardBusinessManagerandPsychologyToday.HelivesinBerlin,Germany.
INDEX
Air,5.1,5.2
Black,1.1,4.1
Blue,itr.1,2.1,2.2
Brushes,4.1,6.1
Brushwork
Colorcodes
Colorgenerators
Colorharmonies
analogous
collecting
complementary
cool-cool
designing
monochromatic
split-complementary
tetradic
triadic
unfamiliar
warm-warm
Colors
complementary,2.1,2.2
cool
culturalcontextand
economicaluseof
effectsof,itr.1,1.1,2.1
favorite
intensifyingwith
lightfastnessof,itr.1,4.1,4.2
luminousvs.nonluminous
merging,6.1,6.2
mixing,1.1,4.1
perspectiveand
sciencebehind
spicingup
typesof
warm
ofwetvs.drypaints
Seealsoindividualcolors
Colorwheels,2.1,2.2
Composition
Contrasts
Creativity,3.1,3.2
Design
compositionand
decisionsand
Emotions,2.1,3.1
Equipment.SeealsoBrushes;Paints;Paper
Finishing
Fog
Food,painting
Glazing
combiningwashingand
withIndiaink
layersof,1.1,1.2
mixingcolorswith
practicing
Gray,1.1,1.2
Green,itr.1,2.1
Gumarabic
Iconographiccolor
Illustrations
Indiaink
Layouts
Lettering
Light
effectof
shadowsand
whiteas,1.1,1.2
Liquidwatercolors
Localcolor
Looseningup
Masking,6.1,6.2
Mistakes
Monochromaticharmony
Negativespace
Orange
Outdoorpainting
Oxgall
Paintboxes,4.1,4.2
Paints
applying
buying
characteristicsof
colorof,wetvs.dry
compositionof
diluting
liquidwatercolor
mixing
removing,1.1,6.1
symbolson
intubesvs.pans
Paper
choosing
colored
historyof
stretching
Pencils,4.1,4.2,6.1
Perspective
changing
colorand
Pigments,itr.1,itr.2
Priorities,roleof
Purple
Red,itr.1,2.1
Sellingprices
Shadows
Sketches,preliminary
Smoke
Specialeffects
Splotches,6.1,6.2
Stamps,6.1,6.2
Storyboards
Style
creativityand
findingyourown
looseningupand
Subjects
choosing,3.1,5.1
distanceto
Thumbnails
Truecolor
Value,conceptof
Washing
combiningglazingand
effectsof
techniquesfor
Water,painting
Waterbrushes
Watercolor
attitudestoward
characteristicsof,itr.1,4.1
historyof
timeand
Watermarks
Weather,bad
Wet-on-wettechnique
White,1.1,1.2,3.1,4.1,6.1
Writing
Yellow