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Showing posts from January, 2014

Ritual

I stated last time that I didn't want to use inking as a crutch - that wasn't entirely accurate. My problem with using this technique is that I barely have any watercolor painting left to do once the ink dries. Continuing on this way would lead to stagnation in watercolor technique and color theory. Still, drawing and painting birds is a lot of fun. I think I would like to invest in a liner brush for future paintings. It might be a good idea to start researching and refining sketches for paintings the night before. This way, I can plan the colors and steps ahead of time and focus on painting the entire evening. Next week, it's back to washes and glazes.

Permanence

One strange property of India and Sumi ink is that once they hit the paper, they stay there. This allows an artist to put down a layer of ink, let it dry, and then lay in water color without harming the ink below. This pigeon is a great example of that technique in action. I will say it was nice to be a little more loose with the colors. With the ink serving as my mid-tones and shadows, I was able to put down more pure color. I find that my paintings sometimes get a bit muddy as I obsess over light and shadow. While I am pleased with the results of this technique (I will be doing this again on Thursday), I do not want to use it as a crutch. I would still like to learn more about mixing my own greys and darkening colors with their complements. I also want to get better with the brush.

Pigment

I found myself in the last few paintings with not nearly enough paint mixed up ahead of time. This leads to some weird color mixing which leaves everything sort of muddy. I think I got the colors down pretty well this time. I decided to keep experimenting and pushing myself to do things that I found difficult. I used a half inch flat to paint the background, challenging myself to use it as much as possible before switching back to my trusty round. The bubbles were created by dropping alcohol on the wet paint. I made the mottled color areas of both fish using the color charging technique from my last painting. Finally, a white paint pen was used to bring back the highlights in the eyes (because I didn't plan out the highlight positions ahead of time). All in all, this is one of my favorite pieces so far. I have learned a lot of techniques, but it will be important to keep applying them until I can perform them correctly.

Charging

I just learned about charging colors the other day. I thought this would be an awesome opportunity to apply my new knowledge. Charging is a technique where color is dropped into areas of wet paint. The areas in the bottom left are great examples of this. I am still trying to get a feel for my pigment-to-water ratios and paint mixing. Professionals make mixing paint look easy. There's still a lot of ground to cover, but I am thoroughly enjoying the ride.

Draw, Pull, and Wash

An apple. Commonly found in the middle of the produce section of a grocery store - usually located in the middle of a student's still life. I singled out this speckled apple for artistic purposes, and the results are...pretty good. I have no idea how to effectively render light and shadow on objects like this in watercolor. "How the heck do I differentiate texture from shadow?" That question is still going through my mind. The apple looks round though - so, mission accomplished. Other random thoughts from this session: It takes a deep red-orange to turn pthalo blue into grey There has to be a better way to apply masking fluid onto my paper Take your time. Working wet-into-wet causes bleeding (like in the upper part of the shadow), dumb-dumb. Salt needs to be applied when the surface is almost dry. Apply too soon and you don't get that cool effect. Paul's Boutique is a way better album when you listen to it while doing creative stuff. The mechanical pen

Nightshade

As usual, I was looking for some new ways to do things. This time around, I wanted to try wetting each small area independently before applying paint. I really like the control and the results I was able to achieve with this technique. The paint is still drying on this piece as I type this, and I am finding out just how important it will be to take better photos of my paintings before I post them. Thankfully, some adjustment layers in Photoshop allowed me to correct the colors in this study of nightshade.

Weekend Experiment: Get Equipped

It's Megaman! To be honest, I liked this one a lot better before I added the outlines. The drawing itself is a bit off. The background wash is streak-y. There are just a ton of things I'm not happy with here. But I really liked the small washes on the feet and helmet. I am starting to become more confident fading from dark to light. It's also starting to become clear to me how to achieve more brilliant colors. As in all media, it's a matter of contrast. There's a whole other world of color theory in watercolor. The world of simple primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries is just the surface...

Storm

Attempting to create lightning using masking fluid, glazes, and lifting. White gouache was used for more subtle bolts and rain. When all has been said and done, this was a success in a lot of ways. Watercolor painting is difficult. Learning can be a challenge because it seems like the materials are all working against you. With varied drying times, opacity, flow, etc. I wouldn't blame anyone for turning to other media. I think I stick around because of the perceived challenge - I'm a weirdo like that. This piece was inspired by The Legend of Zelda: A link to the Past comic series by Shotaro Ishinomori . The first chapter of the book featured a lot of lightning, and I wanted to see if I could recreate the effect in watercolor. Little challenges like this keep me thinking all day; they remind me how much I love art. I'll leave you with a preview of my weekend project. Enjoy!

First Steps

I have taken the first steps toward learning watercolor. The color balance is really off in this image - which I took with my iphone. I may have to try scanning the next one. I felt like this first painting should allow me to explore and experiment a bit while I get comfortable with the materials. This abstract piece plays with the concepts of graded wash, wet-on-wet glazing, color lifting, and using alcohol on wet paint (for those neat bubbles). Now I have some techniques and considerations for my next piece this week.