Advancing with Watercolor

Transcription

1 Advancing with Watercolor Working with Edges Shimmering Water ADVANCING IN WATERCOLOR - EDGES 1

2 Introduction to Edges When I speak of edges I am talking about the edges of shapes we create in the painting - it could be the edge of a building, or a tree, or a cloud. When we are beginning with watercolor we tend to paint all of our shapes with hard edges - it is the way we can exercise the most control. Occasionally accidentally our shapes run into each other and behold we are now looking at shapes with lost and found edges. This creates an interesting effect - the sensation of atmosphere in our painting - with a tangible quality to it. This tangible quality can be exaggerated or minimized to create mood in our paintings. Edges effect the mood For me mood is a vary important result in my painting. I try to think about the mood I want to project and that helps me to look for the visual indicators in my subject and also think about how I will maximize them in my painting. Mood is an interesting phenomena. If considered in your painting it can have a powerful effect on your audience. Mood is the result of many parts. Shape, tonal values, color and yes edges. These combine in a painting (intentional or accidental) to make the mood more or less tangible. Types of edges The types of edges are basically 4. Smooth edges, Soft edges, rough edges, and lost and found edges. There are many artists who paint all of the shapes with smooth edges - the result is something like a jig saw puzzle. One shape next to another shape. The edges meet it a very static way. More sophisticated painting employs a variety of edges. Thinking about your use of edges in your paintings will add depth and nuance to your paintings. Thinking about this as you form your watercolor plan will show you a proper sequence which will allow you to take full advantage of these different types of edges. This is because each type of edge requires a different state of dryness in the paper and a different state of dampness in the brush. How we create these types of edges We create these 4 types of edges with yes 4 different techniques. Lets examine them and practice them here. We will use a pine tree to demonstrate all 4 ADVANCING IN WATERCOLOR - EDGES 2

3 1 - Smooth edges: These are created by applying a brush fully loaded to dry paper. This is the way most of us start painting with watercolors. Lets create some examples by painting a Pine tree. This method is comfortable because we are in control - no real surprises here. A recognizable pine tree but does it interact with the atmosphere??? 2 - Soft edges. Soft edges are created by using a loaded brush into a very wet area. This technique is called wet into wet and as the description implies the paper and brush are very wet. This technique is ideal suited to creating atmospheres and very soft shapes. As you can tel with the Pine tree. 3 -There is a variation of this technique which we call dry into wet. This time we work into a wet area but our brush is not loaded but rather dry. As a result the brush acts more like a sponge depositing color and absorbing water. The form is mush more readable and still the edges are all soft. The atmosphere is truly reacting with the tree ADVANCING IN WATERCOLOR - EDGES 3

4 4 - Rough edges are created by using a dry brush onto dry paper. In fact the rougher the paper the better this technique works. While working with this technique you will hear and feel your brush scraping the dry paper. The result is broken marks which can be left alone to imply a texture such as a rock surface or some rough surfaces or can be added to with more strokes such as I have done with the pine tree. It appears to be snowing - in July?? Lost and found edges are realized when the smooth edges of a shape hit a wet area and dissolves only to be revealed again at a dry area. To achieve this technique we spot wet the area we are painting leaving some dry areas and create our shapes into this partially wet area. The result creates the illusion that the very atmosphere is moving in and out of our object. We will use this technique extensively in our rainy day painting All methods are worth knowing and using in our watercolors. I would practice these examples to get a sense of the wetness in your brush and on the paper. Then look at the material you are trying to paint - clouds, sparkling water, shadows which of these techniques works best. Another thing to ponder as you are thinking about the quality of the edges in your painting is which technique works best for the mood you are trying to project? A bright sunny day, a misty foggy day - the edges you create will go a great way in creating mood Shimmering Water ADVANCING IN WATERCOLOR - EDGES 4

5 Here is a photo that was the source image for my painting but I decided to make it a soft misty morning mood rather than a mid day mood as is indicated in the photo In looking at the motif - any motif, one of the main considerations is how will you employ different edges. The sky for example embodies soft edges and a gradual change both behind the clouds and in the clouds themselves. I start with a graded wash top to the horizon, cool to warm, light to dark using ult blue and b sienna mixed on the palette ADVANCING IN WATERCOLOR - EDGES 5

6 While this wash is drying I apply a deeper version of those two colors with a smaller brush. Dry into wet is the official description of this technique and I paint darker larger cloud shapes near the top and smaller softer shapes as the clouds recede to the horizon Next I would like to create the shimmering water. Using a dry brush I drag the brush across the paper leaving small breaks along the way - this creates the shimmering effect that is so striking in the final picture. I leave more white through the middle which falls directly beneath the the light in the sky The washes have dried and I can work on the paper wet onto dry, creating the shapes of the distant rocks first. Here I mix the two colors of ult blue and b sienna right on the paper, creating a gray but with different color aspects depending how thoroughly I mix them The shapes get increasingly darker as I place the closer in the picture plane ADVANCING IN WATERCOLOR - EDGES 6

7 While these colors are semi dry - still damp I like to provoke the watercolor by dragging a brushwood of water across the surface. This creates an accidental that dries to resemble a weather surface or a surface that has water running down the side See the detail below Finally Seagulls are added to taste with white paint against the dark rocks or as dark shapes against the light sky To practice edges and become fluent with the techniques that create different edges is a necessary step to master the medium See my the video for drills with edges Video: OCbGzDn7CnI ADVANCING IN WATERCOLOR - EDGES 7