Tips & Techniques for using Fisher 400 Paper

Transcription

1 Tips & Techniques for using Fisher 400 Paper Cheddar Gorge by Tim Fisher Mountain Scene by Jenny Keal

2 Tips & Techniques for using Fisher 400 Paper Contents 1. Superior Pastel Layering & General Properties 2. Sgraffito (Scraping Out) 3. Making Corrections 4. Coloured Pencils 5. Water Based Paints (inc Watercolour, Acrylic Ink & Acrylics) 5.1 Tinting 5.2 Mixed Media Work 6. Using Water 7. Using Colour Shapers 8. A Step-by-Step Guide on Tinting Fisher 400 Paper by Tim Fisher White Cottage, Lynmouth by Jenny Keal All Text and Images Copyright Alpha Art Shop - Sept All rights reserved. No part of this booklet, text or photographs may be reproduced in any form whether in paper form or electronic form without the written permission of Alpha Art Shop. Acknowledgements. Our thanks go to Tim Fisher, Mary Herbert, Jenny Keal and Carol Kibble who have assisted in the production of this booklet. Copyright of all paintings in this booklet remain with each artist. Special thanks go to Tim Fisher for all his support and involvement in assisting us in the distribution of the Fisher 400 Paper. Alpha Art Shop, Unit 4A, Kirklea Farm, Church Lane, Badgworth, Axbridge, Somerset. BS26 2QH

3 Introduction The purpose of this booklet is to illustrate techniques when using the Fisher 400 Paper to ensure that you get the best from it s unique properties. Some of the tips and techniques in this booklet relate solely to this paper and others are universally used techniques but how they are applied or their effectiveness may differ. 1. Superior Pastel Layering & General Properties Fig 1 The Fisher 400 Paper is capable of superior pastel layering as it can hold up-to double that that can be held on many other papers. Of course, this depends on the pastels that you are using and how thickly they are applied. You will be able to get more layers on with hard pastels than soft as soft will normally go on more thickly. As you can see in Fig 1, layers are being built up. Despite being a textured sanded surface, the Fisher 400 paper is very smooth and doesn t require much to get an even coverage (Fig 2, right of image). Other papers can leave a pattern which is difficult to cover (Fig 2-4, left of each image) by which time the thinner paper would have reached it s limit and pastel is beginning to drop off (Fig 4, left of image), making it difficult to get fine detail but as you can see the Fisher 400 paper has taken the layers very well (Fig 4, right of image). This also means that you are less likely to need to use fixative on Fisher 400 paper as it holds the pastel so well. Fig 2 Fig 3 Fig 4 2. Sgraffito (scraping out) The Fisher 400 Paper is sturdy enough to withstand the use of a blade on it for the purposes of Sgraffito (scraping out) to get interesting effects by showing the layer of pastel below. This can be done thinly (Fig 5) and is useful for things such as thin branches on trees. Alternatively, it can be done widely to reveal a whole section (Fig 6) that can then have other colours added within it (Fig 7). Fig 5 Fig 6 Fig 7 3

4 3. Making Corrections The Fisher 400 paper is very hard wearing and will allow you to make corrections easily without affecting the tooth or the strength of the paper. A rubber will not work on Fisher 400 paper due to the sanded texture of the paper. If you take a small stiff brush as is found in the colour shaper set supplied with all Fisher 400 starter packs and knock the pastel out of the paper with a vigorous scrubbing action then you can regain the tooth. (Fig 9 & 10). Fig 8 Fig 9 Fig 10 The brush will remove most of the pastel but will leave a fine dust on the surface. (Fig 11) To remove this take some Blu-Tack shaped according to the shape you need and press it into the paper (Fig 12) and the Blu-Tack will lift the remainder of the pastel. (Fig 13) You wont return to the pure paper but you will be able to remove enough to regain the tooth of the paper to allow for further application of pastels. Fig 11 Fig 12 Fig Coloured Pencils The Fisher 400 paper is ideal for using with coloured pencils. The tooth of the paper picks up the colour really easily and therefore coverage is less hard work than with ordinary papers. You can overlay one colour over another or you can mix them together on the paper. (Fig 14) It is estimated that a picture on Fisher 400 can be completed in half the time as on other papers due to the tooth easily picking up colour. Fig 14 4

5 5. Water Based Paints (inc Watercolour, Acrylic Inks & Acrylics) The Fisher 400 paper is waterproof and can take any water based paints that can be used for a variety of purposes including watercolour, acrylic inks and acrylics. 5.1 Tinting: Water based paints can be used to apply a tint or a ground. As the paper can hold many layers of pastel the surface only comes in one colour, buff. This means that unlike with other papers you wont be left with those colours you don t want. You can tint it with watercolour or acrylic ink or acrylic without it affecting the tooth for the application of pastels, in a similar way to how a canvas painter would often cover the canvas with a ground to begin with. This allows for a common colour background that can show through where you want it to and give a certain level of colour harmony. Tip: When using acrylics for best results apply a smooth wash as opposed to a thick buttery layer as anything like this might restrict the tooth. When using acrylics try on a test piece of paper first. Fig 15 Fig 16 Fig 17 When tinting you can get a variety of effects by applying a thin wash of watercolour (Fig 15) up to a neat wash of acrylic inks (Fig 18). You can apply different mixes of colours (Fig 16) as you would with all water based media on other surfaces, either in a palette or on the paper (Fig 17) which can lead to some very striking results. Fig 18 (Fig 19) In this example the paint has been part mixed on the paper leaving different colours streaked across the paper. Fig 19 Fig 20 Once the paint is dry you can work on the paper without the tooth being affected. As you can see here pastels are being applied to both the watercolour tint (Fig 20) and the Acrylic Ink tint (Fig 21). Fig Mixed Media Work: As you can see the tints can be very diverse all without affecting the tooth of the paper, which lends the paper to all sorts of degrees of mixed media. You could take the tinting a step further with simple blocking in of shapes or adding those elements you want to sit in the background of a picture such as distant hills. You can also build up different layers of paint and then add pastels for the foreground, the focal point or for details and highlights. The possibilities are endless. 5

6 6. Using Water You can use water on Fisher 400 paper to great effect as the sanded paper is sturdy and will not buckle. The main purpose for adding water to pastels is to enable the softening effect on pastels as well as being able to produce a wash. This technique has been used for years including by one of the great impressionists, Degas. However, it works best on a paper like the Fisher 400 paper which is both waterproof and sturdy. You can apply the pastels dry (Fig 22) and then you can use a wet brush, to allow you to move the pastels around the paper. This dilutes colour and helps to spread pigment around the paper allowing the effect of a thin wash (Fig 23). This also acts as a way of being able to tint the paper as per water based paints (Section 5). Fig 22 Alternatively you can use a damp brush, which is a great technique for getting texture into your paintings, e.g. rocks etc. (Fig 24) Also, this technique fixes the pastel like a fixative would. Fig 23 Fig Using Colour Shapers This technique can give a variety of results according to the thickness of the pastels applied (Fig 25). Tip: Different makes of pastels will react in different ways and therefore it is important to try this on a test piece of paper first. The use of colour shapers on Fisher 400 can be very useful. A set of 4 colour shapers (Size 6) is included with all the Fisher 400 starter packs. Each colour shaper can have a variety of uses but the main purposes are shown below alongside each photograph. Flat Chisel: Precise control when smudging and blending. Very good for creating straight lines and blending when the area is too small for fingers. Fig 24 Fan Brush: Good for gentle blending where less detail required. 6 Taper Point: Creates delicate linear strokes, for minor corrections. Use the side to create broader strokes. Blender Brush: Good for blending and moving colour around. Very good for making corrections and removing pastels.

7 8. A Step-by-Step Guide on Tinting Fisher 400 Paper This step-by-step guide shows you how you can tint the Fisher 400 Paper and the resulting effects that can be gained from this method. Step 1 - In this example the basic drawing has been done with ink. For this a stick was used or you can use a large match stick. Warning: Do not use a pen as the sanded surface will ruin the tip of the pen. The other approach is to use a pastel pencil once the acrylic ink has been applied. Step 2 - The entire surface of the paper is then covered. As you can see from this example a mixture of colours that have been allowed to mix on the paper have been used. Alternatively, you could use just one colour or mix the colours fully on the palette and you can add plenty, little or no water according to the effects you want from your under painting. Step 3 - As you can see the sky has been laid very thickly to cover most of the paper so the under painting doesn t show through. The first part of the distant hills has been applied more sparsely to show some of the under painting. Step 4 - In this stage the focal point of the cottage has been applied with more detail and painted white to contrast with the dark/cooler colours of the distant hills and also the red foreground. The Finished Painting - As you can see the foreground is mainly bright colours in the field and much of the under painting has been left to shine through thus giving harmony between the foreground and the more subtle gaps of the distant hills. Copyright - Tim Fisher 7

8 Red Poppies by Tim Fisher A Cat s Eye by Mary Herbert Sunlit Field by Jenny Keal Finding this paper transformed the way I worked Jenny Keal White House by Jenny Keal For more information, please use in conjunction with associated DVD with contributions from Mary Herbert & Jenny Keal. Alpha Art Shop, Unit 4A, Kirklea Farm, Church Lane, Badgworth, Axbridge, Somerset. BS26 2QH