Lesson Overview Focus Artist: Winslow Homer Focus Elements: Value: lightness or darkness of color Texture: how an actual object feels or how a 2-demensional object appears to feel. Focus Principles: Contrast: putting opposite elements together to create interest.
Born: February 24, 1836 Died: September 29, 1910 Winslow Homer Winslow Homer was an American Painter and printmaker born in Boston Massachusetts. He used oil paints and watercolors. He loved to do paintings of the ocean. Largely self-taught, he began his artistic work as a commercial illustrator. His mother was a talented amateur painter. She was his frist teacher and they had a very close relationship throughout their lives.
WINSLOW HOMER 1836-1910 Snap the Whip, 1872 Oil on canvas, 22 x 36 This is one of Winslow Homer s most famous paintings. He worked for a time on the war front sketching and painting scenes from the war, but he preferred to paint scenes of the carefree.
Sunlight on the Coast, 1890 This painting has a very dramatic effect. That is because of the contrast used. The lightest values in this painting are very light and are next to the darkest values. Also the rocks are a dark orange color and the waves have various shades of blue. These are opposite colors so that also creates contrast. If you want your painting to look exciting and dramatic, you can use contrast too.
Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), 1873 76, oil on canvas The New York Tribune wrote of this painting, "There is no picture in this exhibition, nor can we remember when there has been a picture in any exhibition, that can be named alongside this."
The Red Canoe, 1889, watercolor, Peabody Collection
Masking is a technique where you use tape or a special substance called frisket to mask out an area of the painting that you want to stay white. In watercolor, you can t paint white over another color because the paint is transparent. So if you want an area to look white, you have to leave the white of the paper showing through. In this painting the bucket and the white shirt may have been masked while the artist painted the surrounding water.
The Blue Boat 1892 Dry Brush is a watercolor technique in which very little water is used. This creates a brush stroke that is rough rather than smooth. This is a good technique to create texture in the foliage.
Winslow Homer "Canoe in the Rapids" 1897 Wet on wet is when you paint into a wet surface allowing the colors to blend and bleed together naturally. Look for this technique in the sky. This technique makes a very soft texture so the clouds looks soft and wispy.
Moonlight (On the Beach, East Hampton, Long Island) (1874) Lifting is a technique used when the paint on the paper is still wet. You can use a tissue to lift the paint off creating a lighter area. For example the sun and the bright spots in the clouds could have been created using the lifting technique. Splatter is when you use your finger to flip the paint from your brush onto the paper creating a speckled effect. Splatter could have been used to add texture to the sand.
Watercolor Waterscape Start by writing your name and teacher s name on the back of the paper. Next use masking tape to tape down the edges of your paper all the way around, creating a border. This will help keep the paper flat. Make sure you stick the tape to your pant leg first so that it isn t too sticky. We don t want it to rip the paper when we remove it. Now very lightly sketch your scene. Add a horizon line, shore, and basic shapes. NO DETAILS. Using the watercolor techniques we discussed, paint your waterscape. If you are going to use masking you should do this before you start painting. Remember when you paint to let one area dry before painting the area next to it. If the paint is still wet, it will run together. Watercolor is a spontaneous medium. Don t overwork an area trying to get it to look just right. Also, you have to work quickly for some of these techniques as the paint will dry quickly.