Spring 2010 Watercolor Calss

Week 2 – Watercolor: Snow and White House

White can seem like a huge challenge to the beginning watercolor student because the white of the paper is the traditional white so how do you create white snow?

This is where becoming very observant comes in to your advantage. If you look at a photo or if you happen to be in snow country, really look at the snow especially in the trees or on the shadowed sides of building, it isn't white. This is your brain telling you one thing when in reality it is something else. With the exception of only the brightest highlights, most of the snow is in shades of blues, purples and grays and the actual white is really only white by comparison, remember we must have dark to show light.

Because I have a lot to cover in this blog and I want to get it done before Monday, I am just going to go over the basics of what I did, it was all pretty similar, I just used it in different scenarios.

My first job is to figure out where my sun is because that will determine where my shadows will be and shadows are what I have to work with to show the snow. It is always good to have some kind of reference material to look at especially when you are learning, I want you to pay particular attention to the form shadows. Snow is soft and usually has rounded shapes, the darkest areas will be those away from the light causing a form shadow though these may not be as dark as a cast shadow (shadows cause by something blocking the light), yet in these deep cast shadows there may be some reflected highlights as the light hits an object and bounces back into a shadow. Usually a little lifting is all you need. A lot of this is done using negative painting, painting everything that isn't snow.

For the shadow colors in any white object I usually use a mix of blue (ultra marine or cobalt), purple and sometimes I add a touch of burnt sienna to gray the color, this is especially true for shadows in the distance. I load this color on the tip of my angle brush – though you can create a similar look with round or flat brushes - and I place the tip on the edge where I want my shadow but the whole edge of the brush is on the paper, this should give me a graded (dark to light) shadow. I will rinse my brush and dab it along any hard lines I see and the slight bit of color left in my brush will add texture to my snow. Any place that isn't in the bright light should have some color no matter how faint.

On one to the thumbnails I did, I started by painting rings of color, first I wet the entire section with water, then starting near the middle with a very dilute mix of yellow, I then switched to a very thin wash of orange and finally a very thin wash of red getting close enough to the previous color so they will blend and create a soft graded background. When it was dry, I used darker versions of each of the colors – yellow in the yellow areas, orange in the orange, red in the red – and negative painted around the trees in the sky. This increases the value as well as the intensity of the colors.

To paint the Mts, the furthest mts I used the red with a touch of blue, it should be only slightly darker than the sky and I painted around the trees. The same for the next layer of mts but I used a darker color adding water as I came forward on the right, it is still considerable darker than the trees.

In the trees, I painted the shadows. The light source is in the center so the shadows are to the outside. Look at the picture page and find your won reference. White is a fun challenge.

The house is a lot of negative painting. I started with the shadows under the porch roof where it is the darkest using a blue/purple mix. I was careful to paint around (negative paint) the railing and supports of the roof, I need to leave those white but I did go over where the windows will be. Using that same color I painted the shadows under the eves of the roof, across part of the roof and on part of the side of the house. If you need to indicate the shadow track it is okay to draw them in, just keep in mind that the angle of the roof and where the shadow continues down that back wall, there will be a bit of a jag because of the roof angle verses the vertical side of the house, look at shadows on a house to see what happens.

Next, under the roof of the porch and the eves of the house, it is very dark. A mix of blue, purple and a touch of sienna with little water make a very dark color. Put this color right under the above mentioned areas, rinse your brush and with a damp brush blend the bottom edge a bit to create a soft line. This dark color can also go into the corner of the building where the two sections of the house meet, again rinse your brush and blend it out.

White isn't always white because it will pick up colors that are reflected into it like green from the grass or colors from flowers this adds interest plus it makes it look more natural. Find a "white" wall and really look at it for a while or look at the clouds it helps to relax your eyes so they aren't focusing on one thing, pretty soon you will see all kinds of color!

First I wet the area that is white, this will help the paint spread, then I dropped in some very dilute colors like yellow and green, you can even do this in the shadow areas but keep to cool colors. A little color will go a long way and when I say drop I mean just barely touch the paper and let the watercolor do its thing. If it is too much either blot it with your towel or add more water but don't mess with it too much, trust your watercolor.

You can also help create your house by putting dark trees around it so you have light against dark. The chimney in the corner helps define the edge of the front part of the house, the porch helps define the rails of the porch. Using blue to make the window pains you can create the frame work of the window by leaving spaces, use a bit of shadow color the sill of the windows and along one side to create the outside frame. You can get as detailed as you want or you can just suggest things, the key is contrast between your darkest darks and lightest lights.

We will be doing the cactus flower that has been posted so if you want to download the drawing and/or the picture, have it ready for class.

Week 1 Spring 2010

Watercolor Class Spring 2010

(Underlined highlighted words are links to the picture page)

The first day of class is always hard to plan for with the new people coming in, I never know how long it will take to go over equipment so I thought a quick demo on something I haven't done in a while would be a good one. Adding figures into your landscapes or cityscapes can add a lot of interest into your painting because as humans, it helps us relate better to the rest of the painting seeing some signs of life rather than a barren landscape or empty streets. Even a lone figure can add a sense of scope to your painting.

What happens though is when you are new to painting adding "people" is frightening. Your brain goes through all sorts of worst case scenarios: "I don't know how to paint people!" "It's too hard to paint people!" well, I think you've all heard the internal arguments about adding a person or even an animal to your painting so you don't.

The thing is, most of the time you can get away with just some very simple shapes that will translate in the brain as "people" or "animals". Remember, as painters, we are illusionists we can make the viewer see what we want them to see and it will seem believable. Whether it is a lone figure or a crowded street, all you are dealing with are basic shapes, as Frank Clarke would call them – carrots.

A lone person in the distance is just roughly the shape of a carrot or long "V" shape with a dash on the top for a head NOT a dot. Heads are more believable if they are vertical rectangle or oval shapes than if you make a round shape for a head. A crowd of people is just a mass of shapes and/or color with a few lines below to suggest legs and rectangles of all sizes and shapes to indicate heads. That's it. No blood, sweat or tears involved, just simple shapes and you are done.

The one thing you do need to keep in mind is proportion of your figures in relationship to what they are standing by. For instance, if you have the figure of a man standing next to a tree that is suppose to be 30 feet tall, you need to keep in mind the size of the figure in proportion to the tree. If the base of the tree and the feet of the man are on the same plane (if you draw a horizontal line from one to the other and they both touch the same line, they are on the same plane) and you create a figure that is half as tall as the tree it is standing next to, figuring a 6' man the tree will only look like a 12' tree. It is an optical illusion but it is one that can create problems for the artist. To correct that illusion you can do one of two things: either make the base of the tree shorter – that changes the plane the tree's base is sitting on or you can make the legs of the person longer moving it down onto another plane. Don't take my word for it; practice this on a scrap piece of paper to see for your self.

The figures don't need to be static either. I was asked in one of my classes can you do dancers that way, the answer is "Yes". Dancers, runners, bicyclists, anything that you want to put in you can do with simple shapes (see picture page). You do need to look at a photo or another painting and get an idea of what you want or where you need to go, but you can add these things to your paintings with just a little effort and planning.

Animals are the same way. Animals in the distance are just rectangles with a few lines for legs a thicker line for the neck and a "V" shape for the head. Sheep are just little oblong balls with "V"s for heads and lines for legs. Very, very simple. DO NOT OVER THINK THESE FIGURES! They are just simple shapes, nothing more.

I had a couple of requests for how to paint white, so next Monday I will be doing a demo on painting white houses and snow.

Spring 10 Watercolor Class

WE DID IT!

I want to thank everyone who has signed up for classes because I have now met my minimums and then some in all my classes!

I hope you are all ready to get back to work and if there is something you would like more instruction on, please let me know.

See you in class.

Torrance 310-618-2720

Palos Verdes Art Center 5504 W. Crestridge Rd. at Crenshaw Blvd. RPV 310-541-2479

Spring 10 Watercolor Class

If you are returning to my watercolor classes next week, I suggest that you bring something to work on at least for the start of class. I know that I will have some new people who will need to understand what they need for class and depending on their experience or equipment needs, will determine how long it takes me to get them going.

Time is more a factor at Torrance but if I can get the new folks taken care of and there is enough time, I will do a short demo on adding people into your landscapes and street scenes. It isn't difficult and it kinda fun once you try it, what I would like for you to do before you come to class is to find pictures with people on streets or at the park or at the pier, they can be your own photos or something out of the paper or magazine, they are only going to be used for reference. I have a couple pictures on the picture page to give you some ideas.

I look forward to seeing everyone back in class next week.

Spring 2010

Spring Break – Homework

Guess you just can't keep a good teacher down. Even on my time off I am looking for things to show you.

While looking for something that we can do this coming semester, I found a cactus photo I took several years ago and thought it might make a good subject, however, as I started to draw it, I realized that it might make a good "homework" assignment while you have a break and are in need of something to do and it also shows you the process I go thru when I'm finding things for class.

While it is more a photo study (see picture page), I do want you to keep in mind that if you want to be a good painter, you really need to improve your drawing skills. Don't think of drawing as a chore, or that it is hard, remember what I tell you in class: Think of it as a challenge. Don't set yourself up for failure by starting out stating your defeat – "It's hard to draw!" "I can't draw!" "I'll never be any good at drawing" – think more along the lines of this as a puzzle you need to solve, how are you going to make it happen? It isn't a race, so take your time. Don't think about the finished product but only about the shapes that make up the final picture, if you want instant, get a camera, but if you want to improve your art, get out the paper and pencils and draw.

I started out by putting a simple grid on my paper so I knew where the center was to avoid it. Next I roughed in a sketch of my cactus and flowers by putting in just basic shapes. This is how I start a lot of the designs I use in class.

Once I am happy with the placement of the elements – they are just basic shapes right now, nothing more – then I refer to my photo and start looking for the shapes that make up those elements so I can start on some detail and work my way round the drawing checking and refining my shapes.

When I am satisfied with my drawing at this point, it is usually where I stop and make up the design I use in class. It is the basic elements of the picture and it is my road map for my painting.

However, this is an exercise in drawing so once I copied what I had in case we do use it in class, I used my #4B pencil and "toned" over all of my paper. I wanted a nice medium/light tone that wasn't too dark or too light. Error to the light side if you try this, it will make life easier. After I had my paper toned, I used a paper towel to smooth the tone into my paper.

Next, looking at my photo – always have it handy – I erased out my brightest areas and areas that have light. You may have to look close but the pads of a cactus are not flat, they have bumps and ridges which give them texture. In watercolor terms, I am lifting my light areas sometimes as a positive move, sometimes as negative drawing. In pencil terms it is subtractive drawing because you are removing the graphite or chalk. I have an eraser that looks like a pencil which is very handy. There are many kinds out there and they do come in handy when you need to erase small areas and not touch everything around it or you can cut a small piece off a big eraser with an Exacto knife, it will work as well.

Then I start looking for my shadows. Some are dark shapes others are very faint but all are important. All the time I am refining my shapes adding detail, looking for areas where I can do light against dark and visa versa until I have my finished drawing. Going back and forth between positive drawing and negative drawing, what ever is needed to get the job done.

If the line drawing is the road map, a detailed drawing is the scenery along the way. It makes for a much more interesting trip and you get to know your subject in all its wonderful detail, then when you get to your painting, you have a much better idea of where you are going and how you are going to get there.

I do encourage everyone to practice their drawing even those of you who think you are pretty good, it can't hurt and it can only help in the long run.

Remember to sign up for classes. See you soon. – LP

PVAC – 5504 W. Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 310-541-2479 class schedule on web at www.pvartcenter.org.

Torrance: Community Services Dept. 3031 Torrance Blvd. Torrance 90503 310-618-2720 or register on-line at www.tprd.torranceca.gov/RegistrationMain.sdi

Picture Page: http://picasaweb.google.com/artclasspics/Spring10#

Winter 2010

Last Class of Winter Semester

Picture Page: http://picasaweb.google.com/artclasspics/Winter2010##

Give me some time off and I loose all track of time!

I do want to thank everyone in all of my classes for making this past semester a fun one. A special thanks to my PV morning class for bringing all the goodies, wish we could do something like that at Torrance J

There really isn't much to talk about regarding our last session. For those of you who brought in paintings for critique, I can't tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you! You are all doing such a great job, I hope you keep up the good work during this time off.

I did a demo in all classes that was virtually the same for everyone: Watercolor and Acrylic. The technique is basically the same and it is a good one to know but you have to conquer your fear of doing something to you painting that seems more than a bit bold or drastic but there are times when that is exactly what your painting needs, something bold and drastic.

There are a couple of things I usually notice in the paintings of my students one is they are afraid of the shadows. Their paintings may be well drawn and well executed but they lack the punch to take a nice painting to the next level. Shadows create mystery they also make your light areas stand out. Remember, you can't have light without the dark. You have to have some dark darks so that you highlights will stand out; it is all in the values you put into your painting.

In all the demo pictures I did in class, I noticed that the one thing that was lacking were definite shadows in the rocks. I had gotten my dark areas pretty good, but the shadow rocks were a little weak so on all of my demos I used a wash that consisted mostly of blue and purple and went over the shadowed sides of the rocks. This should be a fairly thin wash whether it is in acrylics or watercolor, if it needs more after it dries, add another wash. What this wash does is really cool down the shadows and if you want to emphasize the warm and the cool even more, do a similar thing with a warm wash of yellow and or orange (I did this in most classes but not all). Just remember to keep it think and if you are using watercolor, put it on and move on! If you linger too long in one area, you will stir up the paint underneath and you will create mud. Rinse your brush before reloading and use a damp brush to soften edges but don't go back into an area until it is completely dry, the acrylic people won't have that problem but you should let it dry before doing anything else to the area.

The other problem I often see is people give up on a painting way too soon. Almost without exception, most paintings have a stage I call the Terminal Uglies. It is the stage when you look at your painting and you want to throw it in the trash when often times you have just gotten to the end of your under painting and now you need to start the finishing process.

The above technique can help out a lot because what I see when people are frustrated is there is no depth in their paintings, everything is the same value and there is no sense of light. You are the Creator of this world on your paper, you have to make some decisions like where is the light coming from? What is the most important thing in my painting? And how can I bring it out? Try squinting your eyes. If the values are too close, all you will see is a mass of color with no detail because the values are too close. You should be seeing light, middle and dark areas even when you squint, if you don't, you need to work on it.

Using the above wash technique will help push back areas you want to be in a more supportive role and to give depth. If you already don't like your painting, what do you have to loose by being bold with this wash? Yes, it is scary at first but once you try it and see what it does to your painting, you will find many uses for these kinds of washes.

Now you need to look for your darkest darks and shadows where things overlap or hang over other objects in your painting. If you are doing flowers or trees be sure to be some dark shadows on the dark sides of steams and branches. Look for areas where you can highlight. If you are using watercolor and an area won't lift because of the paint or the paper has been damaged from being over worked, paint the areas around it darker or intensify the local color. What you are looking for is a change in value, intensifying a color can work as well as a shadow sometimes better.

Just don't give up until you have exhausted all possibilities. If possible ask a friend to give you an honest assessment of your painting, or turn it upside down or view it in a mirror – tricks or the trade as it were – and most importantly of all, stand back from your painting at least 6 – 10' and let it sit for a few days so you can see it with fresh eyes. Don't get frustrated, it isn't the end of the world and you can always try again.

Please remember to sign up ASAP for classes if you haven't already. Torrance students remember that the Powers That Be will close classes the Wednesday before classes actually start if they are under enrolled or we may have to cut the class time back if we are short a body or two, bring a friend. PVAC students you can sign up on the day of class but I know that many students have already signed up for the next classes so don't wait too long and end up on the waiting list I want to see everyone back in class. Thank you and I hope to see everyone in the new semester. - LP

Last Class Winter 2010

Week 7 Torrance/9 PVAC

To Spring forward! Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour.

Everyone please note: This coming week will be our last class at both Torrance and PVAC, we are going to have critiques in all classes please bring in something, it can be your best or a "problem child", we often learn more from our challenges than our successes so bring in one or more paintings be they new or old, good or "needs something" even if it is in a different medium than what you are using in class, I don't mind, if you want a second opinion, bring it in.

I also want you to know that registration is now going on at both places. Non-residents of Torrance can start registering on Tuesday, if you are going to PVAC and are a PVAC member, you can get an early bird discount on your class if you sign up now thru April 5^th.

Don't let classes get canceled or shortened, sign up early and bring a friend. Thanks.

Acrylic Class Week 7 – Darwin Falls

I started the highlighting process the previous week and continued it in our last class. I finished up what I started, looking for light areas, dark areas, painted the water area a dark greenish color. Mostly I was finding and shaping the rocks along with adding some color, getting ready to add the final highlights and darks.

I did add a tree into the crack to the fall's left, when I got home I looked at the picture on the computer and saw that it is growing out of that crack and thought it added a nice touch.

Once I had finished establishing the shapes of my rocks, I under painted the areas that had vines growing on them, think interesting shape rather than vine, then I started looking for my brightest highlights and my darkest shadows also I looked for places I could put some reflected highlights. You will see a lot of reflected light in things especially when they are around water. The light comes in, bounces off of things and the water and will end up in the shadows as a light blue/purple color. If you look at the rocks in the shadowed area, you will see that there is a lot of blue in them, this is probably reflected light. There is also reflected light under the square rock on the right both on its shadowed side and underneath it, don't be afraid to put it in there, it will bring life to you paintings and detail to your shadows.

Please keep in mind that when you are adding these highlights and shadows, you don't want to cover up everything you just did. I heard one artist state that in a visual example your painting should be a gallon of you medium dark, a quart of dark and a pint of highlights. That under painting you have been working on is important, you don't want to loose it. Your dark shadows are important so you highlights will show. You are going to have to find that balance when you paint, I can't do it for you.

You may have to add highlights a couple of times because acrylics dry darker which is a plus for shadows, but not so good for the bright areas. Just be patient and add more light where you think you need it.

When the green areas were dry, I used some sap green with yellow to add some highlights to the vines in front of the square rock and the ones just behind them on the hill. They are the only ones that are getting direct sunlight so they will be the brightest. To that color I added a touch of blue to cool the color down and added touches of white to keep it light but not as light as the first highlight. This color should be a light blue green and added to the rest of the vines. If you want, you can use straight blue (cobalt or ultra marine with a touch of white) to the vines that are in that little cave area.

Now for the falls themselves, please, do not use white for your water at this point, as tempting as it may be, like everything else, we need to under paint it first. In the area where the water is coming out of the rocks you will need to mix up a light blue color using white and blue. The water is in the shadows so it will never be white, remember this.

Water is best done using a dry brush technique, starting where it is comes from behind the rocks, with a light touch, pull you brush down the rocks in the direction the water is flowing. Notice in the picture it hits rocks on the way down and changes direction several times so keep your strokes short and quick. Some of this bluish color sprays over the plants and rocks to the side this will add to the overall wet look of the rocks, this is a wild stream not some controlled man-made concoction. Let this dry before moving on. You should be able to see your under painting thru the spray of water.

In the water you can add the reflections and more darkness where needed. Again, this is water and is best done with a dry brush and since it is in the pond, keep most of your strokes horizontal though occasionally pull the color straight down followed by a horizontal stroke to make it look like a shimmer.

At this point if you are satisfied with how things look, it is time to add the finishing touches. Get out your liner and find cracks in the rocks using a dark color (blue, sienna and purple with lots of water). Like tree branches, there are no straight lines. Some cracks are thicker or have holes, just press down on the brush. Have fun with it. Then start on the tree branches.

The vines that need highlight are the ones in front of the square rock and the ones behind up on the hill, the rest should stay darker. Use yellow with maybe a touch of sap. This color is also on the rock just to their left in the mossy area.

Now you can use your white on the water. It will still be dry brush and will stay mostly in the middle of the streams. Start about half way down from where it comes from behind the rocks – remember, that area is in shade – then follow the water down in quick, dry brush strokes. It hits rocks and bumps so change angles and directions. Look at the reference photo for a guide. If after it dries it is too dark, hit it again BUT ONLY IN A FEW PLACES. Do not try to repaint the whole area or it will become solid, it is water out in Death Valley in late spring, not Utah in winter.

If your branches are dry, under paint the leave with a medium green color – say and a touch of blue – and tap it on using the end of your bristle brush in a stippling fashion and don't be afraid to cover up some of the branches, lost and found is good in trees and bushes. The highlights can be put on in a similar manor though not as much and use the light yellow green you used on the vines.

On a picture like this you can take your time and put in as much detail as you would like or you can stop at any point you feel comfortable with, personally, I feel like I need to do more work on my demo while others thought it was done. My only caveat to this is, if you are looking for places to work on, you are probably done.

This has been fun, I look forward to next semester. I want to give the acrylic class a heads-up, I will probably have a separate blog for you starting in the spring.

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Watercolor – Darwin Falls

After we get done in class, I bring my demos home and I set them up next to the computer so I can write about what we did in class, and often times I see things I need to do I didn't see in class. It is very hard to talk and paint at the same time so when I get it home I can just look at it without trying to explain my every move.

What I saw in all the paintings I did was I needed more color and more texture in the rocks, I could accomplish both by using my sponge. First I addressed the color issue. I wanted my rocks to be a bit pinker, to do that I mixed up some red with just a touch of orange and water to thin it down, I just want a hint of color not a splash.

If you don't have a sea sponge, you can use a wadded up paper towel or even a regular sponge, the look will be different but we are just trying to add color. I used the sea sponge that had some big irregular holes and tapped LIGHTLY on my paper. The harder you press, the more water and paint will come out and fill in areas and that's not what we want. Be sure that if you have rinsed your sponge squeeze as much water out as you can before you pick up your paint.

Into the shadowed areas I added touches of blue the same way and let it dry before adding texture though I added it the same way, with the sponge using a shadow color of blue, purple and sienna and lots of water to make a light grey color. I tapped this color on all areas of rock and the combination of the shadow color and just color creates the rough texture of the rocks.

As I did in the acrylic class, I did add a tree coming out of the crack at the top (falls) left. I first under painted it with orange and when it was dry, using a smaller brush on its edge added sienna and purple in short choppy strokes leaving some of the orange on the sunny side.

The vines that are growing amongst the rocks were under painted with a light yellow green, basically yellow with just a touch of sap green and water. I used this on the vines that are in front of the square rock and up on the hill behind that rock, then I added a touch of cobalt blue to cool the color but still kept it light to under paint the vines that are under the rock and in the shadowed side of the painting.

If you haven't painted the colors of the reflections in the water, now is the time. Pull the color straight down rinse your brush and soften the edges and let it dry before proceeding. The water in the pool I under painted with a mix of blue and green and what mud I had on my palette, kind of a murky blue with lots of water to thin it. Using the edge of my brush and keeping my strokes fairly horizontal I painted in the darker areas of the water. Break up the edges of your reflections with this color but don't cover them completely. The strokes need to be mostly horizontal so the water looks flat.

The falls will be painted using the edge of your brush and a light blue color. Notice that where the water comes out from the rocks, it is in shadow so under paint with blue, let it dry then go over it again adding some darker areas. Think water falling as you paint and refer to the photo to see where you need to go with the color.

The water will be several layers of wash, each darker than the one before but each will be done the same as the one before it leaving bits of the previous color. Try not to cover up all of your reflections they will be hard to get back. Look at the reference photo to see where the water is the darkest and adjust your paint accordingly.

You can also add a second layer of color to the vine areas using mostly using sap green with just a touch of blue, it should be darker than the first layer. Don't try to paint actual leaves, just try to create interesting shapes within the green area to suggest darker leaves. You may need to go over these areas again to get enough dark just don't paint over it all. Each time you should paint less and less this creates depth, dimension and a sense of light. You have to have dark to show light.

If you have enough shadows and texture in your rocks, use your liner to make cracks in the rocks. Mix up a dark color and look for places where you can add cracks, rocks have a lot of them. After you are done with cracks – put as many or as few as you feel comfortable with – add a bit of sienna to the mix to make a dark brown and still using your liner, make the branches coming off the tree and the ones hanging down, on the other side.

Under paint the leaves on these branches first using a light yellow green and using either your brush, a sponge or a paper towel and tap in the sun lit leaves. Let it dry and tap in some darker leave the same way.

This is the point where you need to stand back and look at your painting to see if it actually needs anything else. You will have to finish your painting to satisfy your own needs but if you find yourself searching for things to do, call it done at least for now, then come back in a few days and look at it with fresh eyes. If it is something glaring, it will jump out at you just as it did to me when I sat down to write this up, I'll show you at our last class.