White Watercolor Paint?? What? Why? When?

Storm Tossed
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"


Use white watercolor paint?  Should I or shouldn't I? 
In my watercolor painting above, Storm Tossed, I used white watercolor paint to make the white water created when the waves hit the rocks and the shore.  By using white paint as well as leaving some areas white, I was able to create a turbulance that would be difficult to achieve any other way. 


Watercolor painting in its purest form doesn't use white paint to tint colors or provide highlights.


Instead, white areas of paper are covered with only a very pale watered-down wash to simulate light areas or, to achieve pure white, are left unpainted altogether.


This means you have to have a good idea where these areas are going to be before you start painting. This involves some pre-planning of your picture - which is actually a very good discipline, whatever paint medium you use.


In other more opaque mediums like oil painting and acrylic painting, the artist relies on adding the finishing highlights with lighter colors or white paint. This gives a bit more flexibility if you change your painting half way through.


However, don't be put off by this. Great watercolorists often used white in their watercolor paintings.


Turner was a good example. He had to use white for some of his highlights as he frequently started off by staining his paper with tea, coffee or even wine to create a particular atmosphere!

Watercolor Tip:
Never use white to mix with other colors to produce a lighter shade. This is done with oils and acrylics, but never watercolor. Adding white to other colors will only “muddy” up the color.When Does a Watercolor Artist Use White Paint?



The following are suggested time to use white paint:


a. Snow - applied via spattering to create an overall effect of snow falling.


b. Spray from water, etc. (like in my painting above)


c. Highlights that would be very difficult to achieve any other way.



Remember, there's only one rule in painting and that's to enjoy yourself. So if white paint's good enough for Turner and the other greats, you go ahead and use it as well!

Happy Painting!
Karen

Lazy River - Part 3: The Water

Lazy River
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

Part 3: The Water

This week I will discuss the last main element of this painting - the water.
How to Paint the Water:
Using a large round brush block in the river using broad horizontal strokes of Ultramarine.  Use deep color in the foreground, diluting it as you move towards the distance.   While the color is still wet, smooth out brush strokes with water and a fan brush. 

Start to paint the foreground reflections into the wet Ultramarine paint, using mixes of burnt sienna and indigo with vertical and horizontal strokes.  Refer to the painting above for location. 

Add distant reflections next.  Wet the far part of the river with water.  Using a smaller round brush, work over this area with vertical strokes of yellow.  Add darker bands with mixes of lemon yellow, Payne's grey, and burnt sienna.

Remove the masking fluid  in the water area.  Paint strokes of indigo mixed with burnt sienna between the lines where the masking fluid was removed. 

Make squiggly lines to capture the movement of the water with the indigo and burnt sienna.

Finishing the painting:
Remove the masking fluid from the background.  Pant a dilute mix of indigo, burnt sienna and green among the trees.  Add reflections of green in the water for these trees.  Define the bank using washes of cerulean blue, turquoise, and yellow.    Paint the posts in the foreground using burnt sienna and yellow.

Check your painting for any areas than need emphasis:  shadows, reflections, etc. and fine tune.

Sign your name!  Your lazy river is ready to enjoy.....

Happy Painting!
Karen

Lazy River - Part 2: The Trees

Lazy River
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

Part 2:  The Trees

As mentioned in last week's blog, there are three main elements to this painting.  Now that the grass and foliage have been painted, I will discuss how to paint the trees; and we will finish with the water next week. 

How to Paint the Trees:
Use a small round brush (a No. 4 or No. 6) and paint green bands ACROSS one of the tree trunks with a dilute mix of indigo, turquoise, and yellow.  While still wet, define the trunk of the tree by quickly dragging a wash of Payne's Grey quickly down (vertically) through the bands of wet paint.  The paint will run horizontally to suggest branches.  Paint one tree at a time so that the paint is still wet when the Payne's Grey is applied.  This is a handy technique to paint trees quickly. 

After this initial wash has dried, paint the bark on the trees using Burnt Sienna--don't over do it.    Work from the wrist to make natural shapes that are not too "set" and geometric in shape. 

Finish the trees using a rigger or liner brush to put in the smaller branches. 

Watercolor Trivia:
In the 19th century, marine artists and architects often used a tail feather of a woodcock to paint fine, even lines.  The feather, which is very springy and holds a surprising amount of color, works like our current fine liner brush or a rigger. 

Next week, we will finish this painting by putting in the water element!

Happy Painting!
Karen

Lazy River

Lazy River

Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

In my watercolor painting above, the bright yellows in the foliage and grass are used to indicate areas of sunshine streaming through the trees.  The small amount of foliage on the trees and bushes indicate an early Spring day.

There are three main elements to the this painting:

1. Water
2. Grass
3. Trees

Each one of these elements are treated separately and a different technique is used to paint each of these different sections.  Over the course of the next few weeks, I will address each of these elements and how to paint each one.

First, sketch your painting with minimal detail.  Spatter masking fluid in the tree area in the background and dab some masking fluid between the trees.  Also, mask out distant horizontal reflections in the water and the stumps in the foreground.  Refer to the "white" unpainted areas of my painting above for placement of the masking fluid. 

Watercolor tip:

How to Paint the Grass and Foliage

Spattering is the key to the fresh, grassy river banks.  The first spattering is made with clean water and then paint so that the paint finds its way into the pools of spattered water.    The first spatter of paint looks like an explosion of tiny stars, but as each layer of color is applied the impression of grass starts to take shape.

Be certain to create perspective in the painting with larger spatters in the foreground and smaller ones in the distance.  

Add darker colors of green in areas of the bank to create the shadows from the tree trunks on the opposite side of the river.

Next week I will discuss painting the trees.  The water and details are put in last and will be discussed the 3rd week.

Happy Painting!

Karen

 

It's All About the Sky!

 

Seaside Villa
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

In my painting above, Seaside Villa, the emphasis is on the sky! In this painting, it appears that sunlight is trying to break through a gap in the heavy clouds illuminating the little cluster of buildings on the cliff top. Notice how the color of the sky differs on the right and left sides of the painting helping to create the storm clouds and imply ilumination behind the clouds.


Watercolor tip: How to paint the sky
Mix your sky washes before you being to paint. You will be working wet on wet so that the colors will flow and mix easily together.

I used the following colors for the sky: cadmium red, cobalt blue, a mix of these two colors, Paynes gray, and sepia.

Use a large round brush to paint in the sky.

Place your first wash of a diluted cadmium red in the lower sky.

Drop in some colbalt blue at the top of the sky, leaving some of the paper white.

Add a mix of the two colors and paint in cloud shapes wet in wet on the left and right side of the paper.

Use the point of the brush to paint in smaller clouds lower down.

Paint dark clouds using Payne's gray to create a stormy look on the lower part of the sky behind the buildings. Drop in a little sepia.

Spray a mist of water on the sky if it is getting too dry to work well.

Lift some areas of white shaping the clouds using a tissue.


Clouds can be an interesting part of a painting.....sometimes the painting is really all about the sky!

Happy Painting!
Karen

The Dome

The Dome
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

My watercolor above titled, The Dome, is an excellent example of layering wash upon wash to build up color.  The painting above was executed by laying in thinned washes of uniform and varied tones, applying color wet-in-wet, and overlaying washes onto dry colors to build up deep tones and color.  The broad area of shadow is not painted in one tone of a single color, but created using wet-in-wet technique.  Different colors are added to a wet or damp area and allowed to mingle and fuse.  This will allow for some interesting colors and results. 

Note:  The whitest area of the dome was left unpainted allowing for the greatest contrast of light and shadow. 

Watercolor tip:

Working successfully with wet-in-wet techniques relies on a balance between control and spontaneity.  Limit the effect of the technique by wetting only specific areas of color or tone, such as the side of a column shadow, as shown in the painting above.  By dealing with separate areas in this way your paint will move freely within those areas only, but will not run out of control over the work as a whole.

Happy Painting!
Karen

Poppy Splash!

Poppy Splash
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

The watercolor painting above, Poppy Splash, was painted using a fun technique.  The painting composition was not drawn on the paper before I started painting.  I wet the paper and flooded in the colors for the flowers and the foliage.  I tipped the drawing board while the paint was still very wet and allowed the colors to merge and blend and then allowed them to dry to see how they settled on the paper.   I drew my composition on top of the wash.  The shape of the flower does not have to take up the entire area of color.  This painting is intended as an abstraction and the colors of the flowers, greenery, etc. may be "outside" the lines of those shapes.  The extra paint will indicate a "blurred" flower or leaf in the background.    Paint was then applied on top of the initial wash and deepened in some areas and lifted in others. 

Try a different approach like this one and see how much fun it can be!

Happy Painting!

Karen

Doors and Windows

Doors and Windows
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

Interesting doors and windows have always been a favorite subject of mine for paintings.  The watercolor above incorporates both in this simple arrangement.  From barn doors to European doors, one can always find something interesting to put on paper and give the viewer the desire to wonder what interesting things or people might be found inside. 

Watercolor tip:
This watercolor uses a resist to add texture to the stone wall, around the window and the door on the right.  I used oil pastels applied to the watercolor paper prior to painting. 

A resist is defined as a method of preventing paint from coming into contact with the paper, or other paint layers, by interposing a paint-resistant coating, such as wax.  This is often used to preserve highlights, or for specific textural effects. 

If you have not tried using a resist, give it a try.  You do not have to use oil pastels, plain old "Crayola" crayons will work as well!

Happy Painting
Karen

Fog Comes On Little Cat Feet

Fog Comes On Little Cat Feet
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

Fog

by Carl Sandburg

THE FOG

comes on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

My watercolor above, Fog Comes On Little Cat Feet, received its title thanks to Carl Sandburg.  I remember memorizing this poem in elementary school and this painting brought that poem to mind.

Watercolor Tip:

How to paint fog:

I completed the entire painting using very vivid colors - much brighter than I would have ordinarily used so that when the fog was added the color would show through.    After the  painting was completely dry.  I applied several washes of white paint using a dry brush.  The first application lightly covered the entire painting.  The second application covered from the top down to the a spot half way between the yellow and the red boat.  The third application covered the sky and mountain area.  This allowed the fog to be more concentrated in the distance and lighter in the foreground. 

Caution:  Work quickly and DO NOT have the paint too wet or you run the risk of completely hiding the painting.  Also, do not overwork the area.  Work from top to bottom with single strokes across and move on. 

Happy Painting!

Karen

Why Paint?

Faceless China

Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

Many times I have been asked this question:  "Why do you paint?"   There are many responses to that question. 

• I enjoy it!
• I like to express myself in pictures rather than words!
• It is a relaxing way to spend time.
• It is my hobby.
• It is a stress reliever!    It calms the mind and the body.
• Painting is a way to release creative energy.
• Paintings can capture a moment in time.
• Paintings can make a statement.
• People paint for a living and a career.
• People paint because they can!
• Paintings is a way to learn something about themselves and the world around them.

All artists have their reasons; some that I have mentioned and other reasons of their own.

My watercolor above, Faceless China, was enjoyable to paint, but it also makes a statement about the many people in China.  Because this person's face was painted with minimal  detail and the clothing could be worn by either a male or a female, this person stands for every person in China and depicts a culture, a way of life. 

No matter what your reason is to paint - do it!

Happy Painting!

Karen