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Week 1
Water and Pigment Control: The 5 Consistencies Exercise Demonstrated
This is a demonstration of the 5 consistencies I'd like you to try to achieve with each of the colors on your palette. The purpose of this exercise is to help you learn water and pigment control by mixing different densities/consistencies of your pigments and observe how they behave when applied to paper. The 5 consistencies are: tea, coffee, milk, cream and butter. Pay close attention to the amounts of water in your brush and on your palette during mixing. Though evaluating light to dark values is a large part of this exercise, focus on the consistency of the paint. Observe the paint's qualities such as thickness and flow. Watch how the paint settles as you mix it with water on your palette. There's a tactile aspect to it. Feel the richness and watery-ness of each consistency. Ask: Is it opaque? Transparent? Does it granulate? Does it flow and move? Is it runny or thick? How is it when you first squeeze it out of the tube? Note the consistencies and values of each paint color in relation to your other pigments. It's a difficult exercise so don't beat yourself up if it takes some time and practice to get this exercise down. As I mentioned above, do this for each of your pigments on your palette.
5 Consistencies Exercise using Perylene Green
Removing Paper from a Block of Watercolor Paper
Water Control in your Brush
Here's a short video demonstrating a few tips on controlling water in your brush without removing pigment.
Here's a short video demonstrating a few tips on controlling water in your brush without removing pigment.
Week 2
Running a Flat Wash
When preparing to run a flat wash be sure to mix enough paint to cover the entire area. You may want to practice on a side sheet of paper running the first stroke with the paper at a slant to get the hang of how much paint to apply on your first stroke. You want enough to form a bead, but not so much it drips down your paper. As you apply the strokes just barely join your brush to the bead to allow the paint to flow down. Time your stroke with the paint, allowing it to flow and form the bead. The timing will depend on the consistency of your paint. The thicker the paint the slower it will flow. The thinner, the faster it'll flow. Create a square or rectangle sized to your comfort. As you get better at running a flat wash enlarge the wash area to stretch your practice.
When preparing to run a flat wash be sure to mix enough paint to cover the entire area. You may want to practice on a side sheet of paper running the first stroke with the paper at a slant to get the hang of how much paint to apply on your first stroke. You want enough to form a bead, but not so much it drips down your paper. As you apply the strokes just barely join your brush to the bead to allow the paint to flow down. Time your stroke with the paint, allowing it to flow and form the bead. The timing will depend on the consistency of your paint. The thicker the paint the slower it will flow. The thinner, the faster it'll flow. Create a square or rectangle sized to your comfort. As you get better at running a flat wash enlarge the wash area to stretch your practice.
Running a Graded Wash
Don't get discouraged! Graded washes are difficult to master. I started at the top with a cream consistency which was problematic because Ultramarine blue is sedimentary. Try starting with a milk or coffee of Prussian blue or Alizarin crimson, two transparent colors. Once you master a lighter value graded wash try getting a little darker with your first strokes.
Don't get discouraged! Graded washes are difficult to master. I started at the top with a cream consistency which was problematic because Ultramarine blue is sedimentary. Try starting with a milk or coffee of Prussian blue or Alizarin crimson, two transparent colors. Once you master a lighter value graded wash try getting a little darker with your first strokes.
Little Wet on Wet Exercises
It's all about how wet the paper is when it comes to working wet on wet. Keep in mind the paint is diluted when applied to a wet surface so you'll have to make adjustments to your paint consistency, loading your brush with more saturated pigment to arrive at your intended value.
It's all about how wet the paper is when it comes to working wet on wet. Keep in mind the paint is diluted when applied to a wet surface so you'll have to make adjustments to your paint consistency, loading your brush with more saturated pigment to arrive at your intended value.
Letting Color Mingle ... or Mixing Color on Paper
Now we're having fun! This is a technique with infinite possibilities. Though I wouldn't call it one technique, but a combination of many. By doing this exercise you'll become more acquainted with each color; it's properties and how it behaves when mingled with other paint.
Draw a shape within a square or rectangle and drop paint and water in, around the shape. You can also make the exercise simpler by working within a (approx.) 5"x 5" square or 4"x6" rectangle with no shape drawn within it. (Just a larger version of the small rectangle.) If you decide on working with an inside shape, give yourself space between the inside shape and the outside edge so you have plenty of area to paint into. Experiment with different consistencies and values, incorporate wet on wet, but just use two colors and alternate. Ask: Is it pushy, moving other colors aside? How does it disperse? Does it sit there, not moving? Does it granulate? Do the two colors seem to reject each other, refusing to mix and commingle? Careful, no noodling and fussing! Work quick, get in and get out. Draw any shape you wish, but keep it simple. Have fun, enjoy the paint and its expansive and interactive properties!
Now we're having fun! This is a technique with infinite possibilities. Though I wouldn't call it one technique, but a combination of many. By doing this exercise you'll become more acquainted with each color; it's properties and how it behaves when mingled with other paint.
Draw a shape within a square or rectangle and drop paint and water in, around the shape. You can also make the exercise simpler by working within a (approx.) 5"x 5" square or 4"x6" rectangle with no shape drawn within it. (Just a larger version of the small rectangle.) If you decide on working with an inside shape, give yourself space between the inside shape and the outside edge so you have plenty of area to paint into. Experiment with different consistencies and values, incorporate wet on wet, but just use two colors and alternate. Ask: Is it pushy, moving other colors aside? How does it disperse? Does it sit there, not moving? Does it granulate? Do the two colors seem to reject each other, refusing to mix and commingle? Careful, no noodling and fussing! Work quick, get in and get out. Draw any shape you wish, but keep it simple. Have fun, enjoy the paint and its expansive and interactive properties!
Mixing and Mingling Two Palette Colors on Paper
I recommend you mix each color on your palette with one another. Here I've used my template to draw rectangles and used Transparent red oxide to mix with all the other colors on my palette. I'll choose another and do the same. I wetted the paper in select spots within the rectangle, then brushed color on, alternating to allow the colors to flow and mix with one another. Feel free to add water at any time. Or remove water with a thirsty brush. This is a casual exercise to explore how each pigment interacts and mingles with other, similar to the paint around a shape exercise. You'll use less paper in this one.
I recommend you mix each color on your palette with one another. Here I've used my template to draw rectangles and used Transparent red oxide to mix with all the other colors on my palette. I'll choose another and do the same. I wetted the paper in select spots within the rectangle, then brushed color on, alternating to allow the colors to flow and mix with one another. Feel free to add water at any time. Or remove water with a thirsty brush. This is a casual exercise to explore how each pigment interacts and mingles with other, similar to the paint around a shape exercise. You'll use less paper in this one.
Mixing and Mingling on Paper Part 2
Week 3
Stormy Clouds Demo
This entire video is around 55 minutes long so you may want to fast forward. It evolved into numerous cloud scapes. Makes me want to paint another but take it to further extremes. But I do think it was done at around 15 minutes in. Watching the paint flow was wonderful. And I think working on 300lb paper is well worth the experience so I recommend the splurge. You can always stretch 140lb paper, too. Which I'm gearing up to do. I'll show you how.
What did I learn, and hope you will through viewing?
1) When the paper is well wetted you can take your time painting, and experimenting.
2) One can apply very stiff paint. Heavy cream! Don't fear going too dark. It melds into the water.
3) It's good to vary the color with each pass, introducing warms or cools. Try alternating.
4) Let the painting paint itself. I know I was trying much too hard to control it. Let it flow!
5) Do a bit of preplanning in regards to deciding on your color palette.
6) Turn your board or block about, letting gravity move the water and pigment.
Give overworking a sky a try. I complain about over doing it, but I sure learned a lot.
This entire video is around 55 minutes long so you may want to fast forward. It evolved into numerous cloud scapes. Makes me want to paint another but take it to further extremes. But I do think it was done at around 15 minutes in. Watching the paint flow was wonderful. And I think working on 300lb paper is well worth the experience so I recommend the splurge. You can always stretch 140lb paper, too. Which I'm gearing up to do. I'll show you how.
What did I learn, and hope you will through viewing?
1) When the paper is well wetted you can take your time painting, and experimenting.
2) One can apply very stiff paint. Heavy cream! Don't fear going too dark. It melds into the water.
3) It's good to vary the color with each pass, introducing warms or cools. Try alternating.
4) Let the painting paint itself. I know I was trying much too hard to control it. Let it flow!
5) Do a bit of preplanning in regards to deciding on your color palette.
6) Turn your board or block about, letting gravity move the water and pigment.
Give overworking a sky a try. I complain about over doing it, but I sure learned a lot.
Week 4
These videos contain instruction on how to create a color wheel. You can download the template and the handouts at Students–>Documents, Week 4.
In this video I describe a split primary palette and colors that can be used. Having a warm and a cool of each primary color allows one to create purer secondary colors; oranges, greens and violets. As you work with mixing colors to achieve secondary colors you'll discover that watercolor pigments are not pure color but fall somewhere in the spectrum of colors. Never CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). Though some come close such as Phthalo blue (cyan). Pyrrole scarlet, for instance, falls on the orange side, thus making cleaner oranges. Quin red has some pink/blue undertones creating cleaner violets. If you mixed Pyrrole scarlet with Ultramarine you'd get a ruddy, muted violet. Basically mud! Some colors have some neutral qualities such as Cerulean blue, a perfect NW sky color with it's hint of gray. Neutral colors, grays, are achieved by mixing compliments. Complimentary colors are directly opposite on the color wheel. To mix a gray neutral you can mix green and red, or blue and yellow-orange, or violet and yellow.
In this video I describe a split primary palette and colors that can be used. Having a warm and a cool of each primary color allows one to create purer secondary colors; oranges, greens and violets. As you work with mixing colors to achieve secondary colors you'll discover that watercolor pigments are not pure color but fall somewhere in the spectrum of colors. Never CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). Though some come close such as Phthalo blue (cyan). Pyrrole scarlet, for instance, falls on the orange side, thus making cleaner oranges. Quin red has some pink/blue undertones creating cleaner violets. If you mixed Pyrrole scarlet with Ultramarine you'd get a ruddy, muted violet. Basically mud! Some colors have some neutral qualities such as Cerulean blue, a perfect NW sky color with it's hint of gray. Neutral colors, grays, are achieved by mixing compliments. Complimentary colors are directly opposite on the color wheel. To mix a gray neutral you can mix green and red, or blue and yellow-orange, or violet and yellow.
Creating a Split Primary Color Wheel Part 1
Part 2
I'll be writing up another handout on mixing neutrals and will send it to you via email. Also upload to the Documents section on my website.
I'll be writing up another handout on mixing neutrals and will send it to you via email. Also upload to the Documents section on my website.