Page 56 - The Decorative Painter Fall 2014

WATERCOLOR
TECHNIQUES
We will use washes to tone the design, glazes to create shading, and lifting to produce highlights.
WASHInG: A wash is achieved by using a large brush loaded with a little bit of paint mixed with a lot of water. The value is a personal preference. Adding more paint will produce a darker wash (darker value), while adding more water will produce a lighter wash (lighter value). I used the flat wash brush on dry paper for this technique. GLAZInG: Glazing is the technique of laying paint down in an area and then softening the hard edges with clean water to create a blended transition of colors. This tech- nique is used for shading or tinting. The effect is similar to floating in acrylics. I use ultra rounds to glaze paint onto dry paper.
LIFTInG: This is the technique of lightening an area of a painting. If the paint is wet, a light area can be produced by simply dabbing it with a towel. If the paint is dry, wet it with fresh water to loosen the paint, and then dab it with a towel to lift the paint. Repeat the process until the desired effect is achieved. I use ultra rounds for this technique.
PREPARATION
Mix a middle-value puddle of each color and set aside. Adjust water and paint as directed. Use a spray bottle of water to keep palette and puddles moist. Add more wa- ter for lighter value colors and add more paint to produce darker value colors. Allow the surface to dry, and then transfer the design.
LET’S PAINT
The light source is coming from the upper-left side, which creates a large cast shadow on the right side of the corn. The husks are also painted with dramatic shadows. Take your time and glaze the layers of paint (from light to dark) in order to create these shadows. Paint the kernels with a variety of colors, but avoid creating a polka-dot pat- tern. The center corncob should be painted with lighter colors to make it more prominent. The left cob should be painted with middle values. The right cob is recessed into the shadow and should be painted with dark values.
STEP 1: Wash over the entire design (include the ribbon, but not the shadow) with light-value Yellow Ochre and let dry. Glaze light-value Gamboge over a few areas of the husks and onto some of the kernels on the two corncobs on the left. Let dry.
STEP 2: Begin to define the cornhusks by shading them with Dark Gamboge Mix. Darken the shading with Burnt Sienna. Let dry between each color. Save some nice Yel-
low Ochre highlights, especially along the upper-center and left side of the husks. The husks on the right will be painted much darker because they are in a shadow.
STEP 3: Beginpaintingtherowsofkernels.Therearenoin- dividual kernels in the pattern, but this allows you to make the kernels as small or large as you want and gives you more freedom with color placement. You already have splashes of yellow on the kernels from the washes. Try to leave some of these yellows when painting the kernels. Dab a variety of light-, middle-, and dark-value colors onto the kernels. Use all or some of these colors: Quinacridone Rose, Burgundy, Red-Orange Mix, Orange Mix, Flesh Mix, Violet Mix, and Purple Mix. Let dry. Coat the right corncob with dark-value Burgundy Mix (leaving little chips of highlights, if desired) and let dry. Deepen the shading on the husks by glazing lay- ers of Burnt Umber and then Raw Umber Mix.
STEP 4: Shade the left corncob with a glaze of middle-value Violet Mix along the right edge, under the ribbon, and be- tween each row of kernels (this should be narrow). Shade the center cob with a glaze of light-value Violet Mix under the ribbon, along the right edge, and between each row of kernels (this should be narrow). Let dry. Begin to outline the kernels with middle-value Purple Mix using a liner brush or a small ultra round. Soften some of the outlines so they don’t become a harsh pattern of oblong shapes. Lift highlights from the center of each kernel, as desired. Use a damp ultra round to tickle the center of each kernel and then dab them with a towel. Take your time and practice this technique until you see good results. Lift highlights from the kernels on the right corncob and begin to form an illusion of rows.
Paint the ribbon (if you have not done so) with very light Yellow Ochre and let dry. You may draw a check pat- tern with a pencil or paint the lines using a liner or small ultra round brush. Remember that there are folds in the ribbon and a knot in the middle, so adjust the shapes ac- cordingly. Paint the checks with middle-value Green-Blue Mix and let dry. Shade the ribbon with a glaze of light- value Ultramarine Blue.
STEP 5: Add detail lines in the husks with middle-value Burnt Sienna. Paint a few lighter lines and a few darker lines for contrast. If the lines become too harsh, use the lifting technique to lighten them. Glaze pretty tints onto the husks with light values of Quinacrodone Rose, Bur- gundy Mix, Red-Orange Mix, Orange Mix, and Green-Blue Mix. Use some or all of these colors, but don’t get too car- ried away. Let dry.
Finish the right corncob by creating a dark shadow over the top half of the cob (at an angle). Paint the shad- ow with a dark-value wash of Purple Mix (over the Bur-
54 The Decorative Painter • ISSUE NO. 3, 2014
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