Learn to Express YourselfEET ny JUASETTE GREEN. Desecnee sy Jorn StaGNIrrO AsaitE Library of Congres Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available Weerasesrs Published in paperback in 2005 by Sterling Publishing Ca. Ine. 147 Park venue South, New York, N.Y. 10616 (©2002 by Marcia Swartz Moos: Distributed in Canada by Sterling Publishing Fa Caxadian Marels Group, 165 Dullerin Street Toroara, Cnesria, Cands MAK SHE Dhctribuned in Grrat Beitsin and Europe by Cheysalés Hooke Group PLC ‘The Chrysalis Building, Bramley Road, London W10 65P, England Distributed in Australia yy Capricorn Link (Australi Pty Lt. HO, Bos 704, Windio, NSW 2736 Austrskin Printed ie China Alf rights reseroed, Sterling ISBN 9-80689542-4 Hardcover ISBN 1-4927-135746 Paperback (Coen and vee page: Winter Pansies, Marcia Mones, 8 19 inehesFOREWORD ; INTRODUCTION 9 FINDING THE RIGHT TOOLS & MATERIALS 11 Paper 12 Finding the Right Paint 13 Brushes 17 Palettes 20 Painting Supports 27 Osher Supplies 22 Dil suseinc composition « vesicn 2s What Is Design? 26 About Space 26 Light & Dark Colors 27 ‘The Seven Elements of Design 2% The Principles of Design 30 Discovering Hot Spots 30 Learning to See J3 Drawing 3¥ Squint to See 56 What Is Value? 37 Simplifying the Value Scale 38 How to Begin 39 Applying Values 40 MM concise ern coun 4s The Properties of Color 44 Basic Color Theory 45 Pale'Tints 47 The Limited Palette 47 Color’Temperature 49 Primaries & Their Complements 32. Mixing Colors 52 Color Undertone or Bias 54 Color Schemes 56 Mixing Grays 37 ing Mud 58 DRAWING ON YOUR OWN CREATIVITY 61 Painting with Passion 62 Discover the Child Within 63 The Viewer’s Response 65 Creativity 69 Revision 72 Finding a Subject 73 Inspiration 75 Dali's Secret 78 Artistic License 79 Bb viwe-noxonev recuniques aL Putting Theory to Work #2 Basic Washes 83 Gradated Washes 84 Negative Painting 86 Controlled Drip 88 Spattering & Throwing, Paint 90 Glazing 92 Layering 93 Creating Texture 9 Pouring Color 102 PAINTING STEP-BY-STEP 109 Watermelon {1 Flowers & Leaves 112 Rocks 14 Magnolias 416 Glass Jars 1/8 Little Boy 122 Glazed Bottles 124 Street Scene in France 126 .. ARTIST'S GALLERY 131 GLOSSARY 152 METRIC EQUIVALENTS 157 INDEX TO WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS 158 INDEX 189ASSION, ENERGY, AND SINCERITY are the words that best describe Marcia Mases's commitment and contribution ta water color and art. ‘When I first met her in 1997, Marcia was known as the “light- ‘house lady.” For many years, lighthouses were often featured in her art. She visited each new lighthouse, leamed its history, and studied it intimately. She observed minute details, event noting the kind of lamp, lumens of light, and the how many revolutions it made per minute. She brings knowledge, conviction, and real to new watercolors, Marcia is a true professional with unlimited energy devoted to: her art. Her paintings of flowers, seascapes, and landscapes capture a mood that reflects her very personal appreciation of nature. As a top watercolor instructor, Marcia has dedicated herself to teaching niany students across the country, The sunt visiou that ‘Marcia embodies in her paintings is instilled in this book. You'll enjoy these easy lessons and be inspired by the watercolors in each chapter. Happy painting! —LEN GAKON Foreword TDAINTING 15 LIKE SINGING. When we sing, we relate to the audience with music and verse, In painting, we relate to the viewer with an aesthetically pleasing and meaningful arrangement of elements on paper. In this book, I hope to share the joy I feel when achieving a desired artistic effect and want to show how you can put your heart on paper. In my art, I have found a place for my soul to live, and 1 want you to discover that place, too. Desire is the driving force behind art. If you have desire, yau can accomplish any goal you envision. That desire, however, must come from within, You can learn a watercolor technique o be knowledge able about art and art history, but you'll need the desire to develop and use new skills or try out 2 different technique in order to succeed. When a student tells me, “I can’t do that!” I simply reply: “You are right! If you think you can’t, then you really can's.” 1 believe that anyone who really wants to paint can, Sometimes we pay a price to realize a dream. If your desire is strong enough, the price is small compared to the result French painter Claude Monet (1840-1926), like many other great artists, decided to dedicate his life to art, and he paid the price with rejection, endless hours of study, and years of financial struggle. His needs were grounded in the pleasures he found in mature, his gardens, his damestic life, and in the spiritual and cthersal realms of his art. His desire to create masterpiece superseded other needs. He was happy, however, because he lived out his dream and expressed his art in spite of the price. It’s important to understand that desire keeps the dream alive. You'll find passion when you finally know in your heart and soul that you can have what you truly want. The price you pay will be small in comparison to the dream you achieve. Keep reaching! Don’t stop! Never give up on your dream! We all want to sing out to the world from the heart, mind, and soul; this is my song. [ hope that you discover yours. MARCIA MOSES Tatroduction [ayFinding the Right Jools & MatenialsI fasy watencoron INDING JUST THE RIGHT watercolor tools and materials for me ook many years of painting and experimenting, Lean advice you about what materials are best for a beginner to work with, but personal likes and dislikes and individual artistic styles play a large part in each artist's selection, So T urge you to experiment on your own. Find out which brushes you feel comfort- able painting with and what paints help you achieve the artistic results you wish. Don't think of it as a chore; think of ic as playing, ‘You'll be painting through the selection process. MANY DIFFERENT TYPES of watercolor paper are available, and cach has a distinct use. The three most popular types of watercolor paper are hot-pressed (HP), cold-pressed (NOT), and rough. In the past artists needed to “size” paper, often by soaking it briefly. Today most piper is ‘of such quality that artists don't need. to do that anymore, * Hat-pressed paper, referred to as HP, issmoath, without a loc of texture. * Cold-pressed paper is also called NOT, which means not hot. pressed. It isn't.as smooth as hot-pressed paper and has a little texture. © Rough paper is exactly what it claims to be, paper with lots of texture, [t allows paint to fall into its many valleys leaving the peaks without color.Watercolor Papers Luse 140-pound Strathmore Imperial, 140-pound Strathmore Gemini, and 149-pound Arches for most of my work, All of these papers are cold-pressed. They all take a beating. Paint can be dabbed off them, rubbed off them, and scrubbed off them without much damage to the paper itself, Mistakes can be corrected, They're all very forgiving papers. However, subtle differences in these papers can be used to achieve your artistic goals. Arches cold-pressed paper has a some- what forgiving surface, but Strathmore Imperial is even more forgiving. Strathmore has a quality that makes it easier to lift paint from its surface and to get back to the paper's white colar. If you plan poorly and inadvertently paint an area that you kad intended to leave white, you can take a damp brush and lift the paint off and return to the desired lighter value. While Strathmore Gemini is very similar in surface to Arches, it has a ereamy tone. An artist preserving whites must be aware that those whites will not be as bright as when using, some other papers. Beginners also need to look for a better quality of paper than they miight initially want to buy. They think, "T'm just starting out, so T'll practice on cheap papex” However, beginner “mistakes” are coxactly why you should choase better-quality paper, (I feel thar there really are no real mistakes—just happy accidents that ean be turned. into new directions.) I'd suggest using at least 140-pound paper because i's going to hold up especially when you want to scrub the paint off. The only reason a beginner might want to use a rough Finding the Right Tools & Material: [idArches Rowph Paper Block This paper bas « forgiving surfece. paper is to take advantage of its skipping power. With rough paper, the brush will skip over small sections and miss certain parts of the paper, leaving a sparkling appearance. Hot-Pressed or Cold-Pressed? Hot-pressed paper accepts a smoother wash and can be used, for example, when painting a misty landscape. Paint soaks into the paper in a smooth, non-textured manner. Cold-pressed. paper is the most versatile. You can do just about anything on it. Paper Size What size of paper to use is also an obvious question for the beginner. The usual advice for novices—start small—may not apply xo peaple beginning to learn watercolor art. Granted, a beginner ‘won't want to start with a full 2230 sheet of paper. An catire blank sheet of paper can be intimidating no matter how large. But, it's not wise for a beginner to start too sill, either. That’s because you have the urge to stay at that size of paper and not to give your- self room to grow as an artist. Try doing a painting or two on one- cighth sheet of paper; then quickly move up to quarter sheets and even half sheets. Wi tar watencoionPaper Pad or Block Why not just buy a pad or a block of watercolor paper and be done with ic? Well, pads and blocks can be more than buying paper in packets of individual sheets. And those individual sheets ean be broken down into the size of paper with which you want to work. Blocks and pads limit an artist pretty much to the size the blocks or pads are cut. However, blocks are certainly convenient, especially when painting outside, if only to carry. Blocks also climinate the need for a backing board. ‘My advice: Try out a variety of paper, and decide after you ‘on it what you feel most comfortable with. Do a similar painting with the same colors on a variety of papers to see how the paint reacts, In other words, play. FINDING PAINT 18 ALSO a matter of personal preference. ‘The most important thing to keep in mind about watercolor paint is not to consider yourself a student. At least avoid using student-geade paint. This paint is inexpensive but contains less pigment than higher grades of paint. The quality is not as good, and the artwork produced using student-grade paints will also suffer. You want to begin with the confidence that you are better than student-grade paints. If you do, you will be. Pan & Cake Paints How do you recognize student-grade paint? Those inexpensive six- color pans of paints generally are student grade. You can buy higher- quality pan-and-cake paints, and they will have the advantage of convenience. You can travel more easily with them. Pan paints also can be stored with ease. They generally come in sets, so you get many different colors. But, it’s tough to de a major wash with a small pan of paint, without adding a lot of water. nding the Right Tools & Materi: BPansond-Cake Pains These come with a variety of colors and can be stored easly. You cnr bay some cakes singly, small rcp, oF already in wells Of convenient carrying tse Tube Paints Tube paints are nswaily of shigher quality and frester than cake paras. Tube Paints L recommend that you begin by filling a palette with tube paints, perhaps starting with only the three primary colors and adding a color or two at intervals over time as you become accustomed to the propertics of cach color. Tube colors wsually arc of higher quality, and frequently, they’re fresher. V've used many different brands of paint and found Holbein paints work best for me. Holbein does not use ox gall, a wetting: agent, in its paint. The colors are noted for their fightfast qualities and physieal permanence, both individually and in mixture. There are many qualities [ really appreciate about Holbein paints, but the most important reason T use them is because it’s easy to read the properties of each color. I find it helpful knawing what a colo will do and how it will react in many situations, [i aasr watencotonincessant Peanars THe Most valuable tools you'll ever own are your brushes. It’s extremely important to buy the best fram the very beginning. With the right brushes, you'll benefit in your art and leaming. Kolinsky sable brushes are considered the finest brushes on the market. Lown many of them. However, quality is not necessarily costly, Personally, I prefer the relatively inexpensive Holbein or Jack Richeson brushes. Unlike some artists who believe that only a Kolinsky sable brush can do the job, I use my Holbein and Jack Richeson brushes almost exclusively, Naturally, we all have different ways of moving and seeing and need ta use the tools we feel most comfortable with. Try out several different brushes and make your own choices, It took me a while to find the right combination that works for me, bur in my art, I use a few brushes consistently. These include: 14-inch flat, 1-inch flat, \4-ineh flat, 4-inch flat, #18 round, and #4 round. ‘The 14-inch flae brush is great for large washes and glazes. Brash Varieties Bros are an artist's moat oulmable tools. ‘Choose them with care ng the Right Tools © Mae eoe brmib side or eee \ = dey “A Fixinch frauh ereaved the vertical stroke; I wsed she side and abe ex of tse rus. The two wide serles (in the center) were made seth a wet brask (top) ard dey beash (bottom). Mouieg the brwab in as S-pastcra ercated the stroke on che sight, The tench flat brash creates bold strobe: t's abo good for washes or glazes, There brushes come én sarions brandi and Insir types, Mamy artists claim Kolinsky sable is the best. Certainly, itis the most expensioy. If.x brush creates the resale _yoicre working for, then that brash is for you, regardless of cout. Here are some wrokes you can achieve with a J-inch ‘lat brah om 140-posmad Arches paper BB easy warercotona NIM ame Sepattern These sakes are made with a t-inch flar brash on 140-pound Arches, The finch flat works im mach he same way 03 the Hooch, although it's walls and well make merrower strokes, wet brush side oF edge eo These strokes are made with a #28 round brash on H4O-pound Arches paper. Jt makes mmch smoother stroker than «fet brash with softer edges. It cam be mse for Lrger detail the Right Tools &brush side or edge Here are examples of robes made by a Yc flat brash on H0-poumd Arches paper. The tvimc> flat brash a great for getting mta and avannd edges of shapes im purintings. ‘These strobes are made worth « #4 remand on MO-pownd Sinathrmore Inspersal paper. The rend s.nred for foe tsi, drarwimg lines, and lettering, I use Two Tres of palette, a butcher's tray and the Robert E. Wood palette. However, many useful palettes are available in the market. Find ane that suits you. ‘When I'm throwing paint, I use a butcher's tray. It’s also useful for spattcring, or any other technique that frecs you to mix paint in aless controlled way. The palette’s smooth enamel finish allows the BB tasy warercoorButcher's Tray ar Pateste Rober: F. Waod Palette paime to run together to form beautiful and surprising colors. Some- times [transfer luminous patterns from the butcher’s tray onto watercolor paper by laying the paper on top of it sa that the paper absorbs the pretty colors and patterns. This creates a wonderful background; it also helps you avoid wasting paint. However, the palette I prefer and use most is the Robert E. Wood, named after the artist who develaped it. This very efficient palette has large paint wells and a generous divided mixing space that allows you to mix two different washes at one time. Ik allows you more control aver your colors, The wells are deep and hold a lot of paint. On the side af the palette, there's space to write the names of calors, You can even store the palette with paint printing sesion. left in the wells. The cover of the palette has four mixing wells, so Rime thoroughly. you can mix as many as six colors at once. ‘To PREVENT WATERCOLOR paper from buckling, you'll need to support it, The support needs to be comfortably positioned for your work, Most artists use tape or bulldog clips to attach paper to a wooden board, gator board, or Plexiglas. The support prevents the paper from developing wrinkles when you apply water, and it provides a stable surface for paimting, If you then place the board or Plexiglas support oa an easel or drafting table, you'll be able to posi- tion the paper at an angle that’s comfortable for painting. Finding the Right Tools & MaterialsLuse my painting table more often than my easel, although there are many reasuns to use an easel. You may like ta stand when you paint; I do. I feel in control in this position. I do have a French easel that [use when on location, and thas works out well for me due to the flat position the easel allows. Most of the time when 1 paint ex plein air (outside), | just prop my board on something and assume a ey RTT) comfortable position. * - ‘Whatever painting support you use, it's important to find a home —= oe for it. When T began painting, | used the kitchen table. However, for —— ame for puinting many years | was hesitant co paint because it took so much work to That cay. you a space of your own that you can go to for painting, You won't have to wt ant to be deterred by the wor up cach timeyou by the many possible distractions of life's every scant fo paint — frecdom my studio provides. Designate a space for your painting ics that you can use regularly and keep supplies ready. ES et Keer 4 coro eneet with your painting supplies for reference. You'll find many color wheels on the market. The Color Wheel ‘Company makes a great pocket color guide with an abundance of information that supplements the traditional calor wheel Use masking fluid to preserve whites. [ favor Incredible White Mask liquid frisker. Before I learned how best to apply this mask. I ruined tao many brushes to count. Now [use the same brush every Hime | apply a mask. Lather the brush with an unadultered soap, like Ivory soap. The soap protects the brush from becoming gummy as long as you soap it between each stroke. Then brush the mask on paper area you want (o stay white or unpainted undl ter Another way to preserve whites is to use masking tape. Of course, you may not be able to achieve some of the sime subtlety you can with masking fluid. Watercolor artists also need drawing materials. Begin cach painting with a value sketch and a design sketch. Find a sketchbook you're comfortable with and some drawing pencils. | favor using a 228 or #3B pencil for sketching because these pencils cantain a soft lead that, when combined with a soft touch, will lewve alight impres- sion, A soft gum eraseror a kneaded eraser will not damage the paper surface of sketchbook or watercalor paper. BB tasy watencoton‘Color Wheet A calor tobe ine of em ait’ most iraportant toot Household Tools A surprising number of household items can do double duty: as artist's tools, Spatter or scrub out paint with old toothbrushes, Move paint around the painting with a spray bottle or atomizer filled with water or alcohol, Clean brushes or lift paint to create shapes, like clouds, with tissue and paper towels. Create texture on a wet paint surface with plastic wrap and wax paper. Shift paint around with a razor Made. Just use your imaginition to discover the variety of objects around the house that you'll want to add to your painter's woolbox. Finding the Right Tools & Matcrials il]8... Marcia Mases, 22 + 30 inches (pp. 24-25) aime LELAST LS DES CN teal ‘THe WATERCOLOR AwTIST creates a throo-dimensional illusion ‘on a two-dimensional piece of paper. It is just so long and so wide. ‘Within this area the artist creates a feeling of distance as infinite as the sky. At the same time, some things must appear realistically close— $0 near that the viewer believes he can reach out and feel both the roughness of a rock and the softness of a flower petal. Composition refers w the woral coment of a work of art, and design refers to the arrangement of elements of the work. SPACE EXISTS IN a painting only as an illusion, but it gives life to the visual design. Flowers, lighthouses, and other forms have substance, so the space they occupy in the picture is sometimes known as occupied space. The area around them is unoccupied space, ‘or nvcgative space. Hold your hand at arm's length and extend your fingers. The fingers represent occupied space (positive space). The area between the fingers is unoccupied space (negative space). Even if you stretched your fingers out so that the space between them seems almost equal, there's still a difference. Note the space between the thumb and forefinger and between the little finger and the ring finger. Now, move two of the fingers closer together. Notice how the change in the space changes the entire design. Because the only whites we have in watercolor are the paper and the water, we more often paint in the negative or unoccupied space behind a form that must be light or dark to show its shape By easy warexcoton“To understand negative space, think about space that an object occupies. Look behind it to see what does not exist; this is negative space. Negative space brings to life the object that you're trying to make stand out. Understanding positive and negative space is ane af the most important concepts in design. Te applics to all art media, including watercolor. LIGHT & DARK COLORS Licut next To dark creates tension, Dark wil back. Light will make objects come forward. ‘These are the facts of life in art. They're not my ideas, bur what you or I choose to do with them are our own personal interpreta Gon(s). The masters gave us so many tools and concepts that being push objects an artist is easier today than in past centuries. These tools and concepts help our own personal creativity to soar. If you apply the seven basic elements of design, you'll be successful, It's important to allow yourself to make mistakes, forgive yourself, and move on. This is all part of the learning process. We learn by taking artistic and intellectual risks Ta create unity, ase at least three design cfements in cach painting. Yesterday Marcia Moses and Warla Montgomery 14220 inches ng Composition & Designsign exists in everything around ws, from the simplest flower to the complex fhuman structure, To design is to have purpose. Designing in art means deliberate planning and arrang- ing elements in a-way that creates a unified effect. When used together, all desiga slements help create unity in a paincing, The seven elements stteige abepe seit sere aimieaAihar » Gakvec/steldrriakala texture, value, color, and et Deane far ae bing bes Sa Goan baraee of an arewor ‘When you combine all seven slements, the painting ean become busy: It's better to use just three or four of these elements, like the painting on page 29 (bottom). This painting combines the elements shape, color, form, and size. Wareredors are hescaly pigments Form, the swrface characteristics of sgrownd in water and bund with sau object, describes am abject’ strom. Color ie celet that pigment ic three-dimenssonal qaulines, ach red, yellows, hve, mange, yreen 14 ts rewndness or valurne. The ‘woke, ere ‘object's shape sapgest the forms, bet tts trae mature we revealed strc oe era of el Sometimes derection See Ane BH easy warexcotonut There are tteo ways to describe ine: Texture isthe sarface condition of « The value of a hne is deteronined by the marks made teath a Fen, pencil, ar sBape: raugh or smiooth with a bard sis mntensity. A-oabse range from 0 ta lorash, or the rage ested when tre or sojt edge. Texture cam ibe piysical § © 10 har $0 tod of calor and O as the loves met send tactile, or it can be merely Fallcoler (Some value scales may tual ilhaan. reverse that and give 10 a1 full color sand 0 as veid af enfor) COMBINED ELEMENTS: Shaping Comporition © Design Ea)— @ ARTISTS TAR « Hf yom fet lat = om ‘eine that sswally rscans there's problem with design. Unity. Placement of design elements in relation to ane another to create a psychologically and aesthetically pleasing whole. All design elements in a painting play off or interact with one another. Harmony ‘The visually satisfying effect of combining similar related design clememts or objects in a painting, such as colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel, similar shapes or textures Balance Avoiding a lopsided appearance in a parnting; ereating equi- librium. Directional lines at different angles, distribution and intensity of colar, and proportionate areas allarted te significant and secondary parts of the composition contribute to the painting's balance. Rhythm In a work of art, variety and repetition of design elements create shythen, Contrast The juxtaposition of dissimilar elemems, such as color, tone, or emotion, in a work of art, The artist can play light against dark, soft against hard, or warm against cool, Locate the major comtrast in a painting at the center of interest. Dominance Resolving conflicting ideas by making one idea or clement, such as color or direction, more important thin other competing ones. Usually, onearea painting is dominant. The painting's center of interest or focal point dominates the rest of the painting, Gradation ‘This creates a three-dimensional effect with different tones or grades of color from dark to light or warm to cool. The decreasing or increasing strength af shades, tints, or values of color. Gradation helps produce interest, define areas in a painting, and provide smooth transitions. DISCOVERING HOT SPOTS. Tue evemenrs ano principles of design used together in an orderly fashion make up the composition of a painting. Using the sinaple grid will allow you to create an organized work of art. Here's a procedure for creating a simple grid: (1) In every rectangle there are two squares, The way to find the rwo squares is ‘to measure the shortest side of the paper and then measure in that I tasy watincoondistance from the edge of the long side. For example, if you are working on an 11x 15-inch piece of paper, your shortest side is 11 inches, So 11 inches would be the distance you would measure into the rectangle fram the corner of its long side. Draw a line from the tap to the bottom of the paper. Measure the same distance from the other side, and draw another vertical line, (2) There also are two diagonals in every rectangle. Draw a line from the top right to the ‘bottom left comer, and another from the top left to bottom right comer, These diagonal lines will meet in the middle. This establishes the center of the paper. (3) Then draw twa horizontal lines that intersect both the vertical and diagonal lines. (4) Find che resuking hot spots, where you need to place the painting's center of interest. Drawing a Grid for Finding Hot Spots WATERCOLOR PAPER, Vf xX 15 nets ——— 1, Trew aque rectangle XJ 3 Horizontal lines intersect vertioal and 44. Outside commen of inner ipuare with ctaponal lines. bot spear Shaping Composition & Design Bw— te ARTIST'S TIP. - Yaw can place — wnajor shapes ‘in all four bot spots; however, only one should douninate the ‘painting's design. ‘Winter Solstice ‘The viewer's eye naturally goes to the hot spots, the points where the vertical and diagonal lines meet at the corners of an inner square. (Painters and photographers also call this the “rule of thirds.") If an artist places important shapes or the center of interest in any of these four areas, the viewer's eyes will be led imo the painting at the spot the artist desires. It is most common to bring a viewer into a painting from the lower left comer, leading him up the diagonal to the hot spot, then allowing less important shapes to guide him through the rest of the work of art, Ifyou have your center of interest in the center of the paper, your ‘viewer is going to be led directly to that area and stop with nowhere ‘che v0 ge. Look far the hin spots-aad ‘or: thein s> Iapprove your design, the arrangement ef clareents in your arrerork. ‘The Bouse in this euterzotor is located m ome of tne patating’s hot sport. Marcia Moses, 11 I inches [BE Easy waTERCOLORIs ORDER 10 increase your visual awareness, you need to learn how ta seeas an artist. How do we see things differently than we do now? We do that by becoming more aware of what itis that we're looking at. ‘To do that, first look at an object. Let's try a tree. Now squint your cycs. Squinting your eyes ercates a frame that helps you more clearly’ see the darks and the lights of objects. Now look behind the lighter objects. Whar do you see? Dark shapes? This is called negative space. Sqvine again, Whar else do yau sec? Do you see some shapes that are lighter than athers or darker than others? Lighter objects will appear to come forward and darker objects will rocede, ‘The difference between the lightest and darkest of the objects is the difference in what is called alee. However, here are more values than just light and dark, The shadowed side of che tree is soing to be darker than the lighted side of the tree, but not as dark as the tree’s background. This in- bhersreen darie and light is ealled a middle value, Begin to look at everything as values: darks, lights, and middle values, Tes amazing all that you ean see when you begin to see as an artist docs. Tree Marcia Moses, 45 inches “Your vision will become clear Only when you look inte your ‘own heart. He who looks outside dreams, He who looks inside Atwakes” -MARC CHAGALL (1887-1985) Shaping Composition © Design [aPhoto of Anmascuare Ligie im Gloucester, Maisachwsetrs Seize the Moment Along with your sketchbook, make a camera your clase companion We stumble upon beauty when we least expect it. We never know when a sunset will offer lively colors that hit water so perfectly they almost seem to dance. If you have your camera, you ean capture that image ina picture, and use that photo at a later date to reproduce the image on paper or canvas. Being an artist today is so much easier than it was in the past. We are so fortunate to he able 10 capture momems of beauty on film. Claude Monet painted water lilies many times to reproduce in a painting what he saw as the perfect light. Imagine what a visual mem- ory he must have had. The camera can remember what we forget. Lalways carry my camera when I am painting en plein air, The light can change 50 rapidly chat the very essence of what I am looking at can disappear in an instant. Seize the moment with a camera DRAWING BEING ABLE To draw, not just to paint, is important to an artist. If you sketch your subject before painting it, you'll not only ereate an outline for your artwork, but you'll also get to know each object inside and our. Whenever you draw an abject, say for examplean apple, you not only have to draw the front part of the apple. You must create the illusion chat the apple has a backside without acwally showing that side of it. Viewers must see the apple’s curvature and believe that it isn't flat. Drawing each object will help you give them three dimensions. When you begin drawing an object, think of it as a shape and forget about detail. When you're painting a lighthouse, think of the bottom of the lighthouse as a cylinder, the top as an ellipse, and the vol as a uiangle. If you simplify the object into such basic shapes, it will be casier to draw. ‘Once you've established all the basic shapes, you'll have what is Sketch of Annasquarn Light called 2 value sketch, Determine what are the lightest parts of the object and what are its darkest darks. ‘Annasquam Light Marcia Moses, 1114 inches Shaping Composition & Design Balke _Squint to See his little exercise will help you draw what you hat & tree see with more depth, shape 2, Squint your eyes to create a frame for the imag edd scoursey; Hersh 3. Look at the walues in the image and behind « jeeprovtng he thicken darks and the lights. : 4. What shapes do you sce within the tree? 5. What shapes make up the negative space behind the trac? 6. Now begin to draw the trec’s averalll shape (the positive space). When your drawing takes on the shape, texture, and depth of what you're seeing, pur down your pencil and pick up your Photo of Lanterns brush Mystic Lanterns. Marcia Moses, 22.09 inches READ ABOUT IG A number of excellent books deal with drawing and haw to reproduce what you sec. Here are my favorites: Stan Smith, Srep-by-Step Draseing (Sterling, 1794) Michael J. Gelb, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinei (Delacorie Press, 1798) Betty Edwards, Drewimg on the Right Side of Your Brain (CTareher/Purnam, 1979) BB easy WATERCOLORColer Weel with Gray Seale A pocket ealar wheel, ke thst sacs bere, nama Jncludes a gray seale wii alect ranging from J t0 10 Consider using a common gray scale. Practice using this scale to produce sketches that show varying shapes. But use only «wo, three, ‘or four values. As you add more values, notice how your drawings take on more depth. However, adding too many values can make & drawing too busy, and the artist could get confused. Less is more. To make the gray scale work for you, let's consider an apple. ‘Sketch and draw an apple to produce the shape and give the shape dimension. Hereis a five-value sletch that shows its darks and lights. Shaping Compa: ale is the lightness or dark- ness of a color. I have a value seale that measures values from 1 to 10. On this scale, 10 is the lightest. (If you wish, you could have 10 as the darkest and 1 as the lightest.) Here we will be with the lightest or white of your paper as 10 and the darkest value as 1. Gray Seale This gray seale bas tom gradated steps from wobite (10) vo black (0). (Compare this tale ta your enlar-ta determine its specific intense, Lising colors of the sarse caine provide the best vinaal veal jon & DesSimplified Vale Seale Light next to Ss eee _ marvement ina painting. FIRST WASH TWO-VALUE SCALE SIMPLIFYING [ve RECENTLY begun to use a simplified value scale, This simpli- fied seale makes understanding and using values less complicated. ‘When a painting has too many colors, it becomes very confusing for the viewer. The use of too many values has the same effect. In order to give a painting a clean appearance, we can reduce the ten values ta three or five. ‘When we paint, we are telling a story. If that story has too much information, the “reader” will lose interest, By simplifying the painting process, we hold the viewer's interest, Again, Jessie more. Creating a Simplified Value Scale “To create simplified value scale, begin by mixing a large amount of cobalt bluc on a palette in a ratio of onc part water to five parts paint. Use a small piece of watercolor paper 3x12 inches and draw a box on it that’s 2* 10 inches. Now divide this into five 2-inch spaces. ‘These boxes will contain your five values. Gradated Washes ia Begin by shipping the first box. This willbe your white sale. Then paint a eas cover the mext fowr Bares Let the pai ry: Or sey with air dyer, faster. Wish she paper's schite and the fire wash, yom have a raro-valne scale. BE tasy warexcoion‘TWO WASHES THREE-VALUE SCALE ' Now paint a second tush of the see paint mixtare, bat begin at the third box, covering tise uhree bowes pasuted wath the first wash, Dry ther second wash, THREE WASHES: FOUR-VALUE SCALE Pat a third Layer of Paint om the fifth and stxth bostes, FOUR WASHES FIVE: VALUE SCALE ' (Cover the fifth box with a fourtl, final wash. ‘The result of the four washes is that each box has a different value. Now you have 2 simplified five-value scale that you can use for any painting. You could simplify this scale even further by reducing it to three values, but the five-value scale seems to work most effectively. Waew neGinwinc a paincing, it’s helpful 10 follow a routine 10 organize your thoughts. First choose your subject. Then figure out what shapes you want to use. Skeich the shapes. Decide where the lightest and darkest shapes are on your subject, breaking this down into five values. in & D Shaping Compos:Jere’s how w create a painted value sketch by adding, values conc by one, First value wiel fight wash, Value change with paint on rocks 45s peice he Fi ole spied wih Uh eh Nes apy the pr nthe rg rot‘ obepe. Yom cam ver the lgbtvowse ard shapes o sare three now see H change Eee pe ate elk, largest shape, and tbe lighthonse is the smallest rhape: Detail added to ereate value sketch with paint, ape be pat cmb er a We trot of te the rocks. Do same negative painting ard form ple tredbae in p son p.26 and negation pamting on p36.) Bh tasy watencoior‘Up There (HESEINISHED PAINTING Mu Hans 32 30ince I began my painting with the value sketch and then converted the value into color. Lused an aureolin yellow wash over the lighthouse and rock shape. Then while the painting still was wet, I dropped in some rose madder and let ir spread on the rocks. I puc.a wash of ultramarine blue over the sky area, Then I dried everything and darkened the water shape with another ultramarine wash. Wit a third wash on the water, I skipped over a fev lighter areas show the sky’s reflections in the water. After Twas done, Shaping Compasition © Design IHE STUDY OF COLOR is fascinating and vast, and some books deal with color exclusively, It’s good for beginners to learn standard color terminology, color theory, and principles of color mixing. We'll simply cover the basics here. Many artists have devel- ped a fine sense of color and how to use it. However, nat all art- ists are good colorists. If you're keon on what color can do, study it more. HUE an object's “lacal* or trne color: The color you perceive when you lock closely at an object is its local Lexal Color of Grams colux: For example, green is the local color of a blade of grass in spring, But, a green can appear quite bluish when seen from a long distance because of atmospheric effects. This is called aimospherie color Local color can also be affected by colors reflected from surrounding objects. A green apple in your still life may have hints of red in ic from a neighboring red jug. The green blade of grass may have a blue-green tint as it catches the blue of the sky. VALUE the degree of lightness or darkness of a purticalar bie. I may look at a piece of wood and call it brown, but there are shadows on parts of the wood that make those areas darker brown. ‘Those two shades are the same color, but different values. Ty rasy watencotorINTENSITY az color’s strength or weakness, brilliance or dullness. Abasn canbe red. But the sun shining on a part of the barn ean make that area more brilliant red, And, in the same respect, a shadow on another part of the same barn can create a dull red in that arca. A COLOR WHEEL shows us the twelve basic colors, which derive from (and include) the three primary colors. The three primary colors can be mixed to obtain the three secondary colors, which can be mixed with the primary colors to create the six tertiary colors. Primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. You cannot create these colors by mixing other colors Secondary colors are orange, green, and violet. To create these colors, mix two adjacent primary colors. For example, red plus yellow makes orange, blue plus yellow makes green, and red plus blue makes viokst. Tertiary colors are yellow-orange, red-orange, yellow-green, bluc- green, blue-vieler, and red-violet, To produce these colors, mix a primary color with a secondary color Complementary colors lie disecily opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, red is the complement of green, and orange is the complement of blue. If you cambine a pair of complements, you can neutralize the colors and produce some very nice grays, It is aften beter to allow one of the colars ta slightly dominate the mix to ensure that the gray is not too dull and lifeless. Transparent & Opaque Paints ike plastic 's more like a If a paint color is transparent, you can see through i wrap. If opaque, you can’t see through the calor, brown paper bag. Primary Calars Secandary Colors Working with ColorTelling the Difference Knowing when a paint color is transparent or opaque is extremely important, especially if you are glazing. You ghize one color over another in order to make the color look luminous. In order to get that luminosity in a color, yau need to use transparent colors sa that the ether colors will show through For example, if you lay down a transparent yellow and dry it, then add a layer of transparent red on top of the yellow, you'll be able to see the yellow through the red. Here's a simple test to find out whether a color is transparent or aque. Draw a line with a black permanent felt-tip marker. Now paint over the black line. If the line easily shows througls, the color is transparent. If it doesn’t, the color is opaque. CADMIUM YELLOW-ORANGE YELLOW OCHRE PERMANENT YELLOW-ORANGE CERULEAN BLUE (SEMI-TRANSPARENT) LiLac CADMIUM RED QEEP CADMIUM RED-ORANGE VERMILION ‘SHELL PINK Transparent Colors BURNT UNBI GAMBOGE NOVA AUREOLIN YELLOW CADMIUM YELLOW LIGHT HOOKER'S GREEN ULTRAMARINE DEEP ROYAL BLUE COBALT BLUE MARINE BLUE PERMANENT ALIZARIN LIGHT RED OPERA ROSE MADDER Bitar watencoronDox’r ne Tea pTeD to use white paint to achieve pale colors. In pure waterceler work, pale tints of any color are created with the help of the white of the paper and lots of water. For example, if you ‘want a very pale blue, dilute one of your blues with plenty of water, and test the mix on a scrap of paper until you get just the pale tint you're seeking. THE ADVANTAGE OF using a limited palette is that it provides unity. With just the three primary colors—a red, a yellow, and a bbhue—you can produce a full range of secondary and tertiary colors. ‘Your painting will naturally have a good sense of unity because all the colors you mix will contain some or all of those primary colors. Gutetng Light Using a limited palitte to create wnity Marcia Muses, 2239 inches Working with Color Micates a heavy and moody book, Many beaut ‘You can create a paintings have been created with limited palettes. igh-key painting, such as “Guiding Light,” that exhibits light and airy colors, by using just diluted tints of aureoli yellow, rose madder, and cobalt blue. Strong shades of dark colors, however, also are possible with this triad, if you use darker values. Mixing the colors with less water will create a low-key and rather heavy and moody painting, such as “Southwestern Vessels.” Southwestern Vessals Mary Nieto, 15 Bl tay watiacoronTo UNDERSTAND COLOR temperature, think of the dashboard control of a car's heater and air conditioner. Push the lever toward red to get heat. Push it toward blue to get cool air. Actually, red is nor the warmest color, and bluc is not the coolest color. Viewed alone, the warmest is yellow and the coolest is black. ‘Their relationship with cach other is more important to the artist than their position on a color whech, ‘The temperature of a color determincs how it relates to other colors in a painting. For example, if a warm color, such as rod, is placed beside a cool color, such as blue, the warm color sccms to come forward and the cool color seems to recede. This is important when establishing an object's three-dimensional form or when creating the illusion of distance. I've constructed a warm-to-coal color chart to illustrate the rela~ tive temperature of various colors. I've placed warm colors on top and cool colors on the bottom. As you'll sec, some colors cannot be selon red etolet red orange orange orange id a a " " . _ " a a ie s " - blue vister blue blue green yellose green Working with Color BiSigil er eericlic on medi care Light eur comes forward on median cool background. Light cool comes forward ot wares beckgronind. Light coo! receds om rcdinm ena! buckgromnd categorized as completely warm or cool. To create this chart, Vcut a color wheel in half and flatened it out. As the colors are found on a wheel, violet is beside red violet and yellow is beside yellow-green. Violet, red-violet, and yellow-green all have qualities of both warm and cool colors. ‘Temperature is relative to its st oundings. In other words, warm colors recede on a warm background, and coal colors come forward on a cool background. I sounds confusing, but you can do a simple test with the colors you're using, To demonstrate, I've created both warm and cool color back- ground boxes. A yellow circle in the middle of a warm yellow back- ground recedes, but a yellow dor on a cool violet background appears to come forward. A light cool blue placed on a light warm red appears ta come forward, but the light cool blue placed on a medium cool blue-green will appear to recede. Push-Pull of Warm & Cool Colors This interaction of cool and warm colors in artis ealled the “push pull” concept. If you have a cool dark color and you put awarm ight color beside it, the dark color will push back. If you then place another warm color on the other side of the dark color, the li color will pull forward. This creates a three-dimensional quality painting, or movement. For example, using colors that push and pull ean move the eye toward and around an object, such as a lighthouse, in a painting. The cylinder shape of a lighthouse will remain flat until you use lights and darks around it to create dimension, In “Dyce Island Light™ {p-51)},in order to make the lighthouse look believable, I added cool dark shapes—shadows and trees—to allow the eye to “sce” that it was a cylinder. The darks pulled the eye toward the back of the light- house. Additional darks defined the shape of the shelf at che base of the light atop the lighthouse. | added the dark color on the roof of an adjacent bul the house behind ir into the background. ‘The series of warm and cool colors to the right in the foreground of the painting helps draw the viewer's eye back toward the struc- tures thar are bigger and more important shapes. The narrower series of warm and cool colors to the left in the foregrotund draws the eye up the diagonal, specifically to the lighthouse shape, the painting's center of interest. ng to push By Easy watercaton> arses the faregronnd Forsard und the sk sob pale Cool dark ealors vzinse cool Jight shape of the top of thei Placing a dark cool color Cool dark shapes against a dighs sbapes ‘one baila pss the lig building én the back prawn arm and coat Dyce Island Light Marcia Mose 30inches breldings Working with Color [ailIES Finpine THe compuemenr of a color is quite simple. On a standard color whecl, a primary color is located directly across from ics complement. All colors have a complementary color, and knowing the complement of a colar can be very important. For example, if you question whether something is missing from your painting, using a complementary color beside the original color to bring attention to that area of the painting, ‘You can also “gray” an area by placing a wash of the complement ‘on top of a color. Or you can paint using only complements. This will create a painting, with both warm and cocl areas, with lots of the push-pull cect that creates movement. “Try making a painting using only complementary colors, This is a great way to lear how to use che color wheel. Primary bine with orange complement Primary red with green compleraent Primary yellow wath violet complement Many commiNaTrons of colors are possible when using water- color. Some results can be good, but others can be artistic disasters. Being aware of a color’s propertics will give you the advantage of knowing what will happen if you mix it with ewa, three, or more knowledge, your painting will greatly BB tasy warexcotonEvery color has a “bias” toward another color; we can call this an undertone. As we discussed when talking about warm and cool colors, a warm color, such as alizarin crimson, has bias toward blue, or simply a blue undertone, thar gives it cool tendencies. This can be 4 positive feature in your painting if the alizarin is mixed with a blue that also is cool, such as cobalt, if the goal is to create violet. If the blue maintains a yellow undertone, such as cerulean blue, you would create 2 grayed or muddy violet. Muddiness Muddiness is caused by the influence of all three primary colors on the mixture. Any time you mix all three primaries in equal pares, unless they all have the same undertone (s: low), you'll get muddiness. If you mixed alizarin crimson with cerulean blue that has a yellow undertone, you'd get a muddy violet. Fresh Lilacs Marcia Moses, 22 » 30 inches Warking with Color‘he example to the right isa Here are some examples of frequently used mixture of aureolin yellow, colors and their undertones or biases: alizarin crimson, and cobalt 1 + ALIZARIN CRIMSON (RED) —Flic blue. You have a yellow that's undertone bluc-biased, a red that’s blue~ jiased, and a blue that’s red- * COBALT BLUE—red undertone ed. + CERULEAN BLUE—yellow undertone + ROSE MADDER (RED) —blue smdertane + AUREOLEN YELLOW — blue undertone + ULTRAMARINE BLUE—red andertone + CADMIUM YELLOW—red undertone + CADMIUM RED—yellow undertone + LEMON TELLOW—Blue undertone 9» row madkder + cahais bine —» viokes ——sturrelie © mltramenine bce =» geren ——alizarin crimson + altramarine blue ‘We usually say the yellow a blue undertone, the red has a blue undertone, and the blue a red undertone. The result is violet. winder 4 halt blue = green exreolin + rose madder + cobalt blue» cadminm yellow light + marine bine green reer Ei tay watexcoroxHere are some fun mixtures of colors that work well together. Try mixing your own colors to find out what you get. Make note cards with the mixtures on them for future reference. Here we use various combinations of easily available watercolors, rose madder, aurcolin, cobalt blue, cadmium yellow light, marine blue, and alizarin crimson. rose madder + aureolin + range sanreodin + cobalt bine» yreen cadminrn yellow light + raarine blue + dank green rose madider + awreolia + cobate hme anreokin + cobalt bine + alizarin sadminnt yellow light + roarine blwe + blue-green crimson + grey-green + roe musdder dark gray-green Working with Color ipainting session. ists COLOR SCHEMES EveRy comPosrrion sHouLp have a color scheme so that you'll have harmony in your painting. These are several different color schemes—triad, complementary, analogous, and monochromatic, among others. A triad color scheme allows one choice from each of the red, yellow, and blue color families. A complementary color scheme uscs two colors opposite cach other on the color wheel. An analogous color scheme uses any three adjacent primary, secondary, or tertiary colors. A monochromatic color scheme uses onc color in various values. 9 Triad Scheme Copsey Slee = —) | | ¢ Analogons Scbeme Monochromatic Scheme Bi tas watexcononTo ADD CONTRAST to a composition, you need to have some darker valucs, So, in order to create a darker value than you can get from a single color, you need to mix two colors and often to add a third color, ‘This will darken, or gray, the color scheme in that area. ‘You can mix grays in triad, complementary, analogous, mone chromatic, and split-complementary color schemes like this: Triad Mix semi-neutcals, or grays, by using two of the colors in the triad with the third added to gray the two colors. Complementary ‘These colors automatically gray each other when mixed, | | | —— Triad of Grays oF Semi-Nentral: Gray Complementary Calors Anafogous with Gray Complements Mowachromatie Colors wilt Gray Complements Working with Color Bay