Painting Demonstration
Gator by Dan Meyer
Let me preface by saying, much
of the energy I get for painting comes from my students. In my junior year of
high school, my guidance counselor did his best to encourage me to pursue a
career in art education. My reply to him was I wanted to "do" not teach. It was
the only subject I felt I was good at and I wanted to see my endeavors in the public
eye. In my later years, to help support my business financially, I chose to give
a workshop. The enthusiasm of those students building on something I was able to
share with them came back to me tenfold. Thanks Frank.
That said, I thought I'd try a lesson at
WoodsWindnWater.
This will give you an idea of my
approach to painting with watercolor and oh yes, here comes the commercial,
hopefully entice you into participating in one of my workshops.
I'll be posting this demonstration over a
number of weeks beginning first with the preparation, heretofore referred to as
"prep". I live by the adage given to me years ago; "Watercolor painting is 90% thought and
10% execution".
If drawing is your weakness, practice or enroll in a drawing
class near you. Your painting will be only as good as the drawing. Your drawing
is the painting's foundation forming the shapes and boundaries of color. Sketch little things
like a coffee cup, a shoe, a piece of fruit, etc. The best thing you can do for
yourself when approaching art is to study your subject. Draw it repeatedly, at
eye level, bird' eye view, turn it's direction, put it in direct sunlight and
then backlight. You want to be aware of the changes in shadows caused by the
direction of the light source. Practice, practice, practice!
The Value Sketch
Here is my idea for the painting. This is a value sketch, not
a very good one but a value sketch non the less.
Values are what I believe makes or breaks a painting. I think more of values
than I do color.
The sketch suggests the lighter tones which will appear to come forward
and the dark shaded area which will appear to recede. To help you see values,
squint at your subject or reference photo. You should recognize the lightest and
darkest areas easily. The balance of the photo is made up of midtones. |
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| For the
sack of simplicity, think of a row of squares numbered 0 through 10. At
the far left, number 0, is white, the lightest light. The last square to
the right, number 10 will be black, the darkest dark. The remaining squares will
be shades of gray, lightest at number 2, gradually getting darker through number
9. Number 5 will be your prime midtone, halfway between white and black. Using this grayscale,
I apply the various tones to my value sketch to give me a roadmap of
tonal values. Whatever colors I use in a particular area will, or
should, have a value comparable to that area in the sketch. The key to
this painting will be the brightness of the ducks and grasses to the
left and center contrasting with the darker grasses and alligator to the
right. The lights should come forward and the darks recede. My value sketch will be in
front of me throughout the course of this painting. |
Now that I have my
concept, I need to determine the size of the sheet of watercolor paper I
will be painting. The brand of watercolor paper I prefer is Arches 140#
cold press. A full sheet of Arches is 22" x 30". A half sheet is 15" x
22" and a quarter sheet is 11" x 15".
I want to maximize the approach of the ducks into the hidden
lair of the gator so I've chosen to use the full 30" length the sheet.
However, I don't need the 22" height so I've decided on a half sheet cut
in the long direction. My sheet size will be 11" x 30".
Arches is one of the finest watercolor papers available. It
is made of 100% rag and can stand up to vigorous scrubbing. All papers
are given a protective coating during the manufacturing process called
sizing. Thin and water-soluble, old dogs like me prefer to remove the
sizing and stretch my paper.
To do this, I cut the sheet to size and place it in a shallow
bath of water, gently washing each side with a sponge. I then lift the
sheet by one corner and let it drain. I place the sheet on paper towels
I have previously placed on the table and again gently wipe the surface
with a sponge, this time removing any excess water. Next, I place the
sheet, right side up, on a solid wooden drawing board. |
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With a staple gun, I
staple and stretch the sheet from the opposite side of the staple. I
proceed back and forth until I have stapled the sheet on all sides.
Most all paper, including watercolor paper, has a tendency to
bulge, buckle or ripple when wet. Good quality, heavy rag paper, washed
and stretched, will show minimal wrinkling after it is dried and rewet
for painting.
I prefer to air dry my paper but you may want to expedite the
process by using a hair dryer. While my sheet is drying overnight, I
prepare my subjects for transfer to the watercolor sheet. |
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After the concept has been rendered, I
peruse my files of reference photos to find material that will aid in my
pictorial interpretation.
I've decided to use a half sheet of watercolor paper, cut in
the long direction, for this piece. A standard sheet of Arches paper is
22" x 30". Cut in the long direction,
the half sheet measures 11" x 30". This will allow me a panoramic
opportunity to
strategically place my subjects.
Here are two of my reference photos. I photographed the
alligator in a South Carolina wildlife refuge and the mallards were
photographed in a pond near my home. Both of the drawings are final,
single line images traced from my original drawings. If any of my drawn
images are objectionable in size, I will scan them and resize them to
suit my needs. |
After drawing the images in the desired positions
on the now stretched and dried paper, I begin painting the
background. Watercolors are traditionally painted light to dark.
This means the lightest colors are applied first followed by the
midtones and the darkest values last.
I first lay down the lightest grass tones into which I push
some slightly darker cool tones at the base of the grasses near
water level while the color is still wet. If you squint at the photo,
values are more distinctive. Notice how the lighter grass stands out
or comes forward. That's because it's surrounded with darker values.
The darks appear to be further away because darks tend to recede. |
| The application of the darker values that
surround and define the shapes of the grass is called negative
painting. Each glaze of color is applied after the previous glaze
has dried. Each application is another opportunity to create
additional grasses with darker values. The more shades of grass, the
better the expression of depth of field or distance.
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On the right, is an
overall view of the initial series of glazes to help identify the
grasses and their values. More glazes are forth coming as I build the entire
painting from light to dark values.
Let's take a look at the upper right portion of the painting in the
detail below. |
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This is grass that is in the
background, behind the alligator. I want the viewer to focus on the
subjects in the foreground. To do that, objects in the background should
be out of focus or contain soft edges. One of the ways you can direct
the viewer's eye to a particular portion of a painting is through the
use of lost and found edges.
Hard edges resulted using the glazing technique for the
grasses to the left side of the painting. These sharp, clear focus edges
attract the viewer's eye. The grass in the background is somewhat fuzzy
or out of focus and does not demand attention of one's eye.
To render this portion, I applied color and let it absorb into the
paper. At the stage when the sheen has disappeared but the paper is
still damp, I lay a folded facial tissue over the area and using the
handle of one of my brushes, I scribe lines to indicate grass. This
lifts color off the paper leaving the under tones. Because the paper is
not completely dry, the color remaining on the sheet will slowly
creep into the scribed area, giving a fuzzy appearance or soft edge.
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continues as I develop more and more grasses at various depths of
field. Notice the dark section in the close-up photo to the right,
a few more soft edges using the lifting technique to help push that
area back. You need patience for an area like this. It's a personal
choice as to when you think you've done enough to tell the story. |
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The initial wash on the alligator
begins to show the reptile's form. It has also identified the light
grasses. The lightest value of the water is applied at this time as
well.
I have also worked on the hen mallard duck. I want to get her
color down before I proceed with the grass behind her. Nature has
colored the hens to blend in with their surroundings, particularly
important during nesting. It is the values of the grass and duck that
will distinguish the separation between the two.
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I continue to paint the hen,
adding shading to he head and completing her bill. Next, I begin the
drake mallard. I use the same color wash to paint the drake as I do it's
reflection in the water.
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Here are the additional washes that give the gator
his character. Washes must be added quickly, jumping the blades of
grass as you go, in order to retain color consistency in your
subject. The alligator needs to appear as a single unit behind the
grasses.
Below is the finished piece. Final steps included completion
of the mallard drake, the reflections in the water and shading of
the grasses. Thanks for
taking the time to view this lesson. I hope it has been both
interesting and informative. Perhaps I'll see you in one of my
future classes or at a show. I welcome your comments via email.
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Gator by Dan Meyer
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