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1. Start with a Good Drawing.
Before I actually
begin a painting I do a value sketch.
Often this is a thumbnail sketch only a couple inches large. This in an invaluable tool and helps with composition
as well as light and dark value areas.
I then do a light pencil sketch directly onto the
watercolor paper.
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2. Apply First Washes.
First I do an under-painting. That’s a light
glaze of yellow, pink or orange in warm passages or blue and purple in
the cool passages of the painting. I leave quite a lot of white paper
so my painting will have a crisp sparkle necessary to a successful
watercolor painting.
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3. Apply Light Glazes.
Once the under-painting is dry, I begin with light glazes over large sections of the
painting. At this stage I also paint some passages using the
"charging" technique. The area is dampened and moist
colors are dropped in and allowed to run together. |
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4. Add More Glazes.
I may do more drawing at this stage. Occasionally I will use
masking fluid to save some necessary white or lightly colored highlights. I don’t mask
large areas. I carefully paint around the large white sections. At
this stage my design takes shape.
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5. More Detail.
I continue to evaluate the painting as I proceed. Often it will
evolve into something quite different than I’d planned. That’s when the intuitive part of the painting process takes
over and I just feel what I need to be doing. Watercolor is a
medium where you need to go with the flow. |
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6. Finish Painting.
I add more color to deepen passages in the painting until I get the
contrast I want. I continue to evaluate it as I go, sometimes
putting it away for a few days. At this point it's easy to overwork
a painting. Think of your painting as a poem, not a novel. |
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Summary.
1. Drawing - Provides a composition or design.
2. Washes - The undercoating that will glow through.
3. Add Glazes - Thin layers of transparent paint.
4. More Glazes - Build up stronger values of color.
5. More Detail - Define stronger shapes in the design.
6. Finish Painting - Darker opaque passages for details.
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