Watercolor Artist - USA (2019-04)

62 Watercolor artist | APRIL 2019

Creativity Workshop

G

ive yourself permission to try

something new, push the

boundaries of what you know

or break a few so-called rules. I’ve

found that the best teacher is explo-

ration, which is why I like to sketch

and paint on a variety of papers and

surfaces: white and toned (colored),

slick and rough, inexpensive and

expensive. Some of the papers I’ve

used aren’t intended for watercolor—

or art. So why use them? Because I’m

curious. I’ve found that using the

same technique or materials again

and again bores me, and boredom is

the kiss of death for creativity. When

I take a subject I’ve done before and

paint it on a diff erent surface, the

experience is exciting. Why? Because

I’m responding to the surface. It’s like

having a new dance partner; you learn

to respond to that person’s lead.

Lately, I’ve been enamored of using

a variety of toned paper for my trans-

parent watercolor work. When I paint

on a toned surface using transparent

watercolor, the underlying paper

shows through, creating color

harmony; it’s similar to how an

underpainting impacts paint color.

If the paper has a warm tone (yellow

or cream), the paint color will appear

warmer, as in Siena, Italy (opposite).

If the surface has a cool tone (blue or

gray), the paint color will appear

cooler, as in Pen & Ink (above). For a

closer look at how a toned paper

impacts paint color, see “Dialing Up

the Tone,” on page 64.

All Toned Up

Try watercolor on a toned surface for a fresh take on creativity.

By Brenda Swenson

The gray-toned surface for

Pen & Ink (watercolor and

white Sharpie on Canson

Mi-Teintes paper in steel

gray, 7x11) provides a cool

tone to the painting.