Leisure Painter - UK (2019 - Summer)

46 SUMMER 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.uk

Watercolour

DemonstrationLlama Drama

Step 1

People sometimes roll their eyes when I mention thumbnails, but

a few minutes spent planning tones and composition pays off. My

thumbnail really helps me identify how long those banana-shaped

ears are. If I had just started straight onto my watercolour paper,

I am sure I would have positioned them wrong. Your thumbnail is not

for show; it is simply to help you identify how to attack your subject.

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Step 2

I started with a light sketch, especially to make

sure the ears were in the painting. As I am right-

handed, I often start on the left of the painting

to avoid having to work over wet areas and

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I often begin with

the dominant eye

and work out. The

secret to eyes is to

remember they really

are balls. There is a

lot of variation in the

eye, with the hard

highlights and softer

areas of light, as well

as deep shadow

under the eyelid.

Careful observation

ensures you paint

what you see and

not what you assume.

In my thumbnail

(above), I identified

that I liked the

hairiness of the llama

so as I worked out

from the eye I made

sure I left white shapes to indicate

the hair direction. Around the eye

I worked wet in wet, dropping in

colours of the right tone to mix on the

paper. I sprinkled a tiny amount of

table salt into the damp wash to break

up the pigment and add texture.

Step 3

Now it was time to move onto the banana

ears. I wanted a mix of hard and soft edges so

I began wet on dry then dropped in colours

wet on wet. I used a small spray bottle to

soften the edges in places and used negative

painting to indicate the hairy forehead.

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If you can’t sketch from life, this photo is a super reference,

which is available attribution free from http://www.pixabay.com

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Youwillneed

nSurface

lNOT 300gsm

watercolour paper

(I use Seawhites of

Brighton), 17^3 ⁄ 4 x 133 ⁄ 4 in.

(45x35cm)

n Artists’ watercolour

lNeutral tint

lFrench ultramarine

lSevres blue

(a very opaque

blue from

Ken Bromley)

lBurnt umber

lPyrrole orange

lStone

(Ken Bromley)

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