24 Watercolor artist | JUNE 2020
demo
Leaning In
A carefully planned, yet loose, approach provides a sense of speed and movement.
Toolkit
PAPER:- Saunders Waterford
140-lb. rough
BRUSHES: - Escoda Perla Nos. 10
and 12, Escoda
Aquario Nos. 10 and 14
PALETTE: - DanielSmith:yellow
ochre,burntumber,
burntsienna - Winsor&Newton:
cadmiumred,Winsor
violet,French
ultramarine - Holbein:lavender,
Davey’sgray
MISCELLANEOUS: - whitegouache
Step 2
After the initial wash is dry, I begin painting the helmet area and
continue down through the figure. I work quickly to ensure that all of
the colors and edges can run into one another, always working top to
bottom and allowing gravity to aid in the process. I’m working with
slightly thicker paint, placing it into the wet paint to create soft darks.Step 1
I lay in a foundation wash of Davey’s gray for the background and
some cadmium red to establish the helmet and color streaks. The
foreground is a warm gray mix of yellow ochre, burnt umber, a little
Winsor violet and a dash of Davey’s gray—cool in the background,
warm in the foreground. I continue to play with and disturb the
background wash while it’s still wet, adding more streaks of red and
pulling out some of the Davey’s gray with water to achieve the
desired motion effects. The only thing I’m concerned about cutting
around is the back of the jersey to preserve the white of the paper.
Everything else can run together and appear abstract at this stage.The Drawing
I keep the drawing loose but accurate.
My only concerns are the gesture and
proportion of the rider to the motorcycle
and the perspective of the tires. Depicting
the wheels accurately can be challenging.The Sketch
The fi rst and most important element of any painting is the
composition, even more so for a dynamic scene. I created this
5x7-inch plein air sketch as the reference for the painting.
I wanted the image fully secured to the upper left of the paper,
leaving negative space on the right where the cyclist is
heading. Essentially designing within the rule of thirds,
the cyclist’s head and hand are near the upper right-side
intersection—the focal point. The lines of the shadow and the
blur from the fender support the movement from left to right.