http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistApril 2021 29
PRACTICAL
and colour – the silhouette of the little
dormouse tells the story. Both these
paintings use the direct method, which
is very spontaneous because everything
happens on the paper all at once.
Lights and darks combine wet-up-to-
wet and rich colour is also added wet-
in-wet. By holding the brush further up
the handle, away from the bristles, I can
make marks instead of ‘colouring in’,
the result being a combination of hard
and soft edges and white paper. I like
to use colour temperature and detail to
effect depth, so the ear and leg that are
furthest from the viewer are rendered in
dark but neutral colour compared with
the nearer ones, which are painted with
more detail and colour.Creating movement
Movement can be achieved by simply
rendering a subject which is moving,
but the illusion can be enhanced with
different techniques and approaches.
A leaping hare will move across the
paper but it can appear a little more
static if too much emphasis is placed
on detail. Think about sprinters in a
100M race – they appear more of a
blur than anything else. It’s useful to
know which elements are important to
show and which can be left unpainted.
Sometimes it’s the overall silhouette I
want to suggest and what’s inside is left
‘undone’ and out of focus. Leaping Hare
(left) was largely painted wet-in-wet.
The head and legs were painted on dry
paper so the silhouette is discernable
but the body is wet-in-wet. Like most ofp Please, Sir, I want some more...., watercolour on Arches Rough 140lb (300gsm),
12½ 3 18½in (32 3 47cm).
Holding the brush away from the bristles enabled me to ‘open’ the brushstrokes to reveal
u Zebra Stampede,
watercolour on
Arches Rough 140lb
(300gsm), 12½ 3 18½in
(32 3 47cm).
I wanted the legs
to be a blur and
concentrated on the
stripes inside the body
p Leaping Hare,
watercolour on
Arches Rough 140lb
(300gsm),10½ 3 18½in
(27 3 47cm).
Working wet-in-wet I
painted the body as a
blur whilst retaining on
dry paper the shape of
the head and legs