Leisure Painter — June 2017

W

e are so fortunate! As artists,

we notice, appreciate and enjoy

our surroundings, and relish the

beauty around us. We welcome fresh ways

to improve our abilities, and when things

go well, the entire world glows!

Whatever the subject, watercolours that

echo the excitement and atmosphere of

a scene attract our attention. Have you

ever wished you could grab that magic for

yourself? Use the following hints as your

guide. Remember to paint what you truly

feel about your subject and not just imitate

what you are seeing, and the following

advice will enhance your progress.

1 Use a large brush for as long as you can

to stop you fiddling. Keep your paper wet

and re-wet with a spray when necessary.

Paint at an angle to help with the run and

flow of the paint. Tilt for more movement.

2 Paint quickly, but keep it under control.

Try out a simple subject, time each session

and try to become faster at each attempt.

Darker colours need to be reasonably

thick to keep their impact.

3 Fewer colours result in less confusion.

Have a swatch of colours and tones

already worked out beforehand. Note

that light colours need to be placed first

then the darker ones added on top.

4 Think shapes, not individual objects.

Paint a flowing stream of movement

through your work, as though it is based

on the figures S, M or C.

5 Keep in mind what attracted you in the

first place and play down everything else.

6 Learn how to alter and modify images

to change mistakes.

7 Add drama by using contrasting negative

and positive areas in your work, using

tones, textures or colours. Areas of the

white paper are also eye catching, where

accents of tones highlight chosen areas.

8 Cut out at least a third of the details.

When you feel more in charge, you may

leave out even more.

9 Persist with each technique, until it is

second nature to you. Techniques are the

backbone of your future work.

10 Let the onlooker enjoy the possibility

of interpreting something for himself.

Allow parts to fuse into each other so

they are more ambiguous. LP

http://www.painters-online.co.uk JUNE 2017 39

t

Inspiration

Loosen up!

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

nUnusual and creative

techniques to try

nUnderstand the possibilities

behind watercolour

nPractise watercolour skills

Part 2Ten top tips and ten techniques for you to try, by Wendy Jelbert. From

using your largest brush to working with a straw or a sponge, loosen up and enjoy

E

F

TRY THESE!

AExperiment with your brushes. Use the

largest ones on their sides, edges and tips,

in quick and assured sweeps. Drag them over

the watercolour papers so they become drier

and more fragmented.

BExperiment with masking fluid, for quick

and definite white and light areas of loose

watercolours.

CBlending washes together is essential to

master the flow of this media. Wet the paper

beforehand. Darker colours need to be fairly

thick to start with so you can ease the colour

right down the page without it running out.

DThe use of a sponge is quick and easy

for dabbing out the paint in a sky and

for dabbing on the colour on trees.

EThe use of salt is a beautiful and quick

method of creating foliage and textures.

This does need practice.

FThe fruit had their shiny skins applied

in three quick ways (from left to right):

Using the white paper; dabbed out with

a tissue or sponge; and the application of

white gouache. These are all necessary to

add to your skills and know what to do

when time is of the essence!

A

B

C

D

D

LP06 39-41 Jelbert_Layout 1 06/04/2017 10:38 Page 39