Artists_amp_amp_Illustrators__July_2016_

Artists & Illustrators 43

TIPS • ADVICE • IDEAS

Glen Scouller shows us how to create a quick but vibrant painting in watercolour

HOW TO PAINT A SELF-PORTRAIT WITH STILL LIFE

sketchbook

This painting was a bit of an experiment, as I

had recently acquired some Lascaux

watercolours, which come in small plastic

bottles with the colours inside resembling

very runny cream. Let me say, first of all, that

I don’t think these are for the purist

watercolour artist. They have a slightly greasy

feel to them and if applied without enough

water, they leave a pronounced brushmark.

Having said that, I rather liked them,

especially their intensity of colour. Plus, if you

are covering a large area, it’s easy to mix

large quantities of colour. You also need to

be aware that a palette with deep wells may

TOP TIP

A palette with deep

wells is advised to

stop colours running

into each other

be required, because they will run into each

other if not separated by some means.

STAGE 1

I started this painting by roughly sketching in

the basic big shapes with a no. 16 sable

loaded with Ultramarine Blue. Then, using a

large mop brush, I covered the background

with the same colour. Blue is a good colour to

use for drawing a basic composition as it is

easy to ‘lose’ it in a painting.

STAGE 2

I then introduced some thin colour washes

into the main foreground objects.

STAGE 3

Finally, I drew into the whole painting with

a water-soluble pencil and quickly added

stronger and more intense washes

throughout while keeping the blue as a

strong element in the painting. With a no. 12

brush, I worked fine lines into the patterned

jug, owl and lantern.

This is an extract from Glen’s upcoming book

Colour and Line in Watercolour, published by

Batsford, £19.99, available in all good

bookshops from July 2016

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43 Sketchbook KM.indd 43 12/05/2016 10:41