Artists & Illustrators - UK (2019-12)

Fabio’smaterials

•Paper

ArchesGrainFin300 gsm

watercolourpaper

•Brushes

Syntheticroundbrushes,

sizes8, 10;synthetic flat

brushes,size6, 1/2”, 3/4”;

a smallsyntheticrigger

•Paints

NewGamboge,Indian Yellow,

TransparentOrange,

PermanentAlizarin Crimson,

RoseMadder,Quinacridone

Magenta,SapGreen, Olive

Green,CobaltBlue, French

Ultramarine,Ultramarine

VioletandShadow Violet, all

DanielSmithwatercolour

MASTERCLASS

wet

i i

International watercolour master FABIO CEMBRANELLI

shows how controlling water will enable you to take a

loose and intuitive approach to a watercolour still life

I

love painting watercolours using the wet-on-wet

technique because each new painting is a

challenge for me: the wet paint is laid on the wet

or damp paper, the colours flow, they blend into one

another and create unexpected and diffused effects.

This method is all about taking risks, daring, working

fast and intuitively, while understanding the wetness

of the paper: that’s the way I feel more comfortable.

If the paper is wet, there will be many soft edges at

the beginning. As I add more layers, some shapes will

become more defined, as those initial soft edges

disappear and the edges become harder. Others will

remain soft – or “lost” – throughout.

The more drybrush strokes you make, the more

harder edges will be created too. The play between

hard and soft edges is important to create a sense

of depth and, if this is well developed, we can build

a sense of three-dimensionality in our artwork.

The trick is to place most of the harder edges around

or closer to the focal point (in the following).

If you want to paint loosely, work fast but don’t

forget to also be mindful of where your focal point

is placed. Don’t spell everything out to the viewer.

You don’t need to draw each petal, leave something

for the imagination. Similarly, don’t outline every

shape, leave some soft edges. And the most

important advice: finish your artwork with the paper

still humid – allow colours to blend into one another

before they have dried.

http://www.fabiocembranelli.com

1. Check your kit

I use a portable folding palette with

transparent watercolour paints in tubes

as I need a creamy consistency to paint

wet-on-wet. I never use opaque colours.

In my opinion, watercolour is about saving

or restoring the white of the paper so once

it’s lost, it’s better to start again – there’s no

gouache in my palette. The brand of brushes

isn’t important, so long as they are synthetic

hairs, and a rigger brush is necessary to add

final touches.

2. Add water

After sketching the main shapes in pencil

(I don’t like to draw all the flowers and leaves,

as some of them will come out during the

painting process), I wet the paper randomly

using a large synthetic brush.

Using a 3/4” flat brush, I started painting

the central flowers – the focal point of my

composition. The white flower was a tricky

subject: every time there’s a white subject,

I try to paint the background around it rather

than the subject itself, letting the white of the

paper show through. Sometimes we add so

many colours, shadows and layers to a

“white” shape that it won’t be white anymore.

1. Break the composition

Using a 1/2” flat brush, I started adding more

shapes, including a red flower in the top left

to provide some diagonal balance to the

composition.

My arrangement in the vase provided

a vertical composition, but the dominant

vertical (the flowers) can be interrupted by

an imaginary diagonal line to prevent the

viewer’s eyes from leaving the composition.

It can be important to play with diagonal

touches such as this to break the grid-like

effect that can occur in the play between

horizontal and vertical lines.