The Artist - UK (2020-03)

54 artistMarch 2020 http://www.painters-online.co.uk

MIXED MEDIA

TA

MATERIALS

� Golden High Flow Acrylic: quinacridone magenta, ultramarine blue

� Golden Heavy Body Acrylic: cadmium red, light phthalocyanine blue

� Daler-Rowney Designer’s Gouache, spectrum violet

� Sennelier pastels: dark red, mid-value cool blue, light grey,

mid-magenta, pale magenta, dark violet, light green, white

� Golden gesso

� Golden pastel ground

� Saunders Waterford HP paper 200Ib

how best to abstract them, what to
include and what to leave out.
The complex formation of most sweet
pea flower heads includes five petals:
one large round upright petal known as
the standard or banner, two narrower
horizontal side petals called wings,
and the two boat-shaped smaller lower
petals, known as keels.

Sweet peas have winged stalks and

each leaflet has two pairs of leaves and

tendrils that allow the plant to cling to,

and climb up and around the support.

Their foliage has very distinctive

parallel veins and creates a wonderful

mass of shapes around the blooms.

I personally find the frilly edge variety

rather fussy and always try, through

lost-and-found edges, to introduce a

little ambiguity within the composition.

Unless you are doing a botanical

illustration, it is best to keep it simple.

I think sweet peas can be painted

successfully in any medium or

combination of media. However,

whatever you choose to paint them in,

take note of the delicacy of the petals.

DEMONSTRATION Sweet Peas in a Pale Blue Jug

 STAGE ONE

This stage is the all-important surface preparation, which will have

an impact on the end result. I prepared my watercolour paper with

two coats of Golden gesso mixed with some ne pumice gel to create

a gritty surface for my subsequent pastel applications. I wanted a

super white surface to help the rst layer of colours to glow with

maximum vibrancy. I then added a pale wash of some of the colours I

would be using in subsequent layers: Golden High Flow quinacridone

magenta, ultramarine blue and a diluted spectrum violet gouache.

I also applied some ultramarine blue to the vase then mixed it with

yellow and applied a pale green wash to the background. I added a

wash of ultramarine blue mixed with a touch of quinacridone magenta

underneath the jug. This stage can be quite free as its purpose is to

cover the white of the paper

 STAGE TWO
I applied a wash of spectrum violet over the area of the owers, top
right-hand corner, around the owerpot and the shadow under the
pot. This is to prepare a ground for the colours I will be bringing over
the top. At this stage I changed my mind about having a greener
background and decided to keep the paler hues plus a stronger version
of the colour of the owers for the background

 STAGE THREE
A dark red pastel was applied diagonally for glimpses of darker red
tone. In contrast with a very pale pink pastel I suggested some of the
lighter ower heads. I did the same with a mid-tone magenta pastel.
Next I mixed spectrum violet and cadmium red and applied a dark
value backdrop for the owers, and then applied the same colour
under the white jug in preparation for the shadows. I also applied more
ultramarine blue to the shadow-side of the jug then used a light grey
pastel for the belly of the jug, for the transition of paler colours to the
darker shadow side