Watercolor Artist - USA (2019-08)

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Creating Texture

One of McEwan’s paintings that grabs attention for its
textural elements is Poster Girl. How did McEwan achieve
the textures of rust and tattered poster paper? They’re
the result of a number of different techniques.
The artist is a fan of broken washes, in which he uses
the side of the paintbrush and drags it across the
surface. He then uses stippling, dry brushing, scumbling,
sponging and slathering—usually in combination—
depending on what the image needs. “At the end,” he
says, “I go in with a very small brush and spend a lot of
time picking up on the detail and working with any kind
of happy accidents.”

1. Compositional
   Drawing: “I made
   a quick sketch using
   warm and cool colors;
   I added tone using
   an 8B pencil,” he says.
   “I needed to ensure
   that the ‘bigger picture’
   wouldn’t get lost on the
   busy surface.”


2. Palette: “I separated
   my colors into cool and
   warm palettes. Most
   of the paint is Daniel
   Smith; I also used Old
   Holland violet gray, as
   seen at the bottom of
   the cool palette [left].”


3. Closeup: “I created
   random spatters and
   then used Caran d’Ache
   Neocolor II water-
   soluble crayons to
   add color, tone
   and texture.”

LEFT

Poster Girl (watercolor

on paper, 15x22)

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