Lesson 1 The flat wash
Watercolour dries lighter than when applied. Always test your paint on scrap paper before committing it to your picture.
Always mix more paint than you think you will need. Trying to repeat the mix is almost impossible even with just one pigment and water.
Colours used
French Ultramarine
Light Red
Raw Sienna
Hookers Green
Brushes
Flat goat hair
Number 10 round
Number 4 round
In this piece I will demonstrate the flat wash.
Step 1
Mix a thin wash of French Ultramarine. Keep your work at an angle of approximately twenty degrees. Use the goats hair brush to sweep a line along the top of the paper repeat his working down the paper each time just overlapping the previous stroke. Continue in this way filling the top two thirds of the paper. When you have finished dry the brush on tissue paper and run it along the bottom edge, this will allow the brush to soak up any excess paint forming beads along the bottom. Leave to dry thoroughly.
Add just the tiniest hint of Light Red and with a number ten brush held on it's side loosely suggest a mountain range. Make at least three peaks making the largest on the right hand side of the paper. Paint loosely down to the white paper don't worry if you leave a little of the paper untouched as this will suggest the odd crag in the rocks.
The images shown are darker than reality, a common problem with scanning, the paper is white. they are also a little unclear as my stretcher is larger than the scanner bed and the image is slightly raised from the glass. To see more clearly please refer to the finished painting.
Although this mix of paint is being painted as a flat wash the result will be patchy on drying, this is due to a reaction between the two pigments, and is called granulation. Bear this in mind if you ever want to mix a grey for a very flat area, as you may be disappointed on the result. In this case we are using the reaction to help suggest the lumps and bumps of the mountains.
Step 2
Don't adjust the mixture of your paint. Bearing in mind that the right hand peak is to be the nearest one to us, select one of the other peaks to be the most distant. I have opted for the middle one. In the same manner as before avoiding the furthest peak carefully go over the nearer mountains.
Building up the tone in a painting by adding successive layers like this is called 'glazing'.
Step 3
Continue in this manner until you have only had to wash over the nearest mountain.
step 4
We will now add some foothills. As objects come closer we use warmer colours and increase the tone. The strongest tones will be needed for the foreground so take care not to make your paint too strong at these early stages. Make a mix of French Ultramarine and a little Raw Sienna. Portray the foothills at the base of the mountains in the same way as before with another couple of layers. Adding a little more Raw Sienna at each stage.
To continually add more layers of glaze will result in a lack of light reflecting back through the paint leaving a painting that is tired and flat. This is the reason for leaving the foreground untouched for the moment.
Step 5
We now move to the foreground. To preserve the aerial perspective we will need to make the tone stronger and the colour warmer.
Many artists do not like to buy pre mixed greens, preferring to mix their own. But beginners often find this very difficult to achieve the correct colour. If you refer to the colour mixing chart you will notice I have Hookers Green in my palette. This colour was devised by a botanical illustrator, alone it is a terrible colour and pretty useless. However mixed with other colours; as you can see from the chart it gives a wide range of greens very useful for natural subjects.
Begin by laying a wash of Light Red over the foreground. This will create warmth and help to give a sound tonal base.
Step 6
It does look a little garish, but don't worry. Now add another glaze this time with Hookers Green.
Because green is the complimentary of red and also a cooler colour, the red will be calmed whilst increasing the tonal value bringing the foreground forward.
Step 7
We need something to break that straight horizon. Using Hookers Green and the tip of your brush suggest a hedgerow.
Because of the distance we do not need to worry about light and shade.
Step 8
We can now work on the focal point of our image. At present we have a number of parallel bands which require a strong vertical to balance the picture. Remember too that at the focal point we need the maximum of tonal change and detail.
At this stage you may find it helpful to lightly sketch in the trees and fence. With a Strong mix of Hookers Green and Raw Sienna using the tip of your brush dot in the lightest greens on the pines, don't be tempted to get carried away and create large areas of colour as pie trees are usually rather sparse compared to others, plus we will need space to add the other tones.
Step 9
Using a mix of Hookers Green and French Ultramarine add the mid tones of the foliage in the same way.
Step 10
To create the darkest tone in the foliage mix together Hookers Green with Light Red, keep these tones to the centre of the tree and the lower branches.
Step 11
We need some foliage at the base of the trees. Using the Hookers Green/Light Red mix and a number round brush add the lighter tone of foliage at the base of the trees avoiding the trunks.
Step 12
Add More Light Red to the mix and apply the darker foliage.
Step 13
Add more Light Red to the mix making a very dark green going towards a brown. Time to add the trunks. Start at the base and carefully paint around the overlapping vegetation. Work your way up the trunk to the very tip of the tree slowly narrowing the trunk checking that you paint the trunk in the correct place through the gaps of the foliage. Repeat for the other trees. Add the odd bare twig towards the bottom of the trees and complete the branches to support the foliage. When dried add more Light Red and go over the trunks of the nearest two trees, you don't need to bother with the tiny branches and twigs.
Step 14
Finally mix French Ultramarine and Light Red to create a very dark grey and add the gate and fence posts. Dilute the mix and suggest a track way leading to the gate and the shadows beneath the trees.
Analysis of the image
Just to reinforce previous lessons in composition and perspective.
The mood of the painting is warm created by the use of ultramarine blue; with it's red bias, and light red
The building up of successive layers created a great sense of depth to the painting.
The focal point in this picture the copse of trees, holds the greatest tonal variation and detail. Whilst balance is maintained with the mass of mountain on the right. Balance is also maintained between the parallel tracts of land and the vertical of the trees.
The gate is included to give the viewer a reference denoting the scale of the picture further enhancing the message of vast open space.
The rough pathway guides the viewer to the focal point as does the edge of the mountain.
A closed gate is usually avoided in a picture, as it bars the viewer from roaming the scene. Here it is deliberately shut. If the gate were open the viewer would mentally step through it and get trapped between the trees. Instead the viewer is guided along the path, is barred by the gate and the trees on the left, and so wanders to the right and the vast open meadow, where the slope of the mountain points right back to the focal point.
Copyright Jane Grainger 2004
