Week 21-25 of my Watercolour Course
We are back at it. It's the beginning of April and it is still cold and snowing. We have spring in our hearts though!
Barry Coombs demonstration page. I am currently in his Watercolour class.
Week 21, Paper Gift Bags
We've gone back to soft shading and I am rusty. The big flat brushes are resting and the round sables have been called back from holiday.
My wet on wet shading is a bit rusty in my in-class picture. The smaller orange bag is homework and a bit improved. The big round brushes feel odd after the flat brushes.
Getting a flat plane to look interesting without looking messy is difficult I think. I did a couple of exercises. The bags on the right are almost exact copies of the demonstration Barry Did in class.
Yet another attempt on the left! I think I will try a sheet of just graded washes.
Week 22, Pears and Pots
Long demo this week on preliminary sketches. How to use them to design the painting and figure out the shading.
Above, my in class work. My sketch was a bit too large but was a fun and useful exercise.
Some homework pages. I do like pears.
Week 23, Big Pile of Baseball Caps
Fabrics and folds and slightly tricky perspectives is offered by a pile of baseball caps. They are sitting on a garish purple cloth. I only painted a few but there were dozens to choose from. Few had any colour though.
Baseball caps are not as easy to draw as you would imagine. Some hard structure, some floppy bits, and partly squished.
Week 24, Clay Pots
Clay pots. This week is the relationship of forms to the background.I was trying to solidly model the forms with no fancy embellishments. I think they stand out solidly and with good presence.
Week 25, Watermelon
Wonderful fruit, watermelon, lime, oranges are on the menu this week. Weeks
1 to 5
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6 to 10
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11 to 15
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16-20
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21-25
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26-30
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31-35
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36-40
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41-45
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46-50
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After a few weeks of recess we are back at it.
During the break I was really trying to learn how to paint water with moderate success.
I also painted a series of skulls that I really like.
I think my ability to see and interpret through watercolour is improving. I can draw quite well and can paint in oil and acrylic but watercolour is much trickier!
If you decide to try painting get resonable quality paints. Poor materials are discouraging. These are available online:
Winsor & Newton Professional Water Color Compact Set
I also have a number of DaVinci Paints and I really like them, particularly the yellow: Da Vinci Paints Watercolor Paint Quinacridone (Set of 6)
The same thing goes for paper, Cold Pressed Arches paper is what I use, cold pressed. Hot pressed is much smoother.Arches Aquarelle Watercolor Block 140 lb. cold press 9 in. x 12 in. pad
Arches makes many other sizes: arches paper
As far as paintbrushes I'm not as fussy and I've found that many of the new synthetics work really well. Choose a round one with a good point, I also like a nice flat 3/4 inch brush. Princeton Series 4050 Synthetic Sable Watercolor Brushes 6 short handle round
These would work for a start, or maybe slightly larger.