Watercolours All About Softness

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Winter CLASSES

Watercolour Tricks of The Trade

Saturdays Jan 21, Jan 28 & Feb 4 9:30 AM to Noon

North Island College, Courtenay

Learn how the experts do many wonderful and mysterious techniques in watercolours under the expert tutelage of instructor Marilyn Timms. Using step by step, hands on, easy to follow instructions, you will enjoy every moment. Share her humour, enthusiasm and
knowledge in a friendly, accepting environment.

Watercolours Making Colours Sing

Saturdays Feb 18, Feb 25 & Mar 3 9:30 AM to Noon

North Island College, Courtenay

Colour mixing is one of the great mysteries painters need to unravel when working with watercolours. This session will explore in depth how to create pure, clean colours – no mud any more – using a simple but effective step by step method that expert painter Marilyn Timms has gleaned over her many years of working in this exciting medium. You will come away more confident and better able to get exactly the colour you need.

Watercolours Sheer Loveliness

Saturdays Mar 17, Mar 24 & Mar 31 9:30 AM to Noon

North Island College, Courtenay
All watercolours are transparent, yet some are so transparent as to be considered luminous. In this session, expert artist Marilyn Timms will open up a world of layering, glazing, and thin washes - adding rich depth to your paintings – her demoes and step by step approach will encourage you to explore the vast possibilities that working in sheer layers can provide you.

Session #3

(Above) Using Cadmium Yellow Pale plus Cadmium Red Light, fill square with colour (mixing on the paper) then stretch plastic wrap into wet paint and press gently to help it grab the paint.Remove plastic once rolling it back a little no longer makes a line, the wipe vertical lines using a damp brush. Use paint on the brush to make more lines on top, dragging with brush handle to create branches.

(Above) Using watery Phthaol Blue, paint background shape between yellow/orange forms and soften edges with damp brush.

(Above) Using Burnt Sienna plus Ultramarine Blue, fill the square with colours, then add more in places. Immediately, place torn strips of waxed paper into wet paint (past the top edge, with gaps between strips). Drop more colour between the strips of waxed paper. Let dry until removing strip makes a noise.

(Above) Mixing Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson, Paint the top half of the square (dry paper), the use clear water to wash the rest of the surface.Wait until the shine is gone on the painted part, then pile balls of clear water to create backruns then lift the white centre out with a damp sponge.Let painting dry.

(Above) Make a grey by mixing Cadmium Red Light and Ultramarine Blue.Wet painting with clear water. Paint grey mix at base of white (cloud) formation, then tilt board at a steep angle to force the paint to slide. Drag a wet (with clean water) brush in the direction of the flow to create rain.

(Above) The same general technique can be used to create grass.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

All About Softness Session #1

Top Image: Wetting the paper with CLEAR WATER - hint - scoop lots of water each time you stroke - go from Top (side to side) to Bottom.

Drop colours onto shiny-wet paper, wait until the shine is gone, then drop some more.

After things look dry but still feel cool to the touch, use a damp flat brush (vertically,with narrow edge of brush touching paper) to sweep off paint.

Image 2: Quickly wet paper with a coloured wash this time - again, top to bottom, side to side. Mix your colours (Thalo Blue + Cad Yellow Light) on the paper as you go along using yellow first. After the shine is mostly gone, use a small round brush (damp with clean water only) to sweep light strokes into the paint. Once that dries, sweep new colour strokes then soften one edge only with wash brush. Add a little burnt sienna to your mix once the paint has dried and "pick out" pieces of background in between the shapes.

Image 3: Paint area with colour wash, let stand until shine almost gone, then place spots of water from the tip of a round brush on the damp paint. Once dry, practice wetting one adge of stroked shape.

Image 4: Wet the paper, then drop colour shapes onto wet paper, keep adding until wash is rich varied form, then let absorb into the paper. Using water and a round brush, pile up water in certain areas to create soft, light shapes.

Image 4: Wet the paper, then drop colour shapes onto wet paper, keep adding until wash is rich varied form, then let absorb into the paper. Using water and a round brush, pile up water in certain areas to create soft, light shapes.

Image 5: Lifting colour from dry paper - use two strips of masking tape to form a corner, then with a clean damp sponge scrub ot the paint from inside the taped corner, remove tape. Second, tear a strip of tape vertically, then stick down the two sides leaving a narrow gap between them. Add a second strip of tape outside each edge. Using a sponge, scrub out the paint from between the strips of tape and remove the tape immediately.

Session #2 All About Softness

Image #1: Shape on right - using Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine Blue, paint a shape, then soften edge all around using a wet wash brush that has been wiped on the edge of the bowl. Shape in center, using same mix, repeat, then soften the same, only this time pad the brush a little drier on folded paper towel.

Image #2: Image on right - using Cadmium Yellow Pale + Cadmium Red Light start wash from top of shape at full strength, then change to just water to graruate colour. Soften edge with damp brush. Image on left - using Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine blue, paint shape then soften shape with a damp sponge. Image below - I forget *smile*

Image #3: Mix up Cadmium Yellow Pale + Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Sienna then create this interesting shape that forms a straight line on the bottom edge Hint - vary the mainly green colour as you go along, . Using your wash brush, soften the upper edge and sides and repeat again outside your first stroke to give the paint lots of room to spread. Using your slanted brush handle (or a credit card) scratch lines into the wet paint Hint - make your scratch from the bottom up. Use a damp sponge to wipe away some of the paint from the top of the shape only (Hint - remember to rotate the sponge to a clean side anr re-rinse it often). Drop a little more colour here and there.

Image #4: Mix a soft grey using Yellow Ochre + Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson then paint an island shape hint - use the brush handle to "spike" the trees along the upper edge - and end id along a straight edge. Use a wash brush and plenty of water to "lose" the bottem edge. Use a damp sponge to "lose" parts of the upper shape, then drag the sponge across it to create mist.