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NOTES
on the
Illusion of Depth:
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| 10 stages of "Last
Rosebud" watercolor painting |
"Last Rosebud"
animation clickon
image to start
 |
First Iris
Final state
click
on image to enlarge |
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| "First
Iris" 23" x 28" watercolor on Johonot paper,
Exhibited in the 89th Annual American Watercolor Society Show
at the Salamagundi Club, New York 2005. |
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| "Yellow
Rose" by JRJ watercolor in the style of Charles Demuth
(He developed a grainy variation by blotting on white wove
paper.) |
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| "Yellow
Rose Abstracted" by JRJ (redone & pushed to enhance
& improve) |
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| "Wine
& Cheese Glasses" by Janet Fish |
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| "Yellow
Rose" by JRJ |
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| "Yellow
Rose Abstracted" by JRJ |
"Wine &
Cheese Glasses" by Janet Fish
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As
we did last time, we will put many bits of information together
at the same time. First a simple drawing to establish edges of the
"puzzle pieces". Bring the areas up in stages to control
color and value, and leave the details to last. The most common
color in nature is gray. Small variations in the gray that surround
us, make up the 'colorful' part of our environment. Learn to appreciate
the subtle differences.
| As
this is our last session,
I will give you something I have recently discovered. I have
spoken of the benefits of pre- planning your painting: develop
a philosophy, be consistent to your own rules and keep to the
plan. I will add another. Give yourself a preview or test panel
to work with that matches the paper and paints you will be using.
Test before you execute, this doesn't prevent changes or working
on the page, but it can prevent foreseeable problems and facilitate
more complex designs and images. FYI |
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Painting
glass is the tour-de-force project for the watercolorist, especially
clear glass. To make the painting realistic, you must paint the
"miriad" reflections that define form. Working from a
photograph, freezes the light direction and intensity reducing the
complex image into bite sized pieces. As in most realistic painting,
the layout drawing is the first proof of success or failure of the
project. Since the glass objects exist as reflective or refractive
surfaces, most of the color, if not all, will come from the surroundings.
Remember to be conscious of: light source, highlight, object shadow
and cast shadow and then reflections in the surfaces. Each of these
has a place that establishes its legitimacy in the painting, but
remember that this is an excuse to make a painting, and the painting
comes first, not a strict adherance to photographic accuracy. Painting
demonstrates your aesthetic, it is your means of expression first,
all else is subordinate.
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Work
in class
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Work
on the 'flower' still life in stages as discussed in class, then
give yourself permission to be expressive. It is the final step
after accuracy, adding the distillation of your vision, the results
of your quest for a personal aesthetic. Recognize precisely what
is "Yours" in the work and make sure your images serve
to express that vision. This is the basis of "Personal Artistic
Expression", and the foundation of a reputation as a watercolorist,
or more importantly, becoming a 'painters painter'.
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