Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie School

How I use watercolor.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

There are many, many different styles and methods of using watercolor, from the purely abstract to the photo realist. By its very nature, watercolor paint is more difficult to control than oil and acrylic, and this is one reason so many find it a frustrating medium. However, it is this uncontrollable, spontaneous nature that makes it one of my favorite materials. My style and the techniques I have developed on my own do not lend themselves to photo realism, nor do they promote minute detail. Rather, my approach is fairly loose, using pencil or ink at times to clarify my images.

I've included brief discussions and links to examples of my work, which will possibly give you a few ideas about what you'd like to try on your own.

Traditional
In this image of a cream can and flowers, you see an example of the typical approach I use when working strictly with watercolor and no other medium, such as pencil or ink. Forms are loose, colors run and blend together. I am rarely concerned when two wet colors accidentally touch and begin to run together and mix. This image is an example of using watercolor in a similarly loose manner, except ink lines have helped clarify and organize my image. The watercolor becomes almost secondary, as it fills in the inked areas with different tones and colors.

This painting is a more traditional watercolor image. Watercolor paintings tend to be landscapes or still life, although this is not the rule. Here, I started with a very faint graphite line drawing (using a 3H pencil), and followed with planned layers of watercolor. In trying to capture some detail in the water and grasses, each layer of watercolor had to be completely dry before I laid the next wash down, or the colors would blend out and loose their definition. Beyond considering the drying rate, I did not attempt to over-control the watercolor paint on the surface of the paper.

The above images, while loose and not concerned with detail, are easily recognizable. My main goal when showing others how to use watercolor is to learn to enjoy the looseness and not worry about the detail when just starting to use the medium.

Wax Resist and Masking
Using a technique called a wax resist in this painting, I first drew the abstract bottles in white crayon. This is a form of masking, in which the white or lightly washed paper is protected from furthering painting by covering it with a water-resistant substance.

Masking fluid is commonly used by watercolorists for the masking technique, as is rubber cement (if you want to save a few dollars). Masking fluid, once dry, is waterproof. When the painting is completed, the dried masking fluid can be rubbed off, to reveal the white paper (or an earlier color) beneath. I'm not one to use the masking method much, although traditional watercolorists do use it heavily. I find that it slows and stiffens my painting style when I have to plan and control the watercolor that much, and I'm never happy with the end result.

Wax resist is different than masking in that you can't remove the wax. It's a bit like batik in that you have to plan for the wax to preserve the layer under it when the next layer or wash of color goes over the top of it. You can use wax on a painted area that has dried if you'd like the bottom color(s) to stay as they are and not be affected by the next wash of color.

Mixed Media
While not strictly a "true" watercolor (gesso, charcoal, and colored pencil have been used), the basis for this image was a series of light, loose washes. Letting some of the colors run and blend in noticeable directions give the bass player a sense of motion. Here, line work used both before and after the watercolor gives clear structure to the image. Working reactive mediums (charcoal, water crayons/pencils, pastels) into damp or wet areas of watercolor will produce some fine results, too.

Here again, the underlying structure is one of colored pencil lines, with the watercolor acting more as a fill-wash and less as the structure of the image. Still, some areas of shadow and variation are revealed in the trees and the house.

In this image, I used an ink drawing for only the cat. I quickly began working the paint into the cat before the ink was completely dry. This allowed for some wonderful effects of ink and watercolor mixing and running through the cat. Take a look at the whiskers in the green area, for example...

Here again I have used pencil work in the giraffe's head for clarity, but much of the rest of the image is loose watercolor washes, overlapping, running together, and on their own.

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Assignment:

Try painting the same image over and over to learn about different techniques and styles, starting very loosely in your first efforts, and working up to detail. Find ways to work in detail, "controlling" the watercolor while not over-controlling it and making your painting stiff and awkward.
Using a simple white wax crayon, experiment with wax resist as a way to build your painting and create line and movement through preserved areas of paper and color.

Remember:

Don't panic if the water starts to run and you get "sunbursts" where two colors bleed into each other. Let them be, see what happens, and don't try to fix them with your brush or you'll end up with a muddy mess.
If you are having a problem with using too much water or all of your colors are running together and making a muddy mess, try letting your painting dry between washes, and you'll learn on your own when you do and do not need to do that.
Don't try to over-control your results! Watercolor, by its nature, is loose and uneven in broadly painted areas. It'll look beautiful. Imperfections make it perfect.

Supplies:

Try to find a good watercolor brush at your local arts and craft store. A brush not meant for watercolor will leave you frustrated. It shouldn't be stiff, or made of something like hog bristle. Get a real watercolor brush.
You don't have to buy expensive paints to start. My favorite set of watercolors that I use for traveling or small paintings is a simple Prang school set. Good colors, easily activated with water, and it has a white inside lid for color mixing. Crayola is fine, but its lid is yellow and I don't like the colors as much as I like Prang's.
You can try "official" watercolor paper; it comes in cold press (highly textured, most beginners prefer it because it is more forgiving) and hot press (smooth). I actually prefer to paint on BFK Rives paper because it is slightly textured, forgiving of "errors", tough, and doesn't have to be taped or stretched -- you can paint on it with out any preparation and it holds up to various mixed media techniques while some of the cheaper watercolor papers shred and shed.

Labels: homework, techniques, watercolor

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Visual Elements: Point and line.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

Though it seems obvious, it is necessary to understand the different kinds of line in order to use line in a powerful way in your art. To often I watched students making short, jerking movements as the sketched the outside of the object they were drawing, using the weakest and most useless kinds of lines possible. With a few simple, powerful lines, the drawing could be fleshed out faster and with more understanding. It is important to understand how to use line and to love line.

Dots
Lines and dots are the primary means of visual communication. A point (dot) is the smallest visual entity - it is an attention getting element. A single dot on the surface grabs our attention, it activates otherwise blank space, and creates a relationship with its surroundings. A point can either be actual or implied. Arrangements of different sized dots (actual or implied) catch our attention and cause us to connect them with our eye - this gives an image movement as our eye follows the dots/points through the picture.

Line
We've been making lines since childhood. Line can be described as the path left by a moving point: a visual path of action. Lines have direction. They may be continuous or broken, thick or thin, consistent or varied in width and direction, static or moving, straight or curved, or any combination of these. Too much of one kind of line in a drawing is uninteresting. Look at this drawing by Van Gogh, and see how varied his lines are. On a flat surface, lines can act as independent elements, define shapes, imply volumes, or suggest solid mass. Lines can be grouped to make patterns or textures or to portray three-dimensional masses or shadows. We "read" the edges of objects in two or three dimensional space as lines.

Quality of Line
The directional force of actual and implied lines can have psychological significance. Horizontal lines, in both nature and art, feel restful and inactive. Vertical lines are lines of poise or attention with potential for action. Combinations of horizontal and vertical lines in a composition provide stability. Diagonal lines imply movement or action. Curving lines are softer than straight lines; we tend to think go curved lines as feminine, and straight lines as masculine.

Outlines vs. Contour Lines
An outline identifies the edge or boundary of a shape, where one shape leaves off and another begins. A contour line describes the edge of a three-dimensional object in space. It indicates the last visible portion of a surface that bends away from the viewer. What's the difference? Look at this image. The outline defines all edges. The contour only defines the edge of the entire object where it "meets" space. It is important to understand the difference. Outlines help clarify and give edges to what you are drawing, but if you rely too heavily on lining every edge, your drawing ends up looking flat and somewhat like you filled in a coloring book page with drawing. Contours add edge, but also let the viewer form the object with their own eyes. You need to use both in your drawings. A bonus: if you really practice drawing things in contour, you will develop a great understanding of three dimensional drawing and will be able to use fewer lines to suggest more.

Implied Lines
Just as you need to use both outlines and contour lines in your drawings, implied lines are also quite necessary. They are lines that aren't actually drawn but seem to connect points of emphasis in a work. They help the viewer's eye to move through your drawing. Look at "I and the Villiage" by Marc Chagall. Do you see how strong his implied lines are? Look at this linear diagram of that same painting. The solid lines show the actual lines, and the dotted lines show the implied lines. The amount of movement in this image is quite strong. It makes it interesting to look at.

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Assignment

1. Practice making a variety of lines in your sketchbook. Fill a page or two with every kind of line you can think of. It is going to look like scribbles, but if you really vary your line quality, it will still look interesting. Things to consider: dark or light lines? thick or thin? straight or crooked? sharp or curvy? and one line made of a variety of qualities in the same line?

2. Practice drawing outlines and contour lines of the same objects/photographs in your sketchbook. Do them more than once. Draw until you feel that you've completely understood the object/photograph. Do a final drawing of one of the objects using outlines, contour lines, and implied lines. Do not do any shading - this is strictly a line drawing.

Questions: Which kind of lines are best used for technical drawings and illustrations? Why? Do you think it is a valid statement when people say: "I can't draw! I can't even draw a straight line!" ?

Labels: art lesson, homework