Thursday, December 18, 2008

And the Planning Continues...


Well, the next step was to create the "Great White Shape (GWS)" and make sure it works. Then, taking a watercolor pencil (so it blends off later), I drew the GWS on the watercolor paper over and around the things there. The GWS includes anything you want left white and anything you want to be pure color - so, of course, your Center of Interest (COI) is inside the GWS.

Next? Choose the temperature dominance of the painting. Done. It will be cool. And the body of the woman and some of the chair and rakes will be warm so they will be the COI.

Next? Misket any small area I want pure white and splatter some misket over the paper (to add texture).



Next? With a very light wash of color in a mix of cools, I need to paint around the GWS, blurring the lines here and there. Before that dries, I can do some things to create texture = misting water, pouring on salt in various sizes (popcorn salt, table salt, kosher salt, sea salt - did you know you can even use Epson salts?). I could even splatter more misket to prepare for the next layer, if I want. I used popcorn salt and table salt and large kosher salt on this.



Now it has to dry completely - bone dry before the next step.



3 comments:

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Thank you so much for all the info on the technique you are using. It is fascinating. Now I think I understand the GWS and how it will influence the composition and colours - in fact everything. Sounds like fun, even if you have to be patient between each layer. Cant wait to see the final piece - meanwhile those soft torquoise and blues are beautiful.

cathyswatercolors said...

Thank you for sharing. This is so fasinating to me and inspirational. I can't wait to see this develop further. yipee

RH Carpenter said...

Hi, Joan and Cathy :) Thanks for stopping in. Unfortunately, I've started out incorrectly! My wc teacher, Sandy Maudlin, taught this and I should have begun with a warm temp pale wash around the Great White Shape (the second layer will be a cool wash). So have to wash this off as much as I can, and do it in warms, let that dry, then go on from there. This is a complicated technique and I think you have to do it all the time to get it right - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!