I got everything together over the weekend in order to show my students how to do a poured watercolor painting in Tuesday's class. And, as usual, forgot to take a photo of the work the students were doing! But here is what I shared with them:
1. The first poured painting I did in a class long long ago was too pale so I showed them how you could go back in and darken using your usual techniques with watercolor pigments, water, and your brushes. I darkened this a lot. And then didn't like that I didn't leave whites like I should, so put white gouache on some areas. Won't do anything with this (it was the teacher's photo, not mine, and I don't like it much, anyway!), but it did show them they don't have to worry about getting those deep darks in until the end (less pressure for them as they do their pours).
2. Another beginning (they already saw the finished statue painting and liked it), using simple shapes of 3 dolphins. Won't do anything more with this when it's finished because the design belongs to an old blogger Yahoo groups friend, who once sent me a card like this. This idea showed the students that they don't always have to use the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue, but can choose a variety of color combinations for their poured paintings.
3. And another beginning, showing the students that you can just do your pour and drizzle the masking fluid (pushing it with a sprayer of clean water) in an organic way before even thinking about your drawing or what you want to do. This one looks to viney that I will probably do berries and leaves and vines on this one.
As with any technique, you can experiment, choose what you want to do, pick your colors to suit yourself, etc. ---- it's your painting!
Things besides art kept me busy Wednesday and Thursday, and today I have to read and enjoy my latest Watercolor Artist magazine...
So maybe some painting done this weekend?
1. The first poured painting I did in a class long long ago was too pale so I showed them how you could go back in and darken using your usual techniques with watercolor pigments, water, and your brushes. I darkened this a lot. And then didn't like that I didn't leave whites like I should, so put white gouache on some areas. Won't do anything with this (it was the teacher's photo, not mine, and I don't like it much, anyway!), but it did show them they don't have to worry about getting those deep darks in until the end (less pressure for them as they do their pours).
2. Another beginning (they already saw the finished statue painting and liked it), using simple shapes of 3 dolphins. Won't do anything more with this when it's finished because the design belongs to an old blogger Yahoo groups friend, who once sent me a card like this. This idea showed the students that they don't always have to use the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue, but can choose a variety of color combinations for their poured paintings.
3. And another beginning, showing the students that you can just do your pour and drizzle the masking fluid (pushing it with a sprayer of clean water) in an organic way before even thinking about your drawing or what you want to do. This one looks to viney that I will probably do berries and leaves and vines on this one.
As with any technique, you can experiment, choose what you want to do, pick your colors to suit yourself, etc. ---- it's your painting!
Things besides art kept me busy Wednesday and Thursday, and today I have to read and enjoy my latest Watercolor Artist magazine...
So maybe some painting done this weekend?
6 comments:
I enjoyed your post, Rhonda. I was planning to do the poured watercolor technique in my class tomorrow, too.
Kathryn
Thanks, Kathryn. It's not too messy if you have them work on smaller paper (9 x 12 inches or so) over a small plastic, kitchen tub set on the table to catch the spillover - that's how we did it and it didn't make a mess at all - easy to grab a paper towel and wipe the edges of the tub. Have fun!
Thanks for the tip re spraying the masking fluid around, had never thought of that.
You're welcome, Lorraine - using the Pebeo Drawing Gum, it works well with the spraying around to break up the straight lines and get something more organic. I learned this in my first watercolor class and I think it may be a Stephen Blackburn technique (he seemed to be the one well into pouring watercolors back then).
Rhonda - great pictures of this technique. Didn't realize that you could re spray the masking fluid. Also the thought of just pouring a different combo of colors other than yellow and red and blue together. Liked that idea - will give it a try. Thanks so much for being so generous in your sharing. Have a lovely day.
Debbie, when you first put down the masking fluid, give it a little spray to direct it away from the hard line = break up the hard lines. It works well with the Pebeo Drawing Gum and don't see why it shouldn't work with the other kinds.
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