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TableofContentsDedication

Introduction

Aboutthisbook

Chapter1MaterialsIliketouse

Chapter2Losingthefear

Pullingoutwithwater

Blobandspray

Inkswirls

Markmaking

Watercolourpencils,sticksandcrayons

Mixedmedia

Chapter3Brushesandtheirstrokes

Brushesandtheirstrokes

Chapter4Mypaintingtechniques

‘WetintoWet’

Tissuepaperglazes.

Mixingonthepaper

Liftingout

Makingyourwatermarksworkforyou.

Lostandfoundedges.

Colourruns

Paintingintoawetshape.

Chapter5Openyoureyes…

TheArtofseeingcolour

Colourvibration.

Mixingcoloursthesimpleway.

Whatareanalagouscoloursandhowcanweusethem?

Whatarecomplementarycoloursandhowcanweusethem?

Mixingshadows

Counterchangeandwhy

Warmingandcoolingyourcolours.

Understandinghowitworks—trytheseexercises

Mixinggreysanddarks.

Whatisreflectedlight?

Whatiswhiteandhowdowepaintit?

Colourpercentagemixes

Usingyourthreeprimarycolours—‘SunsetoverVenice’

Chapter6Simplifyingbackgrounds.

No1.Mask,wetandpour.

No.2White-averypowerfulbackground

No.3Wetintowet.

No.4Paintandspray

No.5Paint,dryandpulloutedges

No.6Semidry,thenpouronwater

Chapter7Figuresmadeeasy

Chapter8Theimportanceofphotographyinpainting

Theimportanceofphotography

Findingasubjectwithinasubject

Chapter9Confidenceandminiaturepainting.

Chapter10Thefunoftravelsketchbooks

Learningtosketchyourscene

Chapter11Funprojects

Cards

Stamping

Collage

Wrappingpapers

Fabrics

Wallpapers

Bookplates

Chapter12Foryourpersonalnotes

Hydrangeaswithaseasponge

Scribbleflowers.

Colouredwaterproofinksandwash

Mixedmediaflowerpots

Phototransfer

MYFINALADVICE

DedicationI dedicate this book tomywonderfulHusbandNed, andmy four children,whohavealwayssupportedmeinthisdreamofonedaypublishingmyownbook.

ByDianneKelly

TheArtofWateringColour

Myjourneyoftechniquestomasteringthis‘MagnificentObsession’—watercolours.

Allillustrations,textandphotographybyDianneKelly.

Introduction‘Theartofwateringcolour’…

Somanystudentsstarttheirjourneytobecomingwatercolouristsbyjustcopyinganotherartist’swork,without reallyunderstanding the techniques theyare tryingtoachieve.

Learningtopaintinwatercolourtakesyears,filledwithabsolutehighsandlows.

Justwhenyouthinkyou’vemasteredthetechnique,you’llmuckupapaintingandallyourconfidencewillgooutthewindowandleaveyoufeelingasthoughyou’rebacktosquareone.

I havebeen throughall these frustratingemotions, because I’m completely self−taught.

I am forever learning new techniques, through my own experimentation. I findwhen I have gone ‘off the boil’, so to speak, I have to take a little break frompainting using formal techniques and, instead, enjoy lots of fun, experimentalexerciseswith themedium.Thisgivesme thechance to find thatoneparticularsubjectwhich excitesmeenough towant to paint it. Falling in lovewith a newsubject seems to re−energise the right sideofmybrain,withall theassociated

imaginingsabouthowIcanpaint thisnewlove inmylife.Ninetimesoutof ten,thefinishedproductworksoutfarbetterthanIcouldhaveimagined.

Whetherthissubjectisabuilding,figure,landscape,orflower,Ineverpaintinthesameway,asyouwillseeinthefollowingpages.

Overtheyears,Ihavelearntsomuch,andofcourse,beingateacher,itisuptometopassontomystudentsasmuchasIcan.

Iloveextendingthem,especiallywiththedifferenttechniques.

Iencourageeachstudenttofallinlovewiththesubject,whichmakesthempaintfrom theheart,withpassion.This is theabsolute joyof painting inwatercolour.Whenthepictureturnsintoapieceofartworkthatastudentisproudof,theyjustcan’twipethesmilefromtheirface.

Thisgivesmeandmystudentssomuchjoy.

After learning all thewonderful experimental and traditional techniques that I’mabout to sharewith you in this book, I then encouragemy students to developtheirownstyle,sothey’renotacloneofmyworkortheworkofotherstudentsintheclass.

So, I invite you to share my journey, as I introduce you to my magnificentobsession,theartof‘wateringcolour’.

ABOUTTHISBOOKWhen I decided to write a book about watercolours, I knew in my heart that Iwantedeachreadertobeabletoexperiencethemagicofthiswonderfulmediuminawaythatwouldmaketheir journeyasexcitingandfulfillingas itwasformewhenIwaslearningtopaint.IthinkthesecretofmysuccesswasthefactthatIwashappy to justexperimentandnotworryaboutproducinganart showpiece.WhenIfirststarted,Ididn’tallowmyselftobeinfluencedbyanyotherwatercolourartist’s techniques and this approach allowedme to spontaneously developmyown style along the way. I also started with simpler projects, such as makingcards,wrappingpapersandsoon.

WhilstIthoughtIwasjustplayingwithwatercolour,Iwasactuallyteachingmyselfsomeofthemostimportantmentalattitudesneededforsuccessandthisenabledmetorelax,enjoytheflowofwater,andseewhathappenedwhenthecoloursranintoeachother.

All of a sudden, I found myself creating amazing, magical effects, using theglazingandwetintowettechniques.

Asanaddedbonus,I’veneverhadtobuycardsorwrappingpaperssinceIbegantopursuemypassionforexperimentingwithwatercolour.

In the followingpages, I’ll introduceyou toall the techniques,exercisesand fun−filledprojectsthatI’vedevelopedandI’ll introduceyoutotheexcitementofthemomentwhenamagical,loosepaintingappearsfromtheendofyourbrush.

Havefun,relaxandkeeppractising.

CHAPTER1

MaterialsIliketouse

This painting of an Echidna was painted with acrylics, however, I added flowmediumtoturnitintoawatercolourconsistency,tippingitondifferentangleswhileIwaspaintingit.Iencouragedthecolourstoflowintoeachother,finallyaddingatouchofdetailasitwasnearlydry.Iusedburntsienna,cobaltblueand,violet

I painted this kookaburra on a dry surface, addingwater as I went to help thecoloursflowintoeachother.Thiscreatedalovelyloosepainting.Ialsosprinkledsaltonthebackgroundwhenitwassemidrytocreatesometexture.FinaldetailswereaddedinwhenMrkookaburrawascompletelydry.

CHAPTER2

Losingthefear

HerearesomepaintingexercisesthatIhavefoundusefultoloosenupmyhandandmindandliterallytakemybrainintotherightside,forgettingeverythingelseatthesametime.

Isupposeyoucouldsay it isabit likeameditationexerciseofsorts,becauseitbecomesquiteentrancingtoseethedifferenteffectsofpaintonwaterandpaper,withsolittleeffortforsuchagreateffect.

OvertheyearsIhavecomeupwithseveralpaintingsubjectsthathavehelpedmystudentslearntoloosenuptheirpaintingstyle,whileatthesametimelosingtheirfearofcolourmixing.

In thenext10pages, youwill discoveraworldof funandexperimentationwithlotsofexerciseswhich,donerepeatedly,willgraduallygiveyouthefeelingofwhatit is like to paint very ‘loose’ magical watercolours. Sometimes, these little

exerciseslooksogoodyoucanevenframethem.

PullingoutwithwaterThistechniquecreatesabeautifuleffect.Thisfishwaspaintedondrypaper,eventhoughitlooksverywet.This‘looseness’wasachievedbyputtingthefirstblobofcolour on the dry paper, then loading upmy brush with water (not adding anymorepaint)and just ‘pulling’ itout in theshapeof the fish.BecauseIwasquitegenerouswithpigmentonmyinitialbluebrushmark,Ihadplentyofcolourstomixwiththewaterontheloadedbrush.Youcaneventryjustputtingacombinationofseveral colours on the paper and pulling them out with water, not necessarilymakinganyparticularshape.Thecoloursyouoriginallypaintedontothepaperwillthenmagicallymoveacrossthesurface,swirling,mixingandtwisting.Thisisoneof themost importantexercises inwatercolouring, ifyouwantyourwork to lookfreshandloose.Youcantrythistechniquewithanysubject.

BlobandsprayThis watercolour exercise is fantastic for abstracts and landscapes alike,particularlyrockformationsetc.I lovethisexercise,becauseeventhoughoneisnotsurehowitwilllook,ninetimesoutoftenthefinishedresultendsuplookingquiteintriguing.

Istartbysqueezingseveralcoloursdirectlyfromthetube,placingthemwhereverIwant.Inthisillustration,theywerejustinarow,butifyouweredoingrocks,forinstance, there is nothing stopping you ‘blobbing’ on the colours all over theshapes.For instance, in theshadowareasIcouldaddvioletsandblues,and inthesunnyareasIcouldaddburntsiennasanddifferentwarmerreds,brownsandgreens. Iwould then use a FINEMISTSPRAYbottle and, holding the paintingvertically,startspraying,atthesametime,directingtherunswhereIwantthemtogo.Eventhoughthistechniqueisconsideredbytraditionalistsasareal‘NO-N0’,theendresultcanbequiteamazing.

InkswirlsWhatIloveaboutinksisthefacttheyspreadincrediblyrapidlyanddon’tloseanyintensitywhen theydry.Youcanhavesomuch funseeingwhathappenswhenyoudrop,pour,andsplatterandtipyourpaintingindifferentdirections.Ifyouhaveaninkthathasitsownbuiltinnozzleyoucanevendrawwiththis.Thisexerciseisjust to teach you to seewhat happenswhen you just swirl the colours througheachother,enjoyingthemagicofseeingwhathappenswhenthecoloursjustmixon thepaperby themselves. I think it looksveryprettyand the finishedproductcanbeused tomakea lovelycardat theend. (Butonaseriousnote),youareactually teaching yourself to just relaxwith themedium and seewhat happenswhencoloursblend.

MarkmakingThere are somany different ways of putting paint to paper, other than using apaintbrush.Ifyoucanfindapieceofsomethinge.g. lace,paper,orevensticksfromthegardenandyoucanmaketheperfectmarkyouareseekingtoachieve,whynotuseit?If,however,youuseyourbrush,youhavetopainteverystroketomake the sameeffect and this can turn into quite anoverworked, uninterestingsubject.YouwillseewhatImeanbasedonmyexamplesbelow.Furtheroninthebook(seeChapter26:Mixedmedia)Ihaveusedthesesametechniquestoeithercompletepartorawholesubject.

Drawingwithastick

Scrunchingtissuepaper

Stampingcorrugatedcard

Stampingwithplasticlace

Paintingacrossscrunchedupbondpaperthenstampingit

Paintingwithakitchensponge

Acandleisusedforkeepingsoftedgedwhitesorjustdrawingashapethatyoucanpaintover.Thesideof thecandlecanalsobe rubbedon thepaper togivetexturetobuildings.

Watercolourpencils,sticksandcrayonsI find these implements so handy for illustrating in my sketchbooks, whentravelling. I also use thewatercolour sticks in paintings, as they can be peeledbackandusedonaflatsurfaceaswideasyouchoose.

This issodifferent from justusing thepencilswhichonlygiveyou thechoiceofthepenciltip.

Thewatersolublecrayonscanbecolouredinquitestrongly,onecolourontopoftheother,theneithersprayedoraddwatertoyourbrushandpaintontopofyourdrawing.

Thedresson thehanger isanexampleofusing thewater colour stickson thehorizontal side, while the French window was done by just using the pencilscolouredinshapes,thenjusttouchedhereandtherewithwater.

Lacestampingwiththegladwrapimprintaswell

MixedmediaYes,weallloveincludingdifferenteffectssomewhereonourpainting,eitherinthebackground,aspartoftheimageorevenasthewholepicture.

Here youwill discover howusingdifferent itemscan createamazingeffects foruseinyourpainting.IhavelistedbelowmyfavouritemixedmediaitemsandalsotheeffectsIcanachievewiththem.

Kitchenspongeisidealforstampingandcanalsobeusedforpainting.

Inks are beautiful as they just flow magically when dropped into a wetshapee.g. if youdrawa large flowershapesuchasapoppy, thenpaint itwithwater,youcouldthendropinyellows,redsandpinksandthepoppywouldpaintitself.Thisisjustmagicaltowatch.

Drawingusingtheinknozzle,thensprayinglightly

Mixingseveralcoloursdirectlyontothepaper,allowingthemtomix.HereIusedfluorescentinks.

Saltisusedtomakelittleminiaturebleedmarkswhichcanlooklikesnowfallingorjustasabeautifulbackgroundofastilllife.

Skyachievedusingsalt.

Thetoothbrushcanbeusedtocreatespattermarksonawetordrysurface.Maskingfluidcanalsobespatteredwithatoothbrushtoretainsomuchlifeinyourpainting.

Oneof thebestsubjectsusingthistechniqueistocreateaflowerbysplatteringreds,yellowsandpinksinacircle.Thenloadyourmopbrushupwithwaterandroll over the spattered circle to join all the little dots. I then spatter a darknavy/violet in the middle, allowing some of it to run back onto the reds. Heypresto,youhavecreatedaPoppy!

Gladwrap leaves wonderful crease marks and can be used in so manydifferentwayse.g.tocreateflowers,petals,landscapes,rockformations,theseaandmuchmore.Dependingonhowyouscrunch,pullandlaytheclingfilm,youwillachievedifferentanddramaticeffects.Forinstance,paintapink/orangecircleand scrunch the cling film over the top, leaving it to dry before pulling it off, tocreatearose.Itisthentotallyyourchoiceifyouwishtopainttheodddetailonthepetals.

ScrunchedPaper

Pastelscanbeusedoveryourdrywatercoloursorevensprayedwhenwet.Thistechniqueisidealforjustliftingdullareasandaddinglightoverdark.

Colouredoilcrayonscanbeusedasadrawingbasethenpaintedover.Youwillgetquiteinterestingeffectsasthecrayonstaysandshowsthroughyourpainting.Greatforpatternsetc.

Granulationmedium.Justdropa fewdroplets intoyour inksorpaintonthe paper (do notmix it in the pallet). Small little granules formand interestingtextureswillappear.Iloveusingthismediuminabstractlandscapesandallowingthecolourstosimplyrundownthepage.

GoldLeaf.Abeautifuladditiontoanypaintingthatwilladdmagicandlight.

Gesso.Thispasteaddstextureorevenbringsoutthedetail inbrushstrokesorwhenstampingobjectsontoyourpainting.Onceyouhavedone this,allow it todrythenpaintoveritnormally.Iusethepasteverycautiously,asIdon’twantthewatercolours to look like oils or acrylics. However, done sparingly, it can lookbeautiful.Trypaintingathinlayeronyourpaperandstampingsomeleavesandlaceintoit.Pullthemoffwhendry,andthenpaintyourpictureontop.Beautiful!

Charcoal.Youcandrawwithcharcoaloveryourpicture,smudgingasyougoto add interest or just do the complete drawing andwet the charcoal here andthere with coloured watercolour. For instance, an illustration of a lady in aneveningdress, drawnpredominantly in black charcoal, and then smudgedabithereandthere,canbemeltedwithcolouredpinkwatercolour.

ScribbleflowersThissubjectisawonderfulexercise,forthefollowingreasons:

CHAPTER3

Brushesandtheirstrokes

MOPBRUSHSTROKESJapanesePagoda-InkusingChinesebrushstrokes,combinedwithwetintowetwatercolourpaintedonafterthepagodahaddried.

Brushesandtheirstrokes

Over theyears Ihave learnt tocreateasmanymarksaspossiblewith theonebrush. In other words, being able to paint very fine straight lines, thick lines,circular,skumble,rollandstamp.Theperfectbrushforall thesejobsisthemopbrushinseveralsizes—flatbrush,riggerbrush,hake,flatandfanbrushes.Ionlyusemysmallmopbrushesforverysmallsubjects.

These brushes allowme to not only paint with much more fluidity, but also tocreateinterestingmarksinmypicture.Iusetheriggerforfinebranchesintrees,and the fan brush (acrylic) skumbles beautifully for tree foliage and groundtextures.Thewatercolourfanbrushistoosoftformyliking.Ido,however,usetheflatnylonbrushesforbuildings.Withtheuseofall thesebrushes, Icanachieveanoverallloosefinishedproduct.Ifindthatmostroundnylonbrushesdonothavethe required flexibility and don’t carry asmuchwater as Iwould like. They canalso lift off your under painting if you work on it too much. This is when yourpaintinglooksoverworked.

Usingseveralcoloursonyourbrushattheonetime,andjustrollingitcancreateavery interestingoveralleffect.Remember tohold thebrush rightat theendofthehandle.Thiswillgiveyougoodmanoeuvrability.

The other technique is simplifying your subject by just choosing a few relevantpartsfromyoursubjectsuchasasimplebrushstroke.Thistechniqueistoteachyouthatnoteverythingyouseeinfrontofyouneedstogointoyourpicturetotellyou thestory.For instance, justsquashingabrushon thepapercan look likeatreeorevenaflower.Thecatandthelandscapeillustrationsareexamplesofhowjustafewbrushstrokescantellthestory,whiletheiriswaspaintedbysquashingandrollingthebrushforeachpetal.

This was firstly stamped within the iris shape, on dry paper, using mixes ofultramarine and violet. I then allowed the first stage to dry and repeated theprocesstogivesomedepthtotheflower.

The painting of this red poppy was enhanced in the end by using Chinesebrushstrokesinblack.

Iwantedtocreateanoveralldramaticeffecttogiveanabstractimpressionofthepoppy.

Thispinkmagnoliawaspaintedbyusingmy largemopbrushandstamping thecolourontothe

Drypaper.Ithenusedariggerbrushforthestems.

My iris was painted by dabbing my brush into several colours e.g. purple andultramarine,thenstampingthebrushintotherelevantpetalshapes.

Thetechniqueissomucheasierthanpaintingeachpetalindividually.Ithinkyouwillagreewithmeitlooksmuchlooserandnatural,aswell.

CHAPTER4

Mypaintingtechniques

I painted this magnolia by using several glazes, as well as a few Chinesebrushstrokesfortheleaves.TheflowerwassodelicatethatIwantedtocaptureitasperfectlyasIcould.

Eventhoughitwasacreammagnolia,ithadtouchesofreflectedlights,inpinksandgreens.

Starting to paint in watercolour can be quite daunting, especially if you are anacrylicoroilpainter.

Paintingdetailedwatercoloursisveryeasy,comparedtoloosewatercolours.

The reason thedetailedpaintingstyle iseasier isbecauseyouneed touse the‘Glazing technique,’which ispainting from light todark, allowingeachcolour todry in between. This gives you heaps of time to rethink the next layer. It couldeventakemonths,ifyouareabotanicpainter.Patienceisthekey.

Verywet

The looser technique, ‘Wet intoWet’, ismuch harder, (even though it looks soeasy,because the final ‘wet intowet’ image isoftenverysimple)sospontaneityandarelaxedattitudearethekey.Knowingwhathappenswhenyourpaperisatacertainstageofdryingisalsoveryimportant.

Youwillalsoneedtounderstandwhichcolourswillmakemudifyouallowthemtorun intoeachotherandwhichcolours lookmagical, ifallowed tomixwitheachother.

Mediumwet

Youreallyhaveonlythedryingtimeofthesheetofpaperifyouwanttocompleteyourpaintingintheonestage.

Someofthemostbeautifulexamplesof‘WetintoWet’paintingsareproducedin

childrens’books.

Thisisbecausethistechniquecreatesmagicalimagesthatenhancethechildrens’stories.Don’tweallwanttocreatethatsamemagicinourownlives!

Overthenextchapter,Iwillteachyouallyouneedtoknowtounderstandthesetechniquesandifyoukeeppractising,youwillalsolearntocopeverywellwithnotonly‘Glazing’,butalsothe‘WetintoWet’technique.

The previous chapters have taught you lots of fun exercises to loosen up yourbrainandassistinswitchingfromtheleftsideofyourbrain(technical)totherightside(artistic),soyoushouldnowbereadytostartlearning!

This painting is anexampleof the combinationof the three stagesof ‘Wet intoWet’painting.

Damp

‘WetintoWet’There are three stages of ‘Wet into Wet’. This technique is all about learningwhichstageyourpainting isatandknowingwhat todoorwhatnot todowhenyourpaperisateachstageofwetness.

Stage1Verywet

Thefirststageistheverywetstage.Thisstageisidealforbackgroundsandskiesetc.

Thewaterisliterallypouredontoyourpaperandifyoulooksideon,itisactuallysittingupabovethesurfaceofthepaper.Itisalsoveryshinyatthisstage.Whenyoudropyourcoloursonto thissurface,youcanrolland tipyourpaperaround,makingsureyoupourofftheexcess.Youwillendupwithadelicate,overallwash.

Stage2.Mediumwet

Whathappensnextisyourwaterorpaintstartstosoakintothepaper.

Thesurfaceisstillshiny,butofcourse,thereisn’tthesameamountofwateronit.Youwillnoticethisifyoulookatyourpapersideon,inthelight.

Whenyoudropor flickyourcoloursontomediumwetpaper,youcanstillmovethemaroundbytippingyourpaper,andthecolourswillmove,butnottothesameextent.Youwillalsonoticethecolourswillbeabitstrongerinintensity,asthereisn’tasmuchwater todilute them.Overall, thisswatchshould lookdarker thanthefirstone.

Stage3.Dampwet.Thefinalstagebeforethepaintingistotallydryisthedampstage.Atthisstage,alltheshinehasgonefromthepaper,however,onthetouch,itstillfeelscoolandyourtouchmarkwillliftthepaintfromthepaper,whetheryouwantittodoso,ornot.Thisisthemostdangerousstage,asmanystudentsarenotawarethattheirpainting has arrived at this stage and keep painting over the page.What thenhappens is everything painted previously lifts and mixes and the painting justlookslikeonebigflatoverworkedmess.

We can also work this stage to our advantage. For example, spraying orsplatteringwateronyourpaperatthistimewillmakemagicalwatermarks.Largerdropsofwaterwillmakedandelion−lookingwatermarks,andsmallersprayscanevenlooklikerain.

Tissuepaperglazes.

On dry paper, paint some circles. Let them completely dry before adding andoverlapping another layer of circles. Keep repeating the process until you arehappywithyourfinalproduct.

Thiscanalsobedoneascolouredstripes.

Thisistheverydetailedwayofpaintingwatercolours.Botanicalartistspaintinthisway. Sometimes there may be up to 20 layers in a painting. Transparentwatercoloursareamust.

HereisabeautifulphotoItookofmybunchofpoppies.Theyactuallylooklikeatransparent,glazedwatercolour.Ifyoulookclosely,youcanseeallthecolours—rangingfromlightstodarks,thenfinallyintotheshadows.

Thisismypaintingofthepoppyphoto.Iachievedthislookbyusingthe‘GlazingTechnique’.Istartedwiththelightestyellowintheflower,thenaseachlayerdriedIpaintedadarkerlayer.Thistechniqueresultsinclear,cleanlines.

The background however, was painted using thewet into wet technique, usingyellows,thenwarmgreens,finishingwithcoolgreens.Icreatedasenseofdepthbynotovermixingallthecoloursintoeachother.

Mixingonthepaper

OneofmyfavouritepaintingtechniquesiswhatIrefertoas‘Mixingthecoloursonthepaper’.

Ifeelthistechniquecreatesawonderfulcolourvibrationwhichyoucanseeclearlyin the geraniums. I used several analogous colours, plus a touch of thecomplementary,fortheshadows.

Thistechniquecanbeusedtopaintanysubject.

Becareful,however,tonothaveyourbrushestoowet,ortoodry.Itwilltakeabitofpractice,butitisworthit.

Afterawhile,itbecomessecondnature.Inlaterchapters,youwillseehowIsetmy pallets out, which enablesme to choosemy colours andmix them on thepaper.

Liftingout

This must be done when your painting is either damp or completely dry. Thispaintingofaspentreeswascreatedbypaintingthetreetrunkswithwaterand,asI explained previously, at the third stage of wet into wet, every brush strokemagicallypushesthepreviouscoloursaway.

Thecompletelydrytechniqueistotallytheopposite.Youhavetoworkhardtoliftthecolourand,bytheend,itwon’tallcomeoff,butyouendupwithabeautiful,subduedversionofyoursubject.

Paintwith quite strong colours straight onto the paper. You could use amix of

autumnanalogouscoloursorwinterblueanalogouscolours.Allowthepaintingtocompletelydry.

Decideon theshapeofyour imageyouwant to lift, in thiscase tree trunksandbranches.Paintthemonwithjustclearwater,allowthewatertosoakinabit,andrepeattheprocess.Allthistime,thewaterisactuallyeatingawayatthefewtoplayers of the paint underneath. When it has soaked in, use your tissue andvigorouslyrubalongthebranchesandtrunks.Asoftdelicateimagewillappearonthepaper.Ithenproceedandpaintmoretreesandbranches,which,inturn,movetheliftedimagesintothebackgroundofthepicture.

Makingyourwatermarksworkforyou.A watermark is achieved by adding a brushstroke of colour onto an existingcolour,attheverydampstageofyourpainting.

This painting was achieved by brushingmagenta across the page, rather thanwater.

The second colour will push the original colour to the side, creating a veryinterestingeffect.

These larger watermarks occur when you drop a little bit of water onto thepreviously painted colours at the damp stage. In this case, I used yellows andbluesformyfirstwashandallowedthemtoblend.

Tocreatetheselittlewatermarks,useafinemistsprayandholdthebottleabout60cmaboveyourpainting.Giveonespray,andthenwatchitfallontothepapertoseewhatmarksyouget.Avoidthetemptationtokeepspraying,becauseyouwilldrownyourlittledroplets,andyou’lljustendupwashingyourentirecolouroffyourpaper.Thewatermarktechniqueisgreatforrainandtextures.

Lostandfoundedges.

One of the biggest problems artists struggle with is putting far too muchinformation into their painting.Onewayof learninghow to avoid this trap is byusing a technique that I call ‘lost and found edges’. In other words, losing theedgeshereandthere,onyourpainting.

Whenthisisachieved,theviewer’seyetendstomoveinandoutofthepainting,ratherthanjustscanningit.This,inturn,createsaveryinterestingsubjectfortheviewer,becauseeachpersonwillseesomethingdifferentinthepainting,creatingacertainamountofmysteryatthesametime.Isn’tthiswhatartisallabout?

Tipsonhowtopaintyourlostandfoundedges.

Onapartiallydrypieceofpaper,makeaseriesofcolouredbrushstrokes.

Pullthecolouroutwithwater,whileleavingsomeofthepaintintact.Forinstance,pulltheedgesoutalongeveryfourcentimetres(everysecondinch).

ThisishowIpaintedthebirdinflightabove.Withthistechnique,Ihaveachievedmovementofthebird,asifitisflyingintomypage!

ColourrunsHereweallowthefirstcolourtomixwiththenextcolourandsoon.Itisimportanthowever,thatthecoloursareanalogous(sidebysideonthecolourwheel)atthisstage,soyoucanseehowprettyitcanlook.Youcanusecomplementarycolours,butyouneedtobecarefulnottomixthemwithabrush,asyouwillmakebrown,everytime.Ihadfunthen,bytippingthepaperverticallyandallowingthecolourstomixastheyranoffthepage.

Paintingintoawetshape.

Thistechniqueissoeasyandsomuchfun.Justpainttheshapewithwaterthendropinallyourcolours.Becarefultoensureitwon’tbeaproblemifcertainareasrun into each other. For example, it is best to leave stems separate from theactual flower itself. Once the flower is dry, wet the stems and proceed withdroppinginthecolours.

CHAPTER5

Openyoureyes…

TheartofseeingandpaintingcolourI spotted thesebeautiful hydrangeasat aParisian flowermarket.Suchunusualdelicatecolours,Mixesofgreys,greensandpinks.

Byjustmixingthecoloursyouseeintheflowersdirectlyontoawhiteplate,youwillseemagicappearbeforeyoureyes.ThecolouredplateswatchrepresentstheexactcoloursIwoulduseasthefirststageinpaintingthishydrangea.

When this first loose layer dries, I would paint more detain in the shape ofindividualpetalsetc.

Refertothechapterpaintingtutorialswhichwillgiveexactpaintinginstructionsforthistechnique.

TheArtofseeingcolour

Overmany years of painting, I have learnt one of themost important steps increating a beautiful painting is opening one’s eyes and taking note of thesurrounding colours. It can be very confusing, if you feel you have tomatch acolourbasedonthenameonthetube.Thiswashowwewereoncetaught,butovertheyears,manydifferentbrandshavecomeonthemarketandlet’sfaceit,weallhaveourfavouritecoloursoverseveralbrands.

Anothergreat tip is tohave two largepallets,one forallyourwarmcoloursandtheotherforallyourcoolones.Iencourageyoutobuyasmanycoloursasyoulike,asthesecrettocolourful,lmagical,loosepaintingsistonotlimityourselfbyhavingtostopandchooseatubeofcolour. Instead, just lookatall thebeautifulcoloursinfrontofyou(especiallyifyouarepaintingoutdoors),becauseifyoulookhardenough,youwillseethosecoloursaremirroredonyourpallets,rightinfrontofyou.

Forinstance,oneofmyfavouritescenesisthesunsettingoverthemountainsatEmuVale. It is quite visually incredible, as everything seems to turn pink andorangeand the greens takeona deepbluish colourwith touchesof violet andpurple.Whenyouthinkaboutit,wearejustlookingatarainbow.Thewarmpartofthemountainwiththesunshiningonittakesontheyellows,orangesandpinks(the warmer pallet). The cooler part, which is clouded in afternoon shadow,becomesamixofanythingfromcoolgreenstovioletsandpurples(coolerpallet).

Colourvibration.

Oneofthebiggestmistakesabeginnerwatercolourartistcanmakeistoovermixthecolours.Forexample,let’stakeanorangepoppy.

Yes, it isorange,andyes,wehavethecolourright there infrontofus,either inthetubeoronourpallet.Howtemptingtojustpickupabigblobofcolouronourbrushandstartpaintingwithinourcarefullydrawnpencillines,butthinkagain.

Wearegoingtolearnthatifweputseveralcolourssidebyside,onthepaper,notmixingthemtogether,butallowingthemtorunintoeachotherontheirown,ourpoppywill thenvibrateoff thepage.So,becauseit isorange, let’suseayellow,vermillionandatouchofpink.

Wewould thenworkout thatweneedmoreof thevermillion than theother twocolours.Icallthisexercise“3colourstogether/sidebyside=acolourvibration”.SowhenIwanttousethreecolourstogethertomakevibrationoccurinmypainting,Iwilluse85%ofthevermillion,themaincolourofthesubjectI’mpainting(inthisinstance, the vermillion for themain colour, which is orange). I would thenmix10% of the second colour, yellow, and 5% of my third colour, pink. The mostimportantthingtorememberisnottoovermixthecolourstogetheronthepallet,but instead,do thison thepaper,asyouarepainting.Theother technique is toroll your brushacross the three colours in your palette, then stamp the colourswithin the dry shape. This will create a painting full of colour vibration e.g.Bougainvillea

For instance, if I was painting a dark coloured purple iris, I would use 85%ultramarine,10%deepviolet,and5%magenta.

Inthegreenleavesandstems,Iwouldcombineyellowsandblues,droptheminalternativelyintothewetshapes,andthenletthemmixontheirown.

The Impressionistswere the firstartistswhousedcolour ‘vibration’. I rememberseeing one of Monet’s Hay Stack paintings, and noticing close up that theshadowswerecreatedusingpurples, limegreensandpinks.Socolourful closeup,yetwhenIstoodback,itjustlookedlikeashadow.

One way of achieving this is by dropping three colours onto the wet shape ofwhateveryouarepainting.Inthisinstance,theorangepoppy.

Hereisanotherexampleofcolourvibration,withthisvaseofbougainvillea.Iusedvermillion,magenta,withtouchesofvioletintheshadows.

Mixingcoloursthesimpleway.Onceyoureyesareopentocolour,youwillthenseecolourwithincolour.WhenIsee greens, it isn’t just green, but yellows and blues,which are, of course, thewarmandcoolcolourcombinations.

If I add more yellow, I will have a warmer green and similarly, more blue willachieve a cooler green. I may even see violets and purples in the really coolareas.

Ratherthanthink,“WhattubewillIopen?”Ijustlookatmypallets.

BecauseIhavetwoseparatepallets,oneallwarmandtheotherallcoolcolours,Idon’t have to stopand thinkwhatnameof tubedo I requireandwhat tomix itwith. I can just see all the colours laid out before my eyes. This makes mydecisionaboutwhatcolourstomix,somucheasier.

Rocks are anotherwonderful example of colour. Sometimes they contain everycolouroftherainbow.

Burntsiennas,reds,pinksandorangescanbeincludedinthewarmsectionsofarock,whileall thepinks, violetsandpurples,andevencoolgreens, canbe thecolourmixesforthecoolanddarkerareas.

If you lookatphotosof rock formations in inlandAustralia, youwill very clearlyseewhatImean.

Whatareanalagouscoloursandhowcanweusethem?Analagouscoloursarecolours thataresidebysideorwithina3rdwedgeof thecolourwheel.

Thisisveryimportantinformationtoknow,becausethesecombinationsofcolour‘WON’T MAKE MUD’, and will also add vibration and colour interest to yourpainting.

In theprevioussection,wewere talkingabout ‘colourvibration’andhow tousethreecolourstogether,tomakethishappen.Thecoloursjustsingonthepaper.

Ifyoulookatthepaintingdemobelow,youshouldnowbeabletorecognisethatthepoppiesandsweetpeaswerepaintedusingthreecoloursoneachflower toachievethevibrantcolour.

Whatarecomplementarycoloursandhowcanweusethem?

Complementary coloursare colours that fall directly oppositeeachother on thecolourwheel.

Therearetworeasonswhyweneedtorememberthetwofollowingspecificrulesthatrelatetomixingoppositecolours:

Mixingcertainproportionsofeachotherwillmaketheshadowofthatcolour.

E.g. 98% yellow plus 2% purple or mauve (depending on the intensity of theyellow)willmaketheshadowofyellow.

1. Addinga complementary colour beside themain coloursor surroundingcoloursofanobjectwillmakebothcoloursreallystandoutagainsteachother,whichcanbeverypowerfulinapicture.

E.g. a street scape with mainly blue figures and greyish blue buildings andshadows, and a red or orange figure or stop sign added beside themwill lookwonderful,asthesamestandouteffectandvibrationwilloccur.

Mixingshadows

2. Thecoloursontherightaretheshadowcoloursoftheoriginalcoloursontheleft.Thesemixeswereachievedbyaddingatouchofcomplementarycoloure.g.

red+green=shadowofthered

green+red=shadowofthegreen

Remember,onlyaverysmallamountofthecomplimentarycolourwillcreatetheshadow. If youmix equal amounts together, youwill bypass the shadow colourandmakebrown!

3. This image is an example of colour vibration that is achievedwhen thetwocomplementsareusedtogether.

CounterchangeandwhyCounterchangebringsoutthebestinourpainting.

Counterchangeiswhenadarkmakesalightlighter!

Thepaintingof thedaisiesgivesusagoodexample.Noticehowthedaisywiththe darkest background looks much whiter than the daisy with the lightestbackground.

If you are continually aware of this rulewhile you are painting, youwill alwaysremembertohaveadarkvaluealongsidealightvalue,whereyoucan.Notonlywillthisbrightenupyourlightervalues,butwillalsocreatemuchmoreinterestinyourpainting,asthistechniquemakestheviewer’seyesmoveinandoutofthepainting,ratherthanjustscanningquicklyoverit.Thisalladdsuptothecreationofafarmoreinterestingpicture,intheend.

Abstract–usingtwocomplimentarycolourssidebyside.Theytendtoreallybounceoffeachotherratherthanblendwitheachother.

Warmingandcoolingyourcolours.Why?Becausethatisthewaynatureintendedit!

All colours,whether in thewarmor cool category,will haveawarmeror coolerversionofthatcolour.

Itisveryimportanttorememberthis,soyoucancreatewarmthandcoolinyourpaintingwhereyouneedto.Forinstance,thesunlightfallingonatreeshouldbepainted inawarmgreen,whereas the shadowsshouldbe in the cooler greensgoingintothebluesandevenpurples.

MrChookAn example of using warm and cool colours in the one painting. Notice the‘conterchange’betweenthecoolgreensandthewhitechook.

Understandinghowitworks—trytheseexercisesThethreeexamplesbelowhavebeenpaintedmakingsureIpaintedthewarmercoloursontherightandthecoolercoloursontheleft.

Howtoblendcolourfromcooltowarmandwarmtocool.

Mixinggreysanddarks.

Thethreeprimarycolourscanmakebeautifuldarkmixes,dependingonthe%ofeach colour and also the amount of pigment you use. Darks can also be thecombinationof thecolours leftonyourpallet thatyouhaveusedinthepainting.This is awonderful technique, as your darkswill relate to your painting, ratherthanmixingforeigncoloursthathaven’tevenappearedonthepaperupuntilthen.

CREATINGDARKMIXES.HereIallowedfullstrengthcolourstojustmix togetheron theirown. It isamazinghowmanydarkcombinationssuddenlyappear.

Greyscanalsobemixedfromtheleftoversonyourpallet,aswellasmixingthethree primary colours; however, again we have to control the intensity of eachcolourwiththeamountofwaterweadd.Hundredsofdifferentgreymixturescanjusthappenbyaccident,asyoucanseewiththecoloursthathaveappearedonmyplatemixtures. It issomuchfun justallowingall thecolourstodribbledownfromthesideoftheroundplate,forminganamazingcolourrainbowinthemiddle.These photos are sections from the one plate and they’re beautiful. You don’tevenhavetouseabrush—itjusthappensandteachesyoualongtheway.

DIFFERENTMIXESOFGREYS. Thesewere created by allowingdilutedcoloursonmypallettorunintoeachother.

Whatisreflectedlight?

Reflected light occurs two ways. Either just bouncing off a wall, or by beingincorporatedintothecastshadow.Ifyouknowtolookfor,youwillsee.

Idecidedtojusttakesomephotos,tocapturewhatwashappeninginfrontofmyeyes,whileIwassittingatmydesktypingthischapter!

Reflectedlightwasbouncingoffthewall.Noticethecoloursofthepoppiesonthewindowpanes(whicharewhiteinreality)

Reflected light was also incorporated into a cast shadow. See how the orangepetalhasanorangecastshadowandaverydarkshadowacrossthetop.

Theyellowpetalontheotherhand,isthrowingyellowcastshadow.

MypaintedexampleofhowIwouldinterpretreflectedlightintothecastshadows.

The easiest way to paint reflected light is by adding a touch of the colour it isreflectingintoashadowcolour.

Forexample,ifthebaseshadowcolourisapurple/mauvemix,thenIwouldaddinitsreflectingcolour,(WHICHISTHEACTUALCOLOUROFTHEOBJECT).

Notice the leaves below. I painted the yellowish leaf’s reflected light using amauvewashundertheleafthendroppinginsomeoftheyellowandallowingthecolourtomixonthepaperandblendwiththemauve.

Ifitwasadarkerleaf,castingaverydarkshadow,Iwouldevenstartwithapurplecolour.Bydoingthis,youreyeswilleventuallystarttoseehowmuchcolourisintheshadow.

Whatiswhiteandhowdowepaintit?White is the full colour of the spectrum. White can also have many colourvariations,dependinguponthereflectedlight.

For instance, if awhite flowerwas sittingona fuchsia coloured table cloth, thelower part of the white petals would throw pink, but all the other surroundingcolourswouldalsobeincorporatedinthepink.

Ifwhitechookswerestandinginasunnybarnyardwherethedirtisveryorangeincolour, thebottomof thechooksfeatherswouldactually incorporatea lotof thatorange.

My20yearoldlimitededitionprint,completewithcreases!

Howtopaintawhiterose.Thisisaneasyexerciseforpaintingwhiteflowersand,atthesametime,teachingyourself all about the amazing colour combinations and tones you can achievewhenvarietiesof the threeprimarycoloursarepulleddownfromtheirswatchesandallowedtobackrunintoeachother.Makesureyouleaveacertainamountofwhitepapershowing through,as thisallows theartist to tell thestoryofawhiteflower.Ihavepaintedanexamplebelow,usingmagenta,lemonyellowandpthaloblue.

Trytheseothercolourcombinationsaswell,andseehowmanydifferentcolouredrosesyoucancreate.

ColourpercentagemixesColourpercentagemixesnotonly contribute tomaking theshadowofa colour,butalsoenableyoutoaddinterestusingcolourvariations.

Notice the swatches below. Each one is based on the same three colours butusingdifferentpercentagemixesofthesecolours—green,blueandbrown.

I think you will agree, they have so much more interest and colour vibration,comparedtoeachcolourjustbeingusedonitsown,separately.

Theotherimportantfactortorememberwhenusingthistechniqueisnottoovermixthethreecolours,becauseyouwilljustendupbackatthebeginning,withaflatlookingcolourmix.

Youcaneitherdabyourbrushunevenly into the threedifferent coloursonyourpallet,thenrollorstampyourbrushwithintheshape,oryoucanpainttheshapewithwateranddropinthethreecolourswatchingthemmixoftheirownaccord.

Usingyourthreeprimarycolours—‘SunsetoverVenice’This painting was done in a very simple way. I didn’t mix any of the colourstogethertostartwith.Ijustdroppedineachcolouratadifferentstage.

Firstlayer—Iusedawet intowet layer tocreatethebackground,withrawsienna,thenmagenta.

Secondlayer—Idroppedinultramarineoverthewetmagentaarea(thefirstlayershouldstillbewet)toformamauve,andthenletitdrycompletely.

3. I then painted the skyline of Venice using a medium amount of water andproceededtodropinthetwowarmercolourswhereIwantedthesunshinetohitthebuildings.

4.Forthecoolerareasalongthebottom,Ijustdroppedintheultramarineandletitdoitsownthingwiththemagenta.

5.Finally,a fewbrushstrokeson thedry foreground torepresent reflectionsandripples.

CHAPTER6

Simplifyingbackgrounds.Pleasedon’tbeafraidofbackgrounds,butalsobeawarethatwhiteisoneofthemostpowerfulbackgroundsyoucanuse.

Theotherruletorememberis‘Counterchange’.(referchapter,’Theartofseeingcolour’)

If your main subject e.g. a flower or bunch of flowers is painted using middlevalues, and your background has the same value, even though it is a differentcolour,yourwholepicturewilllooklifelessandyourbackgroundwillhavefailed.

Youcancheckyourvalueswithjustasimpleblackandwhitephotocopy.Youwillimmediatelyseeifallthedifferentpartsofyourpictureblendintoeachothertoomuchandthendarkenorlightenareashereandthere,ifnecessary.

Ihavecomeupwithlotsofwaysyoucanpaintyourbackgrounds.

No1.Mask,wetandpour.

No.2White-averypowerfulbackground

No.3Wetintowet.

No.4Paintandspray

No.5Paint,dryandpulloutedges

No.6Semidry,thenpouronwater

CHAPTER7

Figuresmadeeasy

WhenIwasatArtCollege,Ididn’tenjoyfiguredrawing,asnoformal instructionwasgivenandwewerejustlefttoourownabilitytodrawwhatwasinfrontofus.

Eventually, over the years, I started to appreciate that adding figures to mypaintingwasadding life. Iwas thendetermined to learnhow todrawandpaintthem,soIsetaboutteachingmyself.

Thesearemygradualstepsthatgavemethenecessaryconfidence.

Paint the silhouette form without drawing in pencil. Just make up very smallshapes,rememberinghead,torso,armsandlegs,andtryplacingthemindifferentpositions.Youwillbesurprisedhowgood theycan look.Theactualsize Ihavepaintedhereisthesizethatwouldmostlikelybeinthedistanceofapainting.Youwouldnotseeanydetailsfromthisdistance,anyway.

Increasethesizeofyourfiguresgradually,toapproximately5cm,then10cmandsoon,butmakesureyourfiguresaretheexactsizeofthepictureyouarecopyinge.g. 5cm photo = 5cm drawing. After a while, you will be able to see eachproportionofthefigureveryclearly.Youcanthenstartincreasingthesizeofyourfigures,butbepatient!

Asyourfiguresbecomelarger,youcanstartexperimentingwiththedifferentwaysto paint them. What I love about figures and watercolour are the hundreds ofmediumsandtechniquesyoucanusetocreateafinishedform.

Someexercisesyoucouldtryusingtocreatefiguresinclude:4. Droppingcolourintothewetshapes.5. Rollingyourbrushintoseveralcoloursatonceonyourpallet,andthen

stampingyourbrushintotheshapes.6. Wettingyourwholesheetofpaper,then,atthedampstage,addingyour

colours.Youwillendupwithabeautiful,loose,soft−edgedfigure.7. Usingpastelontopofyourwatercolour.8. Usingwatercolourstickssideon,thensprayingthem.9. Mixedmedia.

Overthenextfewpages,IwillprovidedifferentexamplesofsomeofmyfiguresthatIhaveexperimentedwith,overtime.

Onceyoubecomeconfidentwiththesilhouetteformupto15cm,andthenhaveagoatcontourdrawingyourfigures.It issomuchfun,buttherearetwothingstoremember—don’ttryfortheperfectshape,andkeeppractising.Youwillfindthatyouactuallygainthecharacterofthefiguremorebyusingthisapproach.

Another little trick if youarepainting figures in real life, (which,of course,don’tstandstill!) is justquicklydrawonesideof the figure.Nine timesoutof ten, theotherside isnearly thesame,or ifnot, just tryand takeaquickmentalnoteofwhattheyweredoing,whilestandingorwalking.Oneday,Itookmystudentstotheartgalleryand itwassomuch funsittingon thechairs in themiddleof theroom,observinganddrawingallthedifferentshapesandsizes,youngandold,asvisitorswalkedinfrontofus,whilstviewingthepaintings.Theystartedtomoveonquitequicklyasaschoolcrowdentered,so I toldmystudents todrawonlyonesideofthefigureandquicklymoveontothenextone,placingitrightbesidethefirstone.Theeffectwasfantastic!

Stepsforcontourdrawing:1. Drawsilhouetteshape(whichyoushouldbeusedtodoing,bynow)2. Retraceyourlinestoformneckline,shapeofthehair(ifbackview),

addingdetailstothehead,(hats,ribbonsetc.),eyes,noseandmouthifdrawingthefrontview,thenontothewaistline,andbottomofskirtorshorts,ifapplicable.

3. Don’tbeafraidtoallowthepenciltotravelbackandforwardoverpreviouslines,asthisisallpartoffiguresketching.

4. Sleeves,armsandhandsarenext.5. Finally,sketchthelegs,shoes.6. Adddetailsonclothing.

Thesefiguresarepaintedusingthewet inwet technique;however,youneedtobeconfidentwiththethreestagesofwetinwetpaintingtobeabletopaintinthisstyle.

InthispaintingofSanGimignanoIdeliberatelyleftthepencillinesinaspartofmypicture, to add personality. I rolledmy brush into several colours on the pallet,thenstampedandrolledmycoloursontothedrypaper.

CHAPTER8

Theimportanceofphotographyinpainting

TheimportanceofphotographyOneofthemostimportantfactorsforcreatingapaintingthatticksalltheboxesistonotonlylovethesubjectyouhavepainted,butalsotobeproudofthesubject,becauseyoutookthephotographyourself.

Whenyoutakeyourownphotos,severalthingsoccur:

1. Youwillbeabletofindseveralsubjectswithinthesubject.2. Youwillunconsciouslyenjoystudyingtheworldaroundyouona

continuousbasis,asyoulookforsubjectstopaint.3. Ifyouhavefalleninlovewiththesubjectenoughtowanttopaintit,you

willfindyoubecomesoabsorbedinitthatitliterallypaintsitself…inotherwords,yourhandmovesfasterthanyourbrain.Whenthishappens,youwillmostlikelyproduceamasterpiece!

Findingasubjectwithinasubject

Thesephotosshowhowseveralsubjectscanbefoundwithintheoriginalphoto.Of course, if youareoutdoors, painting ‘enpleinair’, you cancreate thephoto‘frame’byeithercuttingalittlewindowinapieceofcardboardorjustcuppingyourfingersandlookingthroughthem.

Whenscanningthesceneinfrontofyou,therewillbesomanyscenesyoucanchoosefrom.Thistechniquetakesawaythepredictabilityofyoursubject.

CHAPTER9

Confidenceandminiaturepainting.Often, largerwatercolour paintingsarequite difficult to handle, especially if youareabeginner.

Oneway to generate confidence is to do smaller paintings of a subject, ratherthantryingtopaintanA4sizeorlarger.Theseminiaturepaintingslookfabulouswhenframedwithlargermattboardsaroundthem.

The artist will also get a great deal of satisfaction, because once framed, thepicturecanlookquitelarge.

I also like to put more than one small painting into the frame. For instance, aseries on a particular subject can be very effective. Something as simple as apieceoffruitoracollectionofshellscanlookfabulous.

Miniaturepaintingsarealsoverysaleable,becauseframingcostsarelower.Smallpaintingsalsofitintolotsofsmallspaces,whichisarealplusforthebuyer.

CHAPTER10

Thefunoftravelsketchbooks

My biggest joy in painting in watercolour is my ability to illustrate my holidaymemoriesinsketchbooks,usingpenandwash.

Ipainttheselittlevignettesformyownbenefit,topreservemywonderfulholidaymemories. I’m literallycapturinga ‘moment in time’,sowhenIcomehomefromholidaysandlookatmysketchbooks,I’mimmediatelytakenbacktothatspecialtimeandplace.

I treasure my holiday sketch books as a gift to myself and those who enjoyreadingthem.

I love using the ink and watercolour technique in these books. It just seemsdrawing with a fine felt tipped waterproof ink pen adds so much beauty to asketch.Itisimportant,however,tomakesurethedrawingunderneathiscorrect,orasclosetothewayyouwouldlikeittobe,beforeusingtheinkpen,because

oncethepenisusedontopofthesketch,itcan’tberemoved.

Whenan inkdrawing is firstdone,youonlyneed toadda touchofwatercolourhereand there,as it is thecombinationof the two techniqueson thepage thatmakesthepicturecomplete.

Sittingsketchingandpaintingonthebeach inPositano.Every timeI lookatmysketchIamtakenbacktothatexacttimeandplace.

Materialsusedformysketchbooks:Cakesofwatercolours(nottubes)inatin,withtheirownmixinglidattached

Waterprooffinefelttippedpens.Veryfine-mediumthickness2b,3b,pencils

Kneedablerubber

Sharpenerinitsowncontainer(nolittering!)

Watercoloursticks/pencils

Waterholding brush. This is a brush with a handle that is an actual plasticcontainer.Youcanfillthehandlewithwaterandbrushstrokeoveryourillustrationsinwatercolourpencilsorsticks,whichmakesthemlookjustlikeawatercolour.Italsosavesyouhavingtotakeextrawaterfortheuseofyourpencilsandsticks.Veryhandy!

Special sketchbooks with watercolour paper inside. I love using leather boundsketchbooks,asIknowtheywilllastforever.

Hereweare,havingawonderfultimesketchingthetowersofSanGimignanointhedistance.

Withmystudentspainting.SittingonthepaththatskirtsbelowtheouterwallofSanGimignano.

Learningtosketchyourscene

Ihavedevelopedaneasywaytosketchthatwillenableyoutosketchwhatyousee in front of you, without being totally overwhelmed, and also to realize thateverythinginfrontofyoureyesdoesn’thavetogointothepicture.

When my students and I were in the Cinque Terre we were immediatelyconfrontedbylotsofcolourfulbuildingssidebysideandinfrontofeachother,asweheadeddown towards thewaters’edge,wesaw lotsof figures, restaurants,umbrellasandfishingboats.

Wheretostart?

I recommendusingthecontourdrawingtechnique.Youwillnotice ina lotofmyillustrationsthatonlypartofthebuildingsaredrawn,beforemypencilheadsdownthe page towards the next building. Contour drawing technique (not lifting yourpencilfromthepaperandconnectingeverylinetothepreviousline)willgiveyouafarmoreaccurateoutcome,andthelineswillbefilledwithsomuchcharacter.

It ismuchhardertotryanddraweachbuildingonitsown,becauseyouhavetohaveknowledgeofperspective,whereascontourdrawingallowseverythingtojustfallintoplace,becauseofalltheconnections.

Thenexteasytechniquetotryistopre−drawtheoutsidefinishedpaintingshape.Forexample,pre−drawasquare,rectangular,verticaletc.border.

By this stage, youwouldhave chosen your subject. It could, for instance, beaTuscanscene,completewithfarmhouse,treesandpatternedhills.

This little painting sketch was done using the 45O angle plein air paintingtechnique for my main subject matter, making sure I left a fresh white papersurround.

CountrysideviewfromSienna.Lessismore!

My finaladvicewouldbe to takemore thanonesketchbookonholidaysand tomakesurethey’rehardcovered.

Always include somedetails oneach sketch, for instance,what you’re hearing,why you’re there, andwhat else you’re seeing, even though it’s not included inyour picture. You’ll find it’s amazing to look back at your sketchbooks frompreviousyears,asyouareimmediatelytakenbacktothattimeandplaceinyourlife.

Ihaveevenhadcommentsfromotherswhoreadmydiariesthattheycanimaginesoclearlyandfeelasthoughtheyweretherewithmeonholidays!!

Thereinlaysthegift.

Someofmyfavouritesketchbookscenes

CHAPTER11

FunprojectsAwonderfulwaytohavefunwithallyourwatercolourtechniques:

CardsCardscanbemadeoutofcutupshapesfromdiscardedpaintingsorswatches,bypastingthemontoawatercolourcardyouhavefoldedyourself.

StampingStampingisalsolotsoffun,forcardsandevenfabric,whenusingthelargeIndianvintagetimberblocks,asshowninthepicture.

Collage

Wrappingpapers

FabricsScarves

Scarvescanbemadebyjustdroppinginksontopuresilkoraddingfabricmediumto your watercolours, diluting and again just dropping them in. It takes a lot ofpracticeifyouareactuallygoingtobrushstrokeashapeontothefabric,becauseyouhavetobeveryawareof theamountofsoakageandhowconsistentlyyourpaintreactsondifferentfabrics.

Droppinginksontopuresilk

Cushions

Wallpapers

Bookplates‘ExLibris’isaLatinphrase,meaningliterally,“fromthelibraryof”.Itisoftenusedtoindicateownershipofabook.Ihavemadeseveralofmyownbookplatesforallmybooksinmyownlibrary(therearequiteafew!).Youcanuseanyillustrationforyourbookplates. Inthis instance,Iusedthetechniqueofphototransferandwatercolour.

Youcanevendesignyourownlogo,usingyourinitials,whichiswhatIhaveusedaswell.

All theseactivitiesaresomuchfunandalsogoalongwaytowardshelpingyoudiscoverworkingwiththerightsideofyourbrain.

I find students start to lose their fear of painting and become more confident,because they are so proud of what they have achieved. This all goes hand inhandwithbecominganartist.

Foryourpersonalnotes

CHAPTER12

Someofmypaintingtutorials.

Hydrangeaswithaseasponge

Scribbleflowers.Tolearntheartandfeelingofcontourdrawing.

Tobeabletoexperiencepaintingapictureusingtherightsideofyourbrain.

To learn to colour mix using analogous colours correctly, so you don’t achievemudinyourfinalpainting.

Tolearntouseyourpenciltomakemarksinafluid,sensitivestyle.Thesespeciallinesaremeanttobepartofyourfinishedpaintingandnotrubbedout.

Torealizethataphotographicrepresentationofflowersisnotalwaystheonlywayofpainting.Scribbleflowersarefluid,sensitiveandsuggestiveandeachviewerofyourpaintingwillcompletethepictureintheirownmind.

Colouredwaterproofinksandwash

Mixedmediaflowerpots

Phototransfer

Instructions

Photosandhighglossmagcoversaren’tsuitable.

Colouredphotocopiesandmagpagesaresuitable.

Materials—youwillneedthefollowing:Brayer(roller)

Potofsemi−glossormattgelmedium

Scissors

Watercolours/brushes

SmoothWatercolourpaper

Proceedasfollows:

Cutout your image carefully,making sure you trimexactlywhere youwant theimagetofinish.Don’tbeafraidtocutpartof theoutside image(e.g.aflower).inhalf, so you can finish the other half (e.g. a flower) by painting it later inwatercolour

Paint the front of the photo (picture side) with gel medium and immediatelytransferontoyourwatercolourpaper.

Rollyourbrayerfirmlybackandforwardsovertheimage.Youwillgetareverseimagetransferringontoyourpaper.

Allowittodrycompletely.

Start liftingoffat thecornersandpeeloffasmuchasyoucan.Usually, it is thefirstlayerthatwillcomeoff.

Wettheremainingpaperandletitsoakin.

Rub,usingtheflatsidesofyourfingers,feelingforpaperpeelingoff.Eventually,itwill feel smooth and the image will have reverse transferred onto your paper.Don’t be too worried if some of the image comes away showing the paperbeneath, as you will be painting watercolour on the picture, here and there,anyway.

Extendyouredgesbypaintingtheimageinwatercolour.Youwillseewithmine,Icontinued on with the roses and even added a touch of watercolour onto thephotooftheroseitself.

Finishoffbyaddingwasheshereandthere,overyourpicture.

ChineseBrushstrokesandSplatterPaint

Coloursused in thisexercise,ultramarine,windsorviolet,magenta (tobemixedwiththeultramarinetomakeapinkpurple,pthalogreen,blackwaterproofink).

Learn to practice your ‘Chinese Brushstrokes’ by holding your brush verticallywhileliftingandpressingthebrushtocreatedifferentwidthsofline.

Stage 1. Paint irises all over your page using your black ink, and ChineseBrushstrokeTechniques.Allowtodry.

Stage1a.Wetthesheetofpaper,makingsureyouleavealotofdrywhitepatches.

Thisisveryimportantsoyourfinalpaintingdoesn’tlookovermixedandflat.

Stage2.Withyour loadedmopbrush,start flickingonyourdifferentpurplesandviolets, at the same time tipping and tilting your paper in several directions toallowthecolourstoflownaturally.Youcanevenflickonsomeofthepthalogreennearthestems.

Stage3.Rollyourbrushintothevioletsandblue,thenjuststampthecolourontothedryflowerpetalshapes.

Allthesestagewillcreatea3deffect.

DryBrushingDifferentColourOverlays

Mygiant‘ClingfilmPoppy’!

MYFINALADVICE

Oneofthehardestthingsistoknowwhenyourpaintingisfinished!I’veincludedsome‘finishing’tipsbelow:

Acceptyourpaintingisperfecteventhoughitisn’tpaintedperfectly.

Realizethatyourpaintingdoesn’thavetolooklikeaphotograph.

Ifyouloveitinyourownheart,learntoacceptit,eventhoughothersmaynot.

Notsellingapaintinginanartshowdoesn’tautomaticallymeanyoushouldthrowit on the junk pile under the bed, as there are always other shows and otherbuyers!

Paintfromyourheart,notyourmind.

Paintwithfeeling.

Youwill alsoneed tohaveanarea in yourhome, (it doesn’t have tobehuge),permanently set up for your painting. Youwill then enter your own little artisticworld and not be influenced by toomany outside distractions.You’ll also find ifyourequipmentispermanentlysetupyouwillpaintmoreoften.

Dianne Kelly is a Brisbane born−and−based professional watercolour artist.Di was originallytrainedincommercial/fineart,workinginadvertisingbeforepursuingherabsoluteloveandsharingher passion of water colour painting.Di is still teaching 32 years later and has now fulfilled herdreamofwritingherfirstbook,TheartofWateringColour.Overtheyears,Dihashadseveralofher paintings published as limited edition prints, as well producing several ranges of gift cardsfeaturing watercolour images from her overseas travels. Di’s works hang in collections aroundAustralia and overseas and are currently being incorporated into her new range of fabrics andwallpapers.Dicanbecontactedatbrushstrokes.diannekelly@gmail.comHerworkcanbeviewedatwww.diannekelly.com.au

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