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T.A.S. Newsletter
Spring 2004 Volume 2 No. 1 Page 6
John Redfern Harris 2003
Photo: Di Alexander
TIPS GALORE FROM JOHN REFERN HARRIS
Despite the Rugby World Cup match that afternoon, John made the four-hour journey to Totton Community Centre in November, in order to show us how to paint using watercolours and acrylic gouache.
When he visited T.A.S. in July last year, John impressed us all with his technical knowledge. This time, he showed us how to paint two scenes: a tiger and a coastal landscape.
There were many tips during the day, and I was able to note some of them.
TIGER
TIP 1 Paint animals and humans using earth colours, for example: raw sienna is the best colour for a tiger.
TIP 2 Wash the sky area with plenty of water, touch one corner with the tip of a laden mop brush and use the surface tension to move the paint to the opposite corner, and catch it with a tissue. Prop the board at an angle to dry. John used cobalt blue, alizarin crimson and Payne's grey in his sky.
TIP 3 Give the main subject solidity by under painting with a light wash e.g. raw sienna, and while damp, add more washes e.g. burnt sienna and raw sienna.
TIP 4 The brush strokes should always follow the contours of the animal.
TIP 5 Wait until paper is bone dry before lifting out paint to create lighter areas. Use a wet tissue or a wet cotton-bud and leave some colour on the paper.
TIP 6 Fur effects can be suggested by granulation of pigment and dry-brushing streaks and hard edges with a pull on - pull off movement. (Dark patches: raw sienna and burnt umber, light patches: white gouache.)
TIP 7 Create form and shadow with a pale blue wash to parts of the animal.
LANDSCAPE
TIP 8 Grey cloud shadows (light red and ultramarine) may be added wet into wet. The side of a rigger provides greater control. Sometimes John squeezes the brush with his fingers.
TIP 9 Damp the distant mountain with clean water and apply a light purple from light red and ultramarine, making sure that there is a hard edge where it meets the dry paper. Allow the colour to seep into the damp area.
TIP 10 Darken the area along the shoreline and around the focal point: in this case, a group of buildings in the middle distance, to add depth.
TIP 11 The beach may be suggested by a wash of raw sienna onto dry paper, to create a warmer foreground.
TIP 12 Water reflections under rocks can be created by wetting the area below each rock and pulling some rock colour downwards.
TIP 13 Add white acrylic gouache with a flat dry brush, to the lightest parts of the ripples for maximum contrast.
Throughout the day John demonstrated how to build up a painting in layers using wet and dry washes. His use of three primary colours throughout each painting resulted in harmony. The touches of gouache created contrast for maximum visual impact. We gave him a hearty round of applause for a superb day.
Di Alexander T.A.S. Editor
Note: John and Bon's videos are available from their website at: http://www.artprofile.co.uk
