Winter 2009 Volume 7 No. 1 Page 3

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© TOTTON ART SOCIETY

2009 DEMONSTRATIONS JANUARY TO APRIL

JOE FRANCIS DOWDEN~ January 2009

Joe uses stretched Arches 140lb. NOT paper which takes the layers of glazing that he uses. A strong cadmium yellow with good covering power was used for the sunlit underpainting. Joe added his 'two-part' greys: cobalt blue with a tiny dab of ultramarine followed by burnt sienna.

Dappled sunlit areas in the foregroud were suggested with clean water splattered onto the paper followed by a burnt sienna and yellow mix.

Dark tones to contrast with the sunny areas was added with neutral tint - a shade that will lift out and will not damage brushes.

River water was created with a combination of two-stage spattering, a dirty blue graduated wash and neutral tint. Green touches made the scene appear more realistic

JOE'S TIPS

Use indian red and ultramarine as a black or alternatively:

burnt umber or burnt senna with ultramarine, or

neutral int and ultramarine.

Take photographs half an hour before sunset on a sunny day. The light will be golden in colour.

Paint fence posts with one stroke of the brush - do not overwork.

Draw reflections as a stepped line, not a straight one.

Have a light, etherial focal point ..

 

COLIN COURTICE ~ February 2009

Colin does a ten-minute tonal charcoal sketch to explore the light and shade of a scene. This is particularly important if sketching out of doors, where the light changes continuously. He recommends that we identify ONE main light source for every painting, including the reflected light for that source. Where a shaft of light falls behind trees, tree-trunks in the foreground are in shadow (see painting above right).

Use simple three-dimensional shapes as a guide to understand where the shadows fall:

e.g. a bush or tree as a round ball with light falling on it at one point.

a cluster of blackberries as a cluster of round balls

Colin recommends making a plasticine model of your subject. Alternatively assemble differently-shaped objects and make a charcoal still-life sketch. The shadows will make the subject appear real (as in the Farmhouse Pantry painting above left).

Landscapes with clouds may include cloud shadows on the landscape, according to the position of the sun.

COLIN'S TIPS

Reserve the highest contrasts for the focal point of the painting e.g. a 'searchlight' effect in a landscape, can be effective..

Shadow across the foreground gives a solid base to the composition.

Your signature should not be so obtrusive that it distracts the viewer from the subject of the painting.

 

STEPHEN FOSTER ~ April 2009

Stephen paints on Arches 140lb. Not paper which is wetted front and back. The paper is placed on a moist, non-absorbent board so that it has a reservoir of water between paper and board - topped up every two hours as necessary. This enables Stephen to produce his atmospheric watercolour paintings. He believes that small details 'kill' a painting. His favourite warm colours are: raw sienna. alizarin crimson and scarlet lake and cooler colours: winsor violet and ultramarine. These mix well with a 'horrible' but indispensable colour: neutral tint.

STEPHEN'S TIPS

Always use very good quality paper (better than Bockingford) and artists' quality paints.

Avoid Payne's Grey except where a strong dark is required.

Do not place the sun in the centre of a painting.

Study Turner's watercolour works

Stop painting when your painting is 85% finished!!

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