Aaron Holland Fine Arts

"SERENITY"- WATERCOLOR PAINTING DEMO.

1. I start with a finished drawing on drawing paper, working out all the difficult areas and potential problems there, first. 

2. Next I trace the drawing using clear acetate, and a sharpie pen (pictured below).

3. Next I lay the transfer over a "stretched" piece of water-color paper      (as shown).

4.Re-draw using acetate to guide you lightly with a pencil, do not scratch or score the paper if possible. This outline will give you a solid foudation when you begin painting, and craete an environment that encourages "planned spontaneity"!

5. The finished drawing, lightly, in pecil.

6. Before beging with any watercolor, and before adding any moisture to the paper, Now is the time to add a Masking Fluid. Masking Fluid is a little like watered-down rubber cement usually with a colorant added. This allows you to preserve the white spaces which are so charecteristic to water-color, especially Transparent Watercolor. This must be done while the paper is completely dry or it will become permanant. Allow to dry before proceeding.

7. I almost always add a golden or orangish wash first, if I am painting a sky. This shows through later, and gives a warm sunlight effect through blue sky. Do this evenly from top to bottom using a very pale wash of color overlapping your strokes on a slightly tipped-up board. I use a 2-3" wash brush made from squirrel hair. Do not go back over your previous strokes if possible. Allow this to dry before proceeding- you can paint again when the paper is no longer "shiny".

8. I generally work from light to dark in watercolor, gradually pulling out the darks. Watercolor is more difficult to correct, so I prefer to slowly add the darks when I am more sure about their placement.

When that was dry I felt it needed a gradated pinkish wash in the top and bottom portion of the sky.

9. On a very slightly-dampened paper I added the wash of orange in a darker color. I am careful at this stage to not over-mix the color, but to let it mix a little on the paper. You can paint on this if you wish, as long as the paper remains shiny, but I would suggest you stop at that point or you are likely to get unwanted edges. To soften an edge, use a clean brush with a minimal amount of clear water on it, and quickly work it over the edge. Restraint is needed in watercolor. Less is often more. A watercolor that is underworked is generally more interesting than one worked-to-death.

10. You can always do it again if it doesn't quite work out!

  I start to add a little blue- violet in very light washes over the pink in sky and water. When that dries I decide to do a darker blue wash, until the colors in the sky and water are the shade I am looking for.

* Note - it is better to do less washes in the sky (and here water too) to keep the light feeling of air and atmosphere. The more washes you add, the heavier it will feel. I think I settled on two under-washes, and two washes of blue on top to get the finished result.

Finish:  When you are happy with your picture (or decide it was a practice run) allow painting to dry thoroughly overnight before removing tape. At that point you will first want to remove the masking fluid to reveal your white spaces.

Frame and hang accordingly.