I find for me, that its always easier to create when I free up and just start off by doing watercolour washes and mixing of colours. It has a Zen quality to it I like.
In these following images you can see the sequential processes used to go from playing with washes and colours to …. achieving a final image.
The colours used were cobalt blue and prussian blue; the browns were raw sienna and burnt umber. This was quite a limited palette, I find limiting the number of colours always helps me to concentrate on getting my shapes and tones right.
A wash is simply applying watercolour onto the paper usually on dry paper. A graded wash is when you apply the watercolour going from dark to light or light to dark.
The entire image was basically done in washes; however, they each have different tonal values.
Mixing a blend of cobalt with prussian starting at the top very light and pale, going down towards the bottom adding more dark prussian for a watercolour wash that has some variation.
Next is where you deepen the dark in a couple of areas and judiciously leave quite a bit of white areas… for the white of the waves that will emerge, seemingly from out of nowhere.
Just after the white of the waves come back in with the cobalt and prussian mix in a mid tone just below the white waves.
In this “All Sides” image I have turned the painting around, upside down and taken a cropped photo. Just because I wanted to see what it might look like from another perspective. This is a great technique to use to salvage paintings that you’d otherwise bin. Sometimes they are brilliant in a vertical and not so good in the horizontal format.
Watercolour washes and playing with colour mixing can reward you with some unexpected creations.
Just by being diligent in leaving lots of white of the paper you can strengthen your overall balance of Tonal Values for your painting immediately.
Limiting your palette to 3-4 harmonious colours goes a long way towards creating a very successful painting!
Some artists that I referenced and recommend others to look at as well are:
John Yardley, watercolourist
Edward Seago, watercolourist and oil painter
David Taylor, watercolourist
Ron Ranson, watercolourist
Gorgeous paintings! Dying to try these techniques, thank you again! I just picked up a Ranson book yesterday. Two, in fact! Thanks, Debi! Have a wonderful weekend! 💜💜💜
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thank you Laura! I hope these came across as … samples, and exercises. There was a general plan of course, but I like letting watercolour choose its final destiny without coercion 🙂
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I always learn a lot from your posts. Beautiful, Debi. Have a wonderful week-end, cheers Mitza
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thank you my dear, enjoy a lovely weekend. In your gorgeous garden 🙂
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The weather finally was merciful with Hamburg. We have a blue sky, sun all day long and 25 degrees C. I was bicycling twice, visited a fleamarket in the morning, made some good bargains, cooked something with zuccini and sheep cheese and finished a pair of earrings. I’m happy, this was my day, Debi. Hope yours was as successful as mine, 🙂
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Thank Debi’ ‘want you to know that I like this post, especially since it is only 101 degrees expected here today!
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Glad the waves cooled you 🙂 boy, I feel for you! Perth has helped me gain a new appreciation for long hot summers, for sure. Hopefully you have some way of cooling down better than ‘evap conditioners’ LOL
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Gorgeous Debi – I love seascapes and yours shows a wonderful elegance to the wash technique.
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hi Mary, love doing nice fresh clean washes … especially when I leave them Alone!
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Beautiful waves!
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thank you so much! your feedback is appreciated 🙂 cheers
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Lovely fresh movement in the surf, makes you want to nip down to the beach!
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thanks Ian!!
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Great advice Debi as always. Love the washes. I agree, cropping old images often reveals hidden gems. Best…A
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much appreciated Andrew, cropping is really quite an enjoyable art activity, I still am learning heaps by doing so with my pieces. 🙂
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