The Sea and its aqua tinted beaches, is a place of inspiration for most of us. And whether we are physically there or not, we can enjoy the sense of ‘being’ there.
We can go beyond the limitations of having to actually be somewhere to reap the benefits.
from The Sea, watercolors and Beyond
The Sea
From the beaches south, down near Albany, Western Australia.
The sea colors are magical.
The red orange terracotta boulders give it warmth and life.
The buff titanium sands shimmer in the sunlight.
I adore this place, this photo.
I ‘feel’ it, every time. I’m re-Inspired by its memory every time I look at it.
What’s not to love?… and how could it not be etched into my memory?
I was there for awhile. Taking it all in. Taking hundreds of snippets and snapshots.
Becoming immersed.
So even if, I lost the photos, even if I no longer had tangible references to look at my mind … remembers.
All the feelings.
The colors. The wind. The textures. The sand shimmering and the sun sparking on the water.
Watercolors of the Sea
It is all those things, that is what I most need in order to convey the feeling of the Sea to Watercolors.
Thats all I need, to communicate the message I felt while walking along the shores and climbing the dunes and rocks.
Its about…. feeling.
Not documenting or recording detail.
Its about the Heart of the place for me.
Not dotting the i nor crossing the t.
Beyond
We can travel in our minds, or perhaps through past memories of the location.
We can travel using our wonderful imaginations and yes, we’re still getting the benefits of the journey.
Of being inspired.
Its true too, I believe that as we watch the news, television, or read travel magazines, look at Pinterest travel shots, and of course Google …. we can become enthused.
Eager and keen to create, to communicate that feeling of joy or relaxation we may have felt as we looked at a place.
I’ve mentioned before, I’m a firm believer in painting plein air.
Nothing can convey the spirit, the essence of that place and your joy, like this approach.
However, not all of us, are able to hike up into the high Rockies. I certainly am not able.
Nor drive to the eastern seaboard to paint along the stunning autumn colored shores of Maine.
Let alone fly to Australia to paint the colors of the The Indian Ocean, or the Great Barrier Reef.
We do have finite resources and limitations at times.
I think if, I fell in love with a location I could never go to but was compelled to paint – I’d research it.
I’d study up and learn all I could about the location and its history, culture, people.
In this way, there would be some, sense of connection that transferred over into the painting as I worked.
Watercolor art
Wild and so unruly.
The Sea Foam photograph below the watercolor, proves to be a great inspirational resource.
Something to refer to.
To look at the warm rocks, and the white foam as it swirls in intriguing patterns.
To note the deep dark patch of blue, then see how it fades into paler softer blues.
To figure out ways, we might choose to do some of those things in watercolor…. in a creatively similar fashion.
Finally
As artists what we do is important.
We travel and journey.
We see.
We feel.
We communicate to others the wonderment of what we felt as we paused and ‘saw.’
It is a fascinating way to create.
Its personal.
The artist reveals his soul in his art, in this fashion.
To interpret the scene in its complexities of feeling, emotive qualities.
This is something we all too often, forget to do in our bid to ensure the details are just right.
Remember…. if we get the feeling right, hardly anyone is going to care about some minor details!
watercolor students – sea inspired
from the sea, inspirations to get ideas from…. and go Beyond!
Take your images, your inspirations and memories from the sea … and then, go Beyond!
The explosions of light and color from stars and galaxies we will never see. Except, perhaps in our imaginations.
watercolor creative techniques
Ways With Watercolor
The magic of watercolor for me, is its ability to adhere so well to its specific pigment properties. It is obedient, reliable, consistent in the following of its nature.
Lending the artist a helping hand, with this knowledge.
A Granulator such as Ultramarine stays true to itself and creates wonderful textures upon the paper’s surface.
Stainers, like ….Permanent Alizarin Crimson will follow its nature. To run, explode outside the barriers.
I know what these ingredients, these pigments will do. So then I combine them to do a job. To help me say what needs saying.
You could, in a way think of them as you do your cooking ingredients. Flour, sugar, honey, molasses, salt, vinegar, baking soda, milk, cream, lard, olive oil, coconut oil. Many times you could use any old oil or butter and it makes no difference.
But, there are times when the ingredient must be pure butter for the recipe to work.
For the result to turn out…. delicious.
Not just – passe.
Heaven forbid… inedible.
It is the same with paints.
Many ultramarines are fairly exchangeable. No worries. So too with phalo blue. And quinacridone rose, phalo green, quinacridone gold, burnt umber.
I normally, don’t specify a particular Brand for most, routine colors.
Critical Importance to success
Unless it is crucial.
….. like it is with Indigo and Naples Yellow.
(Daniel Smith’s are successful.)
Its all in “the ingredients!”
I mention this today, as I’d talked about it a little last week in class.
I often try make do, make something I have on hand, work.
Why go and buy something…. if I have a product that will do the job?
Many of us might have ended up with 3 crockpots, 2 types of knife sharpeners and have learned our lesson!
I’m with you on that, definitely.
Having said that, I’ve also spent 25 years buying thousands of tubes of paints.
Experimenting. Testing. Researching. Every single one.
So, my hope is always, that you let all my “losses” be your gain! That you learn from my mistakes and save yourself time and money.
Process of Splash and Spray
This was done on dry Arches 100% cotton paper rough.
The paint colors used were burnt umber (Maimeriblu) Permanent Alizarin Crimson (Winsor Newton) mixed with Ultramarine (Art Spectrum)
So that is limiting the palette to 3 paints. And, I’ve used a Cool Palette. Doing both of these are great tips to avoid, mud.
Spray
I used a spray mister to lightly mist the paper surface. Choosing to ‘miss’ some areas.
Then loading brushes and flicking the paints on. Misting again, as needed.
The Darker Ultramarine and Burnt Umber, I used an old toothbrush to scoop up paint and flicker it on as the paper was drying.
This allowed for the darker tones I was hoping for, to create more depth.
With a “high key” painting, the prevailing dominant ratio of tones will be on the Lighter end of the scale.
Perhaps, about 75% – 80% Light Tones.
Tips for High Key Watercolor: you would use more water with your paints and, leave a lot more of your paper – White.
High Key Acrylics and Oils: you would increase the amount of white to all the paints you use, and in many places use nearly straight White out of the tube.
Second Tip:
when we are trying to learn and cement a specific skill, we really will learn it faster, if we focus on that skill.
And lessen the pressure to ‘do well’ with the all rest of the skills.
By limiting my colors ie to blue and focusing on the Key, I’ll increase my speed of learning and proficiency.
And thats what we all want to see.
Evidence… of Progress!
A High Key painting creates the feeling of space.
Of Freedom, movement, breath, light, air, action.
It is lighter, breezier, cheerier.
It uplifts, and is much more joyous.
High Key, hints of the blue
High Key, in blue
In both of the above images, the Light and Mid tone percentages are greater than the much smaller percentage of Darker tones.
This is what gives the paintings the ‘airier’ lighter feel compared to the paintings below.
Low Key
These paintings below, have a higher percentage of darker and mid tones.
The mid tones and dark tones dominate the image.
Rough estimate 75% or so. Give or take.
The Low Key paintings create a more somber feeling to viewers.
There is a sensation of being more contained, but it also can have nuances of foreboding at times as well.
Low Key painting, Cerulean with black, abstract on board panel
Illusion of the darkness of space, A low key painting in blue
When you wish to convey summer, celebrations, joy, movement, spaciousness, etc. you now have a definite tool to rely on.
Simply ‘High Key.’
Same thing when painting to express the opposite. Use, ‘Low Key.’
Awareness of our options, gives us the strategies and the power to execute them – as the subject and mood dictates.
High Key – Watercolor Mountain
This is my rough estimate of the painting’s tonal value ratios….
Light tones 40%
Mid tones 50%
Dark tones 10%
Additionally…. with a Vertical, format rather than a traditional horizontal, it provides us with an increased sensation of movement, of implied action.
While this is not really a recent work, the monoprint was done in the past 24 months.
Our class topic at the time was on using color and line, format, and subject placement to create a ‘feeling’ that would be clear and evident for viewers to identify.
I created, a somber nearly desolate feeling in this landscape.
While working the process that day I finished quite a number of monoprints.
Some were florals, some animals & people – which you have seen.
And then this one, which you haven’t seen.
Blue Ink
I chose to use only the blue ink and hand printing on a pale creamy paper.
The paper wasn’t pure white.
I thought, I might temper the starkness… just a little.
The solitary tree rising, carries with it a feeling of not just aloneness, but also the sense of barrenness.
There is no foliage in sight.
Where, did all the foliage go we wonder?
Where are the other trees?
And, then, the next thought our minds consider, might be:
“Is this tree still alive? Still struggling? Or is it finished?”
The prints you have previously seen:
Lines in Indigo Blue monoprint….. debiriley.com (c)
Wondering how he is, thinking I’d love to go visit and simply, chat. (David is a lovely man and he’s had a tremendous influence on my art journey, to which I’m truly appreciative. If you are in Melbourne, or can go to any of his international workshops. Just Do It.)
While on the store website, I noticed that an ‘Alison Hanly’ was listed there, teaching creativity.
You know, I was intrigued with that bit of information.
Gorgeous aquamarines with copper and gold and a deep prussian blue in the first image were beautiful to work with. The Naples Yellow, Cobalt Teal Blue and the soft neutral greys in the next two were ….. Super fun!
