Tag: watercolor

Liz Clayton Fuller Watercolor Workshop

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9”x12” on Hahnemuhle bamboo watercolor paper.

I took an online watercolor workshop by artist Liz Clayton Fuller that was offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It sped by, and at the end I had completed painting a female Belted Kingfisher. I haven’t used watercolor much in the past several years, so I was pleased with the end result although my brush skills are pretty awful.

Although I mixed and mixed blue, I never got the slightly green, slightly brassy color I wanted.

I’ve never done an online class before, and I have a feeling it was huge. By the time I registered, there were over 300 others who had already signed up. Before the class started, I sketched the bird to get a feel for it, and I also did a sampling of my palette to remember what colors I had available.

I have a combination of Daniel Smith (tubes and sticks) and M. Graham watercolors. By far my favorites are Daniel Smith watercolor sticks. Such bright, pure pigments. If I ever return to watercolor painting, I’ll switch over to those.

Approximately 7”x10” on Arches hot press watercolor paper.

The next day I did a very quick watercolor sketch of the same image, trying to recall the basics from the lesson. Lots of light layers lead to a dimensional effect was what I came away with. It’s a good test of my patience. This image was a bit more cute than the other. I prefer the one I completed during the class, but it was a good challenge to try it again.

Red Collie Paper Stretcher

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I started with a 9”x12” sheet of Stonehenge Aqua hot press watercolor paper, but ended with a 7.5”x10.5” image.

I love this paper stretcher made by Red Collie. I ordered mine on eBay, and it took about three weeks to arrive. It’s easy to use and the paper stays really flat. I wish I would have bought a few more sizes as you lose about 3/4” on each side where the paper is clamped.

Watercolor Workshop with Allan Servoss

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Once again I traveled to the Heyde Center for the Arts to take another three-day Allan Servoss workshop, this time in watercolor.

His watercolor work is amazing, and I left with a better understanding of design and color as well as a creative process that feels refreshing and, well, creative.

He had five main lessons with paintings that got progressively more challenging. We moved from brushwork to shape to negative painting, the entire time discussing color choices, paper, brushes, etc.

Notice the turtle in the painting above? I couldn’t help adding it. I could see a turtle so there it is.

The painting below of the ravine ended up being the one I did quite a bit of work on when I got home, and as a result, it looks as much like a drawing as a painting. I gave in and tuned to watercolor pencils for the details that I just had to add—tree trunks and roots and more trees.

We also had a chance to try painting on a varnished, textured surface. The paint sticks in a different manner, more like Yupo. For this project, we did our own designs, and I ended up with birds and a busy background. No surprise there.

It was a great workshop, and I am once again fascinated with watercolor.

Pen and Ink and… Watercolor?

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My reference photo was blurry, taken in low light after the sun went down. Instead of putting in a detailed background and adding a lot of contrast to the deer, I kept everything soft.

Honest-to-goodness watercolor, something I set aside years ago in favor of pencils and fountain pens. I’m getting ready for a watercolor workshop, so I bought a few new brushes, some M. Graham watercolors, and tried a new paper, Canson rough. I think the break was needed. I’ve spent a lot of time sketching and taking a design course in embroidery, and I have a different process than before. It’s funny how much I enjoyed painting these deer, but using a brush! That will take some getting used to.

The truth is, only on occasion do I use fountain pens with sharp line work. Most of the time, my pen and ink sketches look like watercolor.

Pen and ink in a Strathmore 500 sketchbook. This is a rooster who lives at our new boarding stable. He’s a friendly fellow.
Monochromatic but still watercolor-ish. Pete, drawn with Monteverdi Blue Azure and the amazing Sailor Realo with a Zoom nib, my all-time favorite pen.