Painting a Street Scene in Watercolor

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/c1FynskNtjI" width="450"></iframe></div>Here's a video that I made while painting a row of shopfronts in Huntington, Indiana. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1FynskNtjI&feature=youtu.be">Direct link to video</a>)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOU47MNovhKPD9Te-rqqwg1gFa5FD_6rApQxygscZ4z0UZv3rVBL5T7z7FwyV_GtllzSX_OvBVsX1xDx2o_J6RbiX_Hiz0luUoPobpTR1MWeKjdLdSMXkJKWE9Gkk9eH4Gp4RnKZlAgi5d/s1600/Shopfronts.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOU47MNovhKPD9Te-rqqwg1gFa5FD_6rApQxygscZ4z0UZv3rVBL5T7z7FwyV_GtllzSX_OvBVsX1xDx2o_J6RbiX_Hiz0luUoPobpTR1MWeKjdLdSMXkJKWE9Gkk9eH4Gp4RnKZlAgi5d/s1600/Shopfronts.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />My first step is to first measure out a reasonably accurate perspective drawing in pencil. I cover the surface with a light ghost wash.<br /><br />Then I place the watercolor tones with a flat brush. I start with the idea of doing a sepia sketch, but decide to bring in a cerulean/light red combination.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXs253Wbxax10gY_zd9Acskud78wau4nOjBZyDGMefURulzY30dlBl7mER1wzVazLfZlAA2Ha7t2DA-ssc4_SZqxwtayz_0Li7kjWKXgQ2-FJMd4UmYZFkDqqCAXEPLRfNN1BaMs1DVwK/s1600/Shopfronts.det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXs253Wbxax10gY_zd9Acskud78wau4nOjBZyDGMefURulzY30dlBl7mER1wzVazLfZlAA2Ha7t2DA-ssc4_SZqxwtayz_0Li7kjWKXgQ2-FJMd4UmYZFkDqqCAXEPLRfNN1BaMs1DVwK/s1600/Shopfronts.det.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />As time runs out, I switch to a brown fountain pen to describe the small, fine linear accents.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since the fountain pen is water soluble, I can't add further watercolor washes without dissolving the lines. The reason for adding the penwork at the end of the process is that I was more interested in using the pen for selective small accents rather than for boundary lines.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>-----</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Materials</b>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00479VQOE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00479VQOE&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=7FKTVCUT72CHC2AZ">Pentalic watercolor sketchbook</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00479VQOE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HBWE60/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000HBWE60&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=4H73GIE2SD7N2ZQD">Customized pan watercolors</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000HBWE60" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FN6PT0W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FN6PT0W&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=CIOLGOLX2BMFRYS2">Travel brush set</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00FN6PT0W" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00076RBYU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00076RBYU&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=5P6FA3MFK7DNDSUB">Nalgene 2-ounce jar</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00076RBYU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div>Homemade sketchbook pochade easel using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJZE0UE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00DJZE0UE&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=7IFRW2GBDIDKUYCS">adjustable torque hinges</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00DJZE0UE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037OOTTY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0037OOTTY&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=ZSGWKSN2OLN65L3D">Waterman Phileas fountain pen</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0037OOTTY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J3X9XI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000J3X9XI&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=ZZVDKBG3Y53GIOYT">brown ink</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000J3X9XI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><b><br /></b><b>72- Minute Instructional Video: "Watercolor in the Wild"</b><br /><a href="https://sellfy.com/p/Pvxb/">More info about the HD download at Sellfy</a> (Paypal) or <a href="https://gumroad.com/l/watercolor">Gumroad</a> (credit cards)</div>

Painting a Street Scene in Watercolor

Here's a video that I made while painting a row of shopfronts in Huntington, Indiana. ( Direct link to video ) My first step is to first...

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Arthur Guptill Renders a Window

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 1935, Arthur Guptill demonstrated a sequential method frequently used by architectural illustrators for painting a window. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Guptill first draws the subject in pencil, giving careful attention to the perspective. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5ITjJRoIu4miFR7yZFM1VfzcOeluJ8Jr3U2xsGL6OCrxwRm2JuwRWiiZLw0ZYrxMLKO3Gf3Rj97Vec2QK3sp8AFtTdyDQVRwWWJXut5kPaaJYHWGzgDfcfeAERkN5wHk-z1Zqll4Qr6u/s1600/Guptill_Window_Rendering.1.LG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5ITjJRoIu4miFR7yZFM1VfzcOeluJ8Jr3U2xsGL6OCrxwRm2JuwRWiiZLw0ZYrxMLKO3Gf3Rj97Vec2QK3sp8AFtTdyDQVRwWWJXut5kPaaJYHWGzgDfcfeAERkN5wHk-z1Zqll4Qr6u/s1600/Guptill_Window_Rendering.1.LG.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>He rules the lines of the shutters very evenly. Then he lays down a warm wash in watercolor over the wall and the curtains, and sets up variegated flat colors for the stonework. He washes in the shutters in green.<br /><br />The dark interior spaces are painted over the mullions, but not the sash. The dull orange color of the interior gives a feeling of depth and transparency.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvJJxIxBvGkWEnAatFCYydxc6F6bF-tOTayAyPMgnon37o0PTOF_Jv6_MlI_76PDBCJ3YdQMaMuUraHRQpqEpL98B1tf0PGoJ8zQSplYRlWrkCbR2AHbD9VretiNSDzINa-mEhE5b-RY6/s1600/Guptill_Window_Rendering.LG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvJJxIxBvGkWEnAatFCYydxc6F6bF-tOTayAyPMgnon37o0PTOF_Jv6_MlI_76PDBCJ3YdQMaMuUraHRQpqEpL98B1tf0PGoJ8zQSplYRlWrkCbR2AHbD9VretiNSDzINa-mEhE5b-RY6/s1600/Guptill_Window_Rendering.LG.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>Next come the shadows cast on the curtains and the shade from the sunlight coming from the upper left. He then adds the darks of the mullions and the outer moldings with a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XL1D26/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004XL1D26&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=GXFAKATWGKATGQYD">ruling pen</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004XL1D26" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyzBEsDZuEljFQyWCiFStwS8XVuGVHXMsYkkU1dROqqbW4glEsUMqplMuc3gAKUpk_sMy_V7a_x4IXB_p21MDB4jluh7zbBCaZPJHrG6ZlUquF8keINetIG-KP_N7dsonmBMaRzUJQ08Z/s1600/ruling_pen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyzBEsDZuEljFQyWCiFStwS8XVuGVHXMsYkkU1dROqqbW4glEsUMqplMuc3gAKUpk_sMy_V7a_x4IXB_p21MDB4jluh7zbBCaZPJHrG6ZlUquF8keINetIG-KP_N7dsonmBMaRzUJQ08Z/s1600/ruling_pen1.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />If you're not familiar with a ruling pen, it's a tool for drawing a line of constant width, usually guided by a ruler that's raised a bit off the surface. It has two sharpened metal tips that taper together. The spacing of the gap between the tips governs the width of the line.<br /><br />That gap is controlled by an adjustable wheel on the side. Ink or watercolor, applied by an eyedropper (Edit: or a brush), sits in the gap and flows by capillary action.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hPNBN7s1p6cKBLQW3Ud2BvyPWm9kiZWpN9MStor5nyNYgLGDl3AHwPbkYtNO-_Xug5Jz2P-Bha5XdaYXVUe67Xdp4EBqO4nf0u4KgC0QWdxMrzxguU-D3ftvDMrlMdeVd8nYFYzaKDoG/s1600/Window_Rendering3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hPNBN7s1p6cKBLQW3Ud2BvyPWm9kiZWpN9MStor5nyNYgLGDl3AHwPbkYtNO-_Xug5Jz2P-Bha5XdaYXVUe67Xdp4EBqO4nf0u4KgC0QWdxMrzxguU-D3ftvDMrlMdeVd8nYFYzaKDoG/s1600/Window_Rendering3.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>Guptill then draws mullions with the ruling pen filled with opaque white watercolor, slightly yellowed. The consistency has to be just right. Too wet and it puddles out; too dry and it won't flow at all. When a ruling pen works well, it's a joyful feeling.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2j0jNrrrrzjUJtYCF19TocRcDwrtu4qJg3alGQn-6wOnK8NgT8UIZoK3WRJyThooGAsv9Bc5rH6Nn0uO3XRM90e1cz522DAPb_1Yfz8dSZp5RtaLcW8KeSPptrjx4cmtECZ9pLpQNcbo/s1600/Glen+Tait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2j0jNrrrrzjUJtYCF19TocRcDwrtu4qJg3alGQn-6wOnK8NgT8UIZoK3WRJyThooGAsv9Bc5rH6Nn0uO3XRM90e1cz522DAPb_1Yfz8dSZp5RtaLcW8KeSPptrjx4cmtECZ9pLpQNcbo/s1600/Glen+Tait.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Edit: After reading the post, blog reader Glenn Tait got out two of his old Kern ruling pens, ran some tests, and sent the photo, saying: "By rote, after so many years, I filled the pen by loading my brush (using M. Graham watercolors) and pulled it across the open side of the pen to fill it then, after adjusting the tip width, dragged it a bit along my left forefinger to get the flow started. The watercolour works great."<br />Thanks, Glenn. I'm going to throw one in my sketch kit, too.<br />-----<br />Arthur Guptill's classic book about rendering architecture in watercolor is called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031U1YHY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0031U1YHY&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=D6X6UNVCSZP3HJ42">Color in Sketching and Rendering</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0031U1YHY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br />.

Arthur Guptill Renders a Window

In 1935, Arthur Guptill demonstrated a sequential method frequently used by architectural illustrators for painting a window.  Guptill first...

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Kevin Crawford on the Flute

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HIdgFs1UUcJKU1yUxL7-5cdD-q10ZpQwRhYywF2p595GePlCxh03k2-jgElYpgQDnXoeR-Wyjf93qkLYETEWl8ouAA1TzDmIh6IOHx5M-0QEICJSzc87vFzonngPuDofYLJq86qjonGg/s1600/Kevin_Crawford_Flute.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HIdgFs1UUcJKU1yUxL7-5cdD-q10ZpQwRhYywF2p595GePlCxh03k2-jgElYpgQDnXoeR-Wyjf93qkLYETEWl8ouAA1TzDmIh6IOHx5M-0QEICJSzc87vFzonngPuDofYLJq86qjonGg/s1600/Kevin_Crawford_Flute.sm.jpg" width="348" /></a></div>Here's Irish flutist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Crawford">Kevin Crawford</a>, sketched from life in a pub session. It's just a couple inches square drawn in watercolor and water-soluble colored pencils.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3Xd20pcLE48" width="450"></iframe><br />He's a wonderfully dynamic player, and in truth he looks a lot less cadaverous than I made him appear -- sorry Kevin!<br /><br />

Kevin Crawford on the Flute

Here's Irish flutist Kevin Crawford , sketched from life in a pub session. It's just a couple inches square drawn in watercolor and ...

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Turner Paints a Man-of-War

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Once while staying as a guest at the estate of Walter Fawkes, J.M.W. Turner was asked to paint a watercolor of a British man-of-war.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrlCfLlFNvyus9XGRNnQu7ONGqIDjPgDx9hhOS_iZbt62MW2XngORzaXNiU4LQyeicvhpzkjnOVLWuBfGOGlZZBXMRVKO3Elz8N0ySg-qpxhnRUnQnHUUg0WeXqMdLsH6-lX7bS1ngmqS/s1600/Turner_a-first-rate-taking-in-stores-1818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrlCfLlFNvyus9XGRNnQu7ONGqIDjPgDx9hhOS_iZbt62MW2XngORzaXNiU4LQyeicvhpzkjnOVLWuBfGOGlZZBXMRVKO3Elz8N0ySg-qpxhnRUnQnHUUg0WeXqMdLsH6-lX7bS1ngmqS/s1600/Turner_a-first-rate-taking-in-stores-1818.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div>His process of painting was extraordinary. According to an eyewitness, "He began by pouring wet paint onto the paper till it was saturated. He tore, he scratched, he scrubbed at it in a kind of frenzy and the whole thing was chaos -- but gradually, and as if by magic the lovely ship, with all its exquisite minutia, came into being, and by luncheon time the drawing was taken down in triumph."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tomorrow —a new episode of Clementoons.</b></div>

Turner Paints a Man-of-War

Once while staying as a guest at the estate of Walter Fawkes, J.M.W. Turner was asked to paint a watercolor of a British man-of-war. His pro...

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Flint's Watercolor Sketching Gear

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Francis Russell Flint (1915-1977) was the son of the more famous watercolorist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Russell_Flint">Sir William Russell Flint.</a> He wrote a book called "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010X6HGW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0010X6HGW&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=O7JNVW6GFNMKVYSO">Water-Colour for Beginners</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0010X6HGW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />" which explains his suggested plein-air gear.<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-DkwStO9h9WZMRDRDi2FYwyXArDmOFc5ELHSW-_2bHU8nV5xxnCRN_nUbrRIPbZ5Mt2UOkOg8qns-YwrNIkDAttxju2vS_GwDp14WR92c7K-pANSj2H0adgR3wV9UdDh-H7VLgk5AU_m/s1600/8999.Flint.WC+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-DkwStO9h9WZMRDRDi2FYwyXArDmOFc5ELHSW-_2bHU8nV5xxnCRN_nUbrRIPbZ5Mt2UOkOg8qns-YwrNIkDAttxju2vS_GwDp14WR92c7K-pANSj2H0adgR3wV9UdDh-H7VLgk5AU_m/s1600/8999.Flint.WC+copy.JPG" width="286" /></a></div><div>"There are many good types of easel available but I suggest the best is a small compact easel, not too light, and sufficiently strong not to be troubled by the wind. An aluminum or light wood easel may look very nice in a shop, but they are quite different in a strong breeze. The easel should have three telescopic legs with spikes at the ends, and at the apex of these a flat arm which can be firmly secured in any position, that will tip up and down on a hinge, and slide backwards and forwards."<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6MnDDM1TXLzvj7vl-f3sdT8EWkzf7R5NMr3fjGtCcYUDaOTQ0lb8CFyEPt5deesDLPD9Du7_wbzuICOmnMBPKh575xsHbuZWYJkw30QIE1PaOSWQUanx145KUxGfi28JaerHEnaTRvOB/s1600/Francis+Russell+Flint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6MnDDM1TXLzvj7vl-f3sdT8EWkzf7R5NMr3fjGtCcYUDaOTQ0lb8CFyEPt5deesDLPD9Du7_wbzuICOmnMBPKh575xsHbuZWYJkw30QIE1PaOSWQUanx145KUxGfi28JaerHEnaTRvOB/s1600/Francis+Russell+Flint.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Francis Russell Flint (1915-1977) 'Steps in the Sun ' St. Jean - de - Cole'</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div>He preferred to stand rather than sit, so if he brought a stool, it was generally to use as a place to lay out his gear if he was painting in a wet or muddy place.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8AyZFyoDGesbXqJLpJqABb3pIYSNLdQ_wcXtHsEL5scUhuAR30RckseNmLf_QB-yZ4B35ND6JI0AE2M3L03eZEIKGkQ3G7zTrDqEjxvMGWyqxDzIuPwDsVWRyyjXusaS900yKGH8FLN-/s1600/9002.Flint.Watercolor+Box.sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8AyZFyoDGesbXqJLpJqABb3pIYSNLdQ_wcXtHsEL5scUhuAR30RckseNmLf_QB-yZ4B35ND6JI0AE2M3L03eZEIKGkQ3G7zTrDqEjxvMGWyqxDzIuPwDsVWRyyjXusaS900yKGH8FLN-/s1600/9002.Flint.Watercolor+Box.sm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div>He said that the thing to look for in a watercolor box is deep wells for mixing generous washes, and the wells or depressions in the mixing area should have the deepest part toward the center, so that colors don't get mixed up with each other. He used a large sable brush for broad washes and an aluminum flask for extra water.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTm-boFkKhwlt-tnEUArDUlp_ZfGAdBTwLsVnr2ZuMkdPeJCv7OnYku9BOSN2gC5DS-vdRHWKJ3e9Va_B6W0vcokrr5ui2SzfzuK7JKuZh6wHzey0QL-DO7PMntX_TxuAbpXeH65Mp_HV5/s1600/Russell+Flints+Palette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTm-boFkKhwlt-tnEUArDUlp_ZfGAdBTwLsVnr2ZuMkdPeJCv7OnYku9BOSN2gC5DS-vdRHWKJ3e9Va_B6W0vcokrr5ui2SzfzuK7JKuZh6wHzey0QL-DO7PMntX_TxuAbpXeH65Mp_HV5/s1600/Russell+Flints+Palette.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's probably a safe bet that the son modeled this setup after the father. A vintage British Pathe film (linked below) showing Russell Flint's palette, which also has three deep wells.</div><div>-----</div><div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010X6HGW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0010X6HGW&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=O7JNVW6GFNMKVYSO">Water-Colour for Beginners</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0010X6HGW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />Previously: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2012/07/russell-flint-in-action.html">Video of Russell Flint in Action</a></div></div><div><br /></div>

Flint's Watercolor Sketching Gear

Francis Russell Flint (1915-1977) was the son of the more famous watercolorist Sir William Russell Flint. He wrote a book called " Wat...

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Traps on the Coal Cabin

Yesterday we went out to visit John Finley's cattle ranch, a half hour drive down a remote dirt road on the east fork of the the Wind River here in Wyoming.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmK2rfWiSrvfhNbqOjbrHpkEMtX87VJJEX9FTGrPZqfLt5S5zbjT_zvDyBvETXrj2ICtv4-g7ntuIkPZ4ycv2eSOzVz4I2ZpnF7Tx0uk7T5HciIdlvnPyK7uLAUjgJNJJFR-CyY7Z7uNS/s1600/John+Finley.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmK2rfWiSrvfhNbqOjbrHpkEMtX87VJJEX9FTGrPZqfLt5S5zbjT_zvDyBvETXrj2ICtv4-g7ntuIkPZ4ycv2eSOzVz4I2ZpnF7Tx0uk7T5HciIdlvnPyK7uLAUjgJNJJFR-CyY7Z7uNS/s1600/John+Finley.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />John is a working cowboy and a scrimshandler whose grandfather established the farm over a hundred years ago, not far from Butch Cassidy's spread. <br /><br />I set up my watercolor rig next to an old log cabin which was festooned with rusty coyote traps.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSnCH9SK-u_JxU-DYGqg5V5ix9lWvRGQIhGsN4CxOkNxqHiT-6Fpg1pLEOplx6lTNgJDm7Y9li2VtCa8Y_ong6uDnay5PCWdSFn9H_Tqn_6H0onKgsFDF-1vHDo83dy_R79GRqBYZa9bP/s1600/Finley+Ranch.sm2ng.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSnCH9SK-u_JxU-DYGqg5V5ix9lWvRGQIhGsN4CxOkNxqHiT-6Fpg1pLEOplx6lTNgJDm7Y9li2VtCa8Y_ong6uDnay5PCWdSFn9H_Tqn_6H0onKgsFDF-1vHDo83dy_R79GRqBYZa9bP/s1600/Finley+Ranch.sm2ng.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />I was attracted to the way the traps were reflected in the window against the bright sky behind us. Since the reflection of the clouds was <span style="text-align: center;">the lightest value, my first step was to run a wash over all the other whites, including the window mullions, the mortar, and shelf of mildewy old magazines seen through the window. </span><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/168434909&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />(<a href="https://soundcloud.com/gurneyjourney-1/finley-cabin-intromp3">link to Soundcloud audio track</a>)<br /><br />The traps speak to the constant life and death struggle of ranch existence. John told us a story of having to shoot a mountain lion as it was devouring one of his bottle-fed calves.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/168435688&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16lRZiGyJ3lkMsucKLgpJgWbtZGSXLInTadcISFW0OZG0lUzi4qL4zP6oEWh2QfJz-91jQ-TKUvi9IuOt3uQd4BVT6UwDlz4bAvYMdVEnuBuxvcVeQoCNfZhE7fxEXCBdx4xpwWbTU3Gb/s1600/IMG_8892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16lRZiGyJ3lkMsucKLgpJgWbtZGSXLInTadcISFW0OZG0lUzi4qL4zP6oEWh2QfJz-91jQ-TKUvi9IuOt3uQd4BVT6UwDlz4bAvYMdVEnuBuxvcVeQoCNfZhE7fxEXCBdx4xpwWbTU3Gb/s1600/IMG_8892.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />A week ago, a surveyor was found mauled to death by grizzlies not far from here.  None of us artists are allowed to venture off without a bottle of bear spray.<br /><br />The authorities relocate the Yellowstone man-killers in this remote area, on the fringes of the Wind River Indian Reservation. As another cowboy, John Phelps told us, "Grizzlies are no joke."<br />------<br /><a href="http://www.johnpfinley.com/biography.html">Biography of John P Finley</a><br />Painted in a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00479VQOE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00479VQOE&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=5TKH7CEPN47TAYRI%22%3EPentalic%20%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00479VQOE%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Pentalic</a> sketchbook with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HBWE60/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000HBWE60&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=IXSQLDFTDSPCOFKX">Schmincke</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000HBWE60" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> watercolors using a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FN6PT0W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FN6PT0W&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=SH6I5I45DPO4DSEQ">Richeson travel brush set</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00FN6PT0W" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><a href="https://sellfy.com/p/Pvxb/">Download Watercolor in the Wild</a> video

Traps on the Coal Cabin

Yesterday we went out to visit John Finley's cattle ranch, a half hour drive down a remote dirt road on the east fork of the the Wind Ri...

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Painting a Saddle in Watercolor

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_MY7OgoO7Jw" width="450"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday I did a watercolor demo of a Western-style saddle at the <a href="http://www.skbworkshop.com/">SKB Foundation</a> workshop here in Wyoming. (<a href="http://youtu.be/_MY7OgoO7Jw">Direct link to YouTube video</a>)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3sGBh5Dr31PNaB-OyiJhQ1M9_jiCMTZNk3A1K-32I2Ij4r_SRPDDiTFKgPxPzn899gQoW8xBzL8c2p8SzRz2jflvkt7zkeBsXl77AG6HNA5_QjJ9BtKOCiS-KItwLJkAAD685KNVrzWe/s1600/Saddle.Inprog.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3sGBh5Dr31PNaB-OyiJhQ1M9_jiCMTZNk3A1K-32I2Ij4r_SRPDDiTFKgPxPzn899gQoW8xBzL8c2p8SzRz2jflvkt7zkeBsXl77AG6HNA5_QjJ9BtKOCiS-KItwLJkAAD685KNVrzWe/s1600/Saddle.Inprog.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Here are two stages in the hour-long painting. On the left is the painting halfway finished, with the large color areas blocked in.<br /><br />I then defined the smaller details and textures using water-soluble colored pencils and just a few touches of white gouache for highlights.<br /><br />The time lapse is shot with a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3F0GLU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00F3F0GLU&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=P6DMFGMFKEBHR7C7">GoPro Black</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00F3F0GLU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> set at a two-second intervals. The GoPro is mounted on a DIY rig that uses two kitchen timers for a compound (pan and tilt) move.<br />-----<br />For 72-minutes of watercolor demos with voiceover, check out my video "Watercolor in the Wild":<br /><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/watercolor">HD download: (Credit Card) </a> from Gumroad<br /><a href="https://sellfy.com/p/Pvxb/">HD download: (Paypal)</a> from Sellfy<br /><a href="https://sellfy.com/p/WY1j/">BONUS FEATURES (a half hour of additional bite-size inspiration)</a><br /><a href="http://kunaki.com/MSales.asp?PublisherId=136361">DVD: (NTSC, Region 1-North America) </a><br />-----<br />If you like painting workshops, the <a href="http://www.skbworkshop.com/">SKB Foundation</a> has an emphasis on landscape and wildlife painting, with a half-dozen instructors in a beautiful setting and a congenial atmosphere.<br />Thanks to Hunter at the<a href="http://www.cmranch.com/"> CM Family Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming</a> and to <a href="http://www.leecableart.com/">artist Lee Cable</a> for the info about the saddle.<br /><br />

Painting a Saddle in Watercolor

Yesterday I did a watercolor demo of a Western-style saddle at the  SKB Foundation  workshop here in Wyoming. ( Direct link to YouTube video...

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Social Media

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNKJY0ri7bBvG0UtfRMDe32nh83NOs02qv6onyQ6kvZhGInRCx-7Th1xaHIyW8HDan-ptiTtHwfbfIGYQFfsyglSQiCVdAuOcKvxSUIL66KSeHIUxzuVFsIPij40tUeclnMKDpmWHaMMT/s1600/Social+Media.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNKJY0ri7bBvG0UtfRMDe32nh83NOs02qv6onyQ6kvZhGInRCx-7Th1xaHIyW8HDan-ptiTtHwfbfIGYQFfsyglSQiCVdAuOcKvxSUIL66KSeHIUxzuVFsIPij40tUeclnMKDpmWHaMMT/s1600/Social+Media.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Alone together. People doing social media at a café in Colorado Springs.<br /><br />The Guardian: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/06/vermont-wifi-wireless-ban-starbucks-good-business">"Vermont cafe finds a ban on laptops and tablets earns better business"</a>

Social Media

Alone together. People doing social media at a café in Colorado Springs. The Guardian: "Vermont cafe finds a ban on laptops and tablets...

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Manual Typewriter

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtAhGR0XxKMcSeRjNv2s5e73hao1wSwnm_cpxrQkRgNRIUEtXbwKhx6CyMoJJGrX5wmVZPXvSRQbtdrHhikJZerecAUu8YTQL-UDLxbRiDN4sW0rPv3yaELy1FhyvGccwRneMldx3gB2i/s1600/Olympia_Typewriter.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtAhGR0XxKMcSeRjNv2s5e73hao1wSwnm_cpxrQkRgNRIUEtXbwKhx6CyMoJJGrX5wmVZPXvSRQbtdrHhikJZerecAUu8YTQL-UDLxbRiDN4sW0rPv3yaELy1FhyvGccwRneMldx3gB2i/s1600/Olympia_Typewriter.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My son Frank has a collection of manual typewriters. I painted a portrait of one of them, an Olympia SG-1, the industry standard for office typewriters in the 1950s.  </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As I painted, I had the following thought:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg7g7HtlRseuCdNTfi4XuqJVDfF8_ATpIQniM6HAdUdXx0Avqtkjqno0oKB6uqcAaxxLKXLhK6wHjLuQuTOxcBjy397s3Qxbj-7lfLNHkogg8stRjWbZPo3NkE4Tbv7n7Q4GA1thj-4Gt/s1600/Typewriter.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg7g7HtlRseuCdNTfi4XuqJVDfF8_ATpIQniM6HAdUdXx0Avqtkjqno0oKB6uqcAaxxLKXLhK6wHjLuQuTOxcBjy397s3Qxbj-7lfLNHkogg8stRjWbZPo3NkE4Tbv7n7Q4GA1thj-4Gt/s1600/Typewriter.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/166940192&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here is the sound of that very saying being typed on an Olympia SM-9, a portable version of the SG-1. You can hear the warning bell at the end of each line reminding me to return the carriage.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Z5XKQ8gZnXk" width="450"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Watch a trailer for "<a href="http://youtu.be/Z5XKQ8gZnXk">The Typewriter in the 21st Century</a>"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-----</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.mrmartinweb.com/type.htm">Read about both typewriters at the Typewriter Museum website </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the Guardian: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/15/germany-typewriters-espionage-nsa-spying-surveillance">Germany may revert to typewriters for sensitive documents to counter high-tech surveillance technology.</a></span></div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />And here are links to my new video on watercolor painting:</span><br /><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/watercolor"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"Watercolor in the Wild" HD download: (Credit Card) </span></a><br /><a href="https://sellfy.com/p/Pvxb/"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"Watercolor in the Wild" HD download: (Paypal)</span></a><br /><a href="http://kunaki.com/MSales.asp?PublisherId=136361"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"Watercolor in the Wild" DVD: (NTSC, Region 1) </span></a>

Manual Typewriter

My son Frank has a collection of manual typewriters. I painted a portrait of one of them, an Olympia SG-1, the industry standard for office ...

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Indiana Theater

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nrVdY5cFjVzEs4mODte2PkMz4PL2j73NoWrhCOg7GjBMNgxzWx7Tulb6CFYLFk3pSLZbaCXp9J7e10l7r7jhanabMMbGhvpxwVfUvAQku5x_RJXe7K4YgOoNbD3S2gSlxQBHrqrocboQ/s1600/Indiana_Theater.sm+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nrVdY5cFjVzEs4mODte2PkMz4PL2j73NoWrhCOg7GjBMNgxzWx7Tulb6CFYLFk3pSLZbaCXp9J7e10l7r7jhanabMMbGhvpxwVfUvAQku5x_RJXe7K4YgOoNbD3S2gSlxQBHrqrocboQ/s1600/Indiana_Theater.sm+copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Yesterday I was standing on the sidewalk of Terre Haute, Indiana painting this watercolor of the sign of the <a href="http://indianatheater.com/">Indiana Theatre</a>, when a gentleman came up and identified himself as Rob Lundstrom, the owner.<br /><br />I recorded his greeting. Hopefully this audio will play for you.<br /><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/166450038&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />(<a href="https://soundcloud.com/gurneyjourney-1/indiana-theater-terre-haute">Link to Soundcloud File</a>)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>It took about two hours to paint the image, and while we stood there, we met three other people, all artists. Two of them said they like to draw with their sons.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAU-3i6bsIuWhsEamq4aQjuL6wGMjOA8oO4vxCVIKE67y3sPGaOwt3Z9oGJEhwOcix6Sa_LqUD7PMwXf_BVOTqdcWOZCIRxbNzlLcJDXk0v3Kgj0SOg7tsA_yAcb65P8h2j3kXU4kOI8g/s1600/Indiana_theaterSBS.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAU-3i6bsIuWhsEamq4aQjuL6wGMjOA8oO4vxCVIKE67y3sPGaOwt3Z9oGJEhwOcix6Sa_LqUD7PMwXf_BVOTqdcWOZCIRxbNzlLcJDXk0v3Kgj0SOg7tsA_yAcb65P8h2j3kXU4kOI8g/s1600/Indiana_theaterSBS.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Here are four stages in the process: the pencil drawing, the big base colors, the shadows, and the finer details.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqj-ybiFv78hN7R5jRwxMmYXjMYiYyy1Tw00uoK4uX-deDkDZ3Mkbr5fvax6ItEZhft3OFvICP6vhnagwXNe-GQnvMliRb8pmMi7fPT6dz3CuiVrsCxUWQ26uz_-ScJR1kcBj3feb_ZPv6/s1600/JNT+Indiana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqj-ybiFv78hN7R5jRwxMmYXjMYiYyy1Tw00uoK4uX-deDkDZ3Mkbr5fvax6ItEZhft3OFvICP6vhnagwXNe-GQnvMliRb8pmMi7fPT6dz3CuiVrsCxUWQ26uz_-ScJR1kcBj3feb_ZPv6/s1600/JNT+Indiana.JPG" width="243" /></a></div>Jeanette here: Here's the sketch I did. A pencil lay-in, touches of watercolor with a waterbrush, finished with a Micron pen.  The short lady was squinting into the sun at us for the longest time, free model!<br /><br />Best part was the tour of the inside of the Indiana Theatre. One of the ideas of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Eberson">John Eberson</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_theatre">"Atmospheric Theatre"</a> movement was theming the rooms to the times of day, and making the ceiling of the auditorium feel like the night sky over a fantasy palace courtyard.<br /><br /><a href="http://indianatheater.com/">The Indiana Theatre</a> doesn't do many movies, but the space can be booked for weddings, parties, reunions, and other events.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Indiana Theater

Yesterday I was standing on the sidewalk of Terre Haute, Indiana painting this watercolor of the sign of the Indiana Theatre , when a gentle...

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Modulating Greens in Watercolor

<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="background-color: white; color: #761d15; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.3999996185303px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></h3><div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #612e00; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="background-color: white; color: #612e00; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Blog reader Diego Conte says:<br /><div>"I am a young self taught artist in Spain, and your books are probably the best resource I have ever found. And your watercolour video is amazing. I'm recommending them to every artist I know."<br /><br />"I don't know if there is any article in your blog on this matter, but since there is a chapter on your book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740797719/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0740797719&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=AUQCDL4XDBNEWSRE" style="color: #003366;">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0740797719" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>, I think it is not a bad idea at all to ask this question. How could I establish a good green harmony using watercolours? My mixes always end up looking muddy on the paper when I try to use green... it always look too cool If I need it to be warm or vice versa. I see a lot of great watercolor masters simply avoiding it using ochre or brown colour schemes instead. But I want to be faithful to my subject harmony. I don't know if it is an interesting topic for such a thing as an article, but any short tip or direction would be great."<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 4px; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4bS2w89Ow2njw_DzBTc94X0PkhX6EIcXS8QWn_uuDAa70RS7RftukN7A1R7d-d9HqpyuXK2cy5wn0qIE-VA9aCoTvXyR4iMzk0yCXiMIWB9ISzprud7i92yiijDEW2aqWztlPXMCqphd/s1600/Martin+Rico+Ortega+Watercolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #003366; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4bS2w89Ow2njw_DzBTc94X0PkhX6EIcXS8QWn_uuDAa70RS7RftukN7A1R7d-d9HqpyuXK2cy5wn0qIE-VA9aCoTvXyR4iMzk0yCXiMIWB9ISzprud7i92yiijDEW2aqWztlPXMCqphd/s1600/Martin+Rico+Ortega+Watercolor.jpg" style="border: 0px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.3999996185303px;">Martí<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">n Rico y Ortega, watercolor</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Thanks, Diego. Good question. Greens can be wonderful in watercolor, and it's a good goal to be faithful to nature.<br /><br />The Spanish painter <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Rico%20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mart%C3%ADn_Rico" style="color: #003366;">Martín Rico</a> (1833-1908) is good to look at for how he uses greens. In this one he moves toward the blue-green hues. But it's not the hues, so much as the values that makes it work. He avoids muddiness by organizing the picture into three basic tonal areas: 1. light sky, 2. dark trees, and 3. middle-tone stream bank.</div><div><br />Simple, strong value schemes never look muddy. This is something Rico learned from Daubigny, one of the French Barbizon painters. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqOkEnKw5oIs_QACd3J0hiqWidPCbPb8RqhLkKhyphenhypheneS_sPP_W21pg_1zY6rS9B6JS0rDwbctiSJ-D6IlrMUSg6yXY8UoWuRdhQx1dmjZ78RV6_6yNUeANXDmbSsgT938qkSs8S19P2uBHl/s1600/Martin+Rico+Ortega+Watercolor.det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #003366; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqOkEnKw5oIs_QACd3J0hiqWidPCbPb8RqhLkKhyphenhypheneS_sPP_W21pg_1zY6rS9B6JS0rDwbctiSJ-D6IlrMUSg6yXY8UoWuRdhQx1dmjZ78RV6_6yNUeANXDmbSsgT938qkSs8S19P2uBHl/s1600/Martin+Rico+Ortega+Watercolor.det.jpg" style="border: 0px;" /></a></div><div>Here's a small detail of the same painting. He uses a variety of greens, including blue greens, grey greens, and yellow greens. That doesn't mean he necessarily had a lot of separate green pigments on his palette. It just means he was conscious of varying the chroma and hue of the mixtures. Rico was also interesting in the way he left little white dots on the picture, which gives it a little sparkle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some artists leave green off the palette altogether and mix their greens from yellows and blues, because that way there's always variety in the mixture. In foliage there is variety of green in each leaf, variety in each small group of leaves, and variety from one tree to another, and variety from foreground to background. </div><div><br /></div><div>But all that variety must happen <i>within those simple tonal areas,</i> and that's what's a bit challenging.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vWtteLey7pMePFnBwfxGl-6D7jW1vZFStpRnLgiuopz9JX8403-SQj7Y3k9tK7Uaaf2gWR79dtl794efARXZ4YUraxN1IRZ80t2q396apKjloJN8wJqJFp7jOM1nR4XpW5OwCU8Ll23k/s1600/Palmer_Harry_Sutton1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #003366; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vWtteLey7pMePFnBwfxGl-6D7jW1vZFStpRnLgiuopz9JX8403-SQj7Y3k9tK7Uaaf2gWR79dtl794efARXZ4YUraxN1IRZ80t2q396apKjloJN8wJqJFp7jOM1nR4XpW5OwCU8Ll23k/s1600/Palmer_Harry_Sutton1.jpg" style="border: 0px;" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's another watercolor landscape, this time by an English watercolorist named<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Sutton_Palmer" style="color: #003366;">Harry Sutton Palmer</a> (1854-1933). Even though his range emphasizes yellow-green, he uses a subtle variety of colors, which would be more evident in the original.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One of the secrets to both this painting and the last one is that they chose not to paint a bright blue sky. A bright blue sky behind bright green leaves might look good in a photo, but it can often be deadly in a painting. However, green foliage against sky filled with a high white cloud layer can be very attractive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3S3vi_FUlHElmOLSN62JoImV-Qka_je4LSPEu3GwYTLCd12AAwyWzAbTcPODhf9ART94n6P0Nns-fdHoBGKe66ifRk4tRbEd1IBWkBwbSNv5BGOnDU5psWzr4dBxCqlwsmUlI7Wsk4G4/s1600/Palmer_Harry_Sutton1ontheousebarcombemill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #003366; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3S3vi_FUlHElmOLSN62JoImV-Qka_je4LSPEu3GwYTLCd12AAwyWzAbTcPODhf9ART94n6P0Nns-fdHoBGKe66ifRk4tRbEd1IBWkBwbSNv5BGOnDU5psWzr4dBxCqlwsmUlI7Wsk4G4/s1600/Palmer_Harry_Sutton1ontheousebarcombemill.jpg" style="border: 0px;" width="400" /></a></div>Here's one last watercolor by Harry Sutton Palmer. Those greens are all composite mixtures, and none of them are too high-chroma. They're probably muted quite a bit from what he actually saw. And he obviously worked hard to simplify his values to the general midtone of the leaves, the light sky and distant area, and the dark areas of the tree bases.<br /><br />Diego, I hope that helps. Good luck with your greens. Enjoy them while they remain before autumn and winter come.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Previously on GurneyJourney: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/06/green-problem.html">The Green Problem</a></div>

Modulating Greens in Watercolor

Blog reader Diego Conte says: "I am a young self taught artist in Spain, and your books are probably the best resource I have ever foun...

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Watercolor in the Wild--New Reviews

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Watercolor in the Wild has been getting some wonderful reviews. Here are some excerpts:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8W0zXjQoWB3M5qYpaPY1z8qXiscwpYViAu9GjMmBh5ZWLSHB4jTuQvXslCCg06SO8ooZaEB-PbAyMgk6DDyPs6m50VESyS4nslCbUdobrAsR0rkNBW16h13I5fzlpjEuYC_pixOgnW1M/s1600/ArtBookReviewWWild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8W0zXjQoWB3M5qYpaPY1z8qXiscwpYViAu9GjMmBh5ZWLSHB4jTuQvXslCCg06SO8ooZaEB-PbAyMgk6DDyPs6m50VESyS4nslCbUdobrAsR0rkNBW16h13I5fzlpjEuYC_pixOgnW1M/s1600/ArtBookReviewWWild.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://artbookreview.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/dvd-watercolor-in-the-wild-james-gurney/"><i>Henry Malt, Art Book Review</i></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"...His approach is very interesting. For a start, he allows himself about an hour for a painting. Each demonstration here – there are six, covering buildings, animals, people and landscapes – is edited down to about fifteen minutes and covers all the important bits without leaving you thinking, “hang on, what did he do just then?”. He begins, conventionally enough, with a pencil drawing, but then spends the next thirty to forty minutes putting in tones, values and shading. With a quarter of an hour or less to go, he gets to the detail. That’s not enough, surely? No, not for fine detail, but the point is he’s working on very solid foundations: the subject has structure and substance and he doesn’t paint the detail at all, just suggests what the viewer should be seeing so that they create the finer stuff for themselves. It’s very subtle and, although not unique in itself, certainly unusual in combination with so much preparatory work."</div><br />"The exception to the one hour approach is a painting of a sleeping foal. Young animals are rarely still and only for short periods and this one is no exception. A large chunk of this section is taken up with watching the creature running round, interacting with its mother and eating. Finally, it needs a nap and we get to work. The point of this demonstration is to show how you can capture the essence of a subject if you’ve already understood it before you lift a brush. I like the fact that, once again, James doesn’t tell you this, but shows you."<br /><br />"This is an exceptional piece of work and amazingly good value."<br /><div><a href="http://artbookreview.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/dvd-watercolor-in-the-wild-james-gurney/">Read the rest at ArtBookReview.net</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6OLeaSuLR_kK4pq3Vc07MGPpRUpKdFrhKY_sNTalc8HixivJpjgVITDUg3hp5xPqn0cY-W-in_0mvc8MQs0khvnWmCCFIJegswVnR9D_0r8X6Yvsu15iz44tJi_V3TOZfa3suNHMLWut/s1600/Lines_and_Colors_Parker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6OLeaSuLR_kK4pq3Vc07MGPpRUpKdFrhKY_sNTalc8HixivJpjgVITDUg3hp5xPqn0cY-W-in_0mvc8MQs0khvnWmCCFIJegswVnR9D_0r8X6Yvsu15iz44tJi_V3TOZfa3suNHMLWut/s1600/Lines_and_Colors_Parker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><a href="http://linesandcolors.com/2014/08/29/james-gurneys-watercolor-in-the-wild/">Charley Parker, Lines and Colors</a></i><i> blog</i><br /><div>"Gurney has a relaxed, conversational demeanor throughout — almost as though you had chanced upon him painting, asked about his materials and techniques, and found him more than happy to oblige. This is, of course, a superb approach for an instructional art video.<br /><br />"The video production values are high, particularly in reproducing the sketchbook pages as the paintings progress, with lots of close-up views that show the renderings in detail....<br /><br />"...One of the great things about these instructional videos by Gurney is the wealth of <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/search?q=%22watercolor+in+the+wild%22">supplemental material</a> available on his blog. This includes relevant material from previous posts and <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2014/08/your-questions-about-gear.html">directly related questions</a> answered afterward, all with lots of links to materials suppliers and other relevant resources.<br /><br />"I now have several books and videos by Gurney, as well as being an avid follower of his blog, and I find a kind of synergy between his instructional materials, in that there is a basic underlying philosophy and systematic approach that comes from his considerable experience. I, for one, am hoping Gurney will follow up soon with a similar video on his techniques for opaque water media (gouache and casein). In the meanwhile, I’m finding transparent watercolor more pliant than I thought I would."<br /><div><i><a href="http://linesandcolors.com/2014/08/29/james-gurneys-watercolor-in-the-wild/">Read the rest at Lines and Colors</a></i></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcAaGXQKzYlGqRcE9oDNYOeswsyszEFJeBWahbaj4tXdL1P6wjD4BaYNA2sqtKSnn14kQ3oKz-yuOYsApjFpO_Omv4bjl7OPCfGq_MoFtEC6PWfrMOhGQ1ybRQNQqWapbANexrnTOLcnF/s1600/Jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcAaGXQKzYlGqRcE9oDNYOeswsyszEFJeBWahbaj4tXdL1P6wjD4BaYNA2sqtKSnn14kQ3oKz-yuOYsApjFpO_Omv4bjl7OPCfGq_MoFtEC6PWfrMOhGQ1ybRQNQqWapbANexrnTOLcnF/s1600/Jackson.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><i>Review from Jackson Sze</i><br /><br />"Watercolor in the Wild affords us a privileged look into the working process of a modern day master. James Gurney will inspire you to go out and paint, to try and capture life the way an artist can.With thorough breakdowns of equipment and materials, any artist will be well informed about what he or she needs to get started. The demos are both exciting and educational. As a Landscape Painting teacher, I would highly recommend any artist to watch and learn from Mr. Gurney. Though painting outdoors can be challenging, having this DVD in your collection should provide a constant source of encouragement and motivation."<br />Jackson Sze - Senior Concept Illustrator at Marvel Studios<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jacksonszeart">https://www.facebook.com/jacksonszeart</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pmThncfh3rnBVK-1PoKzDVq79VyZDyfC95YXwSO4NCKl9KD6E4rDHdaAL9S8upncGiqNYQ8yGuITm0USKcQA8CURJZ-IKBUv78CZoJgtIGJ5vrj21wZ08GKXCtSNF39q7J51_m4Vg4zp/s1600/Muddy+Colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pmThncfh3rnBVK-1PoKzDVq79VyZDyfC95YXwSO4NCKl9KD6E4rDHdaAL9S8upncGiqNYQ8yGuITm0USKcQA8CURJZ-IKBUv78CZoJgtIGJ5vrj21wZ08GKXCtSNF39q7J51_m4Vg4zp/s1600/Muddy+Colors.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />"Gurney is an experienced teacher and you can really see that come through here. He is thoughtful and informative, while being very brief and succinct. It's a great companion to his previous DVD “How I Paint Dinosaurs.”  <i><a href="http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2014/08/dvd-review-watercolor-in-wild.html">Read the rest—Dan Dos Santos, Muddy Colors Blog</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyOypmm8mx5paLF8spwgt6JoBt4IcEYYdiwrnuTXkdW4zDYHPgt5ZS1cClEoALhYR0Lbnc9801D4ovbBXzUTOoGUk_n87awIDE8Aq2WX9A_ToiXuozvL6BW95PEA06cyWAWswnvH8rDxx/s1600/Citizen+Sketcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyOypmm8mx5paLF8spwgt6JoBt4IcEYYdiwrnuTXkdW4zDYHPgt5ZS1cClEoALhYR0Lbnc9801D4ovbBXzUTOoGUk_n87awIDE8Aq2WX9A_ToiXuozvL6BW95PEA06cyWAWswnvH8rDxx/s1600/Citizen+Sketcher.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />"I highly recommend the affordably priced download for anyone who wants to learn more about achieving realistic paintings on location." <i><a href="http://citizensketcher.wordpress.com/2014/08/16/announcing-james-gurneys-instructional-video-watercolor-in-the-wild/">—Read the rest—Marc Taro Holmes, Citizen Sketcher/Urban Sketchers.</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GZjku2jR9fKnHg-nTc6uF26KiTYBLg8EmGQG9_kYSRCgaiVJUktnJFP7gCn-Vc2RtK8VcakP2v5fb2u4W98fAvsJAKs5-5UUfgcWgKcRGFz8JjrwHcLkr5QfRiZ_C2w9yd-mW5u_ZXbg/s1600/Studio+Rousar+Sight+Size.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GZjku2jR9fKnHg-nTc6uF26KiTYBLg8EmGQG9_kYSRCgaiVJUktnJFP7gCn-Vc2RtK8VcakP2v5fb2u4W98fAvsJAKs5-5UUfgcWgKcRGFz8JjrwHcLkr5QfRiZ_C2w9yd-mW5u_ZXbg/s1600/Studio+Rousar+Sight+Size.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />“James Gurney’s latest instructional video, 'Watercolor in the Wild,' is an educational and entertaining trip into the mind of one of America’s most respected artist / illustrators." <i><a href="http://www.studiorousar.com/2014/08/22/gurney-in-the-wild/">Read the rest—Darren Rousar, author of Cast Drawing Using the Sight-Size Approach</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingykEv8-mcqGF-aa6yMLCUf318-xdGNqPzk6uQPrZ_t5PlqTwEtqovKmPDtbOl8IzhPprMMgXvL9rDrArTPvMLAd51UikWQtUWFeaRZVQIcnKZtmSCHVXhy0WWrH460BjW3DisMWWXcfa/s1600/Nathan+Fowkes+Watercolor+gouache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingykEv8-mcqGF-aa6yMLCUf318-xdGNqPzk6uQPrZ_t5PlqTwEtqovKmPDtbOl8IzhPprMMgXvL9rDrArTPvMLAd51UikWQtUWFeaRZVQIcnKZtmSCHVXhy0WWrH460BjW3DisMWWXcfa/s1600/Nathan+Fowkes+Watercolor+gouache.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>"James Gurney is making watercolor sketching from life accessible to anyone who's serious about taking on the challenge! (I'm in the process of begging and pleading with my digital students to learn to paint from life.)" <a href="https://plus.google.com/111290228878407270023/posts/P1F9zji2Wqj">—Nathan Fowkes, Animation Artist</a><br /><div>-----</div><div>To purchase the 72-minute video "Watercolor in the Wild":<br /><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/watercolor">HD download: (Credit Card) </a> from Gumroad<br /><a href="https://sellfy.com/p/Pvxb/">HD download: (Paypal)</a> from Sellfy <a class="sellfy-buy-button" href="https://sellfy.com/p/Pvxb/" id="Pvxb">buy</a><script src="https://sellfy.com/js/api_buttons.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><a href="https://sellfy.com/p/WY1j/">BONUS FEATURES (a half hour of additional bite-size inspiration)</a><br /><a href="http://kunaki.com/MSales.asp?PublisherId=136361">DVD: (NTSC, Region 1-North America) </a><br /><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://artbookreview.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/dvd-watercolor-in-the-wild-james-gurney/"></a></div></div></div>

Watercolor in the Wild--New Reviews

"Watercolor in the Wild has been getting some wonderful reviews. Here are some excerpts: Henry Malt, Art Book Review "...His appro...

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Sepia Wash Drawing

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're experimenting with watercolor for the first time, a good way to get some practice is to do a study in sepia. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's a sketchbook page I did while waiting for a train in Italy about 20 years ago.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAK5d7dVHKzIZtwHkkNnwvum1QBmL71ogSgtQxfIQOQSLZDPirJo35YcDFj_NqxTEttav6UHXE3XhgEc92HXIRRdfy83wjjO3MbfXky643Q63RVkTTCym1Q9722QcBOoEM7QkVlyNI2P9d/s1600/Bologna+Lioness.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAK5d7dVHKzIZtwHkkNnwvum1QBmL71ogSgtQxfIQOQSLZDPirJo35YcDFj_NqxTEttav6UHXE3XhgEc92HXIRRdfy83wjjO3MbfXky643Q63RVkTTCym1Q9722QcBOoEM7QkVlyNI2P9d/s1600/Bologna+Lioness.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parco della Montagnola, Bologna, Italy. Sculpture by Diego Sarti</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-pin-do="buttonBookmark" href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/"><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pinit_fg_en_rect_gray_20.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --></div><div style="text-align: center;"><script async="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>By painting monochromatically, you remove the variables of chroma and hue. That lets you concentrate on the basics of the dampness of the paper, the amount of pigment on the brush, and the wetness of the brush. That's enough to think about.<br /><br />Most subjects will call out for a variety of handling, including:<br />1. Large flat areas, such as the background of this painting. (I did that to simplify, or I would have missed my train)<br />2. Wet into wet blends, such as the shadow in the lower right,<br />3. Drybrush, such as along the cat's shoulder and the rock platform.<br />(I missed my train anyway.)<br /><br />Here are three tips:<br />1. Do a fairly careful graphite pencil drawing first. It's especially hard in watercolor to correct mistakes in the initial drawing.<br />2. If you need to erase, test the effect of the eraser on the paper on another page by rubbing the eraser on a patch and running a flat wash over that area. Some erasers leave behind a little oil or grease that can affect a wash. You can erase after the painting is fully dry and avoid this problem.<br />3. When you're ready to paint, make sure you have both a big brush and a little brush, and make sure your watercolor set has a mixing well in case you need to mix a large amount of wash. You don't want to have to stop in the middle of a big wash to mix more.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zVS4J7JRXnktD7fR3cxRLoJXvlJqha18j0IXVdaVLX7t1d6D2LH6SL2Ls3mRBGFV1EA-fnA0H2-l8Foz1Pzyywo9uTHlNmci2z_joqlWWIL4cyQ7-oXGE19ao7lvRerBeX2gNkhuqDrQ/s1600/Guptill_Wash_Drawing.smdet2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zVS4J7JRXnktD7fR3cxRLoJXvlJqha18j0IXVdaVLX7t1d6D2LH6SL2Ls3mRBGFV1EA-fnA0H2-l8Foz1Pzyywo9uTHlNmci2z_joqlWWIL4cyQ7-oXGE19ao7lvRerBeX2gNkhuqDrQ/s1600/Guptill_Wash_Drawing.smdet2.jpg" width="380" /></a></div> In Arthur Guptill's classic 1935 book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PRHJ70/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000PRHJ70&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=QW3K6QVJRBIEQ75W">Color in Sketching and Rendering</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000PRHJ70" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, he demonstrates a few examples of commonplace objects painted in a monochrome watercolor wash. He recommends choosing an object that's white or relatively colorless, like this wooden basket. Painting it in actual sunlight, he noticed the darkness and sharpness of the shadow edge from C to B, the absolute dark accent at A, and the closeness of value at the plane change at (e) inside the basket.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vadCEKapjJKARQmr_t9nOZJk7phdpbcq-trMUDZORzirGDJb8zT09QRFKWv8BXM697EiZYjP9ME-SVs4Db3K7mvUWGg3sBebeNJrj6awmNwzdLERbWSozOxGjJJxne94FspIN-4QE-nZ/s1600/Guptill_Wash_Drawing.smdet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vadCEKapjJKARQmr_t9nOZJk7phdpbcq-trMUDZORzirGDJb8zT09QRFKWv8BXM697EiZYjP9ME-SVs4Db3K7mvUWGg3sBebeNJrj6awmNwzdLERbWSozOxGjJJxne94FspIN-4QE-nZ/s1600/Guptill_Wash_Drawing.smdet.jpg" width="353" /></a></div>This white china cup is an ideal subject because its faceted sides make the stepwise transitions from light to shadow abundantly clear. All these steps can be carefully modulated with the washes, and the process is immensely faster than charcoal. Plus the tones are smoother and purer. But it takes practice to do such an accomplished study, since you have to lay down the tone and leave it: you can't scrub on it or tweak it forever.<br /><br />People through history seem to be conflicted about whether to call such a study a drawing or a painting, so they're often referred to as a "wash drawing." I love the fact that it's on the boundary line between drawing and painting.<br /><br />Instead of sepia, you can use lampblack, ivory black, burnt umber, or Payne's grey, each of which has a slightly different character.<br /><br /><a href="https://sellfy.com/p/Pvxb/">Watercolor in the Wild</a> <a class="sellfy-buy-button" href="https://sellfy.com/p/Pvxb/" id="Pvxb">buy</a><script src="https://sellfy.com/js/api_buttons.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PRHJ70/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000PRHJ70&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=QW3K6QVJRBIEQ75W">Color in Sketching and Rendering</a> by Arthur Guptill (1935) Highly recommended, and it hasn't been reprinted.

Sepia Wash Drawing

If you're experimenting with watercolor for the first time, a good way to get some practice is to do a study in sepia.  Here's a ske...

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