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En Plein Air: Watercolor: Expert techniques and simple step-by-step projects for creating dynamic landscapes in the open air with watercolor
128Overview
- A comprehensive list of what to pack to maximize your time
- How to choose a subject and interpret it for a composition
- How to deal with the challenges of shadows and shifting natural light
- A review of color theory and color mixing
- Tips and techniques for honing your watercolor skills and developing your artistic voice
The collection of step-by-step examples will help you gain new artistic skills as you create unique, dynamic artwork outside the studio. Perfect for artists looking to break outside the norm, En Plein Air: Watercolor is your complete guide to experiencing the unique rewards of painting on location with the invigorating medium of watercolor. Painting outdoors is a rewarding, peaceful experience full of joy, adventure, and persistence. Let the En Plein Air series guide you in your artistic travels as you explore this daring and expressive method of painting, wherever you may be.Also available from the series:En Plein Air: Acrylic and En Plein Air: Light & Color.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781633226166 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Foster, Walter Publishing, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 12/18/2018 |
| Series: | En Plein Air Series |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Sales rank: | 573,823 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.50(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.50(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Drawing Philosophy
Draw all you want, but paint only what you need.
Drawing is the foundation of your paintings. It is the act of observing your three-dimensional subject, and then trying to visually recreate it on a two-dimensional plane using shape, value, and perspective. It is the one thing that can derail your painting from the start, and it is perhaps the most important exercise you will take from this book. I discuss drawing on almost every page — reinforcing the old saying, "You can't hide a bad drawing with a good painting."
In this section, I will show you a few pieces to the puzzle that have helped me see drawing as part of the painting, rather than a hurdle I need to overcome before I put brush to paper.
There is one rule in painting that I have learned to be especially true: "If you want to learn to paint, learn to draw." I am simply carrying on a tradition from the many artists who came before me, particularly those whom I admire and have given me this sage advice.
Drawing is one element that I'm always working on. I consider my sketchbook to be my most valuable tool. The work you do today in your sketchbook will pay dividends later in your finished work. In today's busy world, it is often difficult to find time to complete a painting every day; it's easier to open up your sketchbook and do a quick thumbnail drawing or value study. Spend your time drawing different subjects in different styles and with different media. Learn the fundamentals of basic perspective and how to see your subject well enough that you can recreate its likeness in a sketch. Remember, these are your lines, and they can never be duplicated; and if they originate from a strong foundation, they can never be challenged. This will soon become one of your favorite pastimes. As you develop your ability, you are also developing your artistic fingerprint. This, to me, is perhaps the best reason to be a creative person and should give you the permission to draw your own way. It's what inspires me every time I go to my easel.
Drawing Styles
There are many drawing styles to practice-crosshatching, pointillism, scribbles, etc. My preferred technique is a modified contour drawing. I call this a "controlled scribble." Contour drawing is a technique in which you draw your subject with one continuous line without lifting the pencil from the surface of the paper. This technique is a wonderful way to help soften edges, loosen up, and connect your shapes. In most of my work, my first concern is connecting shapes. With contour drawing you can achieve this easily-it just takes practice.
Start by making a simple shape, say a circle. Now keep your pencil moving and don't lift it off the paper. Move to the side of the circle and draw a square, the whole time never lifting your pencil from the surface. Think of it as a controlled scribble.
What you have done is draw two shapes with a connected the pencil line-but more importantly, you have connected the two shapes in your mind. So when you paint them, you won't hesitate to connect them with a brushstroke, a wash, or by some other means. The reason connecting shapes is so vital in watercolor is because, unlike other media, it is very easy to get caught up in the work and accidentally establish unattended hard edges. This is known as tension. Most artists tend to paint all of their shapes separately, but this can be the kiss of death in watercolor. By connecting these shapes in your drawing, you've created a path to paint.
On Location
When on location, you rarely need to render a finished drawing, because chances are you are just sketching. However, back in the studio, it is tempting to tighten things up and begin to draw more detail than needed. Don't do this! The line quality of a quickly drawn gesture drawing can have unique energy that will help you in your paintings. It is your artistic fingerprint.
The examples on these pages demonstrate what I mean. I have drawn the same composition twice. On this page, at left, each element is drawn separately, as if cut and pasted. On the opposite page, I've drawn the same group of shapes with one continuous series of lines, not hesitating to draw through shapes or even taking the time to complete some shapes. When these lines are filled in, the finished result gives a looser, more intuitive composition.
Loosening Up
All lines are not created equal. When I approach my subject, I ask how I can recreate it with as few brushstrokes as possible. This is also how I approach a drawing. My focus is not the inner detail of my subject, but rather its outside edges. As you spend time drawing, think of how you can create your subject with as few lines and shapes as possible.
By drawing in this way, you are doing several things, including setting the stage for how the painting will feel. Connecting your shapes with one continuous line creates an image with less negative tension, and therefore, when you apply paint it will flow more easily and give a fresher feel. This is the beginning of loosening up and creating exciting watercolors!
Simplify Your Subject
Say I'm painting on location. I've set up and I'm ready to go. I evaluate my subject, sketch my composition, and then finish my drawing. Just before I start painting, a car either parks in front of my subject, or the car that was prominently placed in my composition drives away! These events happen often. My remedy is to simplify the car shape so that I can place one in the composition whenever or wherever I want.
Breaking down and simplifying your subject into as few shapes as possible can help save time on location. It also helps to remember that you really only need to inform the viewer once. If they believe that they are looking at three boats, then you need only be accurate with one. The other boat shapes can be rendered freely. This will not only loosen up your painting style, but it will help add a unique quality to your work.
Perspective & Architecture
Perspective can be confusing at first, but once you have grasped the basic principles, your drawings and paintings will begin to look and feel more authentic. To understand perspective, you have to start with the horizon line, and accept the paradox that it presents when moving from a drawing to a painting (see "Breaking the Horizon" on page 62). The horizon line is not just a line that separates the sky and earth; it is the foundation from and to which everything is either physically or visually connected. It should be placed before attempting to draw anything else.
Artists have one major choice that is completely theirs: the placement or angle of the horizon line. Note that this choice can change the viewer's position. I encourage you to explore the possibilities — they can add drama and excitement to your work. The horizon line should be the first thing you place on your imagined plane when you start a new drawing.
A simple rule for perspective is to trust what you see. If you establish your horizon line and find your vanishing points (VPs), then most of the job is already done. The VP is a point on the horizon where all lines converge. You only need to connect these lines from your structure to the VP or vice versa-whichever way works best for you. Starting from your structure makes more sense, simply because you are originating from the window, door, roofline, etc. But don't worry. Once you get the hang of it this will become a natural part of your drawing process.
Say you are trying to establish the perspective of a building or any parallel horizontal lines within the structure. First you want to find the vanishing points. In this example, we will concentrate only on single-point perspective. Look at one side of the building (the front or left-side view shown below). Think of your VP as a giant pushpin, where all of your perspective lines are strings tied to the point of the pin.
After establishing the horizon line, I like to start at the roofline because it normally has a large value shift between the building and the sky. Value shift is defined as the range of light and dark of two opposing objects. This helps me place the object into my composition. Use a pencil or the handle of your brush to help you follow this line from the top edge of the roof to the horizon. Where these two lines meet is your vanishing point. This line also represents the angle of your roofline. Use this VP to find the angle for your windows, doors or any other architectural detail on the building, but don't stop there. Your VP dictates the lines above and below the horizon. Street curbs, crosswalks, and even cars will be affected by the same VP.
An Overview of Perspective
In real-life, your drawings and paintings will commonly have multiple VPs. It's safe to say that each side of a building, cube, or box will have one. The exception is when you are facing the building straight on. See how the two blue parallel lines will never meet in the single-point perspective figures below.
Vanishing Points in Practice
Here I've simplified the concept by illustrating how all the major lines of the buildings eventually end at one point. I would like to say that this is an absolute with all man-made structures, but I have been proven wrong with creative architecture (think of Frank Gehry) and where buildings have aged and settled over time. That said, use this as a general rule to avoid the major issues you will otherwise experience.
I did this sketch in Florence, Italy, at what is normally a very busy Piazza. I wanted to capture the scale of the archway next to the carnival that was taking place in the far left-hand corner. It is also an example of how perspective and value can work together to draw the viewer's eye to the focal point.
Scale
It is important to know what size an object is in relation to its surroundings. Here are a few examples to keep in mind, so that your proportions look correct in your work.
The average height of a man is 5 feet, 10 inches; the average woman is 5 feet, 4 inches; and the average height of a car is 5 feet. These measurements won't do you much good in the field, so look for other ways to scale objects so they look correct in your paintings. For example, the average car rests under the outstretched arm of an adult male. The seat of a café chair rests at about the same height as your knee, and the height of a table is at about mid thigh of a standing figure. If the figure is sitting, then the table height sits just below the rib cage. The standard doorway is around 7 feet, 6 inches tall, but windows can vary widely in height and width. Find other ways of relating the size of objects in your paintings to avoid issues with scale.
Knowing how to judge the size of your subjects in comparison to their surroundings is important when making those first notes on paper. I like to use a pencil as a quick measuring device. It helps me with the key elements of my drawing, such as figures, cars, café umbrellas, etc.
I hold out my pencil at arms length. Starting at the top of the pencil (eraser end), I find the top of the object and with my thumbnail make a mark on the pencil. I can then easily transfer this to my paper.
Understanding general rules will help the process go much faster. For example, it will help you get the scale correct if you know that a person riding a bicycle and a person standing next to a bicycle are roughly the same height.
These small but important details will help you draw objects so they don't look out of scale. You'll pick them up as you become more experienced.
Cars
It is hard to imagine not seeing a car in your everyday life. The automobile is a shape that most of us will see hundreds, if not thousands, of times a day. In some situations, vehicles will outnumber humans two to one. I'm referring to parking lots, sporting events, and freeways. Unlike the human figure, automobiles are much easier shapes to draw.
BASIC SKETCH This is a basic sketch of cars parked on the side of the street. Remember, I'm only trying to depict one. If I do that successfully, your eyes will understand and "fill in" the others.
ATMOSPHERE A row of cars is a perfect example of how to create atmosphere using these shapes.
CARS WITH REFLECTIONS This is not only a great way to depict a reflective surface, but the reflections and shadows also help ground your shapes.
CARS TO SCALE Pay attention to the scale of your shapes in relation to each other. Here, note the height of the people next to the car.
CARS LIT FROM ABOVE One of the more effective ways to create mood and light is to highlight the top and shadow the base.
In most of my compositions, cars are usually placed to fill in space, create atmosphere, and to break up tension. Here are some examples of vehicles that have been cropped out of their original paintings, so that you can view them in isolation.
CARS IN SHADOW The simplicity of a few lost-and-found lines may be all you need to convince the viewer.
ONE IN SHADOW Having one shape connected to a large shadow creates an interesting tension point between the large shadow and the smaller shape grabbing the light.
CARS EMERGING FROM SHADOWS It can be effective to grab a portion of the vehicle to help connect it to its surroundings.
Drawing Figures
No subject is more challenging in drawing and painting than the human figure. Unless the figures are sitting for long periods, you rarely have the time to capture the entire shape. Train yourself to draw quickly to emphasize the things you notice. For example, it might be how the legs are positioned when a figure is shifting weight. Remember, like any other object in your painting, the human figure is just a series of shapes.
Taking a life-drawing class is time well spent and can help you understand the human figure better. For now, here are some basic rules that you can use on location to help you create a believable gesture to fit into your paintings.
When the shoulder line moves up on one side, the waist line on the opposite side also moves up.
As the figure picks up speed, the arms become engaged.
When the figure shifts weight to one leg, it shouldn't feel out of balance. The leg connected to the ground should be in line with the head.
In the running pose, the figure's arms and legs separate from the body to give a greater sense of motion.
As the figure begins to walk, notice how the front leg stays straight and the back leg curves below the knee.
For the sitting pose, make sure you add gravity. We are constantly moving from one sitting position to another. To indicate this, drop the head into the shoulders and foreshorten the legs.
There are two common issues when drawing figures on location:
1. The figures aren't connected to the painting.
2. The drawing of the figure seems to be overworked and overdrawn. This comes from insecurity about how to draw these shapes. Here's the basic rule of drawing the figure: The shoulders and the waist are connected! When the shoulders are drawn flat, the waist line also needs to be flat.
Now that you have a basic idea of how I draw figures, here is an example of a more finished drawing (below center) next to how I would draw the same figure for a painting (below left) and the painting of that figure (below right).
Notice that the simplified sketch has more gestural energy than the more finished drawing. This allows more artistic license to paint the figure my way. It keeps a likeness of the actual figure but has not become caught up in detail.
Connecting Figures to Your Painting
No more cut-and-paste figures! When painting figures, cars, buildings, or other objects, you don't want to be too cautious around the edges. If you isolate them, you'll be left with hard, white edges that give the figure an unintentional outline, separating it from everything else in the painting, and bringing unintended tension. Here, in my painting A Hot Day in Nice, notice how the figures come in and out of the shadows — yet they are all connected.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "En Plein Air: Watercolor"
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Copyright © 2018 BlueRed Press Ltd..
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Table of Contents
Drawing, 6,
Drawing Philosophy, 8,
Drawing Styles, 10,
Perspective & Architecture, 16,
Drawing Figures, 28,
Painting on Location, 32,
Getting Started, 34,
Equipment, 36,
Setting Up, 39,
Adapting to the Conditions, 40,
Painting from Photographs, 41,
Brushes, 42,
Paint, 45,
King Street Station Step-by-Step, 46,
Composition & Tension, 50,
Placing Your Subject, 52,
Simple Shapes, 56,
Tension, 60,
Color & Value, 64,
The Color Wheel, 66,
Color Washes, 72,
Color vs. Gray, 78,
Color Swatches, 82,
Nice Marina Step-by-Step, 84,
Tips & Techniques, 88,
Developing Techniques, 90,
Shadows, 91,
Reflections, 92,
Perspective, 94,
Breaking Tension, 95,
Detail, 96,
The Artist's Voice, 98,
Define Your Voice, 100,
Intersection in Prague Step-by-Step, 106,
Individual Style, 112,
Sketchbook to Studio, 114,
Sketching, 116,
Sketchbooks, 118,
Interiors, 123,
Hotel Negresco Step-by-Step, 124,
About the Author, 128,
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