Unconventional Watercolor Selfie" Portrait Workshop

We are into our 3rd week of 5 classes and all of the students are creating some remarkable portraits!

A Review about Painting Water

Painting All Aspects of Water for all Mediums by: E. John Robinson  (available at the Sandy Library)

I’ve only just begun to read the first chapter in this book and I have already fallen in love with the author.  He’s very knowledgeable in the characteristics of water and how it behaves.  I will share with you a few things I have learned about water that I can relate to even though I never studied the qualities of water.

1.      Water is always level on the ground.  It can be diagonal, or vertical in appearance if it is a waterfall or rain runoff.

2.      Water changes it’s physical shape to fit into certain spaces.

3.      Water is a reflecting agent much like a mirror or sheet of glass

4.      Water is often transparent and it can move with gravity

5.      Shallow water of a lake is more transparent than deeper waters of an ocean

6.      The surface of the water reflects a path of light that:  ALWAYS comes towards the viewer.  If it goes off in another direction, it leads the viewer’s eye right out of the painting.

7.      It reflects the colors above and below it depending on how shallow it is

8.      A mirror image reflection:

a.       Carries the colors, values and shapes of the objects it is reflecting

b.      If the object, such as a rock, is slanted, the reflection can be refracted into a different direction

c.       The size of the object equals the reflection on the water, however, you do not measure the objects reflection from the bank of a river, but from the base of the object itself, towards the water.  i.e. a tree measures from the base to the top=3”, the reflection will measure 3” from the base of the object down into the water.  Which basically means; you may only see 1” of the objects reflection.  The other 2” maybe a shadow or nothing at all.

d.      The reflection should be an exact duplicate of the object if the water is completely smooth

9.      A slanted object, such as the hull of a ship, reflects in the opposite direction, but moves towards the viewer.  The water “sees” more of the hull than the viewer, so the reflection will be extended and have more details than what the viewer sees from above.

10.  Rippling water distorts the reflection but is measured exactly the same as “C” above.  However, the refection will be quite different in appearance.  Edges of the reflections become wavy and darker values can begin to mingle with lighter ones.  Strong ripples introduce only the sky and background colors, very little, if any detail.

11.  Extended Reflections or bouncing, choppy water reflections caused by waves in the water, will bounce the reflection on top of the water, but introduce darker sky colors between the waves.  Here the darker values and lighter values can completely reverse or be together creating more interest.

12.  Choppy waters may be in isolated locations or over the entire painting creating lost and found edges which allow the sky color or colors from below the water to mingle, depending on the depth of the water.

13.  The color of an object is nearly identical to the reflection if the water is smooth.  Choppy water can distort the colors quite a bit.  i.e. white becomes a faded, soft yellow in appearance. 

14.  Scattered light dancing over the water creates interest, but a glare is when a wave reflects intense light directly into the viewer’s eye.  It is a concentration of light, not sparkles dancing.  i.e. larger white areas versus a splattered effect.  Reserve white areas to suggest the movement of water in shallower waters.  Especially around rocks, where the water moves in and out and around the base of the rocks.
15.  Water holds the reflected shadows of an object, directly below the object such as boulders and fallen tree trunks.  

Most of this information we already know from experience, but when listed like this, it refreshes our memories.  Hope these notes help you with your painting water in the future.  I will add more notes as I continue reading this wonderful book.  

Rob Adamson

Rob Adamson is one of our local artists who has developed a dramatic way to express himself in his paintings.  He calls this technique the "Radiant Point."  If you would like to see more of Rob Adamson's amazing work, check out his website by clicking on his name,

Why am I telling you about him?  The Utah Watercolor Society is offering a Mini-Two Day Workshop September 11-12th.  Cost is: $125 for members and $160 for non-members.  For more information, or to register for this workshop, visit UWS.

Accidents Happen

 Every once in awhile we experience the unplanned.
In the first image of the cat, which is a work in progress, dark streaks appeared across the left side of the face.  Obviously wet paint came into contact with a hand, a sleeve, a rag, something.  Instead of ruining the painting these streaks appear to be a part of the painting.  They can be viewed as whiskers.  A happy accident!
In Vivian case, it was her dog that tried to eat the delicious colors off the paper.  A sad accident but not an unhappy ending.  Vivian's painting could become a collage!

February Meeting & Demo

Maggie shared a demo on painting portraits at the Sandy Watercolor Guild last night to a room full of members.  ( I couldn't get a picture of the whole room, so this is perhaps a third of the attendance.)

David Lobenberg was the style we learned for painting wet, loose, bold brushstrokes.  His DVD is available on his website.  (I'll try to find a link to his website and post it here for you.)  Website:  you will need to look up davidlobenbergart.com   (Sorry I'm experiencing technical difficulties in posting this link.)  His DVD is $45 but you might be able to get a copy locally from Colleen Reynolds.  (David also has a DVD for a pen & wash technique but I didn't find a price.)

Kay Adair did this beautiful portrait of her grandson in a monotone color palette which is amazingly real to life.

Spring Show Reception

A gentle reminder for everyone, there is no meeting tonight for the Sandy Watercolor Guild.  Instead we are having our Spring Show Reception, starting at 6:30! 

Sandi's Friday Group

Usually I remember to take photos of our gatherings, but I was so immersed in the still life drawing project that I totally forgot.  So, this week I will share my finished version of the arrangement. 
Sandi has a distinctive wet in wet painting technique and I wish I could paint like her.  Maybe some day, I will certainly continue to try.  But, in the meantime, my style is glazing because as a newbie to this medium, it is what I learned first.  Building my colors from the lightest to the darkest while trying to leave the white of the paper is no easy feat and I am still struggling with it.  Thank goodness we have masking fluid! 

Poured Paint by Maggie

At our February Guild meeting, Maggie demonstrated a style of painting that I have always found intriguing; Poured Paint in a Lian Quan Zhen style.  While it was kind of messy, it sure was fun!  Maggie demonstrated this technique, by pouring the primary colors onto her watercolor image and letting them bleed together on the paper.  Once this was dried, she began the negative painting to bring out the image she had chosen for this demo, grapes.  A fun technique and if you missed the meeting this past Thurs. you can catch some of Lian's videos on youtube.  Or check out his books at the library!

Chinese Brushwork Workshop hosted by Virginia

If you didn't attend Virginia's recent workshop on Chinese Brushwork, you missed out on a wonderful, fun filled day.  Virginia opened her home to us and her amazing studio space was perfectly arranged to accommodate those of us who had the opportunity to join her.  She even had decorated this space for the Chinese New Year and provided a delectable luncheon that Suzan, Maggie and Karla helped to prepare.  (Thank You Ladies-it was Delicious!)
The workshop was extremely relaxed and you knew you were in a friends inviting home the whole time.  The feeling of being welcome was always present.  Virginia was a gracious host and her teaching methods for this difficult style of painting were helpful and encouraging.  There was no stress, just simple brush strokes, combined to create some amazing watercolor paintings.  These paintings were created by Karla: Thank You for Sharing them with us!
The first one is the Chrysanthemum and the one below that is the plum blossom.

January Meeting Highlights

We had a fantastic turnout for our guest artist: Ian Ramsey last night!  I didn't count heads, but I would venture to guess there were around 25+ people who got the opportunity to watch Ian demonstrate his gifted painting talents.  His 35 years of experience clearly shows in his comfortable style and method of applying color.  A wonderfully relaxed atmosphere surrounded all the viewers and Ian keep us enthralled.  More to come after we participate in his Saturday workshop.

On other notes: a few people brought Show N' Tell based on the Jan. challenge.  Just a few words about these challenges:  they are just for fun!  If you want to play along, great!  If you want to explore painting options that are not in your usual bag of tricks, great!  If you have the time to play along, great!  If you don't play, that's Okay too and if you would like to bring something you are working on to share with us, that's great too!
The February Challenge will be up soon. 

Thanks everyone for getting those dues paid and for signing up for Virginia's February workshop-Celebrating Chinese New Year.  (Year of the Horse)  If you have never tried this unique style of painting, now is a wonderful time to experience it with friends. 

Reminder: The Sandy Senior Center is closed this coming Monday for Martin Luther Kings Day.

One more important thing to mention:  On the right side of this blog, in the section called the "sidebar", please note I have added a page titled: Our Bylaws-2014.  Please take a moment to click on this title and read the information.  It covers our Mission Statement, Membership, Leadership, etc.  Thanks!

Just A Reminder

This is just a friendly reminder about Ian Ramsay's demo Thursday night, Jan. 16th at 6:30  at the Sandy Senior Center. He is one of our favorite artists and you won't want to miss him.
You know our regular meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of each month (except for July and December for summer & winter breaks).  These meetings are free and open to the public. So if you have a friend who might be interested in art/watercolor painting, please invite them to join us.
*Reminder:  The annual membership fees of $15 are due...so please bring your check (made out to SSCAC....that's Sandy Senior Center Advisory Council if you want to write it out.)
We also need you to check the accuracy of your info. and update any changes to your email, phone numbers, address, etc. so that we can contact you. We only use your info for club business and never share it with anyone.
* Our next workshop is Virginia Kimball's, "Come Celebrate Chinese New Year" on Feb. 13th from  10:00am to 4:00pm at Virginia's home in Sandy. The fee is $35 for members and $40 for non-members. This workshop will include a Chinese Buffet Lunch.  Virginia is hosting this workshop at her home and she will have the address available with other information at the Thursday meeting.  Please reserve your seat/place by signing up and paying for this fun and exciting workshop at our Thursday night meeting.
The monies we collect from fees and workshops helps to support our club activities, and allows us to offer more guest artists and have a wider variety of workshops/demos.  These fees also allow us to host an annual Christmas Party for all of our members. 
* Maggie Harrison is chair of our annual "Spring Show 2014",  a non-juried watercolor exhibit of members & non-members art.  (See blog post below for updates and show rules).  Maggie is going to need help for this event, so please sign up to help her with this huge endeavor.  All help will be greatly appreciated. 
See you Thursday night!
Suzan

PS-If you have completed the January "Challenge" Art-Using a Palette Knife-(See post below), please bring your artwork to the meeting for Show N' Tell.  This photo is of a "3rd attempt" at this challenge using a different image.  I'm enjoying the process so I will keep playing around with it for awhile longer but I have another challenge (February) that will be posted soon! "Contour Drawing"   It's all for fun so if you don't have time to participate, that's Okay-you may be able to in the future.  Cindy

Something New!

You are cordially invited to a local "Paintout", hosted by Maggie Harrison, our esteemed President this Saturday, Jan 11th from 10 AM to Noon.  Maggie is the paintout coordinator for the Utah Watercolor Society along with Linda Flannery.  This Sat. Trolley Square has been selected as the place to paint and while it isn't a busy shopping mall, it is warm and cozy.  Lots of inspiration from the beautiful lobby windows, to the tile floors, window dressing & shelves of shoes.  Come and have some fun, painting, a'pleine air! 
Everyone is meeting on the south side (6th St.) through the double doors inside the lobby.  Bring your paints, paper, brushes, etc. and plan on having a good time! 
Not a member of the UWS-no problem, you are still encouraged to come and join the fun. 

Photo: Courtesy of: Cindy Powell

Monday Paint Group

We had a good turn out this week and here are a sampling of what was being worked on by the members.  Each of the images has the name of the artist who created the work.  Enjoy!

 

More From the Monday Paint Group

 

Leo-I am having a few issues with my computer this morning-it will not let me upload your other beautifully illustrated pot. 






















 
 
 
 







I just loved Julie's Brush Carrier and she agreed to let me share a photo of it with you.  Pretty awesome!

Book Review by: Cindy Powell

I recently read Linda Kemp's newest book shown here and while it was geared to negative painting techniques, it also had a lot of other interesting topics, such as: color theory, composition, design elements & principles, and making color choices based on value, hue or intensity.  Linda explores these and many other concepts in depth and provides some beautiful paintings along with exercises/challenges for you to do.  For beginner/intermediate artists who want to further explore the opportunities that watercolor painting offers. 
Tip: "Convert a color wheel into a gray scale wheel and you will clearly see where all the true colors lay on a gray value scale."  Great tip!!

"Whether you work with positive or negative shapes, the size & shape of the subject is established at its edges...." Linda Kemp  She is explaining how the edges are important in your painting, whether they are soft or hard, lost or found, they determine what the viewer sees.   

A Quote from a Fellow Artist

"I didn't clean my paint palette and I feel like a real painter now."  Vivian
I think we can all relate to how Vivian felt because not too long ago I felt the same way.  I love a painters palette that still has paint all over it.  There is just something about this that I find comforting, yet I like the look of a freshly cleaned palette that is waiting to be used.  What about you?  Do you like a clean palette or one that shows you've been having fun?
 

Monday Paint Group

On Monday afternoons, over at the Sandy Senior Center, watercolor artists unite to enjoy a peaceful, quiet afternoon, painting and enjoying each others company.  Today we had a handful of people show up, due to the hectic holidays, but here are a few of the paintings that were created today:


This first image is a project Yvonne is working on for Sandi Olson's Friday Morning Class.  It's held at the South Jordan Senior Center between 11400-10600 S. on Redwood Road, 10 to Noon the first & last Fridays of each month.  Sandi also teaches Oil Painting on Tues. at the same building. 














The second painting was created by Jim and it reminds me of the mountains we all see everyday to the east of us.  The third image was also created by Jim and this one reminds me of the trees surrounding Lake Tahoe. 
































Bonnie did this adorable cats!  Bonnie also teaches here locally at Indian Hills Middle School "Art for Children (Ages 6+) on Tues. 6-7 beginning Jan. 14th and she teaches Art for Tiny Tots (Ages 3-5) at the same school but from 5:00- 5:30 & 5:30 -6:00 beginning Jan. 14th.  Cost is $30 for the 6+ and $20 for the other class + a $15 material fee paid directly to Bonnie at the first class.  For on-line registration: Canyons Community Education or register at the Community Ed Office at: 825 E. 9085 S. Room 107 on Jan. 6th-7th & 8th from 9-4 only. 










This final image is one I am working on but since I didn't have the right supplies with me, I ended up using a gold gel pen (which will be spritzed with water for the visual effect) and I will add some gesso to the dew drops later. 

So if you are 60+, we would love to have you join us!  Every Monday except Holidays, from 1-3 at the Senior Center located at: 9310 S. 1300 E. in Sandy.

 

Ian Ramsey's SOLD OUT Workshop

If you have signed up for the "SOLD OUT" "Ian Ramsey's Workshop" on Jan. 18th and you need an 11" x 15" image for your drawing, please e-mail me at: artists4ever@gmail.com (Cindy Powell) and I will e-mail you the image on 2 sheets as an attachment, so you can print them out & tape them together.  (No need to go buy an enlargement unless you don't have a printer).  I will also be bringing a few copies of these image sheets to the Senior Center on Monday afternoon, during the painting group.  Let me know if I need to bring extras. 
Thank you Yvonne for getting your software working and sending me the information about Ian's workshop!  I will have a printed copy of the enlarged image for you on Monday.   
The supplies needed are:
1. A Jug of Water-a waste water bucket will be supplied, 2. The image provided, "lightly" sketched in pencil at a size of 11" x 15" or larger on good quality paper-please secure this to a board, 3. a variety of watercolor brushes and the following pigments: cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, sap green, thalo green, yellow ochre, permanent yellow deep, carbazole violet, quinacridone rose, cadmium red, burnt sienna, burnt umber, raw sienna and quinacridone gold.  (Or similar colors).
The library does not permit food in the room so we will be taking an hour for a "lunch break". 
*NOTE: Ian will have some of his paintings available to purchase!  So bring those checkbooks!  :-D
 

Watercolor Wisdom-Book Review by Cindy Powell

“Watercolor Wisdom” by: Jo Taylor AWS

I found this book in my local Sandy library but I am currently looking for this book to add it to my private reference library.  It’s a must have!  Here is a sampling of what you can find in its pages of wonderful information:

Mixing warm and cool blacks!  Oh yeah-how many of us know how to mix black?  We all do, but do we know which colors to mix for a warm black and which for a cool?  We are often told not to mix our pigments in a 50-50 ratio, but Jo Taylor recommends it when mixing a warm black. 

Which pigments should we use to create harmony in our paintings?

Which color(s) should dominate?
How do you approach an abstract to create balance and unification in the composition?
What tools can be used to create wonderful textural effects in watercolor?  (Besides the ones we all know about).
What resists can be used with water media/watercolor?
How can you stamp an image with watercolor pigment and make it adhere to the paper?
What composition should you use?  Can you combine them?  (Yes!)
What does “Gradation of Color” mean?
How can you use a palette knife to create a wonderful quick painting?  (See our Jan. Challenge!)
How do you “Monoprint” using watercolor pigments?
When planning a painting what options should you consider for the best visual effects for your viewers?  What are the principles that can be used?  What should be the emphasis-vertical or horizontal layout? 

These questions and a whole lot more are answered in this one unique book along with several fun experiments for you to try. 

I will simply say again, this is a must have book for any artist who wishes to incorporate or experiment with mixed media/watercolor. 

“In the test of time, a piece of art must stand on its own.  The artist is not present to explain, radiate enthusiasm or identify the subject.”  Jo Taylor

Are You Ready for a Challenge?

I've asked several of the members of the Guild if they would be interested in participating in monthly painting challenges and the response was very encouraging, so I created a painting challenge for January 2014.  If you have time, please join us for some fun monthly challenges.  I will try to make them as diverse as possible, so that everyone can play along.  Please bring your results to our January meeting on the 16th for a quick Show N' Tell.  Remember, Ian Ramsey will be our guest speaker!

Painting with a Palette Knife Experiment by: Cindy Powell

Notice I said experiment in the title of this challenge-the results I managed to accomplish were random and unpredictable.  I think that is why I love this technique so much.  No two paintings would be the same.  Each painting will be unique to the individual artist, so please, if you have time, take a few minutes to do this experiment and bring your results to our Jan. meeting for Show N’ Tell on January 16th. 

I have provided a pencil drawing for those who would simply like to trace the “Hose bib” as I have drawn it, using graphite paper or you can use it as a reference for your own drawing or you can go to this website: SplashingPaint to download the original image.  Notice this is the link to the download page, so check out the other free tutorials offered.  (We may use this site again in the future as there are a few good free tutorials here).  The tutorial given is for the use of a limited palette, my version is using the image provided, but with a different set of instructions that I found in a wonderful book titled: “Watercolor Wisdom” by Jo Taylor AWS from our local Sandy Library.  (Book Review Coming Soon!)

First draw the image on your watercolor paper-and this doesn’t have to be perfect-a quick sketch will do just fine!  Make some changes if you like or use another image of your choice.  Right click the image below for a full sized image to download or print.

Select your color palette:  I was using a cheap Master’s Touch Travel Palette so I have no idea what colors I was actually using.  Blue, Red, Purple was what I had available.  Wet your pigment with a spray bottle of water, or whatever method you use to wet your pigments and using a palette knife, pick up some pigment on the tip of the knife and apply it to your image.  Your paper should be dry at this point.  (You may want to EXPERIMENT with how wet you want your pigment at this stage.  Very dry pigment seems to cause more problems and is harder to work with.) (You may also want to dampen your paper with a sponge-the choices are all yours!)

Once your pigments are where you want them, load a 1” flat brush with clean water and start to apply really wet washes everywhere you applied the pigment.  Tilt your paper and let the water & pigments run.  Let it dry to see if you need to repeat the steps. 

Personally, I was not happy with my results so I applied more pigment to darken the blues and purples. 

When I repeated the step to apply the pigment, I used very wet pigment with a very wet brush and simply let it run.  Very loose and very free flowing.  This is the end result of my experiment and I look forward to seeing your experiment at Show N’ Tell.  Have Fun!  :-D Cindy