Ref 933 Experimenting with different textures
First exercise.- with modeling paste, and soluble graphite applied with brush, to sketching over it, then fixed and completed with watercolor, all over rough watercolor paper;

 

Ref 934; Texturing with soluble graphite applied with brush, to sketching over it, fixed and completed with watercolor also over rough watercolor paper plus White gouache to reinforce light sourcing

 

 Ref 935; Underpainting with markers, iridiscent medio, watercolor and White gouache to highlight

 

 

Ref 936; The underpainting is made with a charcoal pattern, powdered charcoal slides off of a pool of water but it adheres to dry paper next spray the area lightly with a pump sprayer this help to set the texture, now rinse off the entire paper with clear water and let the paper dry for watercolor application

 

 

 

Ref 938; Watercolor markers & watercolor brush over cold press paper

 

 

Ref 939; diluted powder graphite; rinsed and fixed; then watercolor

Note probably gouache Works better

 

 

Ref 940; Diluted powder graphite; masking just over dark siluetes, blue and White drops added with toothbrush, laca fixed and then withe and blue again but now with brush in selective áreas to show directional water flow 

 

 

 

Ref 932;.-Pastel---- Portrait w/ monochrome color - pastel pencil

PASTEL Pencils vs Regular color pencils?
They are completely different. Pastel pencils are like skinny little hard pastels -- comparable to the texture of Cretacolor Pastel Carre or color Conte or any of the medium-hard narrow square pastels, within a range. They're powdery, they handle like pastels, smudge like pastels and blend like pastels. They are very useful with other sorts of pastels for detailing, cleaning up hard edges, blending soft edges, undersketching or even doing entire passages without changing the matte, powdery pastel look of the piece.

Regular colored pencils are waxy and dense. They have a texture more like a pencil, ranging in hardness from about H to very super soft like an 8B pencil. Some are made with oil in the composition and work well with oil pastels in the same way pastel pencils work well with pastels, for detailing and edging.

Either type of pencils can be used alone of course. But pastel pencils even used alone will result in a pastel drawing.
Regular colored pencils don't even smudge as easily as graphite pencils either, while pastel pencils smudge like pastels.

So that's the difference -- 
(Dark blue and dark brown colors are very good for monochrome sketching to test a pencil's quality and texture)
I tried a monochrome portrait with black color over greenish strathmore series 500, but in a next issue I´ll do with prismacolor pencil to check on results

Ref 931.- Design & Creativity Section (D002) .--  Moto GP Design

                  “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

Ref 930;.- Watercolor How to loosen up .- tips

The key to paint in a more impressionistic style, is to focus on the most abstract shapes within the image and to leave out those things that are uneccessary to the composition.
Some tips;
Get away from local color, make choices, be free
Move elements around. take liberties
Change formats.- try an intimate window or long horizontal format
Keep you art supplies ready
Paint larger with larger brushes
Stand up and paint in a low flat table
Work wetter, and prepare cups of premixed paint
Work faster
Stop before you think you are done, trust your viewer is intelligent and can fill in the missing information
Good design and composition will help, design gives greater clarity to the voice you are expressing.- it includes unity, balance, rhythm, and proportion
and the painter will use tools such as color, value, shape and line as your style of expression



                                    "Art Takes Nature as its Model"

Ref 929;.- Mixed Media.- Gouache and Pastel

This effect produce a chalky surface

In order to make this painting first I sketch the shadow´s  figure, with dark gouche diluted and from there I start to add pastel 

 

 

 

I fixed the pastel with laca fixative in spray, and after dry I start to add gouache color with a round brush, following you can see the final effect, all over Strathmore yellow colored paper

 

 

Ref 928;  Mixed Media.- Molding Paste / watercolor / pastel

This is a new try out in order to take advantage of previous Works

Modeling paste; is a thick “pasty” white substance that can create a controlled textural surface. Molding paste is an opaque white when it dries, and this is the base of my next painting


This is the final result of this process:

Golden makes several types of molding paste. The ones that I use are molding paste, light molding paste and hard molding paste. The light has a very light foamy sort of texture and does look a bit different from the others. It is also a bit more flexible than the other two pastes, making it better for altered book pages that are going to get moved about a bit more. It is also good for very large works of art. The work will have less overall weight. This product can also be used as a lightweight “filler” for paints. It has a more absorbent surface than the others and so I can use it with thinner paints as well as pastels .- I mixed with watercolor (as underpainting ans also as undershaping with spatula application )to start shaping  basically the Cliff crevices

This part of my process is new; because with a wet small spatula
and before my painting get dry I start to scratch taking color, lifting in out pressing with a paper towel, different amount of color can be removed by varing the pressure

 

After completely dry again I´m adding a new layer of molding paste (yellow colored) to conform and sculpt the lightest zones of the cliff 

 

 

 

I´m playing with watercolor now, to shadow and light the different zones until be satisfied

 

 

Now with pastel the color will be more uniform in the lightest zones and also I can add blue and Green to the foreground to colored the rocks and make textural effects

During the final stages, lay strong patches of heavily applied pastel on rocks to develop color contrast and textural detail  

 

Ref 926; watercolor markers & brush .- Representing movement

Movement is the creation of a sense of flow through a painting which turns it from passive to a dynamic .- When creating movement in a painting, think about the choreography of the process, what you are revealing to the audience, what is being left to the imagination. A painting should be a question, not an answer. Calling to the audience's imagination allows different viewers to interact in different ways, which is why it’s recommended you always leave something unsaid in a painting, to give the audience the chance of a unique interaction

The artist is a conductor, bringing the viewer’s eye through the painting using a myriad of techniques which give the painting a feel of motion, either through space, or time, or even emotion. Movement can be given in a painting through a strong fundamental image, say the flowing of a river; by the light of a gentle evening sun, which implies the passing of a day; or through the emotion of a portrait embellished by surrounding iconic symbolism, that shows how the figure arrived at that feeling. Movement can also be achieved through the effect of growth or decay. A vibrancy that infuses the subject, and says to the viewer, this is life, this is motion
Movement can be indicated by the flow of objects in the painting, their arrangement and pattern; through the use of perspective. Movement can be implied by the direction that figures face -- a passive painting would have a synergistic grouped direction, whereas randomness in the direction of figures will give a wildness, and energetic vitality to a painting
For a composition take in account: The main following 8 elements

Unity: Do all the parts of the composition feel as if they belong together, or does something feel stuck on, awkwardly out of place?

Balance: Having a symmetrical arrangement adds a sense of calm, whereas an asymmetrical arrangement creates a sense of unease, imbalance.
 
Movement: There many ways to give a sense of movement in a painting, such as the arrangement of objects, the position of figures, the flow of things.
 
Rhytm: In much the same way music does, a piece of art can have a rhythm or underlying beat that leads and paces the eye as you look at it. Look for the large underlying shapes (squares, triangles, etc.) and repeated color. 
 
Focus (or Emphasis): The viewer's eye ultimately wants to rest of the "most important" thing or focal point in the painting, otherwise the eye feels lost, wandering around in space.
 
Contrast Strong differences between light and dark, or minimal,

Pattern An underlying structure, the basic lines and shapes in the composition.

Proportion: How things fit together, big and small, nearby and distant

For my following painting;  did use directional brushstrokes, using long sweeping strokes that follow a certain direction with a flat dry brush allowing light interaction

                            “Time is a game played beautifully by children.”

Ref 925.- Watercolor-- Metallic Iridiscence to evoke an atmospheric  mood


         
Watercolor typically dries duller and much lighter than when the paint is first applied.  By adding metallics, your artwork is allowed to catch the light and reflect its beautiful colors. There are many options available on the market to achieve this shimmery look.  ---Add some metallics and let your art shine! 
Examples to take in account
1. Eyeshadow - can be used similarly to the PearlEx Metallic Powders.  
2. Actual glitter - tends to "flake" off the paper after the paint has dried.  Glitter will get all over your studio and cause such a mess! 
3. Nail polish - don't even try it! 
4. Gold leaf - great if you want a strong separation of gold.  Excellent for pattern work. 
5. Liquid gold - also great for pattern work.

Of course there are many options available that I have yet to try.  You should try everything and see which one is better suited to your painting style

This is the result of this process intent;

                        "The dance is over, the applause subsided
                     but the joy and feeling will stay with you forever"

Main Steps;
I did a negative painting from a light sketch made with watercolor pencil, --the meatallics are basically mixed within the red color also I made two dillusions to start making contrast into the figure

I need to work wet on dry to define the main features to work with
 

 

A close up, of my main color pool

 

 

I reinforce impigmentation into the background before block in the figure

 

 

Now I start to use colors to complement the idea, transparent watercolor Works better in dark zones and sometimes I use opaque colors to highlight brights

 

 

Final stage and cut it out

 

 

 
Notes and observations:
 --- Is better used as a glaze over existing dry colors.  When this paint is dry, it gives a more plastic appearance to your watercolor. 
---  I couldn´t define the face in the first try, that´s why the lack of definition and lack of contrast
---  I need to express movement within this type of themes, so I´ll make some paintings to experiment how to

Some personal notes to start with new projects;
I try to paint every new painting in a way that is different from the previous, looking for texture in different ways too; , using different types of paper depending what I ty to achieve, combining the different techniques which I´m learning, because I love to discover new methods, thus I never been bored,

Ref 924.- Watercolor Creating an atmosphere with iridescent médium mixing glazes

This technique refer of superimposing the same or different color on another underlaying color. In applying glazes, it's essential that the background color is completely dry otherwise the colors will mix together.  The beauty of watercolor is, in my view, the sparkle of its transparent colors, and Works better  over dark backgrounds


This is the final result of this process
(over hot press paper)

After the background wash has dried and the masking fluid has been removed (if any) , the underpainting is created by quickly blocking in the previous watercolor pencil drawing with areas of relevant pigment, applied with brush   The objective is to make the main elements of the composition more visible by assigning the correct color to each element. Underpainting is ideally very light and translucent, with much of the paper still showing through the paint, with dark áreas already  assigned on it .
Why it is best for the underpainting to be translucent?
When the watercolor paint is applied thinly, it is easier to make changes. If too much paint is applied too soon, it is difficult to fix mistakes later on. It is better to slowly build up a painting, starting with a translucent underpainting.
Adding lots of water to the pigment creates the thin, watery, translucent effect that is desirable for underpainting.

 

 

Texture medium contains fine particles that add texture to the watercolor. It can be applied directly onto the paper or mixed with watercolors first. My first approach it was mixing it with blue, but Little by lityle I´m adding to the same pot darker tones of color, to define the figure

 

 

 

The darker tones were applied to the background and mixed with the figure accordingly with a sponge brush

 

 

When it dries, the bubbles dissapear, then I start to define with a fine brush the different features highlighting finally with White gouache the jewerly 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ref 921; Design Section (D001)  .- Derwent Pencil & watercolor pencil

This will be the first of my new creativity section in which I´ll try to design car, motorcycles, bicycles, "other products" etc with my drawing and painting tools from time to time and basically enjoy the different process to achieve design and art

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add,

     but when there is nothing left to take away.”

 

 

Ref 920.- Watercolor-- Multiple washes and glazing

Let´s first get the definition of these terms:
Glazes should be translucent; meaning that when applied, it will be tinting the colour underneath. A glaze should cover and tint the entire surface it is painted on. A glaze is meant to stay where you put it.
Washes should be transparent on most of the surface that it is applied, at least the upper areas, and ridges, and opaque in the lower areas and crevices. A wash is meant to ‘sink’ into the areas it is applied, and to pull away from the upper surfaces on which it is applied

Then glazing essentially mixes color in the viewer eye rather than on the palette. (For example looking down through a layer of say, New Gamboge over a wash of Thalo Blue, the viewer will see Green, just as if you had mixed the two together, but, giving the viewer a brighter more luminous color than if you had stirred (mixed) them together).

Well the following paint involves more wash than glaze but both technics were applied;

Maybe you have thought that layer after layer of watercolor wash will produce a dull opaque look, so let´s check the rules first:
 

Make sure to establish a damp bead before painting
Try not to push so hard with your brush, while you are painting, use lighter brush strokes
Shorten the distance and reléase the color from your brush more often
Remember to mop up any excess color when you are finished
There is no need to rinse out your brush at the end, just blot your brush well each time you mop up

This is the final result of this process

                                "The girl in the red bikini holding its breath"

In any subject to paint; First identify what colors on your palette are "transparent". (see a useful list at the bottom of this entrance)
Remember relative opacity or transparency of colors tends to vary from brand to Brand

Now if you have painted a transparent stainer and it's completely bone dry you can expect it to avoid removal.

On the other hand, if you paint with an opaque color derived from mineral compounds that float on the papers surface when you glaze over it with another color, it could well lift (and mix) leaving a muddy look.

Paper to use: The surface should be "cold press".  Hot Press surface does not work well with glazing techniques.

I like to use a very heavy weight paper -  Stretching becomes superfluous since the papers heavy weight eliminates most ripples.

In my example, I define the forms and colors first and work from them

 

I tilted my painting in order to get a better blending turning the paper upside down so pool of painting do not form over the edges and carefully wet the paper, only where the wash is to be applied

 

PAPER:  Must be completely dry before you attempt to apply the differnt wash before the last glazing color, if it is not it will mix with the next layer losing transparency of the colors and defeating the whole glazing process.

Just apply a little patience between layers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A glaze is also useful for unifying several disparate parts, for adjusting and balancing the color (colour) of an area, for creating a shadow shape that guides the viewer's eye and for softening the masking fluids hard lines.

But most important, a glaze allows you to control the values within your image and ultimately the contrast of light against shade as determined by our friend Value, that is what your painting should be all about.

Now you might be thinking a glaze is a series of brush strokes, which it is.

Also think of it this way, wet the area to be glazed first, apply the pigment and tilt the board to encourage it to creep and merge over a portion of the wetted area.  Be sure to take a tissue and gently dab the edge of the wet edge, if you don't you might leave a tide mark.

You might also apply several different colors colours to a pre-wet area and allow them to blend or merge into a gently undulating glaze, which is far more interesting then a mixed up color.

 

 In this exercise I use washes for quick shading, and glazes for colour tinting, as well as shading.

 

 But do not forget glazing will produce a much smoother shade, but the process is more time-consuming, and fiddly than washing. But, glazing will produce higher quality results on the end product. If you need to save time, washes are the way to go. If you want a smooth transition of colour, and higher quality end results, then glazing is the preferred method

 

 

 

 

 

Remarks and final notes 

Watercolors through which you can see the white of the paper or an under laying color.

Aureolin                Perm. Rose                    Rose Madder

Cobalt Blue           Viridian                           Hookers Green

Prussian Blue        Antwerp Blue                 Sap Green

New Gamboge      Raw Sienna                    Quin.Gold

Burnt Sienna         Quin. Burnt Orange.

Vermilion                Quin. Burnt Sienna

Perm. Magenta     Perm. Mauve

There are others.

 

These colors are all very transparent.  Shown are Viridian, and cerulean blue as the non transparent as you can see through out the different wash applied

Each color was a single stroke.  Each was bone dry before the next color was placed over it.

Look carefully at all the different colors.   NOW DO YOUR OWN.

All colors are non-stainers.  

 

A "general rule" these will be transparent non stainers.

Cobalt Blue, Viridian, Aurolin, Permanent Rose.

The following are normaly semi-transparent non- stainers:-

Prussian Blue, Sap Green, New Gamboge, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Vermillion Hue, Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet, Permanent Magenta. as a useful guide for your own works

Ref 919;- Watercolor "Overlaid washes"

Whole paintings can be built up through a series of washes, some laid over each other, with the method called "wet on dry" each dry must be dry before the next is added a hair dryer can be used to speed up the process

This is the final result of this process:
Exercise to achieve the rocks below the river stream basically


                     "By the calm river"

Begin  with a variegated wash of different colors according the main idea.- I tried to leave a band of paper color "White" in the middle of every wash where I needed most depending the final result I want to achieve see picture below

 

I overlay yellow in places with Green, once the painting become dry

 

 

Then I painted first shadows with strong brownish Green which covers the blue, I used the same color for the shadows along the front I used the point of a round brush to suggest first forms (I prepare plenty of color in containers to adding accordingly

The first shadows below the river should be the heaviest (from dart to ligth) and just in that área I do not wait for the paper to be completaly dry because in semi-dry condition the selective washes above blend a Little bit to reproduce out of focus shapes, so every next wash it was made with less color over it, but defining shadows as I advanced on it

 

 

As the paint becomes dry I´ll be defining different colors and shadows taking in account light source .- For some branches I used a fan brush mixing two different colors in order to have many tones .- for the left rocks I tried to use a new technic named "Texture with newsprint" Newsprint is quite absorbent, it leaves a vivid fracture imprint when pressed into a wash, it looks amazingly like the surface of jagged rock, this technique provides a natural-looking pattern of light and shadow for Sharp Split rock features.- First lay down a wash of non staining colors, next crumple a quarter sheet of newsprint while the wash is still wet, press the newsprint into the color , Hold it down for about 60 seconds to allow the best absorption to take place, lift the newsprint and base again in your ligth source darker the shadows with detail accordingly,

 

 

 

To complete the painting you can use dry brush technique to add detais with a fine brush

 

Notes: Several wash can make a difference within my painting style which Works more from dark to ligth

The rocks didn´t work at all, I need more practice with the newspaper technique

The reference is from a painting I found in the web which I took due the purpose I wanted to attain

My next painting should be with plenty of washes to practice this fabolous technique but now to make deeper colors