Painting 33

Ref 1101.- Watercolor// Watercolor through selective plastic wrap technique

Impress plastic wrap into wet paint. The plastic wrap can be crinkled beforehand or it can be laid on flat. Plastic wrap can be stretched to form parallel lines or stretched from one point to create a fan-like pattern. Soft edges will be achieved if the plastic wrap is removed before the paint dries. Hard edges will result if it is left until the paint has dried

This is the result to apply this technique into the ballerina dress

Main Steps;
1st Step.- Planning .- This plastic wrap technique will be applied just within the ballerina dress, so I´ve got the idea to Position the plastic wrap in a radial way in order the resultant folds create basically directional lines. Therefore after my main lines figures I concéntrate basically in the área in which I planned to créate that particular texture
I lay a viridian and ultramarine blue wash on the paper wet on wet for my background in a tilted way in order to crate more color at the bottom for shadowing
the initial graphite sketching start to dilute towards the bottom of the dress when I start to add the rose madder color into the ballerine dress main area 
Mix a rich, dark puddle of paint in order to créate more body in this particular paint

2nd Step.- I start to delineate the figure lines in a semi-wet condition, I don´t need neat lines at this stage just location
I darker the shadows with the help of dark Brown mainly at the bottom of this painting to créate atmosphere

3rd Step.- Wet again your paper (with a wáter sprayer) and drop in fairly mixed paint *  where you want the dress (I added with a small spatula). The wet paper will dilute the colors, so use a good amount of paint for this

(mixed paint is rose madder - watercolor with permanent White - gouache <-- because it has more body) 
Put a spot of this mixed color in the center of the your dress area with very thick paint. Don’t let this dry – you want to add your plastic wrap while this is still wet

 
4th Step.- I’m using several square piece of wrap to créate a radial effect. .
You could just mash the crinkled wrap onto the wet paper, and that will give you a nice pattern.
To guide the plastic wrap into the dress shape – use your finger to hold the middle of the wrap

5th Step Wait to dry ( I added a fair weigth above the plastic pieces)  Evaluate. ---Can you imagine the dress shapes in the pattern that the wrap created? In order to make shapes that look like folds, you want to paint behind the shapes.This is often easier if you use a pencil to draw in where you imagine shapes I did with additional paint (see 3rd step)

Tip – Negative painting is a very valuable watercolor skill. If you want your paintings to be the best they can be, take the time to learn this technique

Beware of the all or nothing mentality that often ruins beautiful washes! Just apply some paint behind folds then wash the color out of your brush and paint beside your applied paint with clean water to let the color blend softly out and disappear. You don’t want solid dark areas, but mysterious folding áreas

6th Step.- Details work .- Then use a brush to do ‘negative painting’. This is where you don’t paint a fold but paint behind a fold shape. The color that’s already on the paper becomes the fold when you outline it or paint behind it with color and wáter
Remember that texture is less important than shapes, values, and colors. Texture should not draw attention to itself

Each painting will be something unique that’s truly your own, so use pretty colors and have a colorful day!