A couple days ago I began pouring demonstration. It was cheeky of me to post the first half of the demonstration before for the painting was finished. I got bit too. I thought about deleting this demonstration entry, but there is too much to learn from mistakes to do that. Instead I will rename it and recast it a hair:
The problem began with the composition itself. Here is the photograph I began with:
Working Photo
I began by making a line drawing of the bridge and transferring it to watercolor paper. What I should have done first was made a preliminary value sketch.
Cartoon For Painting
Then I became beguiled by the lovely colors produced by pouring it.
After the First Pour
After the Second Pour
After the Mask Came Off
There were beautiful colors there after the pouring was done, but the darks were much to heavy. Lightening the darkes only muddied them. And the compositional flaws became more apparent as I worked. In the end I gave up in disgust.
1. Comment by Donna D
17/May/2009 at 2:39 pm
Thank you for sharing this. i am just starting to get into pouring (taking a 3 lesson class) but I have a question. Your lines of the painting are very cleaning. Are you using a resist to keep the paint in place or wetting that section first and then adding paint? thanks for any tips.
Donna
2. Comment by Jenny Armitage
17/May/2009 at 3:00 pm
I most often use a removable liquid rubber mask. And did it here and with the revised painting. Shiva is my favorite liquid mask. I also occasionally use painters’ masking tape. I have some more recent entries that show my mask use more clearly.
Just wetting the area you want the paint to stick to is harder to control and provides a softer edge although it tends to leave the edge of the puddle line when it dries.
It’s a matter of deciding what method works best to accomplish your objective. I tend to pour to exaggerate light. When I do that I want sharp edges. If I’m pouring for background glow or loose shadows in the background I don’t mask.