MORE INFOS

I you wish to exhibit and you would like to find out how to do this, I am running a Blog on Painters-online : ART WITH PASSION -

There you might pick some infos..., here is the link :

http://www.painters-online.co.uk/blogs/blogShow.asp?blog=262&post=1887

Oh baby! colours used

Executed on Saunders Waterford Not. HOW ?

I started to lay a pale layer of Lemon yellow for the hair.

Once dried, with masking tape, I formed the curls.

For the face and body, I used :

Permanent rose + Raw Sienna

For the shadows :

Permanent rose + Cobalt blue + Raw Sienna.

For the eyes :

Ultramarine + Raw Sienna

For the lips :

Permanent rose + Raw Sienna.

Corner of the lips:

Permanent rose + Alizarin then Alizarin + Ultramarine.

To finish the hair :

A stronger shade of Raw Sienna with Winsor Yellow.

Shadows were created with the same mixture used to create shadows on the face.

Colours used for this portrait

A baby's face is soft and requires careful planning with the choice of colours. It is best to have a spare piece of paper and measure the right quantity of each colour.

For the baby's skin I have used :

Permanent rose + Raw Sienna

Quinacridone. red + Raw Sienna

Scarlet red + Raw Sienna (rosy cheeks)

Alizarin Crimson + Raw Sienna

( Apply Alizarin as your last red colour otherwise you will have lost freshness)

All these warm colours are applied on different areas of the face.

For the shadows :

Scarlet red + Aureolin + Cobalt

Permanent rose + Ultramarine + Raw Sienna

Scarlet Red + Cobalt blue + Raw Sienna

Alizarin Crimson + Raw Sienna + a tiny touch of Prussian blue.

For the hair :

Winsor yellow + Aureolin

Raw Sienna + Golden ochre

All with different strength

For the towel :

Cerulean + Cobalt blue

Shadows : Cobalt blue + Permanent rose

MY COLOURS

All artists use different colours.
I am set with Winsor and Newton paint    http://www.winsornewton.com/

I choose transparent colours only and work with :

WINSOR LEMON YELLOW
AUREOLIN
PERMANENT ALIZARIN CRIMSON
PERMANENT ROSE
WINSOR VIOLET
FRENCH ULTRAMARINE
WINSOR BLUE
QUINACIDRONE RED
ANTWERP BLUE
PRUSSIAN BLUE
BURNT SIENNA
RAW SIENNA

AND SEMI TRANSPARENT :  CERULEAN BLUE
                                                  COBALT BLUE
                                                  LIGHT RED
                                                  SCARLET RED
                                                  PURPLE MADDER

MY GREENS

I do not use green colours found in the paint box. I do not like them, instead I made my own green. With these colours I paint leaves, trees, grass etc..

I mix my colours on the paper and not on the palette


1 - Winsor yellow + Cerulean         2- Winsor Yellow + Winsor Blue
3 - Aureolin          + Cerulean         4- Aureoline         + Winsor Blue
5 - Winsor yellow + Ultramarine    
6- Ultramarine      + Burnt Sienna + drop of Winsor Yellow
7- Ultramarine      + Burnt Umber + drop of Winsor Yellow
8- Ultramarine      + Raw Umber   + drop of Winsor Yellow
7 - Ultrama

MAKE YOUR OWN REFERENCES

You will be working hard to try to make your watercolours look their best.

You will find that mixture of colours react different ways, you will discover little tricks that you really like but I can assure you my friends that in a week or two you will have forgotten how it happened.

For this reason I have created my own book with my own references. Colours that I have used ex : for portraits - or colour mixture etc...

I have bough a thick sketching book - size landscape, make my trials on watercolour paper that I stick when it is perfectly dry, and I write all infos.

Have a look :

This page is about colours for my portraits.

This one was about trying Ox gall and Gum arabic

                          I was trying different colours, blues, yellows etc..

On this page I stuck different kind of paper and painted the same subject with the same amount of paint to see how it was going to react.

PREPARING YOUR PAPER AND LAYING IT

What I am showing you is MY method, other artists work in other ways.

Some do soak their watercolour paper for a couple of minutes to 20 minutes (all depends of the quality of the paper and the weight - Under 300lbs the paper should be soaked and stretched)

I work on 300lbs or more, I used to stretch my paper but I have found that a few artists commented about not to and I tried their method. I would not stretch paper again since I find that the paint is laying with beautiful result on a non stretched paper.

*******

So here is what I do :

I lay my paper on a MDF board, bought in B&Q, cut by my husband to my required sizes.

I fix it to the board with masking tape and with staples from my staple gun all around the edges.

Now I fix some more masking tape again to look like a mount, making sure that it is with right angles, I staple once more this masking tape at each corner only, it stops the tape from peeling off when it is wet.

Once the painting is finished, this masking tape is removed and give an outlook of the painting with clean edges.

***************

NOW HOW DO I END UP WITH A FLAT PAINTING ?

On the reverse of the finished painting I spray a generous amount of water.

I then wipe all over the back of the picture with tissue paper.

The picture is then laid between two pieces of CLEAN paper.

I was lucky enough to have a daughter who had left me a couple of A1 pieces of watercolour for which I did not have any use and so I lay my pictures in between. I have used them for 5 years now !

Put a heavy weight on top of it and forget it (You must not touch it !) for about 48 hours.

You will have a perfectly flat paper ready for framing.

MATERIAL

This is all that I need to paint.

I have bought a plastic tub from B&Q, I have marked it as Watercolour since I got another one that I use for Acrylic. Your water must stay pure and must not be mixed with other medium while working with it.

Plenty of tissue paper

Of course my palette, I do not need a mixing tray, I have enough with my small palette, for big areas I mix my colours on the paper.

A staple gun to fix the paper on a board.

Masking tape to fix around the paper.

A fine spray bottle.

Sponges of all kind.

Masking fluid.( I like to buy the SAA blue one and Jackson make an excellent one too)

My paint (will describe in another post)

A "B" or HB pencil for fine drawing marks on the paper

A soft eraser.

A drawing pen and an old toothbrush for applying masking fluid (I will make a demo)

And of course my paper either Arches or Saunder waterford. I like to keep small pieces to make trial of my colours before applying them on the work.

BRUSHES

These are the brushes that I use the most. A mixture of sizes and make.

My latest acquisition is a thin line size4 Raphael, recommended by Billy Showel as being very good for creating fine lines and yes it is brilliant.

The flat size 12 is a da vinci (I did not buy it)

One is from the serie 7 finest sable. Winsor Newton ( I did not buy it)

One is sable from Goldline (I did not buy it)

The large blue on is 19mm3/4 Cotman by Winsor Newton

One hake 2" (used very rarely)

One bamboo stick.

1st Question : How do I get expansive brushes that I do not buy.

Well if you are wise enough to wait for special offers, they arrive. Watch for adverts who say : buy so many watercolours etc... and we give you a free brush ! But beware, make sure that the brush is a good quality one otherwise it is not worse it.

I use the Da Vinci flat one quite a lot for flat washes or even creating texture for trees.

The large blue one is used occasionaly for a wet in wet wash.

The hake must be used very lightly, no pressure on the paper otherwise it does not work. It is used with a lot of water not dried for best results.

My bamboo stick is great for creating lines while my paint is still wet on the paper.

2nd Question : How do I care for my brushes ?

After each session wash them with soft soap, rince well, lay them flat on tissue paper.

Store your paintbrushes away from moth. They love the hair.

You can buy a sealed tube to keep them in but make sure that they are perfectly dried before doing so.

WHICH PAPER ?

For the total beginner which paper to work with is a very difficult task !
There are dozens on the market claiming to be the best.
I would advise to practice on cheaper paper, however comes a moment when it is time to paint a picture.

- Paint small picture on good paper :
If you mess it, you have spoilt a small size and you will have some left over.
A good paper will take the paint and will show it at its best.
If you do not work on good paper you will not be inclined to carry on with watercolour.
The photo below shows you a few samples of paper. I have laid on them the same mixture, you will appreciate the difference in the result.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE IT LARGER

   1 - Langton Not

          2 - Two Rivers  Not

     3 -Arches Rough

                     4 - Saunders Waterford Not

       5 - Hanemuhle HP

 6 - Arches HP

 7 -Arches Not

I would advise you to buy a pack of samples. Art shops sell packs.

Then you will ask : Which paper do you use ?

My favourites are Arches and Saunders Waterford.