Beginning watercolor homework 4/12/12 wet on wet (more like damp on wet)

To follow up the work we did in class painting the sky, try again to invent a cloudscape with no hard edges. If you found that your paper dried before you could apply all the layers you wanted, try wetting both sides of the paper first. If you still see a hard edge, stop immediately. Dry the paper thoroughly, rewet it as efficiently as you can, and carry on making soft-edged strokes.

My approach leaves the blue for last (when there is blue), but you may prefer a different progression.  Experiment. These sky scenes can be done pretty quickly, so make a few, and don’t spend time correcting. Clouds are very similar in feeling to transparent, fluid brushstrokes. If you poke away at the paint you will lose the simplicity and weightlessness of the forms, which are far more important than whatever is prompting you to fuss. The sky is a very forgiving subject. Just about anything can happen up there, so remember to detach from your agenda, and at least try to live with what your brush did on the first try.

If you are feeling ambitious, try painting one of these skies. Paint, though, don’t duplicate. 

Have fun.

Intermediate homework 4/12/12 Where should I depart from accuracy?

The theory behind our class time exercise yesterday is that when you have a clear idea of what you want to emphasize in your interpretation of a scene, you can manipulate the variables to support your intention. One by one, you can ask how you might depart from strict accuracy to enhance the emphasis you are after.

For example, in the photo below, imagine that your primary interest was in the remote setting and the isolation of the boat. How could you alter the color, value. wetness and composition to support your purpose?

Let’s consider composition first.  What effect would changing the orientation have? How about cropping? Would less water emphasize the isolation? More sky? Should you take out one of the fishermen?

You are in charge here, not the image.

Building on the work you began in class, finish asking all the questions that will focus your attention on how to get the most out of the source. Use studies to find the answers, and make a painting when you feel confident that the preliminary work is done.
Have fun.

model sessions

Here's the schedule of models for the next two weeks:
Beginning  -  Model 3/21
Intermediate - Model 3/14, 3/21
Advanced - Model 3/13. 3/20
Madrona - Model - 3/20

Where's the homework?
You take it from here. What do you need to work on? Pick just one thing - seeing layers, getting the darks dark enough on the first try, controlling wetness - whatever it is, stay with it, and don't spend your energy trying to make a pretty painting. When you put your efforts on the wall, please be prepared to tell us what you were focused on.
Have fun

intermediate homework 3/1/12 The List

In the interest of becoming your own best teacher, remember to keep your goals realistic. Here's an example of using the list to narrow down the focus of your efforts toward refinement of a work in progress.

If you are unsure of part of your subject, or if something you have tried looks wrong, you can either practice it on a separate piece of paper, or attempt something on the painting in progress. If your experiments don’t lead to increased confidence, slow down, and make sure you understand the problem. Go down the list: Color, Value Wetness, and Composition. When the dust has settled, you should have a plan for what you will do differently. Limit the changes to just a few, so you can see whether you have resolved those issues. Taking on too much at once obscures your progress, and increases the odds that you will be overwhelmed.

147             Study, Barrio Azucenas, Oaxaca                        Tom Hoffmann

There is a mountain at the end of every street in Oaxaca. I wanted this one to feel distant, but to display the afternoon light. A hard edge for the profile, but soft edges for the shadows seemed right, as did carrying on the blue/orange palette from the rest of the picture. When it was finished, though, something was not right. The scene did not feel as peaceful as I intended.

Going down the list, I started to assess color first: Are there too many colors? No, that’s not the problem. Is color temperature an issue? Hmm…could be. The mountain may be too closely related to the blue and orange in the buildings, pulling it forward in space. And the big orange building on the right is too insistent. Maybe ease off of the complimentary palette. It seems a little harsh.

How about wetness? The big building is all in shadow. Maybe the doorway should have a soft edge. That would make the whole shape less intrusive. I like the soft, blue shadows on the mountain, but maybe soften the profile a bit to make sure it stays back. That’s enough for now. Time for another try.

148            Barrio Azucenas                        Tom Hoffmann

Softening the blue doorway was definitely a good move. As a separate bit of painting, I liked the orange mountain better than the green one, but it didn’t work as well in the big picture. In all, I’m satisfied, and don’t feel the need for another version. This was a quick enough painting that I did not have to think twice about making a new version rather than try to rescue the first one. Actually, I’m glad I left the study alone. After some time passed, I found that I liked them both.                

Do you think I should put the rest of the phone wires in this version?

Give this process a try with your latest painting.

Make sure you are clear about how you intend to revise the painting before you begin a new version. At some level I seem to believe that I should trust entirely to instinct and not analyze my efforts at all, so I often rush through my assessment. There may be some wisdom in this, since painting is largely done from the gut, but, realistically, there is no danger that I could eliminate instinct even if I wanted to. Honing in on one or two issues that need to be clarified will not make the next painting a dry, intellectual exercise. As soon as you make the first stroke, the current begins to flow.

beginning watercolor homework 3/1/12 layers upon layers

When this assignment is finished, you should have three versions of a painting. The first will show the major shapes with just the first layer for each shape. The second version, on a separate piece of paper, will be the first and second layers, and the third will show all the layers. In any given area of the final version there should be no more than 4 layers.

Those of you who took photos home this week can use those for the project, or one of these:

Millind Mulick

Beginning watercolor homework 12/22/12 refining your image

To sort out what is essential and what is optional in your subject, nothing works better than painting it several times. You get to see which bits bring it to life.
Choose a simple still life object. An onion works, or a mango. You can look around the house for something with a wide range of values (the kitchen is a good place to start), and a simple form. Keep the lighting simple. Sidelight works well. A cast shadow helps create three dimensionality.
Begin with a monochrome value study, in which the subject is radically over-simplified. Where do you need more subtlety? More specificity?
Paint the subject a few times, working toward a version that only includes the most telling strokes. After you've painted several versions, try painting one from memory. Please bring all of your studies to class.

Add caption

Have fun.

Beginning watercolor homework 2/15/12 Seeing in layers

Here are a couple of images that suggest a series of layers as a means of translating them into watercolor.

Look them over with an eye toward which layers carry the narrative content and the illusions of light, space, and substance. Squinting helps.

Just in terms of total space, the middle values dominate this scene. Are they also responsible for the content?

Here there is more dark than middle value. Would the darks alone tell the story?

If you were making a painting of one of these in layers that progress from light to dark, at which stage you would have to start being careful. 

Many of you brought home the images you were working on in class. Using those or one of the above, make a simple version of the scene by blocking in the lights, laying the middles over them, and, finally, adding the darks. Try limiting your palette to just three colors - one red, one yellow, and one blue, and make all your colors by combining the primaries you have chosen

Have fun