ANNE'S PICASSO WANNABE
WATERCOLOR PRACTICE
Pablo Picasso (10/28/1881 - 4/8/1973), was a co-founder with Georges Braque of the first abstract movement in art known as Cubism. Because of some similarities with the three main elements fundamental to Cubist art (flatness, geometric reduction, and a multiplicity of perspectives), I have called my obsession with a watercolor practice that has taught me a great deal about how to approach the art itself "Anne's Picassso WannaBe Watercolor Practice" with an eye to enjoying the FUN all Art offers to beginners like me.
What I offer with this blog is an adventure that provides practice in using the medium of watercolor - from the perspective of a fellow beginner - with an ending product that is always educational and often wonderful in so many ways that it is necessary that one must find her or his own path to see what can be gleaned from the experience. I learned some of this process from an art teacher I regard highly, Linda Aman, an important artist from the Northwest.
Note that I have not, until lately - and then only very tentatively - thought of myself as being a serious professional artist but began experimenting with watercolor more than 3 years ago when a free class was offered in the community where I live with fellow elders in Milwaukie, Oregon. A retired English teacher, other than my prowess as a producer of crazy looking, some might say hilariously bad, Stick-People for English as a Second Language students, I'd never had time to even think about creating anything whatsoever that even began to approach the concept of Art (other than, of course, the written word) before beginning my adventure with watercolor. I'd always, from childhood and throughout my life, enthusiastically appreciated Art from afar. It is true, however, that I served my art museum in Portland for a number of years (Native American Art Council) with my skills in computer science, professional writing and editing and photography and, as a result, had learned a great deal about the history and importance of Art and its famous practitioners. But I never, ever even considered doing anything beyond crafts and would have laughed long and hard if anyone had suggested that I might take some art classes.
More than 3 years ago, I wisely followed the lead of my neighbor and friend and now, like me, budding Artist Roshani Cari Shay Curtis, who convinced me to attend, first, a class offered by the place where we live, and later, another class led by her favorite watercolor art teacher, and talented artist, Linda Amman, who introduced the color practices to me. Since then I have enjoyed learning with several other artists, like Artist Ward Stroud who introduced me to Brusho, a powdered form of watercolor, at an Oregon Association of Artists class. Since that time, I have become a juried artist with the Oregon Watercolor Association.
IF I WAS ABLE TO DO THIS, YOU CAN, TOO! And, I promise you, you will learn so much about yourself, Art and its followers and creators, history, science, mathematics, philosophy, and on to infinity. It is my best form of Meditation. If you are even the tiniest bit interested, jump in! You'll never regret it.
I begin my description of the process of creating a Picasso Wannabe with the following:
Note that I have not, until lately - and then only very tentatively - thought of myself as being a serious professional artist but began experimenting with watercolor more than 3 years ago when a free class was offered in the community where I live with fellow elders in Milwaukie, Oregon. A retired English teacher, other than my prowess as a producer of crazy looking, some might say hilariously bad, Stick-People for English as a Second Language students, I'd never had time to even think about creating anything whatsoever that even began to approach the concept of Art (other than, of course, the written word) before beginning my adventure with watercolor. I'd always, from childhood and throughout my life, enthusiastically appreciated Art from afar. It is true, however, that I served my art museum in Portland for a number of years (Native American Art Council) with my skills in computer science, professional writing and editing and photography and, as a result, had learned a great deal about the history and importance of Art and its famous practitioners. But I never, ever even considered doing anything beyond crafts and would have laughed long and hard if anyone had suggested that I might take some art classes.
More than 3 years ago, I wisely followed the lead of my neighbor and friend and now, like me, budding Artist Roshani Cari Shay Curtis, who convinced me to attend, first, a class offered by the place where we live, and later, another class led by her favorite watercolor art teacher, and talented artist, Linda Amman, who introduced the color practices to me. Since then I have enjoyed learning with several other artists, like Artist Ward Stroud who introduced me to Brusho, a powdered form of watercolor, at an Oregon Association of Artists class. Since that time, I have become a juried artist with the Oregon Watercolor Association.
IF I WAS ABLE TO DO THIS, YOU CAN, TOO! And, I promise you, you will learn so much about yourself, Art and its followers and creators, history, science, mathematics, philosophy, and on to infinity. It is my best form of Meditation. If you are even the tiniest bit interested, jump in! You'll never regret it.
I begin my description of the process of creating a Picasso Wannabe with the following:
(1) A description of the steps in a three-color study using a triad color library page that includes practice with selecting three basic colors using suggested triad mixes
(2) using French curve and other rulers and stencils to create
(3) a three-color palette divided into 4 sections and
(4) practice using a number of several styles of painting (i.e. color shading, lifting, wet-on-wet, etc.) also using circles, triangles or other templates to add interest. Other skills are, of course, included as the participant proceeds through the practice(s) suggested.
As you can imagine, along with a greater emphasis on concentration, committment and passion, I had to commit to learning as many basic watercolor art skills as possible. In the beginning, I produced a number of rather humorous paintings before I discovered that basic skills and knowledge could be acquired fairly quickly with this one watercolor practice that I learned with Linda Amman and also my fellow student, Roshi Curtis, and in several other places and with different teachers (including the Internet's YouTube videos) that I have now blended together to use in an enthusiastic quest to help fellow budding Artists find their watercolor footing - Anne's Picasso WannaBe Watercolor Practice. Below is my first Picasso WannaBe:
I offer this practice not to toot my horn but to display some of the skills acquired as a result of its production and to help fellow beginning students of Art jump into the act of Art. As you see, the piece above is displayed with a colorful mat as frame (bought in packs with varying colors online) on top of a larger paper on which my painting was painted. That means that, as a first lesson, I had to learn to create a space on that paper that would fit beneath the mat without losing the brilliance of my creation (ahem). So using drafting tape to keep my enthusiastic first steps in some kind of frame was a step I'd never have thought of on my own.
The second lesson involved the introduction of FRENCH CURVE RULERS!
I'd never seen them before! I fell in love with their seemingly infinite possibilities for creating shapes and forms. Perfect for a beginner! And our teacher, Linda Amman, possessed a number of intricate and very interesting French Curve rulers, some of which I can no longer find anywhere, to my sorrow, but the search for them, of course, brought information about at least some of the sets that can be purchased, including the Burmester set of 28, the Parth Impex and the Westcott set, and the Yosogo French Curve set for drafting.
What was even more exciting and interesting to me was the third lesson rule that I must draw two intersecting lines (straight, with a ruler, or wavy) on my page, thus creating four sections on the page, making certain that some of the patterns crossed some of the lines. I later used the French Curve rulers to draw my two intersecting lines on other experiments with interesting results!
Can you see my X on the page? I wanted to push my envelope, and so you can see that my 4 sections shown with the X on the page are situated so that some sections are larger or smaller than others. (That does not break the rule, you will note.)
The next fourth lesson was to practice the use of water plus 3 basic colors (red and blue and yellow) to create a palette (or, in this case, a number of possible palettes on the "Practice Sheet for Mixing Colors" which you can access below.) I am still learning this basic study of color and the mixing of them - a constant challenge and delight as I increase my skills. The three pages that describe, pretty much, the basics of the entire process include the following:
(1) My introduction, "Anne's Picasso Wanna-Be Practice," (see copy at the end of this blog) with a list of supplies and a step-by-step overview of each part of the journey and that includes lists of color mixes artist and teacher Linda Amman provided that you can use to try out suggested combinations on the . . .
(2) "Practice Sheet for Mixing Colors" (again, see copy at the end of this blog) that you will want to make a number of copies of on light card stock paper so that you can try out suggested combinations of colors on your practice sheet. You will also want to include your own separate but necessary color wheel, and I highly recommend that, if you've never studied how colors mix, you try a YouTube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY45AMXs6V8 and/or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8_yRnL4YUY.
After a swim through the theory of how colors work plus a number of practices with mixing colors for palettes, it is time to play with the French Curve rulers, which you can purchase online or in most art stores. I'd buy maybe 4 French Curve rulers as a start; this set of Westcott rulers was under $6.
You can acquire a number of types of sets of French Curve rulers online (especially via amazon.com), but there are, of course, other sources. I have several sets, some with large/tall figures and some with small/squat figures. As you can see here, I chose two tall figures and had them intersect, too. I use pencil to create both intersecting lines for my X and the outlines of the French Curves. It is important on your initial work on your Picasso WannaBe to make sure some of the patterns cross some of the lines.
In the last step before placing paint on the page, I studied some of the beginning possibilities for placing various colors on the page. I promise to send you to some links that show some of these and to find a way to display my own practice pages in this realm, for practice you must. AND, it is fun to play with the water and the paint in this way - kind of like sitting in your favorite sandbox to see what can be created.
The following basics should be practiced on a large sheet of watercolor paper (another subject that can be discussed later, but at this point, just paper designated for watercoloring is fine).
Try these on small blocks you draw on a page; you can find their definitions in a kazillion places online, but I'll provide a list somewhere here as I progress through the creation of this blog: Solid wash, graded wash and glazing; wet on wet, drop color on wet color, dry brush; scrumbling, negative painting, lift or feathering out; pushing out pigment, wiping out brush, and detail painting; using masking fluid, hard and soft edges and scratching wet and dry; using a magic eraser, salt and water spatter as well as sand paper and sponges; and making opaque versus transparent coloring.
These are some of the types of watercolor play you will be using on your Picasso WannaBe.
Think about which of these (not all!) types you want to try to produce on your painting.
Now you are ready to actually place paint and water on your page! I looked at my outline for a long time to see if I could find patterns or shapes or forms that made some kind of sense to me. (Sometimes that doesn't come until I've painted for some time; other times, I see some kind of direction right away. Sometimes, I just get a feeling and begin with no end product of any kind in mind.)
Decide which color palette you have decided to use for your painting (from the work on the color mixes and practice sheet you've completed). Stick to the one palette you liked best during your practice; it works better - at least in the beginning - than changing your mind in the middle of the process, I promise you. (Maybe you liked JEWEL TONES, using Phthalocyanine Blue, Quinacridone Violelt, and Gamboge, or one of the other choices like 5-A - MG – Indian Yellow, Pyrrol Red, and Turquoise. I learned that even if I picked one that I ended up not liking so much, I learned a lot from the experience! Another important thing I learned that everything you do should be considered a chance to grow and learn and it's that that you want to focus on, not necessarily the final product.
A good idea for beginners is to use one of the inexpensive round white plastic palettes (lower right in photo) or small, traveling palettes on which to place small blobs of your paint. (Later on, you'll probably want something that holds more colors, but it's a good idea to start small and then grow. Otherwise, like this beginner, you'll end up with a bunch of stuff you do not need.) The top palette holds a lot more colors, though, and a space to mix colors together, so it's a great choice, too.
Same story with brushes: Keep it simple and, until you know you want to continue working with watercolor, also inexpensive. Cheap Joe's (online) sells a great beginner set for $15 or so that has 15 brushes (all synthetic) of every possible kind for experimenting in a great little case.
Of course, you'll need a plastic container for water. I like 3 small containers because I'm too lazy to get up often to change the water. Here is a great YouTube video about the use of water in painting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VpyfWJqpGA so you can learn about puddles and water blooms, transparencies and thirsty brushes.
And you'll need your paints. For beginners, see if you can find an inexpensive set; Fred Meyer has a few you could try or, better, try a local art store so you can browse or you can go to the Internet (amazon.com, my favorite - Cheap Joe's - and also Blicks with best deals. Look at my list of colors on the "List of Color Mixes" to get an idea of all the wonderful possibilities. Three brands are listed on that page and all are just fine; I liked the M. Graham paints because I have allergies and these paints are mixed with honey instead of chemicals, but maybe they cost a bit more, too. I started out buying a bunch of paints from different companies (like Grumbacher, Utrecht, and Cotman, for example) that were just fine but that ended up costing me a small fortune because I didn't know what I was doing, so I'd advise talking with more experienced artists, going to an art store and asking questions, and choosing kind of basic colors at first (that you want to learn mixing anyway), maybe about a max of 12 or so, that include black and white and Payne's gray, with a couple each of reds, yellows, blues, greens, purples, etc.
The best paper is probably Arches, but it is not cheap. There are lots of choices of papers. I looked at a couple of YouTube videos about the subject (such as at this link which was really helpful (https://www.art-is-fun.com/watercolor-paper/ ) and ended up with blocks of Arches as my personal choice. I would recommend getting artists' quality paper because the problem is that cheaper papers don't produce the quality of color you'll like. A BLOCK (a number of papers glued together around the edges, creating a block on which you paint and then tear off around the edges) is great because then you don't have to go through the hassle of stretching the paper. Get a smaller size to start, maybe no larger than 9"x12" - cold or hot pressed (both are different but equally interesting), 140 lb..
So you are ready to begin! Here is my introduction!
ANNE’S PICASSO WANNA-BE
WATERCOLOR PRACTICE
Supplies:
Mat
Frame, Pencil, Eraser (gray gum eraser), a couple of small sponges, Sharpie Permanent Marker(s), Pilot Precise Very Fine Line Pen(s)
(for outlining shapes, etc., if appropriate), Itoya double-headed Calligraphy (felt-tip)
pen, French Curve rulers, other templates such as triangles/diamonds, etc.,
watercolors, Triad Color Library list of mixes page and Triad Color
Library Practice Sheet for Mixing Colors
(including the following necessities: pures/brights/shades/blacks/darks), paper, brushes, water containers, and paint and palette.
Description of
Process:
1.
Practice mixing colors (see “TRIAD COLOR
LIBRARY” pages: Practice Sheet for
Mixing Colors” and “List of Color Mixes” page on the reverse side).
2.
Select 3 basic colors (reds/blues/yellows, etc.)
for your project, using suggested triads (see “TRIAD MIXES” page), if you wish.
3.
To make the page on which you will paint so that
it will fit under the mat when finished, move mat frame on larger paper
slightly up and over, and pencil other two sides (upside-down L shape).
4.
Draw two intersecting lines. (I use pencil to start and then, when done
with the entire picture, use an ITOYA Calligraphy double headed black pen to
make lines more discernable). Create either
straight or wavy intersecting lines, anywhere on the page, with straight or
French Curve ruler(s), thus creating 4 sections.
5.
Using French Curve ruler(s), select and trace
stencils and trace using pencil, making sure that some of the patterns cross
some of the lines.
6.
Using your three color palette choices, color
sections of the stencils, making certain that if your stencil crosses the basic
X line, you change colors.
7.
Complete study using several styles of painting:
Dark to light color, color shading, lifting, mixing colors, wet on wet, wet on
dry, etc. (see to complete your Picasso
Wanna-be. Try using circle, triangle or
other templates to add interest. Play!
8.
Frame your watercolor picture with a mat that
shows off your work. Use double-sided
tape or, better, linen tape to attach the painting to the back of the mat. Then attach a same-size card stock or a light
cardboard page and tape it to the back of the mat frame.
9.
Place your completed, matted work into an
attractive frame and enjoy your masterpiece.
LIST OF COLOR MIXES
(FOR EXPERIMENTATION ON
PRACTICE SHEET FOR MIXING COLOR)
(FOR EXPERIMENTATION ON
PRACTICE SHEET FOR MIXING COLOR)
The following first four are mixes recommended by Artist and Teacher Linda Aman. The paints (and names thereof) are (MG) M. Graham paints.
PURE DELIGHT: Azo, Ultramarine Blue or Cobalt
PURE DELIGHT: Azo, Ultramarine Blue or Cobalt
Quinacridone Rose
JEWEL TONES:
Phthalocyanine Blue, Quinacridone Violelt, Gamboge
NORTHWEST:
Permanent Green Light, Ultramarine Violet and/or Ultramarine Blue,
Cadmium Red Light
SEASCAPE:
Veridian, Cadmium Orange, Ultramarine Violet
OTHER TRAID MIXES
These mixes use a variety of other brands of paint:
WN (WINDSOR NEWTON); MG (M. GRAHAM); AND DS (DANIEL SMITH
WN – P Permanent
Rose, Antwerp Blue, Aureolin
MG – Indian
Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Violet
DS –
Ultramarine Red, Quinacridone Gold, MG – Veridian
MS –
Cadmium Red, Permanent Green Lt., Ultramarine Violet (Autumn)
DS – Quinacridone Magenta, MG – Manganese
Blue Hue, Cadmium Orange
MG – Nickle Quinacridone Gold, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, and Ultramarine Blue (Vineyard)
MG –
Cadmium Yellow, Quinacridone Rose, Phthalocyanine, Blue
MG –
Nickel Quinacridone Gold, Phthalocyanine Blue, Maroon Perylene
MG –
Cerulean Blue, Yellow Ochre, Terra Rose (Sir Ochre Terra)
MG –
Indian Yellow, Pyrrol Red, Turquoise
MG = M. GRAHAM DS
= DANIEL SMITH S =
WINDSOR NEWTON
and/or YOUR UNIQUE MIXES!
and/or YOUR UNIQUE MIXES!
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TRIAD COLOR LIBRARY: PRACTICE SHEET FOR MIXING COLOR!
I advise making a number of copies of this page, the producer of which is a name I'm having a hard time deciphering (Dory ???)
STEP 1:
ON YOUR PAPER, MAKE THE X - (TWO LINES INTERSECTING) ANY WAY YOU LIKE. IF YOU LOOK AT MY FIRST PICASSO WANNA-BE (TOP OF THIS BLOG) YOU'LL SEE I DIDN'T MAKE A "PERFECT" X. IT CAN BE STRAIGHT LINES; IT CAN BE CURVY LINES; IT CAN BE ONE LONG LINE AND ONE SHORT LINE; IT CAN BE WHAT YOU LIKE - BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR FIRST RULE - THE TWO LINES MUST INTERSECT SOMEWHERE ON THE PAGE.
Examples:
YOU ARE NOW READY TO DO YOUR FIRST PICASSO WANNA-BE!
STEP 1:
ON YOUR PAPER, MAKE THE X - (TWO LINES INTERSECTING) ANY WAY YOU LIKE. IF YOU LOOK AT MY FIRST PICASSO WANNA-BE (TOP OF THIS BLOG) YOU'LL SEE I DIDN'T MAKE A "PERFECT" X. IT CAN BE STRAIGHT LINES; IT CAN BE CURVY LINES; IT CAN BE ONE LONG LINE AND ONE SHORT LINE; IT CAN BE WHAT YOU LIKE - BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR FIRST RULE - THE TWO LINES MUST INTERSECT SOMEWHERE ON THE PAGE.
Examples:
