CATAN AIR

List of basic watercolours.


Yellow ochre
Gamboge

Cadmium yellow
Raw umber

cadmium red
Indian red

Ultramarine
Cerulean

Crimson lake
Prussian blue

Paynes grey
Sepia

Hooker's green (dark)
Hooker's green (light)


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AVOID A COMMON MISTAKE WITH SHADOWS
There cannot be a shadow on top of a shadow. One shadow will cancel out the other one. Or the two together will form one totally new shape.
The shadow shape illustrated on the left of our sketch shows a combination shadow from the edge of the roof as well as some foliage. Notice that these two shadows meld into each other and become one shape. This is what happens in nature.
In an opaque medium such as oil or acrylics, it seems easier to avoid the error seen in the right part of our sketch. This is an often recurring problem for watercolorists however, since the watercolor medium is transparent and allows you to see through to the layers underneath. It is therefore important for an on-location painter to stick with the shadow patterns first put down, instead of following their change as the sun moves around.
You can attempt to correct a mistake like this with a small bristle brush. Wet it and try blending and eliminating the edges of the underneath shadow. Never add another layer of paint on top of the shadow since it will just make the shadow too dark and those edges will still show underneath.


On this photograph, it looks like you are actually seeing a shadow on top of a shadow. Actually, both sides of the building are receiving sunlight. Due to the position of the sun, however, the front of the building receives full light, while the side of the building is in half light. A shadow can fall over an area receiving half light. However, as soon as that side of the building becomes fully shaded, the angular shadows will disappear and become part of the total building shadow. It proves once more that there cannot be a shadow on top of a shadow.
Keep painting and observing natural phenomena. Good luck!
CREATIVE VALUE MANIPULATION
I encourage workshop students to take step-by-step photographs of my daily demonstrations, so they have a permanent record of my approach. After the workshop, they often send me a set and looking at this photograph, it struck me how close I came to recording the actual values and colors seen.
Just compare the actual grass and road with those sections on the painting. It struck me that although this is somewhat admirable, we have to at the same time be aware that there is more to painting than just being good at copying what is in front of us. Any camera will beat us at that game.
We need to ask ourselves "Why am I painting this scene?" "What am I trying to tell the viewer"? "How can I say it in a more artistic way?". Although those questions come after we have mastered the basics, we should keep them in mind.
In comparison to my "dead-on" example, I want to share my latest art acquisition. It is a painting by Leila Hentzen Smith who has attended several of my workshops. She has always been consistent in her approach. Her value range is always from white to mid-value, in delicate colors. Although this scene was painted on location, she resisted being influenced by actual values and instead, superimposed her own high key range to the subject.
There are artists who paint for national exhibitions. In those large galleries, their work needs to shout for attention to compete with the paintings next to them. Then there are the book illustrators whose work is seen from a very short distance. Leila's work belongs in that category. To hang it, I found a spot in a narrow hallway, where the viewer's nose can be right on top of the painting to enjoy it.
When painting your next scene, give yourself a special assignment and see what happens. Good luck!
ABOUT SKY VALUES AND EARTH VALUES
If you wish to paint nature as it is, you need to remember that the sky is considered a light giver, while earth is a light receiver. Earth values do not project light, rather, they reflect it. Consequently, those earth values are generally darker than the sky. As photos 1, 2,and 4 show, this can easily be seen on an overcast day, but this fact is visible in almost any situation.
To prove this to yourself, take an index card and with a paper punch, punch out two small holes, about an inch apart. Although in the illustration a mountain value is compared with a ground value, you can see how the value check is constructed. This little gadget won't allow you to be distracted by details, because all you can see are the values visible through the holes.
Now, close one eye and, looking through the top hole, line it up with the sky, while lining the bottom hole up with a ground plane such as a meadow. See the difference in value?
Another way to quickly compare values, is to hold both hands out in front of you as if signalling for someone to stop. Move your hands together until they're just half an inch part. Close one eye and line the space between the hands up with an area where sky and earth meet. Again, you're eliminating details and concentrating just on value comparisons.
Of course, there are always exceptions to this earth-sky relationship. The major ones are man-made objects such as roads and buildings. (Photos 3 and 5) They can be the same value as or lighter than the sky. Natural exceptions can for instance, be sunny beaches, snow and of course, water, since it reflects sky values. Let your eyes and that value check be your guide.
So much for observing and painting nature the way it is. If you want to work in a less representational manner, you can manipulate values to your own advantage. For instance, you can use them to control where the center of interest will be. Where do you want the viewer to look? Comparing the landscape to a stage, YOU are the lighting director and can place your spotlight - hence value contrast, wherever you wish. Try a small preparation sketch first, before diving into the actual painting and have fun!


ABOUT SKY VALUES AND EARTH