TEKNIK CATAN AIR

HOW TO MIX NATURE'S GREENS

If you're going to paint the landscape, it is hard to avoid Nature's green. This is definitely the problem color, yet so lovely to look at in nature. Some artists have no green on their palette. Several of my teachers used that dreaded Pthalocyanine, also known as Thalo or Winsor Green and handled it beautifully. I believe whatever the name on the tube, it will work as long as you keep variety in mind. Keep changing your mixture. Don't pre-mix a well for the sunny grass and another well for a certain kind of tree. Let the mixing and mingling happen on the paper instead.
I find it helpful to remember that even in the spring, the yellows, oranges and reds are in the foliage. Chlorophyl however is, like Phthalocyanine, so powerful, that it overpowers these colors. Only in the fall, when chlorophyl no longer reaches the leaves, have the other colors a chance to display their beauty. In mixing therefore, I start with an orange, because it consists of yellow and red, which will to a certain extent, neutralize the green I add to that mixture. For the darker greens, I start with a dark orange, which on my palette is Burnt Sienna. I then add the green to it.
I try to never lose the warm feeling of that foliage and on location, keep checking the greens surrounding my palette. Those greens may not be exact, but they do belong to the family of foliage greens. It is also helpful to sneak in some red whenever you can. You can find it in the form of dark purples in branches, mauves in tree trunks, etc. Yes, I do add some dark blue once in a while, but don't over do this, since you may lose the warm feeling of nature's green. Don't be afraid, go out and try to mix some greens on location. For additional help, take a look at my video titled "How to mix greens and paint foliage".
"WHAT COLOR SHOULD I PAINT MY SHADOWS?"



This is a commonly asked question. My answers are based on observation of nature and apply to a representational painting approach, although the same theory works in a more decorative manner.
Basically, shadows are a darker form of the local color. A yellow house does not become a blue house just because it is in shadow. It becomes a darker yellow, influenced by its surrounding colors. Above all, shadow values must be convincingly dark, especially at their edges. Do not hesitatingly "whisper" a shadow shape.
Cast shadows falling across horizontal planes, are a darker version of the local color of road or grass, but are influenced by the sky color reflecting into it. Therefore, you can assume that ground shadows are basically cool. Shadows on vertical planes on the other hand are often warm, because the sunlight reflecting from the ground, has a chance to bounce into these areas.
A white house in shadow gives a great opportunity to see reflected light at work. Looking at a shaded porch for instance, you can see how the shadow is influenced by the color of the floor or ceiling paint. Look at how a red porch roof will bounce into and affect the shadow color above it. Learn to look for the very warm, often orange tint right under the roof's edge.
Avoid reaching automatically for Payne's grey for all your shadows. Instead, let those areas be a celebration of color. Start with some basic color wash and then, while that shadow area is still wet, drop in some orange, pink or mauve. Let those colors mix on the paper instead of premixing everything on your palette and then testing the color on another piece of paper. That test swatch is worthless because it is surrounded by white paper instead of the colors and values that will actually be surrounding that color on your painting. Next time, have fun with colorful shadows. Enjoy!


HOW TO FIND THAT COMPLIMENTARY COLOR

Colors that are opposite from each other on the color wheel, when placed side by side, enhance or complement each other. Yet when they are mixed together, they dull or grey each other. Since this is such an important color characteristic to use while painting, you need to know what those opposite colors are. Can't visualize the color wheel? Here is my simple way to find that elusive complementary color.
In paint, there are only three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. Let's call them the "three musketeers". To find the complementary color, just see which one or two missing primaries complete that trio. To find the opposite of the blue musketeer, for instance, you know that the missing ones are red and yellow. These two colors mixed together become orange, hence it is the complement of blue. If you need the opposite of green, you know that it is a mixture of yellow and blue, hence the missing member of the trio is red. It is that simple.
Now you give it a try. Which primary musketeer is needed to complete the trio if you have violet? Have fun!
HOGARTH'S LINE OF BEAUTY



Here is a bit of advice handed down through the ages. The artist Hogarth shares with us that anything alive is best expressed with a curved, "s" shaped line, while the straight line is best used for anything "dead". This photo for instance, shows some live trees as well as a "dead" telephone pole. Note the slight "s" curve in the foreground tree. Even the one further back has a slight curve and both have interesting angles.
This same "s" curve can be found in the human form, in animals, plants, flowers, in anything alive. Keep the straight lines for structures, created from "dead" materials. This advice is a great help in thinking of dominance and accent. When painting an architectural scene for instance, you'll encounter a dominance of straight lines and need the accent of the curves and angles given to us by tree forms. Next time, think about angling and curving those trees, even if in actuality, they are ramrod straight. They will form a needed relief, an accent for all the straight lines

CATAN AIR

FORM-DESCRIBING SHADOWS
Shadows help give form to whatever we paint. After all, they tell the story of where the light is coming from. A painter will therefore paint a tree trunk with a light side as well as a dark side, as shown in the upper right of this photograph. (A) That type of shadow is a form shadow, the shadow that is part of the form.
As the photograph shows however, there are even better ways to use shadows. Not only can you tell the viewer where the light is coming from, but in addition, you can show the roundness of the trunk with the help of cast shadows. Those are the shadows cast by an object and falling onto the trunk. Cast shadows are real form describers because they take on the form on which they are cast.
The middle trunk for instance shows some wonderful cast shadows, caused by higher branches. Those cast shadows wrap themselves around that trunk and really give a feeling of the roundness of it. (B) In the traditional, yellow "happy face", the mouth curves upward. With trees on the other hand, the shadow curves are downward as is clearly shown here. (B & D) Therefore, on my workshops, I point out that trees have "sad-faced shadows". To paint those shadows with an upward curve is to defy a natural occurrence and make a typical beginners mistake.
At certain parts of the day, some cast shadows are NOT good form describers. For example, look at the left trunk with the long, vertical cast shadow which simply copies that trunk's outline (C). In a situation like that, it is best to ignore that shadow shape and make it curve over the trunk instead. Perhaps fifteen minutes later it may actually do that anyway. In there lies the danger of copying a photograph verbatim.
Another thing I would like to point out here is the fact that near its cause, the cast shadow is darker and harder edged. Witness the hard edged, curved shadow in the upper part of the middle trunk. (B) The branch which caused that shadow is very near. The farther removed from its cause, the shadow becomes lighter in value and softer edged, as seen on the more delicate curves, on the left and right trunks. (D) Those cast shadows were caused by distant branches.
This photo was taken on my daily walk along the ocean. Remember, you won't always be able to paint, but you can always observe Mother Nature. She is a great teacher.



FORM-DESCRIBING SHADOWS





















Increasing the Illusion of Depth
In "The Watercolor Fix-it Book", you'll find nine different ways to increase the illusion of depth in your landscape without having to resort to those dreaded linear perspective rules. Yet, I'm sorry to say that a tenth way, the contour outline method was left out. Therefore, you may wish to print this tip and add it to chapter eight in your book.
To illustrate this method, imagine yourself on a hillside such as shown in . With your finger, point to the foliage contour of the nearest tree and follow that edge, as in line "A". Next, point to and follow the contour outline of a stand of trees a bit further away, as in line "B". Then follow the outline of a distant hill as in line "C" and do the same with the more distant ridges, as in lines "D" and "E". Notice how your finger motion as well as the linear quality in the diagram becomes less active the further the contours recede into the distance. The fact to remember: keep your active lines up front and slow the linear quality down in the distance.




This tip is even applicable when painting something as close as a sidewalk. In a section of the Fernandina Beach poster shown above, you can see that the near edge of the sidewalk is much more active than the far edge.


And you'll see this same phenomenon when pointing to and following the outline of a pond, as shown in the sketch above. See it applied in the print of the "Hidden Pond" painting.
Of course, as with anything, there are exceptions. Yet it is good to know this tenth method of increasing the illusion of depth. With ten ways to increase depth in your landscapes, who needs linear perspective? Have fun!

THOUGHTS ON HANDLING A BACKGROUND

The focal point building block: "..keep looking at the center of interest."

Prompted by a recent question about how to handle a background, I can't give specifics, because the subject in front of you should give you that advice. It is a case of learning to really look and observe what the subject tells you. Remember, nature is your best teacher. Therefore, when you set up your still life, take some time to compose it well and delete or cover up a confusing background. Ever wondered why you see so much drapery in background areas?
Keep in mind who is the "star" of your painting. What was the reason why you painted that subject in the first place? A background should always remain that and never steal the limelight away from your star area. So too much emphasis on the background, too much fussing in or with the background, will bring that area to the foreground and that's exactly what you want to avoid.
In general, consider treating background areas with cooler, more muted colors. Edges should be softer, more out of focus and details should only be hinted at. Guess what? All this applies to the landscape as well. The curtains of atmosphere lighten, cool, neutralize and soften all that is seen in the distance. For an extreme example, just observe what fog does to the landscape. Therefore, you should stay away from vivid reds or heavy browns in the distance. Again, generally speaking, since there are no absolutes in art. The words "always" and "never" do not exist.
Good advice:
While painting the center of interest, look at the center of interest. While painting everything else, KEEP LOOKING AT THE CENTER OF INTEREST. To test this, stand in front of a mirror, extend your hand to the side and look at your face. It is in sharp focus, while you're really only aware of your hand. Now shift your view to your hand and it becomes in focus while your face is blurred.
Observe our focal point building block. Your attention is automatically directed to the black dot. The arrows at that point, have a strong, black-white value difference. They are in focus, while when they near the edge of the block, they seem to blend more into the background, because the value difference between the arrow and the background becomes less pronounced.
Good luck with painting those backgrounds and keep the questions coming
REFLECTING ON REFLECTIONS



I often hear students referring to reflections as shadows. I don't know why. These are obviously two distinctly different things, although both can be observed, depending on the quality and depth of the water. Shadows are most often observed if the water is either full of sediment, or very shallow. In the latter case, assuming the stream is very clear, you'll actually look through the water, to see the shadow falling over the bottom of the stream bed. To attempt to paint both shadows and reflections on the water is asking for a major headache, however. I've tried it.
Reflections basically reflect the values and colors above the water and, at the water level, duplicate these values and colors. This is assuming we are looking at motionless water. It is basically a mirror. Waves, on the other hand, should be thought of as strips of broken mirrors, placed at slight angles. One angle will reflect the sky, while the other angle will reflect what is above the water level. You may have heard of the formula "The angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence." I tried to demonstrate this here with the three pilings and their reflections.
All these formulas get much too technical for most of us. Still, it is good to know the reasons behind some of this and quietly observe nature with a keen eye. In actuality, most painters just place reflections where they need them to tell the visual story of water. Reflections tell that story best. In the case of small puddles, I suggest placing them strategically right below where strong value alternations take place. For instance, place them right below where a house turns from sunlight into shade.
Wet streets are also great fun to paint, because they give you the opportunity to unify and balance colors throughout the scene. Is there any wonder why film makers often feature them? Have fun observing and painting reflections. For examples, look at my Coastal Maine poster as well as the Cozy Harbor and Hidden Pond prints. And if you have any reflection questions, send me an e-mail.

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)


Back




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

Kolaj, Assemblaj dan Combine Painting

PENGOLAHAN BAHAN DALAM TEKNIK BERKARYA
Terdapat berbagai cara yang boleh digunakan untuk menjadikan sesuatu karya itu menjadi bahan campuran. Dalam pemilihan bahan-bahan tersebut seseorang artis itu perlulah tahu jenis dan teknik yang dikehendakinya. Pengetahuan tentang nilai bahan-bahan dan caranya mungkin didapati samada dipelajari dari buku ataupun melalui sendiri pengalaman menghasilkan sesuatu yang baru.
Kekuatan sesuatu bahan itu juga perlu diketahui oleh pengkarya itu bagi memastikan samada ianya mempunyai ketahanan yang kuat ataupun lemah . Di sini terdapat sedikit sejarah bagaimana permulaan dan beberapa teknik yang selalu digunakan di dalam menghasilkan sesebuah karya.
Teknik tersebut ialah college,yang merupakan permulaan kepada kesemua teknik yang hadir selepasnya.Berikutan itu lahirlah seperti teknik-teknik seperti Assemblage, Combine Painting, Fibric, Fumage, Brulage, Decoupage, Affiches Laceres, Dechirage, Froissage, Frottage dan bermacam-macam lagi. Disini,kajian tentang media campuran ini hanya menitikberatkan terhadap beberapa pengolahan sahaja.


A.ii.i Collage
Collage (kolaj) ialah di mana dapat ditafsirkan sebagai satu permulaan seni catan moden yang menggunakan bahan-bahan yang berbentuk kertas yang terkenal di dalam karya Pablo Picasso. Papier de college ini telah mula digunakan dan telah mula menjadi satu seni yang baru. Dari tahun 1906-1914 merupakan satu era di dalam seni dengan adanya karya-karya yang membezakan dari segi pengolahan yang tidak tunduk kepada tradisi.
Ia merupakan satu era yang penting di mana ia merupakan zaman era moden yang memisahkan di antara yang lama dan baru. Picasso dan Braque merupakan pengkarya yang disebut-sebut sebagai pembawa kepada perubahan ini.
Selepas Cezanne mengenengahkan konsep 'Construction' terhadap 'nature' dengan meletakkan bentuk-bentuk kon, bulat segi empat dan segi tiga sebagai mewakili nature iaitu menganggap apa yang dilihat kepada nature ini boleh dibentukkan sebagai satu keadaan bergeometrik, sebagai contohnya pokok menjadi kon, rumah menjadi segi empat.
Bagaimanapun Picasso dan Braque pula mendapati ia adalah sebagai satu jalan pembentukan 'collage'. Mereka kemudiannya membuat eksprementasi yang dikenali sebagai 'Analytic Cubism' iaitu gagasan dari Cezanne, yang kemudiannya dimasukkan pula keratan akhbar, tiket, urat-urat kayu dan berbagai lagi kesan jalinan di dalam karya mereka. Mereka memasukkan sesuatu 'form' itu tanpa mengubah akan bentuk asalnya dan kekal sebagai bentuk dan rupa sendiri.

Picasso menjelaskan bagaimana ia bermula dengan kolaj ini sebagai,
" It was a small painting, a still life serrounded by an oral form made rope, that for the first time introduced as a tangble element a small piece of oil cloth resembling chair canning".
Ia menambah lagi,
" there is no such thing as any material being worthing or unworthy as a mean of creative expression, as long the artist in fuses it with creative feeling".
Jadi collage ini adalah sebagai satu permulaan dalam seni catan moden akibat perasaan ingin tahu para pelukis di dalam mencari sesuatu yang baru. Imej-imej yang dilekatkan itu masih lagi menunjukkan akan sifat-sifat asal mereka.
Selalunya kolaj ini hanya menggunakan satu lapisan atau nipis seperti keratan akhbar, tiket dan sebagainya. Kadangkala kewujudan mereka hanya melalui tampakan mata dan mendatar. Permukaan yang selalu dikolaj itu kebanyakannya masih bersifat 2D.

A.ii.ii Assemblage
Tidak seperti kolaj, ianya lebih 'berbentuk' dan 'bersifat' kepada kualiti relief. Penyusunan dari welding besi, gum antara permukaan, objek yang dijumpai (sebagai contoh ) telah dimasukkan bersama menjadi satu karya.
Artis seperti Schwitters, Merz dan Dubuffets telah memulakan karya-karya yang berbentuk Assemblage. Sebagai contoh mereka mengambil bahan-bahan yang terbuang dan tidak dipakai diambil dan di simpan yang kemudiannya di 'kompos' kembali menjadi satu karya. Sebagai contoh seperti akhbar, stamp, tali, kayu, besi, plastik, ( Sekadar menyebut beberapa bahan ) yang digunakan untuk menghasilkan sesuatu.
Pembuatannya oleh Charlotte Weilder, "He spread flour and water over the paper, then moved and shulted and manipulated his scraps of paper around in the paint while the paper was wet. With his finger tips he worked little piece of crumpled paper into the wet surface;also spread tints of water colour or gouches around to get variation in shadings of tone".
Manakala kepada Max Ernst pula ialah kepada eksplorasi,
" the fortuitous ecounter upon a non suitable plane of two mutually distant realities".
Menghampiri kepada seni ialah ia berbentuk cembung dan lebih kepada eksplorasi teknikal dan keputusan yang lebih tegas terhadap pengalaman seseorang itu.
Assemblage ini ialah turutan kepada perkembangan collage yang telah dimajukan dalam seni dengan penambahan-penambahan dan penerokaan baru dengan menjadikan sesuatu catan itu lebih kepada relief. Menggunakan bahan-bahan yang dikutip atau jumpa yang kemudiannya di kompos'kan kembali.

A.ii.iii Combine Painting
Seni ini telah diasaskan oleh dua orang pelukis Barat iaitu Robert Rauschenberg dan Jasper Johns.Ianya adalah lanjutan dari seni yang telah dibawa oleh golongan 'Dada'. Mereka ini termasuk di dalam 'Pop Art' dan lebih dikenali sebagai 'Neo-dada'. Seni ini memperlihatkan akan pertemuan dan percantuman antara seni 2D dan 3D. Seni yang telah dibawa oleh golongan dadaisme juga berkemunculan seperti ini tetapi masih lagi berbentuk relatif tetapi seni kombinasi ini telah terkeluar dari peraturan catan secara total.
Rauschenberg secara berani telah memaparkan seni sebegini dalam 'Canyon' di mana ia memasukkan objek-objek persekitaran yang lebih berbentuk seperti burung dan bantal. Begitu juga dengan karyanya'First landing Jump', dengan menggunakan tayar kayu berserta objek lain. Begitu juga karya-karya oleh Jasper Johns dalam siri 'Target' nya. Tetapi melalui pengkaryaan oleh Jasper John ini, kebanyakan karyanya lebih mementingkan teknikal seperti 'casting'.
Seni ini yang bersekitaran permulaannya di tahun 50an telah berkembang hinggalah ke masakini. Objek dari persekitaran samada dari 'man-made' mahupun 'natural object' dikombinasikan sekali meliputi seni yang tak terbatas.
Kesimpulannya, seni 'combine' ini telah hadir setelah penerokaan oleh golongan Kubisme, Dadaisme yang seterusnya memperluaskan seni berbentuk 'Collage' sehinggalah ke seni Kontemporari.
Selain daripada kelahiran golongan yang mengamalkan seni campuran ini, perkara yang berkaitan dengan teknikal juga penting di dalam pembuatannya. Terdapat beberapa \teknikm dan keberkesanannya sewaktu menjalani proses.