Back to Watercolor

While I have done watercolor in the past, it's been many, many years. So I held my breath as I began the actual painting process. The sketch was complete and well received by the client, with the comment that she felt like she was actually looking at her sweet dog. I transferred the sketch to Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor paper with graphite carbon paper defining only the basic details. I was afraid that the watercolor would pool in the sketch lines if I pressed to hard. I added additional details with very light pencil. This commission is to match a previous watercolor that the client had done of another pet a number of years ago. So I needed to match the style. I began by doing a wash of the background to look similar to the colors in the other painting. While that dried I used liquid Frisket to block out the highlights in the eyes and white fur. Then I began with the eyes using fairly strong paint. I wanted to use a realistic technique for the eyes and nose then a fairly loose watery technique for the fur. I knew the eyes were dark, but didn't have an exact photo to use as reference. I used black for the pupils and washes of burnt umber for the iris, removing paint until I got a realistic effect. I used a dry brush of black around the eyes for the fur and moved on to the nose. I was afraid the nose would be the hardest but it turned out to be one of the easiest areas. I covered the whole nose with a black wash then used a paper towel to remove paint in the highlighted areas. This made soft matt highlights with a texture. The next area was the mouth, using the dry brush technique again I used black and a mixture of burnt umber to define the fur. I had used Frisket for the white beard area so I overlapped this with the strokes. I let these areas dry then removed the Frisket with a rubber cement pickup. Now is the time to move onto the ears, body and legs. The matching painting didn't have much definition in the body area so I hoped I could match the loose technique. I first thought to wet the paper, but decided against it since I needed to define curls at the ends of the fur. I had used Frisket over the white chest blaze so I didn't have to worry about paint moving into that area. I first started by using a light wash of yellow ochre for the buff fur, I knew I could add layers as needed. Then it was time to work with all that black fur. I was worried about such a black mass of fur, but I figured that I would just start over if it didn't work out. Starting with a watery wash I worked in layers to build up the hair and highlights. It was wonderful and the paint flowed into perfect layers and curls of fur. I added more water as I worked to the bottom and mixed the paint right on the paper to create a shadow effect at the base of the animal. I removed the Frisket from the white blaze and added a greyed wash to blend the white into the black fur. So when you see white in the painting that is the actual paper color. I added a few more strokes with a thin liner brush to define some of the hairs on the face and tips of the ears. After the painting has dried I'll see if the black needs to be darkened in some areas.

SIDE TRACKED

Though I'd love to be painting whatever inspires me sometimes capitalism gets in the way. I have a number of various commissions which are due this Christmas season so I thought I better get underway. This client contacted be about a touching gift for her husband of their Cocker Spaniel who passed away. The painting was to match a previous watercolor painting of another family pet done by another artist. Though I don't usually work in watercolor and my style would not necessarily match I agreed to take on the commission. Photos of the dog were not the best but I did some research using Google images of other similar black and tan Cocker Spaniels and was hopefully able to recreate their family pet. This is the prelimary sketch for approval. I have a few questions of the client regarding the exact coloring and placement of the chest blaze, muzzle coloring and ear configuration. Hopefully I have captured the animal correctly.

TRY, TRY AGAIN

The painting in your mind doesn't often match what happens on the canvas. While I was happy with the progress on the tarpon, the pinfish were driving me crazy. They just looked too flat and didn't have that finished look that was "floating" in my mind. Then the light bulb went on they actually were too flat. Though I had a few of the individual fish in the background, shadowed deeply, I had not established a middle ground for the reast of the school. Also, I sat and concentrated on my "frozen" little pinfish and discovered that he really had a lot of brown tones while I was mainly adding grays and blue. The minute I added a raw umber glaze on the pinfish that were in the middle of the pack I got the effect I was looking for. Next I added a white glaze using Windsor and Newton Mixing white (it's more transparent that Titanium) on the most prominent fish and magically my little fish were swimming like I wanted. Finally I sharpened the details on the most prominent fish and I'm getting closer to the elusive painting in my mind. TIP: Windsor and Newton Alkyd Mixing White is the most transparent white, to increase this I use Gamblin Galyd Lite to make a crystal looking glaze.

I LOVE GLAZING USING OILS.
I used to use this technique when I painted exclusively in acrylics, but I love it even more using oils. (I've returned to oils after a 30 year hiatus.) It was just easier to use water-based acrylics and the drying time was better. But after being talked into returning to oils by a fellow artist I have discovered the new resin based mediums to be better than acrylics for this technique. I use Liquin Fine Detail (it has a smooth, slippery quality) and Gamblin Galyd Lite (it gives a crystal clarity to the layer). These in combination with transparent colors create beautiful glazes. This is especially useful in my current painting "Tampa Bay Tarpon". I want to create the luminosity and reflection of the fish scales, and by layering various glazes it's is working beautifully. In this photo I just covered the pinfish with another glaze of Ultramarine Blue/Paynes Gray and Galyd Lite. I also glazed over the pinfish that are in shadow adding black to this mixture. Yes, I did add white highlights in the previous step. But I painted over them again. First there were too many whites. It takes away from the effect with too many white reflections and does not have enough contrast. In the next painting session I will add the highlights back in, but I will be more selective in their placement. TIP: When layering glazes I don't apply more then one per day. Much like working in acrylics, each layer needs to be dry so that they do not mix together. And the painting always looks different the next day when the colors are set.

WORKING THE BACKGROUND
Back in my studio and hating the background of this Tarpon painting!!!! The first layer was so easy, but now I wanted to deepen the lower part of the canvas and it's not working. I thought I could just add a deeper glaze (turquoise/cobalt blue/Liquin) but it wouldn't blend correctly so I had to cover the middle section also. I'm happy with the color range of the upper water, but I changed the direction of some of the swirls and sun reflection and it now leads the viewers eye across the painting incorrectly. The section above the tarpon, upper right is good, but the upper left section doesn't frame the school of pinfish and leads you out of the painting. I also glazed over the tarpon again and love how the glazes make him more realistic. But the more I capture the tarpon correctly the worse the pinfish look. While at the beach last weekend I caught a pinfish and tried to cement images in my head of it's coloring and reflection of light on the scales. The colors are more defined viewed under water, for instance the small blue stripes are almost neon. Photos of the fish out of water don't capture what I'm depicting in this painting. I'll work on them in the next few days after correcting the background.

PAINTING AT THE BEACH
It's a summer weekend and my family and I are at our favorite place in the world, Anna Maria Island, FL. Our beach house has the best light and I always take my painting with me. The tarpon is nearing completion. I was very apprehensive to add the background. First, as I mentioned before I wasn't sure whether to add the bay bottom to anchor the painting, but my son loves the look of the fish floating so I'm leaning that way. Second, the size of this canvas is 15" x 47", that's a lot of surface to cover. And finally, this is the first time I have done a painting in this progression; first doing the major objects then adding the background. Well....so far the first layer has gone very well. I love the movement of the oil paint. I used to paint exclusively in acrylic and you definitely cannot blend such a large area in the same manner. I painted in this first layer using a cross-hatch stroke and love the surface it creates. This photo shows the first paint I applied, starting with the middle depth color. I then added the surface color, with some swirls to define the surface of the water. I thinned the surface color a lot with medium to make it more tranparent, the green base painting really shows through. I'll go back over to lighten it with the next color hopefully capturing the luminousity I'm looking for. Lastly, I added a dark shade at the base of the canvas as the water gets darker near the bottom. I need to let this dry thoroughly so that I can add the next colors in glaze form. You can see more steps in the process on my website.

Much progress on the tarpon

Miraculously the tarpon is almost finished. I got so involved with painting the layers of color and "fish scales" that I couldn't tear myself away. You can't see the texture of the paint on-line but it adds another dimension to the painting. I had to make myself stop for fear of over working. When I start each days painting session I glaze over the entire fish with Liquin Fine Detail to bring out the colors and give a fresh painting surface to work. It provides just the right amount of tacky surface for the oil paint to adhere. I'm not happy with the pinfish!! I glazed over them again with paynes gray and Liquin, blurring the details. I think I over worked them for such a small fish, you would not normally see much detail as they move very quickly. I'm still not sure whether I will add the bay floor or sea grass or just have them suspended. I know that as I continue to work the problems will magically work themselves out.

Tarpon painting in progress

It's tarpon season in the Tampa Bay area and my family have been out almost every weekend trying to "hook up". The silver king has been elusive so far, but while they are fishing I've been painting. I photographed this tarpon at the Lowry Park Zoo last year and a painting has been rattling around in my head ever since. But how to compose a painting with just a tarpon looking off to the left? Well what do they love to eat? The number one bait here in the area are pass crabs. You'll see the tarpon rolling in the channels off Egmont Key waiting for pass crabs drifting on the outgoing tide. But I'm not inspired by a crab, their other main bait is the "elusive" pinfish. I like these little guys even though they'll steal your bait in a minute. Their colors, with yellow and electric blue are what I'm looking for. Here's the preliminary work, I first base painted the canvas using green acrylic and blocked in the basic shapes with paynes gray/burnt umber/cerulean blue. I haven't decided whether to leave them suspended in the water with the sunlight streaming or add the bay bottom with sand and grass. I'll decide later.