Saturday, May 31, 2014

Using Facebook to share your watercolours?

Many of us already use Facebook to exchange and share photos. When you post some news or photos on Facebook, it has the potential to spread quickly as users share photos with their friends. Many famous artists use Facebook to spread the news about their art.
 
Here are just a few: 
Facebook is free and is a great medium requiring little technical skills to promote and share your art. It’s a good way to develop a loyal following. It’s effective! 
 
Many of us have been painting for a few years and thinking maybe some people might be interested in buying our art. This is might be the best flattery and recognition we can get. Through a Facebook page you can show your art and you develop followers who become interested in what you do and who might turn out to be collectors of art.
 
I encourage you to create a Facebook page for the following reasons: 
  • Provides a steady flow of traffic for your art and website if you have one
  • Helps build relationships
  • Provides another way for search engines to find you
  • Allows you to share your art with a different community including family and friends.
If you already have a Facebook account, you may want to post your watercolours in a separate page to provide a more professional appearance.
 
Here is a link to Alyson Stanfield post on how to “Start a Fan Page” . This post discusses the value of a Facebook Fan page along with step-by-step instructions to get you started right away. 
 
Once you have your Facebook page, share the URL with me and I’ll add it to this blog page.
 
Spring is in the air here in Ottawa and I've found this painting of primroses from Jean Haines for this occasion.
 


Danielle

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Have you ever wondered how to frame your watercolour painting?

Naively, I originally thought that all I’d need to do to frame a watercolour is go to the art store to buy a frame, get some glass (if the frame didn’t come with one) and then put a board on the back and voilĂ !

As I’ve learned, there’s a bit more to it than that. Here are all of the various components to framing a watercolour:

FrameA quality frame will enhance your painting. Normally, bulky frames do not enhance the look of watercolour paintings. Metallic frames or wood frames suit watercolours.

Glass or plexi glass (acrylic)
To protect the painting you can use glass or plexi glass/acrylic. Although the plexi glass is much harder to break than glass, it scratches more easily. Non-reflective glass makes a big difference to watercolours, but they are a bit more expensive. 

Mat
In addition to provide a nice inner frame, the mat allows air to circulate around the painting. Preferably, acid-free or PH neutral mats (as any material in contact with the painting) should be used to prevent oxidation and aging.

Traditionally, white mats are used for watercolours. The width of the mat should correspond to the size of your painting. The bigger the painting the wider the mat should be. However, mats should not exceed 6", even for a very large painting.

In addition, two mats are usually recommended with the second one showing only a small portion (1/8 to ¼ in.) of the first mat.

If you opt not to use a mat, then you need to put a spacer between the glass and the painting so they don't touch.

I have a number of nice frames that come with a wooden "mat". I like their look and hence often use them for my paintings.

Backing (or mounting)
The backing will protect your painting from the back as the glass will protect it from the front. Most use quality, acid-free foamboard backing in either 1/8" or 3/16" thickness, whichever is best for the particular framing job. The watercolour painting should be fixed on the acid free foam core with acid free tape, not on the back of the mat . Do not put tape all around the work. 

When the mounting is completed, the mat boards are adjusted over it. A frame is fixed around it, usually with framer’s nails. 

Some people like to add a protection paper on the wooden parts on the back of a wooden frame. This protection paper doesn’t need to be acid free because it doesn’t touch the work. Wrapping paper or brown paper will do, but the paper must be thick enough to protect the frame from dirt, humidity and unwanted visitors like insects. For more durable protection and nice finishing, a gummed brown tape can be glued over the brown paper’s edges. 

Of course, if you're like me and often change the paintings in your frames around the house, you won't be using any protection paper.

Fixtures
Metallic fixtures (triangular or D-ring type ) are screwed into the wood approx. 3 or 4 inches from the top. They hold metallic or plastic covered metallic wire to hang the frame on the wall. The wire should not be too tight. On the wall, for a larger frame, two nails will be more secure, a 3 or 4 inches distance between the nails is suggested.

As for all kinds of artworks, choose a wall that is not exposed to bright sunlight for many hours during the day. 

Alternatives
Having said all of that, I’m currently experimenting with mounting watercolours on claybords. I’ve tried it three different ways so far, and my preference is to paint the sides with liquid acrylic black paint and gluing the painting to the top only. If you want to know more about this experience, write me.

Claybords appeal to a different audience which seek something a bit more “modern” for their homes.

Here is a tree peony painted by Marney Ward



Danielle

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Have you ever painted in plein air?

I haven't but I'm planning to paint outdoors this summer.  Ottawa has a watercolour society that goes out twice a month to paint on location. In addition, for one of those outings, they'll be coming to paint my garden (http://www.daniellesgarden.ca/).
When I starting looking into this, I felt a bit overwhelmed.
Therefore, I had to get my act together which includes getting supplies I can carry from the car to the painting location.  Since I have never done this, I researched what I needed and here is what I found out.  What's important to keep in mind is that once on location, I may need to move spots and therefore need to be mobile.
Here is a list of basic supplies:
  • Travel easel:  there a number of travel easels on the market. A typical home easel weighs about 15lbs. There are easels made for watercolouring.
  • Pencils: you'll need a couple for drawing. They are best kept, along with an eraser and sharpener in a small zip lock bag so the graphite won't get everywhere.
  • Paper and tape for stretching paper: I bought some . But I guess some pre-cut paper would do.  This would also be a good time to use a block of paper.
  • Travel palette:  find one that holds a good amount of paint. I recently one in New York that I hope works out.
  • Paint: limited selection would be ideal. You may even choose to  have some paint in your palette to eliminate carrying extra paint.
  • Foam board: this is to hold the paper down.  Luckily these are light. 
  • Brushes: I did not want to bring my Kolinsky brushes so I recently bought some cheaper synthetic brushes.  Depending on sizes of paper you likely do not need many of them. Remember....only bring what you need. A dozen brushes are way too many to carry all day.  You may want to use and old bamboo roller brush holder. Bring a rubber band to hold it together.  
  • Water container: a collapsible a water container will save space.
  • A small spray bottle (optional): these are great for misting your drying paintings or creating special effects.
  • Water:  The amount of water you will need will depend on your painting style and how you use it. If you rinse your brushes often
  • Paper towel:  This is required to blot your brushes
  • Snack:  just in case you get the munchies
In addition, you may want to bring a camera to take a photo to allow you to touch up your paintings back in your studio.  Everything should fit into a small case or bag.  
 
Does anyone have any experience with plein air painting and could give us some tips?
 
Danielle
 
 
 

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Is it warm or cool?

I’m not sure if you’re like me and sometimes wonder which colors are warm and which are cool? Knowing which colors are warm and cool is one tool to create balance and a sense of fullness within a painting. In addition, warm colors appear to move forward while cooler colors recede into the background. That's why when painting a landscape we tend to use warm colors in the foreground then move to cooler colors in the background
 
We all thought we knew the basics:
  • Warm hues = yellow, orange, red
  • Cool hues = violet, blue, green, brown
In reality there are warm and cool colors of EACH of the hues available to us. For example, we have warm & cool yellows, warm & cool reds, warm & cool blues, etc.
 
So how can we tell which ones are cool and which ones are warm in our primary colors and our secondary colors. How do we determine the bias towards warm and cool?  There is only one way to do that. You have to paint a color swatch of each of your primary tubes of paint and let your eye be the judge. The eye will tend to the see warm colors first.
My opinion is that it is difficult to talk about absolute when talking about warm and cool colors, for example any red will look warmer when compared to any blue. You can have a warm and a cool yellow but both yellows are warmer than any blue. Greens can be called warmer than blue because greens have yellow in them.
For those of you that really want to know, here is a cheat sheet from the W&N website
 
Warm Colors:
Cadmium Yellow Pale
Turner's Yellow
New Gamboge
Cadmium Yellow
Winsor Yellow Deep
Indian Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Deep
Cadmium Orange
Winsor Orange
Winsor Orange (Red Shade)
Cadmium Scarlet
Scarlet Lake
Cadmium Red
Winsor Red
Rose Doré
Quinacridone Red
Opera Rose
Quinacridone Magenta
Permanent Magenta
Cobalt Violet
Permanent Mauve
Winsor Violet (Dioxazine) Cobalt Blue Deep
French Ultramarine
Ultramarine (Green Shade)
Winsor Blue (Red Shade)
Cerulean Blue (Red Shade)
Winsor Green (Yellow Shade)
Oxide of Chromium
Yellow Ochre Light
Yellow Ochre
Gold Ochre
Quinacridone Gold
Brown Ochre
Magnesium Brown
Burnt Sienna
Light Red
Venetian Red
Brown Madder
Potter's Pink
Perylene Maroon
Perylene Violet
Caput Mortuum Violet
Burnt Umber
Vandyke Brown
Sepia
Titanium White (Opaque White)
Cool Colors:
Lemon Yellow (Nickel Titanate)
Bismuth Yellow
Cadmium Lemon
Winsor Lemon
Lemon Yellow Deep
Transparent Yellow
Winsor Red Deep
Permanent Alizarin
Crimson
Alizarin Crimson
Permanent Carmine
Permanent Rose
Rose Madder Genuine
Indanthrene Blue
Cobalt Blue
Antwerp Blue
Prussian Blue
Winsor Blue (Green Shade)
Cerulean Blue
Phthalo Turquoise
Winsor Green (Blue Shade)
Terre Verte
Perylene Green
Permanent Sap Green
Olive Green
Terre Verte (Yellow Shade)
Green Gold
Raw Sienna
Indian Red
Raw Umber
Indigo
Payne's Gray
Neutral Tint
Ivory Black
Lamp Black
Mars Black
Davy's Gray
Chinese White 
 
 
Any thoughts on color warmth?  How much does it come into play in your paintings?
 
Danielle

Sunday, May 04, 2014

Book review: "Interpreting the Landscape in Watercolor” by Don Andrews

Like many beginner painter, I have a number of watercolour books that take us through a number of images to help us re-created the authors’ paintings. Unfortunately, most of these books do give us the basic tools to successfully fly on our own to create our unique paintings that others may someday admire.
 
I’m a huge fan of Don Andrew’s book “Interpreting the Landscape in Watercolor”. This book has concepts I wish I would have known about a couple of years ago. Some of my favourite concepts are:
  • Organizing nature: our first responsibility as aspiring artists is to organize nature. Don advocates that we “create order our of nature’s disorder”
  • Unity: this concept although simple – making individual elements in your painting belong together – is one that is not easy to put in practice for me.
  • Edge quality: although we all may know about using the three categories (hard, soft and lost), their role in paintings is not always well understood. Edge quality plays a huge role in linking elements in a painting.
  • Colour dominance: this chapter teaches us that when a colour temperature dominance is absolute, the painting will appear lethargic.
  • Painting negative space: Don walks us through negative spacing by painting down the value scale. This chapter is quite interesting as it walks us through painting through lines. 
The book also covers a number of other interesting topics such as: granulation, neutrals, relationship of color and value, etc..

In addition to being inspiring, the writing in this book is clear, clever and to the point. His ideas are well supported by many illustrations. Here is one example which is used to demonstrate the use of various edges to unify a painting:

 
 
  
This book provides the watercolorist with some essential tools to improve the quality of paintings. I will certainly be re-reading it a few times.

Tell me about your favorite watercolour book.
 
Danielle

p.s. I would also recommend his video "How to loosen up"