Paynes Gray - to use or not to use

Most watercolorist will tell you not to use black paint. But what about Paynes Gray?  This colour has a strong blue undertone that is more subtle than Ivory Black.

Similar to black, you will find numerous artist advocating against the use of this colour as they claim it is "flat" or a dead colour.  However, some who encourage mixing your blacks, including famous artists, do support the use of Paynes Gray because it dries several values lighter.

This colour has some uses, such as mixing it with some yellows to create some interesting greens. However, you may have noticed that the Paynes Gray from the various brands do not all look the same.

Some people like to use Paynes Gray for shadows. In this instance, or when you're looking for a darker color, remember to use the complementary colors of the object to get the correct color - instead of reaching for Paynes Gray.

If you do not have the colour on your palette but wish to create an equivalent, mix a combination of Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber or Burnt Sienna. You might have to play around with the proportions but you'll get there in the end.

Today's artist find is von Carsten Wieland

Have a great week,
Danielle

p.s. my palette does contain Paynes Gray. What about you?

Storing your watercolours

If you've been painting watercolours for a few years, you probably have accumulated quite a few. You probably have some that you are proud of and want to preserve. After spending hours creating your watercolours, how do you store them to preserve them? Here are a few tips to consider including the fact that light and moisture are the worst environmental hazards:

• when storing paintings on top of the other, use some type of padding in between
• paintings are best stored on a flat surface on an acid free surface (could be paper)
• occasionally take paintings out of storage to give them air which can help to prevent mold and humidity from building-up
• ensure stored paintings are not exposed to direct sunlight
• try to avoid storing your watercolours in the basement as that area is normally humid. It's also good to avoid attics that can be too dry. The temperature and level of humidity should be adequate and consistent.
• store all unframed paintings in a plastic archival bag. Others will tell you to store stack them while matted.
• some artists store them in portfolios to protect them from dust, kids and pets.

Most of the above can also apply when you buy bulk paper.

Today's artist find is Susan Walsh Harper:

Don't you like the girl's pose and the softness of her dress?  I'm in awe when I see such talent.

Happy New Year and have a great week,

Danielle

Happy holidays

Here's to hoping that you had a productive year painting and that we all continue to learn new things in the new year.

This week's artist find is Paul Jackson

Happy New Year
Danielle

Béatrice Morel

Recently I came across the work of Béatrice Morel. Her rendering of horses is what attracted me to her paintings. She truly masters water and communicates her passion for watercolor in her paintings and the result is breathtaking.

Here is a quick overview of her approach:

• she paints on an incline to allow for the movement of water and paint to create the horse's mane
• to save time before the canvas dries, she uses three brushes, one each for red, yellow and blue
• she then applies on the wet canvas, lines of blue while leaving much space between the lines and lets the water spread the colours horizontally and vertically to create the horse's mane
• after the blue has spread, she adds red lines. She ensures her brush is loaded with paint. She does the same with the yellow
• she then continues stroking the canvas with various colours to encourage the colours to mix
• for the other areas of the horse, she uses the three primary colours but dots the wet surface and again lets the water mix the colours
• when the canvas is dry she paints the eye with very dark mix and adds other details

Here are some of her paintings:

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Have a great week and Merry Christmas

Danielle