Project 1 – floral, wet in wet with salt and plastic food wrap

21march15a

Materials

Paint: van Gogh colours: Viridian ( very strong green), Ulramarine Blue, Madder Lake deep, Lemon Yellow, Paynes Grey (available in Manor Geneva or online)

Paper: 300gms Windsor & Newton

Brushes: #14 + very small

  1. Draw 3 large flower shapes of different sizes 2/3 of the way up the paper (flowers should touch the edges of the painting)
  2. Turn painting upside-down and paint top section (not flowers) with water only
  3. Drop in lemon yellow blending to madder lake + ultramarine on the left sprinkle on salt in definite areas (don't sprinkle all over - it's not pizza!)
  4. Draw in some effects with water soluble crayon
  5. Turn paper right way up and paint bottom area (not flowers) with water
  6. Drop in blue + madder on the right and viridian on the left
  7. Place food wrap on one section (don't use over the whole area and place before the paint begins to dry) - think in diagonals, these will form your stems and leave shapes
  8. Put aside & allow to dry naturally (you can't use the hairdryer as the salt flies off!)
  9. When all the paint is dry remove salt and plastic food wrap
  10. Paint some shadows on the flowers where the petals overlap with very pale paynes grey. Try not to make all the shadows the same size and shape!
  11. Allow to dry
  12. Decide where the centres of the flowers will be (not all the same size and in a horizontal line) and paint an area larger than your centre with water
  13. Mix a strong paynes grey and literally drop on to the water
  14. Draw the lines radiating from the centres and some dots - use irregular lines try not to make them look like spiders!

Project 2 – summer trees

summer trees

Materials

Paint: van Gogh colours: Cerulean Blue, Ulramarine Blue, Madder Lake Deep, Raw Sienna (yellow), Sap Green

Paper: 300gms Fabriano

Brushes: #14 + very small

Course notes: Things to remember

  1. Draw a frame before starting - then if you don't like the composition you can add a bit
  2. Sketch out the ground shapes - try water soluble caryons
  3. Mix up enough paint - ultramarine blue, lemon yellow, burnt sienna
  4. Keep the board at an angle so that the paint will run down. Remember to paint over the edges of the frame
  5. Start at top left corner with dark shade of ultramarine blue, lemon yellow on dry paper use lots of water and allow colour to flow
  6. Leave a lighter section in the middle - if the paint flows into this area dab out with kitchen paper
  7. Add darks Burnt sienna and Ultramarine at the bottom
  8. Move the board to allow the paint to flow around STOP before all colours become a monotone grey!
  9. Allow to dry
  10. Draw in tree shapes with water soluble coloured pencil (dark blue or green)
  11. Paint clean water on to tree shapes and dab out immediately with kitchen paper. The paint will disappear because we have chosen non-staining colours
  12. DRY then paint in the negative shapes of the trees on the right
  13. Paint dark tree trunks on left side of paper using ultra blue + burnt sienna with not much water.
  14. Add some texture in the foreground
  15. Use a rigger or crayon for small branches. Use a sponge for foliage (in one area only - avoid sponging the whole painting!