How to Paint: Water Colour Washes

Jan 2010

The four demonstrations show how Fiona Peart creates watercolor paintings that are very different in nature. These are White Amaryllis, Beach Figures, Red Stockings and The Gondolier. Each demonstration breaks down the individual steps taken to produce the final picture. Readers can replicate the pictures in the demonstrations if desired, or they can apply the techniques to other projects. How to Paint: Water Colour Washes offers plenty to interest the rubber stamper looking to learn more about adding watercolor to rubber stamping project. While this is by no means a definitive guide to watercolors, the information provided offers a good grounding in the subject. People who are interested in finding out more can use the Internet or other books to find more in depth information. I found How to Paint: Water Colour Washes an interesting book to read. My favorite demonstration is the White Amaryllis picture and I can see how techniques here could adapt to many rubber stamping projects. One aspect of the book that I have found particularly valuable is seeing how Fiona Peart uses different colors to build up the end picture.

Jan 10

Fiona Peart shows us in this book how to create some fabulous paintings by way of her clear simple instructions using a few simple guidelines on achieving bright and fresh washes. She begins by explaining what colours she uses and why, and that some colours are naturally granulating and some naturally flocculate. She shows us how to use these natural paint properties to best advantage. She also covers what brushes and paper to choose to get the best effects from washes and adds a few tips on other useful materials.

The Getting Started section introduces some useful techniques such as wet-on-dry, graded washes, laying a wash in a shape and negative painting.

The four demonstration paintings cover different approaches from a floral subject requiring lots of wet in wet washes, a quick beach scene, a loose street painting with added details if buildings and people and a Venetian scene where we learn to use photographs to create a new scene. Fiona stresses that the demonstrations are just that and that following them will not reproduce them exactly but teach the student to react to the paints and create their own paintings. The techniques learned will then be easily transferred over to paintings of the students own composition. A super book from Fiona detailing just how easy it is to create fabulous fresh washes that will transform your watercolour painting.

Feb 10

The essence of a good painting is often the background, setting up the scene for the more detailed foreground. With watercolors you can lay a wash, and here is a whole book on how to do it to perfection. Washes are one of the things that make watercolors unique, and perhaps encapsulate one of the aspects of this medium that artists enjoy-its simplicity. I like the way the book starts with an introduction on why washes are important, and then the author explains all the choices she has made when buying the materials. It's up to you whether you buy student or artist quality tubes of paint or pans and what brushes you select, but in here are laid out the pros and cons of each-what a good idea! I particularly like the swatches of card that show what the different brushes are capable of; so much better than merely showing images of the brushes themselves. Then the author shows us her palette of fifteen colors, and describes the properties of each. I think that this is a grand way of getting to know your equipment even before you buy it. There are exercises to try when you start laying down your own washes, and information about working from photographs and keeping sketchbooks. The bulk of the book is taken up with a series of projects, all shown in staged photographs with captions, so you can work your way through each painting. There are a variety of subjects covered, showing that if, like this reviewer, you associate washes solely with land and seascapes you are limiting their use. There are projects for these of course, but also for a flower study and a townscape with figures. I hadn't seen an entire book on washes before but this is certainly a good way of learning how to use them fairly quickly and simply.

Fiona Peart is a professional artist and fully qualified art tutor, specialising in watercolour and drawing techniques. She runs popular workshops, gives talks and presentations to various art groups, and also demonstrates at art shows and exhibitions throughout the UK. She writes regularly for The Artist, Leisure Painter and StartArt magazines, as well as contributing articles and features to national magazines, and has produced several DVDs on watercolour and coloured pencils. For more information visit www.fionapeart.com