WATERCOLOUR PAINTING
By Margaret & John Kennedy (Area 13)
We have found an interesting sideline, using our colour transparencies - water colour landscape painting.
We mount a piece of fairly good quality paper - any size which is suitable - on a stiff board, with cellotape. Put a suitable slide in the projector, with the board and paper in front so that it will not move and focus up. It does not matter if the slide is not very sharp. Go round the outlines of the main features with a black pencil. This takes care of the perspective, which many painters find difficult.
If the verticles of a building are not quite upright on the slide, this can be corrected to some extent by tilting the board and paper backwards, or by having the slide and paper at 90o and working sideways, and with the paper at a slight angle, and not quite parallel to the slide. If you wish you had used a telephoto lens, you can use only part of the slide by having the paper further away from the projector.
Now the fun starts - everyone does things differently. A small box of water colours and brushes are needed. We usually start with the sky, which is probably not blue all over, but areas of grey or white where clouds appear, but do not necessarily try to copy clouds exactly.
Next paint other items which you have outlined in pencil such as buildings, trees, rivers, roads etc. Do not try to make it look like a photograph, but leave out a lot of detail. We find trees the most difficult as each tree has hundreds of branches. Trees in leaf are a bit easier, but the leaves are not all of one colour. Some painters just put on dabs of colour, but others show more details, and in any case there are trunks and parts of branches.
There are numerous books by professional painters and each author seems to have different methods, so try to keep to books by one professional painter. We prefer books by Alwyn Crawshaw,. Sometimes there are programmes on television about water colour painting but they rarely recommend the use of slides as mentioned.
Early attempts may be discouraging, but after a number of tries it becomes easier. It is very relaxing. A painting may not be finished in one day. We put a painting up, and see what can be improved.
We have sometimes used a bit of white acrylic paint to show ripples in water, or to help with clouds, etc. The pencil lines can either be left in or rubbed out whichever you prefer.
While colouring, we usually put the slide in a small mains slide viewer so that we can see it easily while colouring, but we do not necessarily paint objects the same colour as on the slide. On one ocassion one of us photographed a bridge and view on a very dull day. The slide was awful, but it was possible to make a presentable painting and it looked as if it had been a bright day.
Distances should appear paler and with even less detail than the foreground. Watch the shadows are correct - they can help a lot.
As you progress, you may wish to use better quality painting paper, obtainable from any art shop. It is actually easier if good paper is used.
An extra lens may be needed for the projector, especially if you use a small size paper.
It is all very interesting and a change from the dark room.
Good fortune to you.