't

vV":

LANDSCAPE
PAINTING IN

WATERCOLOR
BYZOLTANSZAllB
LANDSCAPE PAINTING
IN WATERCOLOR
by Zoitan Szabo

The spontaneous medium of water-

color is ideal for capturing the fleeting
effects of light and color in landscape.
A wealth of information is contained in

this comprehensive text, enriched by

over 300 illustrations, twenty-four of
which are full page color plates. Thirty-

six step-by-step demonstrations and

over 200 monochrome illustrations viv-

idly guide the reader through every

phase of painting the landscape.
First, the author talks about the char-
acteristics of watercolor, the materials

and equipment needed, and the colors.

He then describes the techniques —
the basic washes, direct painting, dry-
brush, painting on wet paper, handling
the painting knife — and suggests ways
of achieving texture and pattern, using
masking techniques and the razor
blade, and getting unusual effects. The
reader learns what to look for in his

environment, how to choose his sub-

ject, and how to handle both simple
and complex subjects. He is introduced
to the basics of composition — rela-

tionships of shapes, center of interest,

three dimensionality and perspective,
value and form, white space, the se-
quence of painting, and sketching.
Step-by-step demonstrations and
auxiliary illustrations show the reader
how to paint the seasons, trees, forests,
undergrowth, rocks, sand and soil, wa-
ter (still and moving), reflections, fog,
mist, rain, snow, sky and clouds, sun-
sets, fences, buildings, and people and
animals in landscape. The book also has
tips for the painter, which include
working from photographs, presenta-
tion and selling ideas, plus more.
This book is sure to appeal to student
and professional painter alike, and will

provide, with its handsome gallery of

illustrations, inspiration as well as in-
struction for the watercolor enthusiast.

184 pages. 8 1/4 x 11. Over 300 illustra-

tions. 24 full color plates. Index.

General Publishing
y

W^ Barbara Machan
LANDSCAPE
PAINTING IN

WATERCOLOR
LANDSCAPE
PAINTING IN

WATERCOLOR
BYZOLTANSZABO

WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS/NEW YORK

PITMAN PUBLISHING/LONDON

GENERAL PUBLISHING/TORONTO
First published 1971 in New York by Watson-Guptill Publications,
a division of Billboard Publications, Inc.,
One Astor Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10036
ISBN 0-8230-2620-5

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 79-141045

Manufactured in U.S.A.

Published in Great Britain 1974 by Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd.,

39 Parker Street, Kingsway, London WC2B 5PB

ISBN 0-273-00842-0

Published in Canada 1974 by General Publishing Company Ltd.,

30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Ontario

ISBN 0-7736-0034-5

First Printing, 1971

Second Printing, 1972
Third Printing, 1973
Fourth Printing, 1974
DEDICATION

An artist is a little bit like God. Out of the demands of

his intellect and influenced by his he
intuition,
creates. Yet, in his role as creator, man is far from
perfect. The creation of even a simple snowflake is
beyond man's capability. To me, as an artist, this
humble little ice crystal symbolizes beauty and sim-
plicity. The purity of a snowflake is the result of all the

colors of the rainbow combining to become the

whitest white. The snowflake responds with extreme
sensitivity to the slightest change in its environment,
taking on the blue tint of the sky, the greens of the
forest, the pink and golden colors of the sun, to offer
the painter a power potential limited only by his
imagination. Therefore, dedicate this book to a
I

single little snowflake. A snowflake which fell from

the heavens, like pure love, to make this earth a little
cleaner and my life more beautiful.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks are due Coutts Hallmark Cards, Tor-

onto, Ontario, for their cooperation in providing the
publishers with color separations for paintings from
the Painters of Canada Series. In the photography
department, I'd like to thank Tom Beckett, Beckett
Galleries, Hamilton, Ontario and H. Michael Brauer,
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 7
CONTENTS

Dedication, 5 6. Trees in Landscape, 44

Acknowledgments, 7 Deciduous Trees, 44

Evergreens and Palm Trees, 45
1. Introducing Watercoior, 11 Forests, 46

The Nature of Watercoior, 11

Materials and Equipment, 11 The Landscape
7. at Your Feet, 48
Color, 13
Stumps and Moss, 48
Undergrowth, Shrubs, and Weeds, 49
2. Landscape Painting Techniques, 15 Rocks, 50
BasicWashes, 15 Sand and Soil, 51

Conventional or Direct Painting, 16

Drybrush, 17
8. The Liquid Landscape, 53
SplitDrybrush, 19
Paintingon Wet Paper, 19 Still Water and Reflections, 53
Painting Knife Techniques, 20 Moving Water, Moving Reflections, 54
Texture and Pattern, 22 Fog and Mist, 55
Masking Technique and Using the Razor Blade, 23 Rain, 56
Unusual Effects, 24 Snow, 58

3. Learning to See the Landscape, 26

9. Painting the Sky, 60
Know Your Environment, 26
Sky and Clouds, 60
Choosing Your Subject, 26
Sunsets, 61
Simple Subjects, 27
Complex Subjects, 28

10. Objects in Landscape, 63

4. Landscape Composition, 30
Fences, 63
Relationships, 30 Buildings, 64
Center of Interest, 32 People and Animals, 65
Three Dimensions, Perspective, 33
Value and Form, 34
The Value of White Space, 35 11. Helpful Suggestions, 66

Sequence of Painting, 36 Photography as a Tool, 66

Reference Sketches, 37 Presentation and Selling Ideas, 66
General Hints, 67
5. Painting the Seasons, 39
Demonstrations, 69
Spring, 39
Summer, 40 Bibliography, 179
Autumn, 41
Winter, 42 index, 181

CONTENTS 9
1. INTRODUCING WATERCOLOR

In this chapter, we'll discuss the characteristics of However, thought you should know that they exist
I

transparent watercolor and the materials and equip- and that they're very interesting to work with, if you
ment used by the watercolorist. should decide to experiment later on.

THE NATURE OF WATERCOLOR MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Watercolor differs a great deal from other painting Your watercolor painting will be as permanent and as

media because of its transparency. This means that the good as the paint and the paper you use.
bright whiteness of your paper reflects the light
through the thin layer of your paint. Watercolor is at Paper
its best when it results in transparency —
that is, when
What do mean by good paper? mean 100% pure
I I

the paper shows through.

rag, handmade, watercolor paper. At first, these pa-
pers will seem too expensive, but hope to convince I

Clean Color you that they're Because of the temperamental

not.

Clean color is essentia! for transparency and fresh nature of the medium, you need all the material help
painting. you put several layers of paint on top of
If you can get to succeed. A good paper is essential. A
one another, allowing them to dry in between appli- cheap paper cannot respond to treatment like a good
cations, you'll end up with a muddy color. For ex- one, and your paint and brushes will get only as good
ample, if you paint a flat yellow wash, let it dry, then a response as your paper will allow. If you learn on

put a blue wash over it, theoretically you'll end up cheap pulp paper, you'll not only suffer through a
with a green wash. However, in reality, this green discouraging, slow advance, but you'll also face the
wash will be a lot dirtier than if you mix and apply the problem that whatever you learn will have to be
same amount of yellow and blue pigments in a single relearned again when you graduate to serious paint-
wash. The more layers of paint on the paper, the ing and good paper —
which behaves differently than
chalkier and duller the result will be. cheap paper. You'll use handmade paper eventually,
so my advice is to start with it.

The many different makes offer a wide choice of

Color Value
papers. Most of them come in imperial size (22" x 30")
Good watercolor papers are absorbent. Because of and in three finishes: rough, medium rough (cold
this, much weaker than they look while
the colors dry pressed), and smooth (hot pressed). The three most
wet. To avoid disappointment in your final color, common weights are 72 lb. (thin), 140 lb. (medium),
exaggerate the value of your wet color by about 20%. and 300 lb. (stiff as cardboard). Most good papers are
The softer your paper, the more paint it will absorb from Europe. D'Arches, Fabriano, Royal Watercolour
and the more you'll have to exaggerate the wet color Society, Green, and Whatman (no longer made, but
to end up with the correct value. This will stop being a you can still find it) are all good quality papers. There
problem once you get used to the paper's behavior. are many more, but know from personal experience
I

that these are reliable makes. I use d'Arches 300 lb.

Opaque Watercolor rough paper most of the time, but also use their 1

Watercolor doesn't always have to be transparent, of

medium rough (cold pressed) paper occasionally.
course, even though most of us think of it that way
when we about it. Opaque watercolor
talk —
which
covers up what's underneath —
is basically the same
Stretching Paper

as transparent watercolor, but the pigment is usually To prevent a lightweight paper from buckling when
coarser, grainier. Egg tempera, gouache or designf^rs' wet, it must.be stretched. The 72 lb. and 140 lb.
colors, casein, and the new acrylics are all opaque, weights are thin and require stretching; the heavier
water-based paints. The uses of opaque watercolors 300 lb. paper won't buckle, so it doesn't need to be
are so different from transparent watercolors that I stretched. There are wet and dry methods available
don't intend to elaborate on them in this book. for stretching.

INTRODUCING WATERCOLOR 11
Wet stretching starts with wetting the paper thor- have, but an ordinary piece of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood
oughly. Wipe or blot — don't rub — excess moisture board cut to about 2" larger than the size of your
off with a sponge or soft cloth until the limp, damp paper is fine. 17" x 24" is a good outdoor size; it will

paper is no longer shiny from the water. Lay the paper receive a 1/2 sheet paper, or smaller, and have
will

on a stiff board at least 2" larger on all sides than the enough room for the tape if you want to stretch your
paper. water-soluble glue tape (like old-
Using a paper. You could paint a coat or two of shellac or
fashioned brown wrapping tape), tape down all four varnish on your board to make it water-repellent.
edges of the sheet, overlapping about 1/4" of the
paper. The wider remaining part of the tape sticks to Easel
the board. After the paper dries and shrinks you'll
An easel is not essential, but a very handy thing to
it's
have a tight, flat, workable surface to paint on.
have. Any easel that's sturdy and has an adjustable
Dry stretching except that you don't wet
is similar,
surface that can stay horizontal (flat) or vertical (up-
the paper. Lay the dry paper on the board as before.
right) will do the job. After many years of searching
Use a wide masking tape instead of the water-soluble
for a good watercolor easel, designed my own(C D).
glue tape for mounting the edges to the board. Now
I

you can either wet the paper or you can just start
painting on it (which, of course, means wetting it
anyway). While it's wet, the paper may buckle a bit,
but after drying it will be flat again.
I've devised a stretching frame that's quick and
efficient, if you don't mind losing 1/2" of your paper
on all sides (/A, 6).

Water Carrier
When you go painting, advise you to carry your own
I

Drawing Board
water supply. Very often you'll end up in a spot where
To be able to use your paper, you must have a hard there is no water or where the water is dirty. Make
surface under it. A regular drawing board is good to sure that your water carrier holds enough water to use

12 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

it freely. I use a plastic milk jug with a handle. Class Brushes, Knives, Palette
bottles are not only clumsy, but dangerous should
In addition to paper and paint, you also need good
they break. While painting, use a plastic food con-
brushes and a prefer a round No. 10
palette knife. I

tainer with a wide top for your water.

and a round No. 5, long hair, pure sable brush, but a
sabeline of the same size is acceptable and a lot less
Watercolor Paints
expensive. One flat 1" oxhair brush and a flat, wide
To do justice to good quality paper, you need good background brush, made of either oxhair or bristle,
paints. Students' quality paints are all right to start with are also necessary.
if they'remade by reputable manufacturers. They're A palette or painting knife is an excellent tool for
less expensive than artists' quality paints, though not special touches that are impossible to achieve in other
as permanent and not as easy to maneuver on the ways. The knife should be flexible and very thin.
paper. I naturally recommend artists' quality paints if
Before you can use it, you'll have to scrape off the
you can possibly afford them. They'll last longer and protective lacquer that the manufacturer puts on the
help you enjoy better results sooner. suggest you I
blade. After the bare metal is clean of the lacquer, stab
buy just a few tubes of good artists' quality colors. the blade into a lemon, leaving it in overnight. The
As far as the makes go, the British Winsor & Newton acid in the lemon juice will make the metal more
and the American Grumbacher are the leading names receptive to watercolor. (See Painting Knife Tech-
in watercolors. You can buy the same quality paint in niques in Chapter 2 for further details.)
tubes or in pans. Most watercolorists prefer tubes Any kind from your local art
of white mixing palette
because the moist consistency of the paint lends itself supply dealer good. However, a white enamel
is

to immediate response at the touch of a moist brush. I

butcher's tray, or even an ordinary white porcelain
prefer Winsor & Newton artists' quality paints. plate, will serve the purpose. It's necessary for the
This is my palette of proven colors, suited to my palette to be white so you can see the washes you mix
particular needs. I've noted the ones I find essential. before you apply them to your painting.
Finally, add an ordinary pocket knife and a razor
Cadmium lemon pale (essential)
blade to the preceding, and you're ready to paint!
Cadmium orange
Cadmium scarlet Experiment

Vermilion (essential) To help you experience the behavior of

actually
transparent watercolor, do these comparison washes.
Alizarin crimson (essential)
Apply a strong wash of cadmium lemon. After it dries,
Brown madder paint a strong but transparent wash of Winsor or
Prussian blue overlapping the yellow. Now do the
Manganese blue
same experiment in reverse. Paint the blue wash first.
Cerulean blue (essential) Let it dry and apply the yellow wash. Both times be
quick with the second wash so as not to lift up the first
Cobalt blue
layer of paint. Finally, mix the same two colors togeth-
French ultramarine blue (essential) er and paint the mixture on in a single wash. Try to
Antwerp blue keep your wash about the same density as the pre-
vious green overlapping washes.
Winsor (phthalocyanine) or Thalo blue (essential)
If you compare the three greens which will result,
Hooker's green dark you'll notice that they're not the same hue. The
Yellow ochre (essential) cleanest color will be the one that you painted in a

single wash. Any two colors will be duller if they're

Burnt sienna (essential) applied separately, brighter in a combined wash.
Sepia dark (essential)
COLOR
Davy's gray
We're all aware of the importance of color in every-
Charcoal gray
day life. But as a painter, you must be more than
Payne's gray aware; you must know how to use color.

The permanency of these paints is good (watercolor is

more lasting than oil paint). Their chemical com- Using Color
position is simple: water-based glue (gum arable) and It'sworth the learning process involved to be able to
finely ground pigment. Detailed information is avail- use color as a tool to create effects, moods, and
able if you write to the manufacturers. abstract qualities which can turn your work into a

INTRODUCING WATERCOLOR 13
personal, inventive statement. For example, in sum- complementary colors, they'll either neutralize each
mer or in winter,nature tends to impose one
when other or create a dirty, third color wash, regardless of
pervasive color on our minds, we have to invent how clean the original two colors were. Used sepa-
colors and accents to Jiven up a landscape. A green rately, side by side, they'll heighten each other's

forest looks dull if you use only one green all over impact.
your painting. But if you start with an orange under- You can read volumes on color, but if you remem-
coating and paint a mass of varied greens over it, ber two rules, you won't be far from everything that
allowing the orange to sparkle through, you'll create a all the books could say. First, good taste keeps down

feeling of heat.Doing the same thing with a rich blue the number of colors you use; second, never use any
undertone will create a calm, cool impression. color unless you have a good reason to.

Painting a portrait in a scheme can be

natural color
pleasing; but strong, sunny, orange highlights on the Experimenting With Colors
cheek can brighten the head and turn it into a
Use colors to complement each other or to contrast
dramatic eye catcher. The same highlight in blue
with each other in some exciting way that will elimi-
could suggest calm silence; in red, dangerous ex-
nate drabness. A single orange bloom can have a
pectations, etc.
powerful effect in a large blue-gray background area
of leaves, but will lose its effectiveness if the same

Selecting Colors by the bright, setting

background is yellow-green, lit

Before you start painting, decide what colors you're sun.

going to need. You almost never need all the colors If you're uncertain as to what color to use in a given
on your palette for any one painting. Three to six spot, paint it on a small piece of paper and hold
over it

colors are plenty for most paintings. To aid you in the area for a Don't be hesitant to paint the same
test.

making a choice, make yourself a color wheel {A). subject several times in different color combinations.
Avoid placing strong, vibrating colors next to each
other —
unless you're searching for an extremely
powerful impact.
If a strange color drops onto your painting, take a

second look before you anxiously erase it. It may be

the very touch that will give an unusual quality in your
painting. Make color accidents work for you as they
occur, in whatever form they happen. But whatever
you do with color, make certain that the result is both
REP
OT5AN&E
^
W G-T?EEN
imaginative and purposeful.
Paint a simple sketch using the drawing below (6) as
a basic layout. Limit your palette to only three colors,
using your color wheel. For example: burnt sienna,
Antwerp blue, and cadmium lemon. Take advantage
of all the hues you can get by combining different
values of these three colors. Do several versions of the
same subject using a different three colors each time.

Keep it in front of you until you remember every

shade of every hue, and its location in relationship to
every other hue.
You can see that the wheel is divided into warm and
cool colors. Try to keep your picture predominantly
either warm or cool, depending on the light condi-
harmony.
tions of your subject. This will assure color
you connect any three colors on the wheel with a
If

line, forming a triangle as shown in A, you'll have an

interesting color combination that can form the basic
color choice for a successful painting.
w.
Opposite each color on your color wheel is its -vv^v^-'^v-^^.Ky
complementary. If you mix equal amounts of two

14 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

2. LANDSCAPE PAINTING TECHNIQUES

A great variety of techniques is available to the pick up the excess paint, allowing the whole wash to
watercolorist. In this chapter,cover the con-
we'll remain even. Avoid touching the drying paint or
ventional ones, such as wash and drybrush, as well as adding more paint to correct a mistake; this will cause
the not-so-conventional ones. "freak spots" and ruin your even wash.
If you want to arrive at an extremely dark, flat wash,

BASIC WASHES make sure that you use enough pigment. (Remember:
watercolor dries lighter.) To make sure of the strength
In transparent watercolor, the number
ways you of
of your pigment, paint a brushful on a piece of test
can apply fluid paint is limited only by your own paper, let it dry, and decide if it's what you want. Only
imagination. However, there are some basic washes
practice will give you the experience you need.
which are important for a beginner to learn. Without
perfecting these washes first, you may find watercolor
Graded Wash
an uncontrollable headache!
Another fundamental wash is a graded wash (6). Use
Flat Wash this technique when you want your wash to graduate
from dark to light (or vice versa) as it moves down the
Let's start with the most basic wash, the flat or even
paper. The approach is similar to that of the flat wash.
tone wash {A). The even tone of this wash is its most
The difference is that you start at the top with the
important quality.
darkest pigment, if you're going from dark to light,
Mix enough paintin a utensil (a cup or a drinking
and add a little more water to each new brushful of
you've covered the entire surface.
glass) to last until
paint, reducing the strength of the pigment as you go.
Don't wet your paper. Place your paper so that it The secret of a graded wash is knowing how much
slopes slightly toward you. Using a soft and com-
water to add to get the result you want. Again,
fortably wide brush, apply the paint with sure and
practice! A lot!
speedy horizontal strokes, starting from the top of
your paper. Allow the paint to collect in a slight pool
at the bottom of each stroke; then overlap this pool

and bring the color down with the next stroke. Don't
leave the pool of paint too long before the next
brushstroke carries it further. If left too long, it can

form hard edge.

a
After you reach the bottom of the area to be
covered by the wash, squeeze the moisture out of
your brush and gently drag it along, touching the pool
at the bottom of the last stroke. The thirsty brush will

Streaky Wash
To get a streaky wash (C), start by covering your wash
area with clear water. While the paper is still saturated
and dripping wet, put a heavily loaded brushful of
pigment where you want it to be darkest. Quickly tilt
the paper to a vertical position (dark on top) and let
the paint run into the wet area. To stop the running
pigment, lay the paper in a horizontal position and let
it dry this way.

LANDSCAPE PAINTING TECHNIQUES 15

you apply proven methods and take the least number
of chances, considering the temperamental medium
you're trying to tame. The English were the first to
master watercolor as we know it, developing a prac-
ticalprocedure —
direct painting to control the —
wildness of the medium. (See demonstration, pp. 73-
75.)

Pencil Drawing
Start off with a pencildrawing {A) to establish your
composition. Use a good quality HB pencil with a light
touch. An HB is soft enough to leave a good line with
little pressure, yet it will erase easily with a soft eraser.
You can use art gum or a kneaded eraser (dough
rubber). I prefer the latter because it doesn't leave
Wet-in-Wet particles to clean up; besides, art gum can get dirty
I'llmention wet-in-wet washes (D) only briefly, be- and accidentally cause a smear mark.
cause Painting on Wet Paper (p. 19) will give you a
more detailed idea of the process. If you want a
blurred edge on a wash, wet your paper with clear
water or a light color wash and apply your final wash
while your paper is still wet. The wetter the paper is,
the more the second brushstroke will blur. Timing is
extremely important, plus the correct consistency of
the paint in your brush. Hold your paper horizontally,
unless you want the paint to run.

Tracing

If you're a beginner, and if you're not sure of your

drawing ability, a sheet of tracing paper is a helpful
tool (6). It has to be at least as large as your painting
surface (your sheet of watercolor paper). Draw on the
tracing paper as you would on the watercolor paper.
It's not necessary to erase the mistakes, just ignore
them.
After you're finished with your drawing, you're
ready to trace it onto the watercolor paper. Cover the
Practice

Practice these basic washes. Apply them one at a time

on scrap paper of any kind. Make sure that you vary
the paper quality. This will demonstrate to you how
much easier it is to control a wash on good paper than
on cheap pulp stock. Make the washes as large as your
paper will permit.

CONVENTIONAL OR DIRECT PAINTING

Direct painting is the watercolor method best known
to most people. It's a proven way to face an empty
sheet of paper with the greatest likelihood of ending
up with a respectable picture. With direct painting,

16 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

back of the tracing paper with tightly scribbled criss- detect strokes as afterthoughts. They spoil the unity of
To spread
cross lines, using a 4B or 6B graphite pencil. the whole effort. Try to finish your painting with the
the graphite more evenly, smear it with a ball of first washes. Blend them while the paint is still wet.
-absorbent cotton until the graphite is dense enough The more you apply on top of one
layers of paint

to leave a strong impression when you trace through it another, letting them dry in between, the dirtier and
from the opposite side. Then turn the drawing right- chalkier your colors will end up.
side up. Fasten it over your future painting by the top On pp. 73-75, demonstrate this direct method in a
I

corners with small pieces of masking tape. This way, painting which did in the Canadian Rockies. The day
I

you can check your drawing while you work, just by was moody and the cloud conditions were changing
lifting the lower corners for observation. After this, so rapidly that chose the direct method to give
I

proceed to transfer your drawing onto the watercolor myself a chance to make small changes midstream.
paper.

DRYBRUSH
Painting
Drybrush doesn't mean that the brush is actually dry.
Now you're ready to paint. Your drawing has organ-
A drybrush stroke is made by a comfortably moist soft
ized and divided the painting into various color areas
hair brush. The rougher your paper is, the better the
to allow you to work on several areas simultaneously.
result will be. Don't wet your paper. Hold your brush
This is necessary so that you'll be able to let one spot
at a low angle, almost parallel with the painting
dry while you're painting another (C).
surface. Drag it across the paper with a light touch.
The paint should cover only the tops of the little
lumps on the irregular paper surface {A).
It's very important that you don't saturate your

brush with paint, but have it just wet enough to leave

the desired mark. One way to check this is to shake
your brush gently before you touch the paper; if the
paint stays in your brush, it's not too wet; if some of it
drops off, you have too much moisture in your brush.
This fundamental (but tricky) brushstroke can be
maneuvered differently, depending on the type of
brush you use. (See demonstration, pp. 85-87)

As you paint an area that borders on an already

painted space which is still wet, encourage your new

wash to flow into the other, here and there, as the two
touch. This seemingly careless stroke will add a great
deal of spontaneity and freshness to your work.
The important thing is to visualize the finished
painting and complete each area as you go, without
i- -/ ,-' • *•
overemphasizing the unimportant details. In the heat
of painting, the temptation is great to stay with one
spot too long and work it to death. Only experience
will enforce good judgment and eliminate hesitation.

If you feel that you've missed some sparkles or

highlights, scratch them out with a razor blade or a
sharp scraping tool of some kind. (See Masking Tech-
Round, Soft Brush

nique and Using the Razor Blade, p. 23.) A round, soft brush will leave a mark which is slightly
After your painting is finished and completely dry, irregular on both sides (B). For the most part, use the
erase the remaining pencil lines. You'll probably belly of the brush instead of the point. The amount of
notice that most of them have blended into the paint, pressure you apply will determine how full or light the
but an odd one survives here and there. Use your tone of your brushstroke will be. Try a few practical
eraser lightly, being careful not to rub out the paint. examples: treetrunks, wood textures, moss, rocks,
On a good watercolor, you should never be able to breeze patterns on a distant water surface, etc. (f).

LANDSCAPE PAINTING TECHNIQUES 17

Flat, Soft Brush Knife Strokes

A flat, soft brush will leave straight edges on both Illustration E shows two ways to arrive at "drybrush"'
sides, creating a wide, even drybrush stroke
strip of effects with a painting knife. The first stroke was made
(C). If you press a little harder on one edge, holding by loading the knife with paint (without letting it drip)
the other edge in the air, your stroke will be sharp and dragging it across the paper at a low angle, and
where your brush edge touched the paper and irregu- with an even motion, as if it were a flat brush. The

lar where it didn't (D). Some examples of where to use other way is wet paint area on dry paper and
to leave a
flat brush would be for large, rough surfaces, such as use the knife to drag some of the wet paint onto the
aged boards, driftwood, etc. (C). nearby dry surface, wiggling the knife and letting it
create lacy, uneven edges. Examples of when to use
this technique would be for foliage, the grass covered
edge of a distant hill, etc. (H).

iKfl!^?i^f?l«^'S?

18 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Split Drybrush Moist Paper

A split drybrush stroke is simply a drybrush stroke After the shine disappears from the surface of the
made with any soft brush after you've divided the hair paper, we call it moist (6). The sheet is still quite wet
"into several uneven clumps. inside, but the freshly applied paint will spread a little

First, load your brush with paint as you would for more slowly and more gently, particularly if the
the drybrush technique. Then, before touching the consistency of your paint is not drippy, but fairly thick.

paper, separate the hair into clumps with any pointed Objects painted on moist paper will remain identi-
object. A brush handle will do, or a pocketknife blade. fiable, but still blurred and without sharp details.
To achieve a more irregular effect, press the neck of
the brush firmly against your palette. When you lift
the brush, the hair will spring back partially but will f
stay split, leaving several points for you to work with.

PAINTING ON WET PAPER

Watercolor behaves unlike any other medium when
you apply it to wet paper. The amount of water
absorbed into the paper and the consistency of the
paint on your brush will determine the result of each
brushstroke. You can apply water to your paper by
soaking it in a sink or bathtub or by sponging or
brushing the water on. Let's identify three degrees of
wetness in your paper: saturated, moist, and damp.
(See demonstration, pp. 76-78.)
Damp Paper
Saturated Paper If wet paper that has been drying is still cool to the
Paper is saturated when
no longer able to absorb
it's touch, it's damp (C). Your timing —
exactly when you

water (A). You can tell when this point has been apply a stroke —
is critical at this point, and you must

reached because the surface of the paper will become proceed with caution; freak, fuzzy runs will creep in
shiny. When the paper is in this condition, the action minutes after you look away. Humidity in the air,
of the paint is the most temperamental. If paint temperature, and the make of your paper will all
touches the dripping wet surface, the color will flow affect the behavior of your paint and the time your

as gravity forces it. This means that if you want the painting will take to dry.
paint to run in a particular direction, tilt your paper.
If you want the paint to spread evenly, keep your

surface in a horizontal position. If your brush is

heavily loaded with strong paint, the spreading can be
very rapid and violent. The first time it happens, it will
seem as if you've released an uncontrollable genie.
This effect is very useful for soft hints of form, but you
shouldn't attempt to create fine definitions at this
stage of wetness.

A freak touch can disrupt your well-controlled

painting, particularly at this damp stage. 1 call this a

"backrun" (D and f). This happens if one part of your

surface is still damp, but the spot next to it is already
dry. Put a healthy brushful of paint on the dry area;
slowly the water from the new brushstroke will creep
into the damp area, pulling the pigment off the newly
painted surface in an irregular fashion, until all the

excess water is used up or the moving color reaches a

LANDSCAPE PAINTING TECHNIQUES 19

dry spot. This floating pigment collects, forming a Treating the Blade
hard edge, where the water stopped spreading. Be-
Before you can use this unlikely tool for watercolor,
ware of this, for it's very difficult to correct. Of course,
you must treat it so that water will stay on the blade.
it can also be caused on purpose and can create very
This means removing all water-repellent material from
free and unusual effects.
the surface. If this is not done, the water-diluted paint
will bead and roll off.

if your knife is new, it's usually covered with

lacquer. First, you must scrape the lacquer off with a
razor blade or with fine sandpaper. After this scraping,
the exposed bare metal still isn't ready to paint with
because of the greasy surface quality of the steel. To
remove all traces of grease, you must use some kind of
acid solution. One good method is to reach for your
vinegar bottle and soak your knife blade in it for a few
hours. A lemon is also good: stab the blade of your
knife into it and leave it for twenty-four hours. After
this, your blade is ready to paint with.

Don't be horrified if the shiny new blade appears

corroded when you remove it from the solution; it
won't harm the knife.

Just Enough Paint

You can use the same paint consistency as you'd use

with a brush. The condition of your paper wet or —
dry — will affect the paint consistency just as it affects
color applied with a brush. Learn, by experimenting,
to recognize the right amount of paint on the knife.
It's very annoying to pick up a good load of paint on
the blade, carefully carry it to your painting, and, as
you tilt the knife to apply a handsome stroke, see a
huge blob onto your paper. If this
of surplus paint fall

should happen, grab a tissue and blot up the mess.

Wait a few minutes for it to dry, and apply a new
stroke —
this time, with less paint on your knife.

PAINTING KNIFE TECHNIQUES

Strokes
Some most unexpected effects in watercolor
of the
painting come from the clever use of a painting knife. If you hold the knife at a high angle and use the blunt
A knife of any size or shape is acceptable as long as side of the tip in a scraping motion, you'll create a

you like the feel of it and can use it effectively. My branch-like line (6); a slow movement will produce a

preference is the type of knife shown slight, knuckly, irregular line that's also excellent for
in A. (See
branches.
demonstration, pp. 88-90.)
Hold the knife the same way, but move it fast, with a
sweeping motion, and it will give you a tall, weed-like
line(C).
With just a little paint on the blade, you can use the
sharp edge of your to create a hairline that's
tip
impossible to imitate with a brush (D).
For a loose, drybrush effect that's very useful for
bark, rocks, etc., use the flat back of the blade and
drag it with the metal pressed against the paper (f).

To give a lacy edge to a freshly painted clump of

drag the wet paint outward in a wiggly
foliage,
movement with the flat back of the blade, pressing
hard{F).
These knifestrokes all work best on dry paper.

20 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Wet Paper
The knifestrokes discussed above will blur on damp
paper and will be a disaster on saturated paper, as the
paint will all rush off your blade as soon as you touch
the wet surface.
However, there's one extremely beautiful and deli-
cate touch that can be applied only on wet paper.
Begin to paint on your paper with the brush in a wet-
in-wet style (see Painting on Wet Paper, p. 19). When
you're satisfied with the touches of color, reach for
your painting knife before the paint starts to dry. Press
the sharp edge of your knife tip firmly into the wet
surface and draw a line with it (C). At first, the line will

LANDSCAPE PAINTING TECHNIQUES 21

seem invisible; then it will start to come to life as a you suggest grain direction in your first wash with the
darker version of the color underneath {H). The tip of your brush handle. Finish the details with

reason is that as the metal scrapes the paper where the drybrush strokes. Bricks and shingles can be ap-
blade touches the surface, the wet paint is attracted proached in the same way.
and gushes into the crack, which acts as a blotter,

trapping a heavy concentration of pigment.

Just one warning: control this line very firmly,
because it cannot be removed. It's final. think you'll I

agree, however, that the result is worth the care and

the risk involved.

TEXTURE AND PATTERN

Knowing how to paint surface textures and patterns
means the difference between monotony and rich
design. (See demonstration, pp. 79-81.)

Texture in Nature

Nature is full of texture: the bark on a tree, the surfacf

of a rock (A), the waving distant grass; I could go on
and on. In the final analysis, everything has texture. Textile
We'll talk more about closeup surfaces than distant
Textile usually has an uneven surface, not only in
surfaces, because the detail on them is more de-
design but in form as well. Wrinkles and folds must be
tectable and must be handled with greater care. The
painted in before any pattern or texture is indicated.
older the texture, the more layers of wash you can
When you paint the pattern or texture of textiles, it's
afford and should apply. However, watercolor tends
best to follow the natural flow of the fabric (C).
to lose sparkle when you paint layer over layer; the
more washes, the The last and final
dirtier the color.
wash in most cases is done with a drybrush. Again, you
must allow the paint to dry between each application
or the washes will blend just as if they were applied
together.

-sa

Practice is Necessary

Unusual surfaces require unusual handling. For ex-

ample, the fluffy head of a bullrush, the surface of a
seashell, a dirty windowpane, the fur of any animal, a
single leaf —
there's no set way to approach any of
Man-Made Texture
them. The experience that you'll gain painting the
Mechanical patterns are man-made. They're more more common types of texture will help you devise
organized, and the newer they are, the more difficult new methods, new techniques, new approaches.
it is to make them look interesting (bricks, roof, Remember: it's not the way you paint, it's the result
lumber, stucco, metal, textile, etc.). Don't be too that matters. The more difficult the surface seems, the
literal in your handling of new surfaces. Paint a little more study and planning will require. Above all,
it

detail —
but hint, don't overwork it. Wood surfaces, don't allow texture to destroy form. It must com-
such as barn boards (6), can be very richly handled if plement, not take over, your painting.

22 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

MASKING TECHNIQUE AND Maskoid
USING THE RAZOR BLADE Maskoid a gray liquid latex which can be appliea
f6) is

You can use any ingenious trick to achieve the right with a brush. It dries fast and forms a waterproof film
effects. The result justifies the means. The important
which can be peeled off after use or rubbed off with a

point is to use your technical tools with skill and soft eraser, a ball of soft rubber cement, or a ball of

efficiency. Don't let them become gimmicks that you dry Maskoid.

must use as crutches because you know they've Proceed with the background painting as before;
One the Maskoid will completely seal the paper surface
worked on one or two paintings. of your tools is

masking; purpose is to take advantage of the purity

its
and will repel the water with the paint in it. The
of white paper —
and to retain it when this would— advantage of Maskoid is that it can be applied on
irregular edges more freely than masking tape. Its
be impossible any other way.
disadvantage is its strong clinging quality which can
Occasionally, you'll paint a subject of extreme
easily tear the surface of a soft paper during removal.
contrast (solid birch against a dark hill, white sails

against a dark sky, the bright crest of rolling surf, etc.).

Remember: the darker the value next to the white
To capture the drama of such contrasts, you must (masked) area, the greater its dramatic impact will be.
separate the light area from the darker area directly After you remove the masking material from the dry

next to it while you work. Here are a few ways that are painting, you can complete whatever modeling is

commonly used by watercolor painters to do this. (See necessary to finish the white area.
demonstration, pp. 82-84.)

Masking Tape
Transparent adhesive tape and masking tape (A) are
very useful in masking out long narrow shapes. First,

lay the tape over the area you want to mask and press
it down with a light touch. Cut off the unnecessary
pieces of tape with a very sharp knife. (I use a small
X-acto knife.) Apply light pressure while you cut, just
enough to cut through the tape without damaging the
surface of the paper. After peeling off the surplus
tape, lay a sheet of thin paper over the now cleanly
masked area and rub your thumbnail over the tissue.
.Ml.
This will insure that the edges of the tape cling to the
paper and that paint will not creep under the tape to Rubber Cement
form ragged, unclean edges. Rubber cement (C) is a looser and slightly more
Paint the background right over the tape, ignoring it unpredictable masking medium. When you apply it, it
completely. When the paint is dry, peel off the tape, will seem to cover the area completely, but after
exposing the white paper underneath. Remove the drying it exposes small areas of the paper. This allows
tape cautiously, because it sometimes has a tendency the paint to leave irregular touches that will survive
to cling to the paper and tear the surface. after you remove the rubber cement. Knowing this,

LANDSCAPE PAINTING TECHNIQUES 23

you must experiment with its use to understand
exactly when and how to apply it. To remove the
rubber cement from the finished dry painting, use a
ball of dry rubber cement. Rub the ball against the
masking cement, avoiding the painted surface directly
next to it.

Paraffin or Wax
A stick of paraffin or children'swhite wax crayon (D)
also serves as an excellent masking agent. Painting in
the area to be masked out has to be done in advance
to the last detail, because complete removal of the
wax, at least to the extent that the paper would accept
water freely, is impossible. You must visualize how the Hold the razor blade firmly, press it hard, and
painting will look after completion and prejudge the scrape through the paint, exposing a white line with
amount of detail you want to survive after you apply only one move if possible, over the same area. If you
the dark paint next to the masked spot. want to scrape off a larger area — for example, to get
After the light area is painted in detail and is sparkle on distant water (F) — hold the blade per-
completely dry, rub the wax over it vigorously and pendicular to the paper surface and touch it with the
generously. Follow the edge of the area carefully. The cutting edge. Move and forth with a
it firmly back
wax will form a misty, translucent layer of water- strong scraping motion until you have the desired
repellent coating. Now you're ready to complete the effect. Dust the morsels of paper off and clean the
rest of the painting in the manner previously surface bv rubbing with a light eraser.
described.
After your painting dries, put three or four layers of
absorbent tissue (Kleenex) over the waxed area. Then
melt and blot the wax into the tissue with a medium
hot iron. Press lightly. Repeat this with fresh tissues
until all the wax has been removed. White school
crayon is best when you want the masked out area to
remain really white. Further details on masking out,
specifically with paraffin, can be found in the demon-
stration on pp. 82-84.

UNUSUAL EFFECTS
I'll attempt to describe some additional unusual ef-
fects which suit me personally. These are for you to
consider, but don't accept them unconditionally.

Chisel Shaped Bristle Brush

I purposely left the use of a chisel shaped bristle brush

(A) to this section because, although it's not com-
monly used, I find it very effective. It's made by
Grumbacher and it comes in three sizes: 1/4", 1/2",
Razor Blade
and 1". It's the best brush (as far as I'm concerned) for
The limited use of a razor blade (f) can also be an wet-in-wet technique. Its firm bristles give fast results
effective way to expose white touches in a dark on wet or dry paper, because it picks up more paint
background. These crisp touches of white will add than a soft hair brush. really prefer to use it on wet
1

sparkle and snap to your painting. But don't overdo it. paper because it can pick up thick pigment and
Your painting has to be bone dry and the razor blade spread it on a wide area very fast, allowing me to
very sharp. create exciting results in rapid sequence.

24 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Brush Handle Point

The top of your brush handle (6) is an extremely

useful tool in defining dark lines while the paint is still

wet. Immediately after you apply your Vvash, draw into

itwith your brush handle point with a firm, well-
controlled pressure. The sharp point will scrape into
the surface of the wet paper, damaging its fibers
enough to create a blotting condition. The wet paint
willrush into this crack, allowing the water to soak in
but trapping the pigment on the surface. This more
concentrated amount of pigment will appear darker
after it dries.
One warning: you must be dead accurate, because
these scraped lines arefinal. There is no way to correct

them you make a mistake. You may also use a small

if

twig or any sharp instrument instead of the tip of your

brush handle.

Squeezed Pigment
Squeezed pigment another effective touch and
(C) is

is simple to apply. The dull point of a pocketknife is

the best tool to apply it with. The grainier and darker

the paint is the better it will look. It can be applied
when a dark area is still moist, just after it's lost its

shine. You can also create the same condition over the
desired area after it's dry by rewetting it. Spread clean
water over the area with light pressure from a clean,
soft brush. When the paint is in a moist condition,
hold the dull point of your pocketknife at a low angle,
pressing very firmly.(Make sure the angle of the blade
is low or you can easily tear the surface of the paper.)

Squeeze the paint off the area it touches. A light tone

of the color it has just removed will be left.

Wiping Off
Wiping paint off (D) can be a very effective way to
achieve transparency after you've gone too dark.
Grainy pigments lend themselves better to this effect.
After your painting is dry, rewet the area that you
want to make lighter. The more often you go over the
same area with a wet brush, the more it will disturb
the paint on. the surface of the paper. you feel When
the pigment is loose enough, quickly blot it up with a
very absorbent tissue, using a fresh, clean piece each
time to avoid carrying the paint back onto the paint-
ing. This same method works equally well on a wide
area or on a thin hairline. Only your wetting brush will
differ.The point of a fine bristle brush lends itself to
wiping back fine lines (twigs, weeds, wires, etc.) and a
wide, soft brush is best on a large surface.
You should constantly look for unusual effects. If
you paint a lot, chances are that you'll stumble onto
accidental touches that can make instant improve-
ments in your watercolor painting skill. Learn to
recognize these accidental effects, because they'll
help you create your own personal style.

LANDSCAPE PAINTING TECHNIQUES 25

3. LEARNING TO SEE THE LANDSCAPE

The first thing the landscape painter must do is learn The most important advice I can offer is this: either
to see his subject — the landscape — and to beconne try to paint familiar landscapes or keenly observe the
intimately acquainted with the many facets of its details of unfamiliar ones, and stick to the decisions
personality. that are the results of this observation.

KNOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT Local Conditions

Familiarizing yourself with the area you intend to A thorough knowledge of your surroundings goes
paint is as essential to a good painting as having the hand hand with the need to be familiar with local
in

necessary technical skill. In fact, it's a fundamental conditions. Atmospheric conditions differ from place
part of this A palm tree
skill. in the snow looks out of to place; the four seasons influence every area in a

place; palm trees don't grow in a climate cold enough different way; a valley differs from a mountain; eleva-
for snow. If you're painting in unfamiliar territory, tion makes an enormous difference in the vegetation.
your sense of observation controls what you will paint The almost constant presence of high winds on a
or will not paint. The character of the vegetation and mountain peak will twist, torture, and even break a
the rock formations, the animal life, the colors, the tree which would survive at a lower altitude. Foggy
behavior of water and sky, the kind of structures all — conditions have such a special set of qualities that I

are determined by locale and climate. The harmony of advise you not to add to their natural details. How-
these factors, which in life create the balance of ever, you can safely leave out anything from a foggy
nature, will also have to be truly obeyed in a success- scene that you do not wish to use in your painting —
ful painting. (See demonstration, pp. 70-72.) fog eliminates distant objects anyway!
The combination of familiarity of environment and
of conditions is of fundamental importance to a
Harmony
successful landscape painting. Conflicting elements
To insure this harmony of natural elements, regardless willnot only offend the senses of a knowledgeable
of how realistic or how "designy" your painting may viewer but will quickly give away the painter's lack of
be, don't improvise details unless you're certain that experience as well.
the invented element could exist in the environment
of your painting. Keep everything in its place and
related to one another. For example, bulrushes are a
CHOOSING YOUR SUBJECT
very fascinating part of the landscape in most parts of The first and most important necessity for any painter
North America, but they only grow in swampy, water- (landscape painters in particular) is to learn to see.
saturated areas. Consequently, if you put them on a This sounds like an easy task, but it involves more than
high, rocky ledge, you would create an impossible just opening your eyes. It means seeing beauty hidden

combination (A). You would allow an uneasy, un- or camouflaged by interfering clutter. For example, if
natural condition to spoil your painting. you walk in the forest you're conscious of trees,
foliage, and the color of ferns around you. To see a
little violet tucked away behind a stump you must

make an effort. You must stop and carefully look. And

when you spot something like this, you must recog-
nize it as a potential painting subject. Just look; beauty
is all around you if you look for it. (See demonstration,
pp. 169-171.)

Discriminate

Never paint anything exactly as it appears in front of

you. A painter should not be merely a poor substitute
for a camera. Evaluate everything and try to visualize
the finished painting before you start. Decide in

26 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

advance what you want to leave out, what you want to
paint, and where you want to paint it. Your creative
mind, not your eyes, must control your decisions.
Nature tends to look very complex to the eyes. Let's
face it, nature is complex! It's up to the artist to be

discriminating, to judge how much of the scene in

front of him should be part of his painting and how
much should be eliminated. Complexity by itself is not
wrong. It is wrong, however, to accept it merely
because it's there.

Simplify

in the beginning, you'll find it difficult to know what

part of nature will make a particular painting a good
one. To help you see the main forms, here's a helpful
suggestion: when in doubt, squint hard. Only the
important elements will be visible, making it easier for
you to judge if you're looking at a good potential
subject or not. Squinting simplifies forms to their basic
structure, and these are the core of your painting.

Commit Yourself
A painting is like a tape: it plays back the personality,
the mood, of the. artist. Unless you're just exercising,
don't start a painting if you're not really excited about
the subject. If you're excited, your flying mood will

help you create a painting with impact and will give

you a much greater sense of achievement than if you
just paint a pretty picture. Drawing
When you paint simple subject matter, pay careful
SIMPLE SUBJECTS attention to good drawing. I don't mean necessarily

When you face a simple subject that you want to drawing with a pencilbefore you paint; mean payI

paint, the first thing you must do is observe it care- attention to the correct proportions and the drawing
quality of every little detail that you consider im-
fully.Study the intricate little details in form as well as
portant. The grass blades next to a stump, for example,
in color. Analyze the number of colors you'll need for

your palette and stay with them. Imagine that no other on an extreme closeup, will destroy your painting if
colors exist. This limited use of color will permit you to
they're merelythrown in as a confused pattern (C).
pay more attention to form, value, and composition.
Draw them with a carefully controlled brush, com-
(See demonstration, pp. 172-174.)
posing each one of them to complement the total
impact of your painting (D).

Detail

To illustrate what I mean, let's take a few examples. A

single, dried-up Queen Anne's lace stuck in the heavy
snow {A) is the first example. The many tones of
browns and grays on the delicate stems of this de-
lightful little weed can only be seen from very close
up, but you must render the subject accurately even at
the cost of slight exaggeration in color. A floating leaf
in a quiet pool of water (6) is the second example.
way
Painstakingly observe the form of the leaf and the
it looks where submerged, including its
it's partially
shiny sparkles. In this case, wiped back the back- I

ground after held a paper cutout of the shape of the

!

leaf tightly to the surface of the dry paint of the water.

LEARNING TO SEE THE LANDSCAPE 27

Don't Overwork the Subject Matter

I have emphasized the importance of carefully drawn

details in this section, but must warn you of a very
I

real danger: don't overdo it. The line between a well-

done, detailed but fresh rendering and an over-
worked painting is very thin. You must use your own
discretion to know when to stop. Your own artistic
taste and creative discipline must be the judge. Simple
subjects don't take too much physical time. If you're
not satisfied with the one do it over several times
first

if necessary, until you get one just right. Don't keep

the bad ones. Bad paintings have the habit of showing
up from nowhere to embarrass you should you be-
come an accomplished painter!

COMPLEX SUBJECTS
When an is able to render a complex subject on
artist

a painting in an organized manner, he shows a mature

discipline that can only be achieved through a con-
scious period of evolution. To do this, you need a
positive, daring, and imaginative approach. (See dem-
onstration, pp. 175-177.)

Simplifying

Simplifying is essential. As I've mentioned before, one

practical way to do this, particularly in the beginning,
is through squinting eyes. The
to observe the subject
blur which results from your squinting eliminates the
clutter and emphasizes the essential. This method is
extremely helpful in allowing you to analyze your
composition; it insures that you capture not the pretty
clutter but the real substance of the scene before you.
Let's take a few examples: the lush interior of a
forest; bouncing reflections in a lazily moving body of
water; a crowd of people; the colorful texture of a

hunk of rock. Any of these could arouse your interest.

Technical skill is do justice to the problems
essential to
involved in painting them which can only be acquired
through practice.
Very often you'll find a charming, pattern-like, busy
subject without a real center of interest. In this case.

28 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

add your own center of interest. Let's use the exam- fere with the unit of your composition. They can easily
ples above to illustrate what mean: a small, misty
I creep into your work in the heat of creation. Stop
opening through the forest {A); a floating water lily in frequently while you paint and check the unity of the
reflecting water (6); a child sitting on its father's whole painting. If you're satisfied that the painting
shoulder in the crowd (C); a sharp crack in the rock needs more work, continue up to the next uncertain
(D). these devices would serve the purpose of
All spot, then look again.
adding a center of interest to an otherwise dispersed
scene and focusing the eye on a specific point. Don't Work When You're Tired

Don't work on complicated paintings when you're

Detail Studies
tired. They need more of your concentrated energy
Prepare a few detail studies before you plunge into than other subjects. When you're tired, you'll tend to
the finished work. Keep in mind that details, however be impatient and you won't be able to achieve as
skillfully they may be rendered, should never inter- good a result as when in a refreshed frame of mind.

LEARNING TO SEE THE LANDSCAPE 29

4. LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION

Composing a landscape is basically the same as com-

posing any other subject. The picture space must be
arranged according to the same principles of relation-
ships, balance, and perspective that govern all com-
position.

RELATIONSHIPS
Fundamentally, a painting is made up of relationships
between objects and the space that surrounds them.
Setting up these relationships by combining forms and
spaces to produce a harmonious unit is what com-
position is all about. Composition involves the orderly
placing of forms, shapes, and spaces so that they look
and feel pleasant. You cannot throw together X
number of objects in a hodgepodge and expect it to
be pleasing. You must exercise judgment in placing
these elements. (See demonstration, pp. 91-93.)

Space

Space is that area in your painting that objects don't

occupy. It's as important as form, for the two together
O O
make a composition healthy. Space is negative form;
objects are positive form. You can use the space
between objects as a flat surface (A) or as the illusion
of space in depth (6).
Avoid apparent holes in your composition. The best
^ \
way to do by arranging areas not symmetrically
this is

but in harmony. Monotony is the killer of com-

position. Don't place important objects in the ge- esthetic sense the most satisfaction. Four of these
ometric center of your painting. There are visual points are very easy to find, regardless of the dimen-
centers which are points of proven magnetism to our sions of your painting. Imagine two vertical lines
sense of vision, and they're the points which give our dividing your painting into three even spaces. Do the
same horizontally. The four points where the lines
cross are the strongest attention points (C).

Value

The value of an object is degree of darkness or

its

lightness in relation to other objects. You can't meas-

ure it; it's a matter of judgment. Developing the ability
to recognize good tone balance can result in many
simple compositions in black and white, with two or
three extra tones (different grays). A dark or light
object looks dark or light only if you relate it to some
other value. Holding this light-dark relationship in a
composition is what is meant by holding a picture in
key. The simpler the subject, usually the better the

30 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

picture. cannot overemphasize the importance of
I through various elements to the center of interest. By
doing tonal arrangement sketches of every
basic rhythm, mean rhythm of line or space or similarity of
I

subject. Give these sketches much thought and plan- contrast in values. The same rule applies to pictorial
ning, until you can no longer improve on your composition as to all good organization: a single
composition. theme should be complemented by subordinate ele-
Light next to dark creates a dramatic effect. More ments.
white suggests a happy mood; black injects mystery
and drama. Dark gray (moonlight, for example) in-
Harmony
dicates a romantic quality; while light gray can form a Harmony is the artistic balance which results when
pleasant background' for other tones, giving a land- you place everything with regard to its proper rhythm
scape a warm, rainy mood (D). and relationship within your picture area. Never allow
your composition to fly apart. Never permit monoto-
nous repetition. A good composition should have a
variety of textures. In the final analysis, a good com-
position must "feel" esthetically correct to your
senses. To sum up: try to develop a good artistic taste
and always listen to it.

Repetition

A well-painted, fresh watercolor

is an exciting thing to

look but even a technically skilled artist can ruin a

at,

painting if he allows monotonous elements to creep

into his composition. Repetition is one of the biggest
dangers to preserving spontaneity in a painting. The
human mind tends to organize everything to death.
Rhythm Take, for example, a dozen trees. If planted by man,
they'll most likely be in a mechanical order of some
Rhythm helps the eye follow the order of the com-
position. A good use of rhythm can give your painting
not only harmony but a sense of movement as well.
An element repeated without a change of shape or
size is monotonous. You can create good rhythm in
seemingly monotonous subjects by purposely varying
the size and position of the repeated elements (f).

When two or more forms are of a similar shape,

they should differ in size, and vice versa. Your com-
position should lead the eye freely from point to
point.Never allow the eye to become trapped in a
corner; creategood rhythm, order, and balance.
The theme of your composition should surround
your center of interest, not detract from it. A well-
planned rhythm will lead the eye unconsciously
mty\\i\\\.%v.-^
.^s^-HV

LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION 31
nature manages to grow
sort {A). In contrast to this,
the samenumber of trees in an uneven, more natural,
and more pleasing disorder (B). In a painting, a too-
stringent kind of organized rhythm is monotonous,
dull,and much less pleasant than the more disordered
order found in nature. Even if natural objects are
accidentally in a perfect, monotonous rhythm, the
artist must move them around and shuffle them into a
natural, easy-to-look-at composition.

Sameness of Direction
Another danger is too many forms running in the
same direction. Too many verticals or too many
horizontals give away a poor artist's uncertainty every
time. You'll find opportunities to use your imagina-
tion when nature doesn't supply you with com-
plementary forms. For instance, in a panoramic scene
of rolling farmland continuing up to the horizon (C),
you may see a challenge in color or in the play of
interesting patterns. However, you're conscious of the
monotony, and you want to do something to break it.
Since all the lines run in a horizontal direction,
complement them with some vertical object or ob-
jects (D). The soothing relief this creative move offers
to the senses should be obvious to you as you look at

the examples given here.

center of interest should almost never be in the Color as Center of Interest
geometric center of the picture. The strength of this
An accidental touch of color can also liven up a
most important element of your painting can and will
painting and create your center of interest. For ex-
determine the degree of impact of your composition.
ample, if you're painting a gray and lifeless rotting
It can be an object, a person, or even a touch of color.
stump, this stump will probably be your center of
(See demonstration, pp. 94-96.)
interest. Your grayish subtlety in color will cause the
strong form of the old tree to occupy a place of
Object as Center of Interest importance. But if you decide to paint a fungus on the
You most likely select an object for the center of
will side of the stump in a bright orange color, this touch

interest,because a particular object is often the very of brightness will be strong enough to relegate the

reason that an idea was born in your mind in the first tree stump to a place of secondary importance. Using

place. The strength of this object can be measured by color in this way must be natural — an essential,
the relationship between it, as the center of interest, related part of the rest of your painting. You cannot

and the rest of your painting. Take a tiny feather use it as a crutch to rescue an otherwise weak work.
caught in a farm fence, for example. If you paint this You have to plan it as part of your painting from the
accidental little touch as just another detail, far beginning to insure the unity of the picture.
enough in distance not to demand much attention, it

will survive only as amere incident. However, if you Location of Center of Picture
bring it up close and make it the most important
(A)
The location your center of interest is as important
for
part of your painting, subduing everything else, you'll
as the choice of what it will be. Because it is the
create a powerful center of interest out of an other-
strongest element in your composition, the center of
wise insignificant object. You can have a good idea for
interest must occupy the choicest location. The four
a painting, but its success depends on the center of
visual (esthetic) attention points (see Relationships, p.
interest. For an example of the importance of a strong
30) are strong locations, but they're notgood as a
center of interest, see the raven beating his wings
location for the center of interest. Remember: the
against the misty morning sky in B.
center of interest rules the rest of your painting.

1
The second is the horizon or eye level. I he third is the
vanishing point.
There are three vanishing points in every view. Your
eye viewpoint is one of the vanishing points. Two of
the vanishing points of every object will fall on the eye
level line, but not necessarily within your picture area.
The third one (your eye viewpoint) will be either
above or below the eye level line, depending on how
the object is placed (6). Several objects in one paint-
ing may have different vanishing points, but the eye
level will always be the same.

Planes of a Painting

To make your painting appear three dimensional, use

perspective in color and tone as well as in line. To '-mi^
simplify the problem, divide the depth of your paint-
ing into three easy-to-identify units. Let's call them
foreground, middleground, and background. Pay
careful attention to the measureable distance from
your eyes to the furthest object from you. They're
essential to an accurate, believable representation of
any scene. If you emphasize one at the expense of the
other two, you'll be able to create dramatic effects.
Simplify the thousands of intricate values {degrees
of darkness) to light, medium, and dark values. Don't
confuse color with value. Any color will appear lighter
jn the distance than close up.

Contrast
Emphasis
The degree of contrast in your painting is entirely at
You can add more importance to the foreground, your command. Various moods can be created with
middleground, or background by painting each either strong contrast with subtle, hardly noticeable
or
very light or very dark but in strong contrast to the
tones. If doubt, small thumbnail sketches
you're in
other two areas. Emphasizing the foreground (C) is will help you decide in which direction to go. Re-
the most natural approach, because of its nearness. member: the greater the contrast you create between
We're more aware of details simply because we can your dark and light values, the more dramatic the
see them clearly. When you accentuate the mid- result will be.
dleground (D), you give the impression of changing
light conditions caused by moving cloud patches. By
VALUE AND FORM
accentuating the background (f), you're running the
risk of painting too much detail. Control your value When anartist talks about values in his painting, he's

and color perspective. talking about the tone, the strength, the lightness or

34 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

darkness of his colors, much as he might talk about
the blacks, whites, and grays in a photograph. Form —
the way objects are painted to appear three dimen-
sional on a two dimensional surface — is the result of
correct values. (See demonstration, pp. 100-102.)

Painting in One Color

To learnabout values, and to prevent becoming

confused too soon by multiple colors, paint a little
sketch with only one color. Think before you paint
each stroke. Make sure the distant objects appear
lighter than the close ones. Objects in sunlight should
be more detailed, more carefully defined, than
shaded ones. A good color to use might be Payne's
gray. Copying from a black and white photograph
could help you get started.

Painting in Two Colors

If you your sketch, paint the same

feel satisfied with
thing Add burnt sienna to your
with two colors.
Payne's gray. You can use the colors separately or mix
them. The combined washes will give you a dark,
greenish color. Don't let color confuse you. As you
apply your washes, don't think in terms of color, but
in terms of value —
think of them as grays and —
you'll be able to achieve a good result easily.

Painting in Three Colors

Now same picture with three colors on your

paint the relationship to each other, as well as to the back-
palette. Manganese blue might be a good choice for ground, shows carefully considered values. While 1

your third color. Now that you're using three colors, painted the birch trunks with their ragged peelings, I

you'll find the control of values a little more de- constantly tried to make the trunks feel round and
manding. Remember that warm colors appear closer solid, while the bark peelings had to feel thin. The
than cool ones. Think of a pale blue mountain, for young trees in the middleground are a pleasant
example; it's pale blue only when you're far away. As contrast; they lead your eyes into the massive, distant
you move closer to it, it warms up in color perhaps — forest, where value becomes especially important.
even to a rich brown rock color. If you're able to Because of the distance, the form of the total forest is

control your values, you'll achieve a sense of distance, more apparent than the forms of individual trees.
a feeling of three dimensions in your painting. (See
Three Dimensions, Perspective, p. 33, for further THE VALUE OF WHITE SPACE
details.)
One most unexpected demands of watercolor
of the

Visualizing Form for a beginner is understanding the importance of

white space. (See demonstration, pp. 103-105.)
It takes experience and skill, but above allknowledge,
to give form to everything you paint. For example, a
White Space is Paper
treetrunk can be painted flat (D) or it can be painted
solid, round, and rugged (f). The treetrunk in f has in true transparent watercolor, a white space is a
good form; the treetrunk in D hasn't. As you paint any negative quality, because white space is not painted.
object, keep the form in mind. Don't paint the front of White paint is never used because it's opaque and less

an object only; try to paint the solidity or the look of brilliant than white paper. Train your mind to accept
solidity of the object. "Think form while you work" is the challenge in planning your painting around these
a good rule to go by. white areas of clean paper. It's the white paper that
the demonstration on pp. 100-102,
In show the I allows the colors to look brilliant, because the reflec-
sequence in which painted a clump of lovely birches
I tive quality of the paper bounces the light through the
in the snow. Their forms are fairly strong, yet their thin layer of paint and produces the sensation of

LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION 35
translucency watercolor painting. The thicker, the
in a

more opaque is, the less the white light of

the paint
the reflecting paper will be. Since you're trying to take
full advantage of the transparent nature of watercolor,

allowing opacity would be an imperfection.

Plan Ahead
In transparent watercolor, the ultimate in purity is

your white paper; it's the most brilliant value that you
have at your command. Wherever you leave white
space, make sure it's thoughtfully planned to be an
integral part of your composition. Intelligent use of
pure space is a rare virtue even among the best
watercolorists.Pure space creates extreme contrast
with dark hues. It adds drama and clean freshness to
your work. The more daring you are with it, the better
the result will be.

Mood
With the wet-in-wet technique, you have the most
subtle and intimate blending of color and pure white
at your command. The use of color next to white
creates varying moods in spite of the fact that the
white never changes (A). For example, a bright
itself

group of trees in the fall, painted with a generous

amount of white around it (6), will make the space
appear warm in tone and will indicate a happy and
relaxed disposition. If the same group of trees is

painted in a dull, gray, wintry mood (C), the white

area will look more somber and cool, adding to the
mood of your subject.
Try to visualize a closeup of a mass of lush, drying
weeds in the fall looking bright and sunny. You can
add more snap to the brightness of this sketch if you
scrape one or two white lines to indicate shiny
highlights on those weeds (D). Remember: this must
be done after the paper is completely dry.
White space is a psychological aid in the hands of a
skilled artist. It can keep you excited while you paint.
It suggests clean freshness. Brave use of it adds a touch
of the unexpected to your painting. From a com-
pletely vignetted effect to a tiny, sparkly star in the
dark sky, white paper is yours to use.

SEQUENCE OF PAINTING
The sequence or order of application of elements in
your painting is it can help you
important, because
emphasize or underplay certain parts of your com-
position. There are different approaches available to
the painter; shall mention a few.
I

Center of Interest

My own preference is to start with the center of

interest {A) and then go on to the next important

36 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

element, then the next and the next, until reach the I

least important touches at the end. The most signifi-

cant part of my composition is the center of interest.
This must be painted with the greatest care. Because
the less significant parts are related to the already
existing interest point, the risk of overplaying the
wrong area is eliminated.

Correcting Dry Painting

Occasionally, you'll miss some details. After your

painting is you may want to correct the
finished,
problem on the dry painting. Analyze the area where
you want to add more wash. If you have to rewet the
paper, use a soft haired, wide brush which is perfectly
clean. Apply a wash of clean water quickly and gently.
Light to Dark Make sure the wet area is a lot wider than you want
your new wash to run, unless you wish the color to
Another proven method is to paint from light value to
seep all the way to the edge of the dry spot.
dark (B). This conventional approach, be-
is a safe,
cause of the transparent quality of watercolor, and
involves the least amount of risk. REFERENCE SKETCHES
To achieve a high level of perfection in painting, you
must strive to be more than a craftsman; you must
strive to be a painter. A painter is one whose emotions
are reflected in his work. He uses his technical skill as
a tool to communicate to his viewers through their
visual sense.

Sketching Helps You Choose

When you face nature as a landscape painter, you can,

and probably will, experience many emotions at the
same time. You may find it difficult to distinguish the
scene which has greatest impact on you. One of the
ways to crystallize your thoughts is to make reference
sketches. These little decision-makers can be small but
they should show their purpose clearly in the variety
Dark to Light
of their treatment.
Dark to light (C) is the opposite method. The danger For example, take this simple scene: close to you a
of ruining your work is constantly with you, because handsome tree leans over a cold trout stream rushing
you have to keep touching, and occasionally go over, around shiny, dark rocks; you can see the deep, rich
already successfully rendered details as you apply colors of vegetation on the opposite bank. You may
more washes. The sparkle and freshness of the dark to see the light changing under the rushing clouds which
light sequence, however, gives a very satisfying result. hide the sun's direct light. It's quite possible that the
Don't be afraid to touch already dry, dark washes; clouds will move away momentarily and allow bright
just make sure you're quick with your brushstrokes sunshine to light up some parts of your subject. If you
and never go back immediately fpr a second touch. like these changing conditions, you may decide to do
The first wash over dry paint loosens the pigment but several reference sketches to see which would make
doesn't move it. The second touch of the brush will the best painting to represent your feeling {A, B, C,
smear the loose pigment. andD).

LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION 37
sketching Captures the Moment
You may do little pencil or ink drawings as reference
sketches, but if you want to do real justice to them,
and if conditions allow, try using paint. Create a color
mood drawing; establish composition and
as well as a
tone values. But don't attempt to capture unnecessary
details, as this is a time consuming part of the painting
procedure. Speed is the most important thing in
reference sketching. It's important to make sure that
the excitement which triggered your painting a partic-
ular subject will not diminish or weaken before your
painting is finished. This quality of excitement will
give your final work the value that comes from its
being the fruit of your own feeling.
Quite often these reference sketches will have so
much charm and freshness that you may find it hard, if

not impossible, to transfer this quality to your finished

work. You should not be discouraged, however,
because chances are that your painting will still have
more of your personality in it than if you hadn't had
that extremely successful first rough sketch to work
from.

Keep Sketches Loose

You may find your reference sketches so enjoyable to
do that you'll tend not to try larger paintings. If this
happens, you could end up with small sketches which
are overworked, because you'll inevitably attempt
details which are only possible in larger scale paint-
ings, if you find yourself trapped in this kind of
frustration, paint a few larger pieces of work to loosen
up again. After all, the reason for reference sketches is
to improve the quality of your paintings, not to
substitute for them.
Speed is the greatest value of these reference
sketches. The short painting time will allow you to
capture short-lived subjects such as sunsets, rainbows,
moving waves, etc. Use them often; their value is
certain.

38 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

5. PAINTING THE SEASONS

The four distinctly different faces of tfie landscape are Masses of Green
seen the four seasons. Each season offers a different
in
on on the ground,
Flowers in a mass (B), either trees or
challenge and requires a different approach; each has
should be treated as a color area — with little defini-
a unique personality and mood.
tion — unless they're very close. If they're very close,
they form the center of interest, and the details must
SPRING be carefully controlled (C). Fresh greens can be either
when
is reborn; nature friend or foe. Overexaggerating an area of brilliant
I think of spring as the time
the urge to paint seems to get a boost also! Color
little
new green foliage is a sure way to kill a good painting.
Consciously avoid this tendency and listen to your
is the key note for spring. Climate has a lot to do with

the vigor of spring. Generally speaking, spring shows

good taste.

up with the greatest impact in areas where snow is a

part of winter. This includes the largest geographical

part of North America, and is the spring I'm most
familiar with. (See demonstration, pp. 157-159.)

Color

A keen eye that sees subtleties is very important to a

painter. Spring offers subtleties in great abundance,
but you have to be able to spot them. associate fresh, I

clean colors with spring; new shoots, outbursts of

color, buds (A), and all the million shades of fresh
color that appear only in the springtime. An early
spring landscape is very much like one of late winter.
The transfer is so subtle that at first you really have to
search for The tree buds begin to have a livelier
it.

color as the snow starts to melt. Then the dry weeds

and grass show touches of green. After the buds turn
into flowers, and then into leaves, you must be on
your toes not be be overwhelmed by the bright
colors. The fresh brilliance of spring hues can easily
turn your painting into a "pretty," commercial look-
ing effort.

Spring Fever

1 want to point out the emotional value of spring

fever. The smell of fresh spring air and the song of
birds have a strong influence on human emotions. A
landscape painter is no exception. This excitement
adds new vigor to a painter's enthusiasm. Take ad-
vantage of it. When you feel the need for a fresh
spring walk in the country, take your paints and
brushes with you. There's an excellent chance that

PAINTING THE SEASONS 39

you'llcome back with some exciting sketches that
you didn't even realize you had in you. Dress warmly,
to make sure any physical discomfort will not dis-
courage you from staying as long as you feel like
painting.

SUMMER
Summer is a time of maturing. The heat of the sun
causes a lush summer landscape. This heat, and the
brightness of the summer sun, is a real problem for a
watercolor painter. Avoid painting in direct sun if
possible. Find a shady spot, and make sure the shade
won't move off you before you're finished with your
sketch. (See demonstration, pp. 160-162.)

Avoid Direct Sunlight

Here are some of the reasons that you should avoid
direct sun. First, you're working on wh te paper,
and the glaring whiteness will blind you while you
paint and will distort your sense of values. Second,
the heat from direct sun dries your paint on the
warm paper almost as soon as your brush touches
it — this limitation prevents you from taking ad-
vantage of all the techniques available to a water-
colorist. And finally, the sun's light is brighter
than any indoor lighting in which your painting
will be viewed — the colors will look dull in direct

sun, but the same colors will become bright and

loud in subdued lighting because you used more
paint to cover the glaring white paper.

Sunglasses

Using sunglasses is a trick that I myself avoid. In

theory, distortion that colored glasses cause applies
not only to your subject but to the colors you paint
with as well. In practice, however, it's a different story.
While you will be able to mix greens as greens, blues
you won't be able to control the subtle,
as blues, etc.,
inbetween shades to your satisfaction when wearing
sunglasses.

Monotony
Monotony is another danger during the summer.
Most trees have lush green foliage that can look
uninteresting to the untrained eye. A creative mind
has to improvise a little.Look for the touches that add
variety and interest to your painting: flowers (A),
colorful rocks (B), houses, tree bark, dis-
objects,
colored leaves, strongly sunlit spots (C), puddles (D),
are but a few details that can have a prominent place
in your summer landscape.

Summer sky is a very powerful element (see Paint-

ing Skies in Chapter 9). White fluffy cumulus clouds or
enormous thunderheads will always add powerful

40 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

impact to an otherwise plain summer landscape. A I prefer gray, cloudy conditions to sunshine. The
child's fright at the sound thunder is a little bit in all
of subtle lighting of a gray day introduces a calming
of us. When you paint a thunderstorm in summer element to otherwise overwhelming color. Gray skies
it should reflect this tense alertness. This dramatic can very successfully be blended with the colorful
quality is essential; it's what makes a work of art out foliage by permitting the sky and the foliage to flow
of a doodle. Don't be afraid to reflect your own dis- into one another as you apply both simultaneously.
position in your painting. A cool, breezy day or a hot, Lack of contrast is the best method of insuring the
muggy afternoon should play back these very condi- calm mood a gray sky contributes to an autumn
tions to the viewer. Using warm colors will make your landscape. Weeds and ripe vegetables are also strong
painting look hot; cool colors will appear fresher. contributing factors to the colors of fall (A). In farm
Consciously select your colors to complement the country, the fields offer fascinating color patterns,
weather conditions. A painting of summer rain should while the busy activity of animal life enhances the
have the same silent, thirst-quenching quality that the impact of autumn painting.
rain drops have as they kiss the flower petals and roll
into tiny, sparkling beads before soaking into the soil. Reflecting Water
In a summer landscape, play down monotony and
I'd like to bring to your attention the importance of
exaggerate the exciting.
reflecting water in the fall (6). If you handle it right,

preferably an unusual way, it will add strength to

in
AUTUMN your work. Too many people, however, including
With the outburst of autumn, a landscape painter some competent painters, feel that they must have
problem to that of summer paint-
faces the opposite
water in their autumn paintings at any cost. Avoid
falling into this rut. It could dull your thinking and
ing. Instead of monotony, everything is filled with
excitement. The bright reds of maple trees, the bril- make you lose interest. Too much of a good thing is

liant yellows of birches, an infinite number of shades

simply too much!
of glowing color, all demand self-control from a Late fall has a calm beauty that seems to influence

painter. If you paint a brightly colored autumn scene

most subjects. Some leftover color is all that reminds
exactly as it is, you'll most likely end up with a garish us of the fiery brilliance that blinded us only a few

looking sketch. Too much color is the danger in weeks before. Play up these little insignificant color
a fall landscape. (See demonstration, pp. 163-165.)

Light Conditions

Light conditions play a very important role, as well.

Sunshine opposes gray, overcast, or rainy days. When
you paint in brilliant sunshine, use one clean pigment
to get maximum brilliance out of your washes. Use
your paint lavishly. Remember that watercolor looks
much denser when wet than after it dries. Fight for
color unity in your painting. Look for color accents.
Take advantage of reflections. Observe how much
brighter the light colors and how much deeper the
darks are during or after a rainfall.

PAINTING THE SEASONS 41

spots (C). However tiny they are, they'll look very
strong you contrast them against subtle sur-
if

roundings. The brilliant colors of autumn are short-

lived, so don't hesitate too long to capture them.

WINTER
The clean beauty of white snow makes a star perform-
er out of a humble blade of grass. This is the time of
year when I feel justice is being served to the in-
significant members of nature's kingdom after the
giants have had their grandstand play. (See demon-
stration, pp. 166-168.)

Characteristics of Snow
In the winter, form, design, and composition become
extremely important. Colors are subtle and few. Take
full advantage of the white paper, but don't labor

under the false impression that snow is pure white; it

isn't. White snow reflects other hues much more

vividly than any other color. On a sunny day it looks

blue, particularly in the shadows, as it reflects the blue
sky above. No matter how quiet or obvious these
reflections may be, find them —
because these are the
touches that add life to a winter landscape.
The drama of white against other colors constantly
challenges the artist. Study a single snowflake (A). It's
crystallized water. The beauty of this tiny particle of
winter's building material should remain in the back
of your mind as you paint snow. After all, any amount
of snow on the ground, on the heavily packed
branches, or on the roof is made up of billions of
these little crystals (B). Try to get out of the city to see
winter at its best. Make a manhole in the waist-deep
snow to feel the warmth of thesnow as you stand in it.
A blizzard to winter is like thunder to summer. It
makes man feel insignificant in front of nature's
power. To paint such an experience, to capture this
feeling of isolation, you have to work vigorously. Only
immediate objects will be defined, depending on how
heavy the snowfall was.
iMS^iim^ Carefully observe the snow on the ground: is it
darker or lighter in tone than the sky above it? It varies
depending on the weather conditions. Snowdrifts fC)
are fascinating forms and add interest to an otherwise
weak subject. Study each one with care. The light that
defines their form can be either very subtle or very
severe and should be painted with care.

Blowing Snow

You can paint blowing snow (D) very effectively as

follows. your background, ignoring the mist
Paint
of drifting snow. After it's dry, repeatedly wipe the
pigment back from the area where the wind-blown
snow appears with a firm brush and clean water.
Avoid hard edges. Continue these light wiping touch-

42 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

65, blotting up the loose pigment after each stroke of can be obtained by an ice-melting blower plugged
the tissue. With each wipe, imitate the direction of the into your car's lighter, or the car heater, or by a
blowing snow. bonfire.
Technically, winter painting watercolor is difficult
in Whatever problems or slight discomforts you face
because of the temperature problem. Try to paint in a painting in the winter will fade into obscurity after you
sheltered spot. You can use chemicals in the water to experience the rewards which result from taking
avoid freezing. Alcohol and a few drops of glycerin home a little piece of winter in your painting. At any
diluted in water acts as an antifreeze. Too much cost, try to do your sketches on the spot, for the subtle
glycerin, however, may prevent drying completely. beauty of winter is too difficult to paint from memory.
Heating facilities The necessary
are the best solution. (See Snow in Chapter 8 for further details on painting
heat you need to overcome the problem of freezing the winter landscape.)

PAINTING THE SEASONS 43

6. TREES IN LANDSCAPE

A element of most landscapes is trees. Trees

basic Foliage
differ locality and each species should be
according to
The foliage of a deciduous tree (B) could be compared
studied as a distinctly unique form. will discuss
I

to an umbrella, or to several small umbrellas. The

deciduous trees, evergreens, and palm trees in this
upper side of the foliage is light, the lower, or inner,
chapter.
side is darker. The branches are partially hidden here

and there by concentrated clumps of leaves. Toward

DECIDUOUS TREES the outer edges, at the top, you can't distinguish the

most commonly known trees. twigs from the leaves.

Deciduous trees are the
A deciduous tree is one which has
a shedding type of
One of the most common mistakes a landscape
painter makes in the beginning is in trying to paint the
foliage and changes its appearance from season to
foliage leaf by leaf. This approach is, naturally, wrong.
season, offering the landscape painter a new ex-
perience with each change. (See demonstration, pp. You don't really see leaves with your eyes; your eyes
151-153.) see only units of color masses. It's your mind that tells
you they're leaves, if you doubt what say, squint
1

gently as you look at a tree. Always believe your eyes.

Roots, Trunk, Branches
Your eyes are a much better judge of the visual reality
The anatomy of a deciduous tree (A) starts with a large of objects than your mind is.
root system below ground level, which most often A tree and its foliage is a three dimensional object;
spreads out as far as the crown or branch structure of you must paint it that way if you expect it to look
the tree. A deciduous tree has a heavy trunk, covered believable. It has to be correct in perspective. It has to
with protective bark. The trunk divides into branches show its weight. You can achieve this with the help of
which get thinner and smaller the further they are correct value and color.
from the trunk, ending up in a mass of fine, lacy twigs Each tree has a character, a personality, of its own.
where the leaves grow. The mass of leaves on the top Study each specimen and try to give back this charac-
is referred to as the foliage, because of its unified ter in your painting. A young tree looks different from
appearance. an adult of its own kind.

. ^
44 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR
Autumn Foliage EVERGREENS AND PALM TREES
Autumn (Q, with its brilliant color impact,
foliage Evergreens are trees which retain their foliage
must be controlled with sound judgment and good throughout the year. They have needle-like leaves
taste. The trunk and branches have more contrast that stay green all year round, or at least their color
(they're darker) in value than in spring or in summer. change is hardly noticeable. The main question in
The approach to painting of the foliage is similar to painting evergreens is how to relate them to their
that of painting summer foliage, except for the color. surroundings. While an evergreen itself doesn't
change, its environment does — very drastically (A).
An evergreen tree in the snow stands out much more
than if it's nestling in the middle of a green forest. I

won't go into all the different species and their

botanical characteristics, because there are too many
of them. In any case, their essential differences can
easily be detected with your own eyes. (See demon-
stration, pp. 148-150.)

Twigs

All deciduous trees show their character most clearly

no
after they lose their leaves (D). Their fine twigs are
longer hidden from view by thick leaves. The same
rule applies here as for painting leaves: don't ever
paint individual twigs on a large tree. Paint them as
tone, subtly flowing into heavier branches and getting
larger toward the trunk.
Drybrush strokes are an excellent way to paint lacy
twig structure, but not the only way. Drybrush would
be too harsh for a tree which is in haze or fog, for
example. Squinting, again, will come to your rescue if
you're in doubt.
Individual trees are beautiful and an extremely Evergreen Trunk and Branches
important part of most landscapes. You must like
Basically,all evergreens have a central trunk. Their
them, respect them, and learn to paint them well if
branches protrude sideways all around the trunk at a
you want to be a good landscape painter.
sharp angle. The branches are usually, but not always,
largest at thebottom of the tree, becoming progres-
sively smallertoward the top. The elements shape the
character of evergreens as they grow. If the environ-
BAD ment includes a strong, year-round prevailing wind,
the constantly rushing air will twist the tree and force
the branches to grow in the direction of the wind (B).

Evergreen Colors

Evergreens change color with age. A young shoot will

have a very fresh, clean, bright green color, while an
old specimen of the same species will be much darker
in color. When you paint an old evergreen, try not to

reach for the green paint. know the tendency is to

I

GOOD use green because your mind thinks it's green. In-

TREES IN LANDSCAPE 45
stead, look at the tree and believe your eyes. A mixed FORESTS
color is necessary to get the right hue. Burnt sienna,
When 1 speak of forests, I generalize, because they
Winsor (phthalocyanine) blue, sepia dark, ultramarine
much from place to place. A forest can be
differ so
blue, and cadmium orange will give you the variety of
composed of many species of trees; can be dense or it

greens that are dark enough, yet alive enough, to

open. And, naturally enough, the same forest will
represent a healthy evergreen.
change its appearance with the changing seasons. (See
demonstration, pp. 154-156.)
Painting Knife

Painting a single evergreen as the center of interest The Four Seasons

requires more attention to detail. I find a painting
Spring in the forest brings lots of fresh green buds,
knife an excellent tool with which to paint the which form a lacy screen that allows light to filter
branches, and even some of the lacy clumps of through without heavily shaded areas. In summer, the
foliage. For the technique, please refer to Drybrush in
leaves are large and deep green in color, showing
Chapter 2. Pay careful attention to the broken branch heavily concentrated dark green areas. The reason
stumps: these are likely to occur at any part of the that the leaves have this rich, dark color is that we're
tree, but are usually in the bottom area.
usually looking at the underside of the closer foliage,
and this is usually shaded.
Autumn
is the time when deciduous trees play
Palm Trees
havoc with the painter. The glowing, bright color
Palm trees require a tropical, warm climate, and inside an autumn forest is a breathtaking experience.
because they grow only in warm areas of the world In Ontario, Quebec, or New
England, the vivid yel-
they're a species of tropical vegetation. The trunk of
lows and reds completely take over the color scheme.
the palm tree appears straight, but it should always be This is the time to use the cadmium colors bravely.
painted with a slight, playful curve. The branch struc-
The forest is most subtle in winter. Various tones of
ture is confined to the very top of a single trunk. The
grays (mixed grays) to suit conditions, subtle color
palm tree has two main types of leaves: those which notes (few clinging leaves), can be major influencing
form a fan-like unit at the end of a strong stem and elements. If you paint the forest in winter, listen to the
those which grow like feathers (C). Directly under the silence; try and bring this into your painting.
crown of the palm tree are clinging dead leaves or
stubs. These add character to a palm. If you aren't
The Anatomy of a Forest
familiar with palms, don't ad-lib without careful ob-
servation. Their outstanding silhouette value lends A anything else, has an anatomy of its
forest, just like
itself to simple brushstrokes,and you can take full own. break this anatomy of the forest up into
Let's
advantage of all the drybrush you want. Again, if in three parts: the distant forest, the edge of the forest,
doubt as to technique, refer to Drybrush in Chapter 2. and the interior of the forest.

46 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

The Distant Forest
The distant forest (A) must hug the ground structure.
It cannot be just a color blob without character. The
more distance there is between you and the forest,
the paler it will appear in color as well as in value. A
forest in the distance usually doesn't make a center of
interest, which means it has to be played down to
complement a center of interest other than itself.

The Edge of the Forest

^viiuww«//i//fl/iri!iuu
As we approach the woods, we first reach the edge of
the forest (B). In a dense forest, this is more defined
than in an open one. To paint it successfully, it's

necessary to take great care choosing your subject

in

(center of interest). The closer trees and undergrowth

will have to be well-defined; the further ones will lose

detail as they fade into the distance, finally turning

into a mass of slightly varying tone to create a three
dimensional effect. One way you can achieve this
successfully is to wet your paper for the dense, distant
forest area and apply the paint in various con-
sistencies, imitating the form and growth of trees here
and there. The paint will blur slightly, creating the
feeling of a distant mass of trees. As your paper dries,
add trees and undergrowth which are less and less
blurred and more detailed. The final crisp notes
should be added after the drying is complete.

The Interior of the Forest

As you reach the interior of the forest (C), you have

360° of the forest to use for your model. Be dis-
criminating and make sure you have a center of
interest.It's easy to fall into the trap of monotony.

Don't paint two or more trees the same shape or

color. Place them unevenly. Pay careful attention to
the space between units and trees. Remember the
importance of negative forms. Most often you'll see
very little or no sky at all. Avoid at any cost a — —
single blue hole through the foliage, which is a
disturbing, distracting element. Note: when you paint ^-^. '

forest interiors, play down the sky.

.
s«^
^ ^::;^_ilii21ii: •
c

TREES IN LANDSCAPE 47
7. THE LANDSCAPE AT YOUR FEET

Every landscape has ground in it, whether it's under- Rotting Stumps
growth, mountain rocks, or desert sand. This chapter A corroding stump (6) is usually dark in tone, crumbly
covers the various things that you may see when you and subtle in color. When it's wet, it reflects the bright
look down at the landscape at your feet: stumps and colors around it (usually the sky). Small insects and
moss; undergrowth, shrubs, and weeds; rocks; and animals leave fine pieces of corroded wood around it.
sand and soil. Most often such stumps are nestling among weeds
and other signs of neglect. To add snap to your
STUMPS AND MOSS painting, exaggerate some of the subtle colors, edges,
It may seem unnecessary to devote a section to this or shine you may discover as you carefully analyze
seemingly insignificant part of landscape, but because your subject. Contrast is the most likely quality of a
I get such a terrific amount of satisfaction out of rotting stump that you'll spot. Don't be afraid to
painting stumps and moss decided to share my
I exaggerate this contrast.

experience with you.

These neglected stepchildren of the landscape
painter can add nostalgia and sentimental contact
with the past, a contact which is so subtle that often it
only works on your subconscious. (See demonstra-
tion, pp. 145-147.)

Cut Stumps
To paint a freshly cut stump or log (A) can hurt; it
should hurt — The bright, clean,
at least a little bit.
yellowish color of the cut exposes the age rings. This
bright color is usually seen in contrast with the sliver-

like,ripped fibers on one edge, which are caused by

the cut tree falling from its own weight. Light condi-
tions add to this drama. As you paint, think of this cut
tree as a life that has bled through that wound. Your
Uprooted Stumps
feeling will make, or break, the emotional value of
your painting. Be extremely careful of the location — Uprooted stumps (C) are perhaps the most dramatic
as well as the pointing direction — of this bright victims of man's activity. They always tell a story. A
wound of freshly cut stump. It has a strong impact and root stump fence is undeniably a powerful subject to
should be handled with a certain delicacy. paint, so you must paint it with strong technique.

48 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Drybrush lends itself beautifully to this. The color is Moss on stumps is usually well-modeled, painted with

usually weatherbeaten gray, exposing the strong-lined a splattered technique, and carries the form of the
texture of the twisting roots. Vines and weeds quite stump into the color of the moss, to form a unit.
often grow into the deep twists. These bright color Don't ever walk by an insignificant looking stump.
touches should be carefully maintained, as they add a You may be walking by one of your best paintings.
sense of belonging to nature. Because of the neutral,
gray color of the exposed gray stump, it will pick up UNDERGROWTH, SHRUBS, AND WEEDS
any reflection of color near it. Look for these subtle They can be painted
Shrubs are small trees. in a similar
touches and don't ignore them. Note: painting these
manner to small tree branches. They're delicate in
stumps from a low angle adds to their impact.
and should be treated delicately. Your meth-
structure
od of painting shrubs should differ depending on
Stumps as Center of Interest where they're located on your painting and on how
much importance you want to give them. (See dem-
Stumps, by their natural strength, create a temptation
onstration, pp. 136-138.)
to make them your center of interest. This means that
the stump you paint will dominate your painting. Its
Shrubs in the Foreground
importance will demand all the attention you can
give. Remember, in spite of dark color, you still have In the foreground (A), you can paint in as much detail

to show it dimensional object if you want to

as a three as you like, short of overworking it. Because of their
do justice to its form. Take your time with the details. nearness, the shrubs should look believable. If they
Take more time deciding on technical touches than it have foliage, this should be painted as large healthy

actually takes to make the marks. The stump's being leaves or as a good size clump.
the center of interest means it has to be the center of
your interest. The amount of attention you show to
the structure of detail will prove how much the stump •^ w"
occupied the center of your interest while you paint- ^ ^. iL/-
ed it; not only to the viewer but to yourself.

Moss
Stumps and moss (D) naturally go together. To list the
number of different kinds of moss in existence is
virtually impossible. Fortunately, to a painter, they
differ in color and the shape of their patch
only
structure, and these things can easily be observed
visually. The color of moss is its most important
identifying element —
from vivid yellow green,
through hazy blue, to dark grays and brown. Moss
Shrubs in the Distance
occurs in almost any color. The edges usually offer an
interesting line design as moss crawls over almost In the distance (6) shrubs, like everything else, lose
anything offering moisture. Moss is lush and bright in detail. A safe way them is by using simple tone
to paint
color in shaded, damp forests, dry and dead looking and paying careful attention to silhouetted shapes.
on rocks which get only the occasional fresh rainfall. You should indicate little or no structural detail.

THE LANDSCAPE AT YOUR FEET 49

Grass tion painting these jewel-like beauties. Antwerp blue,
mixed with the weeds' own color, is useful in painting
Grass (C) is an element in your painting that can be
the forest.
very flat and uninteresting if you always treat it the
Note: be playful when you paint weeds; they're not
same way. Never paint grass with only one color even
organized, monotonous lines, but living forms with
if it looks that way; vary the hue. Grass which is cut
characteristics of their own. Practice a lot with them.
short isn't my cup of tea. don't often paint subjects
I

with cut grass by choice, although it can be done very

effectively if you lay a large wash first. After this wash
ROCKS
dries, add small drybrush touches indicating texture. To give you a complete and accurate list of the
characteristics of rocks is count the
as impossible as to
raindrops that make a rainbow. However, I'll give you
a few general categories. I'm sure you'll find many
exceptions in the many natural and man-made stone
formations which exist. Natural rocks show their
geological origin as well as their age to an expert's
eye. To an artist, they offer form, color, and a touch of
the unusual. {See demonstration, pp. 139-141.)

Stratified Rocks
Stratified rock formations (A) show long, angular
layers, sometimes on an unexplained slant, and are
usually the result of the earth's constantly shrinking
crust pushing and buckling the surface of its shell. The

colors of these rocks vary infinitely depending upon

Weeds location.
Weeds (D) look like overgrown grass if they're in the The best way to approach the layers of these rocks is
distance. Close up, however, they show off their size with a splitdrybrush technique, because you can paint
and beauty. One good way to approach weeds is by several lines at the same time. (See Drybrush in
applying brushstrokes and painting knife strokes in Chapter 2 for further information on split drybrush
varying sizes, combined with larger washes freely technique.)
flowing into each other.
Weeds in season are a healthy color, most often
green. Lack of moisture or change of season will dry
up most weeds. Their color change.
will drastically
Make sure you observe these conditions and mix your
colors correctly. These color differences are ac-
centuated even more in late afternoon.
In cold climates, dead weeds create a fairyland
when the hoarfrost settles on them, and early birds
who go out painting before the sun has a chance to
melt the frost will experience an unforgettable emo-

Glacial Rocks
Other commonly visible rock types are of a glacier-
deposited kind (B). Alone, with worn, round surfaces,
these usually seem unrelated to their surroundings.
Roundness is the giveaway sign of their origin. Rocks
which are exposed to the elements have a bleached-
out color, exposing the splattered inner composition.
Those which are surrounded with vegetation are
frequently partly nesting in soil, and if enough mois-
ture is available, have a moss cover.

50 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Man-Made Rocks
Artificially created rocks (D) can also be interesting to
paint. These are usually the result of construction.
Artificially split rocks look sharp at the edges and have
clean, flat sides. It's them because they
easier to paint
lean toward mechanical shapes. You see these rocks
on the roadsides in any mountainous area. Quite
often water seeps through cracks, adding darker color
as it runs down the surface. Paint these rocks with
large, bold, flat washes allowing the sharp edges to
survive. I paint cracks and surface design mostly with
the edge of a painting knife after the basic washes are
dry. also use the tip of the brush handle quite
I

generously in the washes.

To paint glacial rocks, put down a single wash, the
I

when
There's one important hint I can offer you:
approximate color of the rock. With this, give it form
I

you paint rocks, always let them nest in weeds, soil, or

and shading. Several applications of varying colors whatever surrounds them. They must be tied into your
follow, splattered on with a toothbrush or shaken off a
composition. Another must is solidity: rocks must feel
paintbrush, or both. Several approaches are necessary
heavy and look solid. These two suggestions apply to
to avoid the unevenly spaced color dots running
all rocks.
together. Allow each layer to dry before adding the
next. If the odd little splatter does fall in an unwanted
area, blot it up immediately with a tissue and it won't
leave a mark. Lay down a tissue directly behind the
surface you're working on, in the direction of the
splatters, to mask a clean area. This will also make it
easy for you to grab a tissue to blot that unruly splatter
that got in the way. Finish with drybrush.

Volcanic Rocks

Volcanic rocks (O in color and look

are usually dark
like outpouring, lazy lava —
because that's how they
originated. Their dough-like surface appearance gives
them away. The elements (wind and water) create
endless patterns in them. The larger openings can be
caves. You can see excellent examples of volcanic SAND AND SOIL
rocks around Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia, but they can
In this section, I'd like to discuss some approaches to
occur in any location. To paint them, use several
painting exposed soil, it's a seemingly minor issue
washes. Let each one dry before applying the next. I

among more important details, but a lack of skill in

use the tip of a brush handle to scrape line patterns
painting sand and earth quite often detracts from
into the wet paint. Final touches are done with
what could otherwise be a good painting. (See demon-
drybrush.
stration, pp. 109-111.)

Pigments

It's very important to be familiar with the behavior of

pigments. Those colors which separate easily, if ap-

plied in a single wash, are ideal for grainy, sandy areas
(A). Let's list a few: yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt
umber, and sepia separate well from ultramarine blue,
cobalt blue, cerulean blue, and manganese blue.
Don't use these colors exclusively — these are only
some examples, and even they differ depending on
the different manufacturers and the type of paper you
use. As I've emphasized before, it's essential that you
experiment with different pigments and papers for
yourself.

THELANDSCAPE AT YOUR FEET 51

Sand Banks and Pits

Sand banks and pits (C) are a little more varied. They,
in addition to color and the separating paint, need
additional work to suggest pebbles, stones, roots, etc.
After you've painted the basic washes in a manner
similar to sand, let it dry. Apply some dark splatter
with a toothbrush to indicate the small stones strewn
about. If larger stones appear close by, paint a few of
these individually to add interest. For additional life,

place a few weeds strategically in the sand.

Sandy Beaches

Sandy beaches are commonly painted subjects on our

continent. Before you start painting, match the color
very carefully. Observe the pattern of the small debris
the waves have generously deposited (6). Drybrush
dragged on the already dry first wash offers a good
method for this purpose. Take advantage of texture-
creating elements — for instance, larger pebbles,
washed-out seaweed, shadows, etc. Often, you can
observe fresh reflections on the wet surface of shore
sand caused by the tidal backwash. Paint these reflec-
tions in strong contrast to the dull, smooth sand. And Plowed Fields
take advantage of the patterns created by little en-
Plowed fields (D) make difficult subjects: you must
tering streams of water. use darker washes, yet you have to keep them trans-
parent. To insure this, use well-loaded brushfuls of
paint. Paint the semimechanical lines of the plow
^asSi^SSSt&SSBZ
-.

marks which are up close one at a time. This gives

each line time to dry enough by the time you touch it
with the next wash to keep its edge for direction, yet
blend a little. These lines should be slightly irregular
to avoid monotony. Pay attention to shiny, reflecting
lumps in the earth if the field is moist. Allow some of
the turned-over grass to peep out here and there.

Deserts

Deserts are other common locations for exposed

sand. The extreme heat usually bakes all but the
hardiest and most scrawny vegetation. The wind adds
its contribution by blowing the fine sand and piling it

in formations similar to snow. Study the

drift-like
subject before you paint it. Again, color is of extreme
importance.

52 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

8. THE LIQUID LANDSCAPE

The liquid landscape refers to water — standing still, sequence. Lines a and 6. theoretically form a 90 angle.
rippling, in waves, or falling in mist, rain, or snow. The angle between fa and c is the determining factor
in how much reflection you can see. In other words,

STILL WATER AND REFLECTIONS the lower the angle of your vision or the further the
reflection is from you, the clearer the reflection is,
Calm bodies of water are usually fairly good reflectors. because you're looking more at the surface of the
By a good reflector, mean that the images that the
I

water than through it (B). If you look at the water

water's surface reflects are almost as clear in detail as
directly at your feet (C), you'll see very little reflection
the objects themselves. I said "almost," because the and you'll be looking right through it. The color of the
depth and color of the water itself, plus particles of water and the vegetation in it will add color.
dust, take away from perfection. To simplify reflec-
tions, imagine that the water is a mirror and you're
looking at a mirror image. Reflection is usually dim-
mer and darker than its source. (See demonstration,
pp. 130-132.)

Oceans
Of large bodies of water, the largest are the oceans.
They're very seldom calm enough to be described as
"still." Just remember that if they are ever really still,
what you know about lakes would also apply.

Lakes: Measuring Reflections

A calm lake offers great opportunities to study reflec-

tion. Look at it enough period of time to
for a long
become familiar with before you start painting. If
it

you stand at the edge of the water, or in it, and drop

an imaginary line from your eyes to where your feet
touch the water surface, and another one to the
reflection that your eyes look at, and a third one from
the reflection back to your eyes, you create a triangle
of vision (A). Let's mark these lines a, b, and c in

Giving Movement to Still Water

To give the feeling of water and not glass, indicate
some lazy wave movement on the water surface close
to you by giving a gentle wiggle to this part of your
reflection. If you look carefully at the calm lake, you'll
soon experience some of this wave movement re-
gardless of how motionless the water seems. The color

THE LIQUID LANDSCAPE 53

of the water close to you is darker, gently fading into behavior before you can attempt to paint it. Paint
light, almost pure white, as it approaches the horizon, many thumbnail detail studies from nature until you
where it's the lightest. really feel competent. Let's talk about the ocean first.

(See demonstration, pp. 133-135.)

Puddles

I want to mention puddles at this point, because Large Waves in Oceans

they're almost always To dramatize them, contrast
still. Because of the enormity and great depth of the ocean,
their value with their immediate surroundings. If the the waves are large. Paint them that way, as large as
ground next to the puddle is dark, leave the puddle they appear. The color of the water far from the shore
almost white, showing an extremely dark reflection in is a clean, bluish green, but it turns duller near the

it (D). Leave the very edge of a puddle which has any

value of its own pure white. If you can't leave this

hairline of separating shine, scrape it in with a sharp

razor blade point after the paint is dry.
Remember: if puddle dark, its whole
you paint a

surface reflects some object which is dark. Unless your

horizon is very close to the top edge of your painting,
you should show the source (or part of the source) of
that reflection. There's never an exception to the
physical laws of reflection: if there's a reflection, there

must be a source, even if it's outside your picture area

and you can't show it. Don't ad-lib, observe.

shore. Don't paint individual waves without con-

necting them in some way with the whole body of
water. Leave the foamy peaks of the waves white (A).
A loosely held drybrush touch will give a fresh, lacy
edge to a wave head and will indicate the bubbly
splashes freely, just as they happen. You can add some
of these touches with a razor blade after drying. Keep
in mind that scraping is only a secondary solution to
drybrush.
Remember: waves are caused by wind, however
gentle or fierce may it be, wind has a directionand the
waves must relate to this direction.
Pollution
Lakes
I would like touch on the subject of
to briefly
pollution. There's natural and man-made pollution. Lakes behave similarly to the ocean in strong wind.
Natural pollution (leaves, mud, small vegetation in However, gentle water movement will create a fasci-
swamps, etc.) is generally more pleasant to look at and
to paint than man-made pollution (chemicals, rust,
etc.) forobvious reasons. Pollution also detracts from
the reflective qualities of water. Surface pollution
does this to a greater extent than underwater pollu-
tion, because reflected images are caused by the
surface of the water.
As a last hint, remember that water acts as a mirror.

Objects that lean left will also lean left in their

reflection, never the other way.

MOVING WATER, MOVING REFLECTIONS

Moving water is much more difficult to observe than
calm water. It's essential to become familiar with its

54 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

nating play of dancing reflections, wiggling and twist- Waterfalls
ing in an abstract pattern (B). If the water has waves, Waterfalls are made up of combinations of dropping
the reflections will have small interrupted units but water units, clearly indicating the direction that grav-
will otherwise follow the general laws of mirror
ity moves them. These are bubbly splashes at the point
reflection. Splashes are best left white. Slight mod- of impact, or steam-like water vapor in the case of
eling with lighter color can be added later after the
such as Niagara (E). The vapor can be
large falls
surrounding washes are dry. The color of the sky and approached in the following ways: wet the area of the
the surrounding terrain will have a direct influence on vapor —
as you approach the moist paper with your
the color of moving water just as it would on still detail washes, they'll suddenly blend, forming a soft
water. vignette, and creating the illusion of cloud-like form;
don't wet the paper in advance —
paint your visible
Rivers and Creeks forms as you see them, going easy on the value as you
approach the future vapor area.
Rivers and creeks always have moving water (C).
After the paint has dried, vignette the edges by
Whether it moves gently or fast, the water always
washing back the sharp details vigorously with a
moves. Flowing rivers and creeks should be painted
water-loaded bristle brush. When the paint feels
with the addition of directional patterns. These are
loose, blot it with a tissue. Repeat this until you
always apparent and should be indicated as important
achieve the desired result.
elements in your composition.
Above all, it's important to capture the drama of
moving water, whether ocean or rushing brook, and
to convey this excitement to the viewer.

Rushing Water

Water in rapids or in rocky creek beds (D), with small

or large brightly colored water splashes exposing the
FOG AND MIST
color of vegetation against wet rocks, will play havoc Fog and mist are nothing more than water vapor in the
with an organized mind. With rushing water of this air which are sometimes mixed with pollutants like
kind, reflections can only be shown effectively as form smoke or dust to form a filter of lesser or greater
in pool areas where the stream is calm enough. density. (See demonstration, pp. 112-114.)

Fog Is a Filter

To an to a landscape painter, fog means a

artist, at least

great deal. not only simplifies even the most com-

It

plex scene by eliminating most of the clutter, but it

neutralizes the color of everything. It behaves like a
gray filter on a camera. Values jump up and the three
dimensional feeling becomes very obvious (A).
When you paint fog, use mixed grays instead of
bought grays. A gray that you mix yourself is more
alive, because you really mix slightly varying com-
binations of quantities for each brushful of paint. A
factory-made gray is monotonous and opaque and
should be avoided. Complementary colors (see Color

THE LIQUID LANDSCAPE SS

in Chapter 1) are good gray mixers, but I prefer to use Morning Mist
the browns (earth colors) with blues. Each com-
After a cool night, the rising sun can cause a lazy mist,
bination will give you a gray which is slightly different.
turning any scene into a mirage-like adventure. Back-
Some however, will survive in the closer
colors,
lighting is the most dramatic way to approach morn-
details. Take advantage of these, and exaggerate their
ing mist. Transparency is essential in capturing the
color slightly to add interest to the usually over-
subtle hints of light values. Don't hesitate with your
whelming grays.
sketch after you've decided to paint, because your
lighting will change so rapidly that you'll need all your
Total Fog skill to keep up with it.
Total fog (B) is a dense fog, in which only extremely Use a simple palette; values and forms are more
important than color. Again, want to emphasize the
1

close objects are visible. As a result, only subjects with

use of a uniting hue all over your paper before
powerful forms make good paintings. A possible
starting. Your subject will usually suggest one, so
washed-out object or objects can add a third dimen-
sion and complement your main center of interest.
believe your eyes. Let this thin wash dry before
Paint it simultaneously with the fog itself while the proceeding with the details.
paper is still soaking wet. The bursting fuzzy image
adds exciting movement —
to say nothing of mood — RAIN
to your painting. Don't shy away from painting rain. Watercolor espe-
cially lends itself to painting rain. The wet appearance
of a well-handled watercolor is a natural for wet rain.

Whatever kind of rain you paint, all objects will be wet

and shiny. (See demonstration, pp. 115-117.)

Drizzle

A gentle drizzle (A) can be suggested better than

painted. Any hint of the weather under these condi-
tions should be subtle (open umbrellas in people's
hands, dripping eaves, small ripples in puddles, etc.).

Partial Fog
Partial fog (C) allows you to see more detail and
several layers of items in varied values. A light,

dominating color in your grays (a touch of green, for

example) will create strong color unity and at the
same time add a sense of the time of day, as well as
freshness. Otherwise, treat partial fog as you would
dense fog.

56 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Reflections Wet paper will give you the softness. The angle of the

rain should help, not hinder, your composition. The

Reflections (6) on wet surfaces are important and
value, or darkness, of your wash will suggest how
should be handled well. Basically, you can approach a
heavy the rain is. Lighter wash indicates a light show-
reflection in rain similar to still water reflections (see
er; a darker wash means a heavy downpour.
St/7/ Water and Reflections, P. 53).

Showers Storms
Showers (C) are quick rainfalls and can stand bolder During storms, are broken up with
reflections
and braver brush handling. If your subject allows you bend more in the strong
splashes. Flexible objects
toshow the falling rain, give it a consistent direction. wind which always accompanies storms. Accents, such
If wind comes with the shower, indicate it with
a as broken trees, turned-out umbrellas, etc., are useful
bending trees (or other flexible subject matter). The tools.During a thunderstorm, lightning can really add
quickly moving clouds sometimes create interesting, the right touch (E). Never paint it yellow or straight,
fast changing
light conditions —
and sometimes an however. Lightning jumps in a zigzag line. Study a few
occasional rainbow. If you want to indicate the direc- photos —
camera magazines usually offer excellent
tion of rain in front of solid objects, a very effective examples of lightning. Scraping a white line into the
way is to wipe back some of the paint after it's dry. dark area of your clouds is an effective approach to
Only slight pressure and a few touches are required. indicating a bolt of lightning.
Don't destroy the details behind, just lighten the
value.

Rain at Night
Distant Rain
Rain at night means wet ground, strong reflections,
Rain in the distance (D) nothing but a wash
is really and bright colors. Paint wet-in-wet, but keep the
with a vignetted softness between the heavy clouds darks transparent. Take a good look at night subjects
and the ground. "Softness" is the key word. The wash before and while you paint them. Don't paint every-
should have a slight angle, tilting from the vertical. thing; eliminate and compose.

THE LIQUID LANDSCAPE 57

SNOW Early Snow
To paint snow successfully, firstwe must know our The first snow in the fall is an event like a birthday — it

subject matter. Snow doesn't necessarily mean winter. comes once a year. The
weeds and atmospheric
lush
For instance, high altitudes have all the snow you want conditions will cause the first snow to be short-lived,
even the middle of summer. If you associate cold,
in however thick the first snow cover may be. One sure
suffering, heating bills, and shoveling with snow, it way to illustrate early snow conditions is to accurately
could be difficult for you to paint a good snow scene. paint the color touches that won't exist later through
On the other hand, if you associate fun, clean beauty, the winter. Observation of minute details is very
a walk in the snow covered forest, sleighrides, or the important.
beauty of a single snowflake with snow, you're half-
way to success. (See demonstration, pp. 106-108.) Late Snow
Later on in the season, after several snowfalls have
The Color of Snow
collected,wind and the effect of the sun will cause the
In spite of the fact that snow is one of the purest snow to settle in hardpacked layers (B). The drifts
natural whites we know, it almost never appears pure become limp and the trees are usually free of snow.
white. The reason for this is its very purity. The white Freezing rain occasionally lays a shiny crust on top of
picks up even the most subtle color influence and the snow. The brittle, crisp shine of this icy surface
reflects some of it. We tend to associate blue with makes excellent composition material. The pattern of
snow because the blue of the large color mass of the glare related to other objects can be a terrific direc-
sky is reflected in it. Trust your eyes, not your un- tional tool.
trained mind, which tends to ignore indistinct color
impressions.
in a snow scene simply means that the
Color unity
snow modeled using the most dominant color in
is

your painting. For example, a warm, gray snow cloud

will mean that the same warm, gray should be used for

the shading of your snow. A sunny blue sky demands

more liberal use of blue, particularly in the shadows. A
thick evergreen forest will tint your snow with a touch
of green.

Hoarfrost

I'd like to mention hoarfrost (A) here, because its

impression and method of painting is similar to that of

snow. After all, like snow, it's frozen moisture. Any-
thing which is covered with frost needs careful study Falling Snow
for closeup rendering. Frost covered trees in the Failing snow (C) isone of the puzzles that winter
distance should be painted accurately in color and supplies to a beginner. The usual question is, "How do
soft in form. Avoid painting twigs on distant trees. you paint falling snow without white paint?" Water-
Paint masses of color. The wet-in-wet technique is color, with its flexible qualities, offers several solu-
ideal for this purpose. tions. The best one was supplied to me by nature
accidentally.
I was painting an oncoming blizzard with a large
generous wash of raw umber, Antwerp blue, and a
touch of ultramarine blue. (See painting on p. 99.) The
modeling of the foreground and partly snow covered
red chairs was coming along just right. was trying to I

finish the sketch before the blizzard overtook me. It

was a damp day and my wash was slow to dry. As the
shine from the sky wash was about to disappear, the
snow started to come down so fast that by the time I

could turn the painting upside down more than a

dozen flakes had fallen into the drying pigment.
I ran into a nearby cottage, but it was too late. I felt

the disappointment that comes with having ruined a

58 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

good painting at the last minute. As turned the I I must emphasize the importance of applying an
painting up to look at the mess, discovered the I extremely heavy wash in the clouds, so there will be
varied little backruns that the melting snowflakes had enough paint to spread when you form the angular
caused in my
sky. The effect was exciting, real looking, run. When you lay your painting down flat again, to
and absolutely unpaintable. stop the flow, you may find that the color spread from
Since then, I've learned to create the same effect by the clouds was too thin. You can add more heavy
scraping frost off the refrigerator tray into areas of my pigment to increase the impact. But this time, don't tilt

paintings. I also use a wet toothbrush to get this effect. the paper. Leave it flat so as not to disturb the angular
I hold it about 10" away, spraying tiny droplets into run.
the drying pigment with a flick of the thumb. The
important thing here is timing. The result best just
is
The Sound and Smell of Snow
after the shine of a wet wash has faded.
Last, but not least, I'd like to bring to your attention
the sound and the smell of snow. If you've not ex-
Snowstorms
perienced this before, do me a favor and try it. Drive
A blizzard (D) which is painted up close means a few out to the country during a heavy snowfall. A forest is
large flakes and short visibility. A distant snowstorm is the best place. Avoid all other sounds. Turn off the
usually seen as a wide, angular streak connecting the motor of your car. Step out into the snow and stop.
dark sky with the ground. To achieve this effect, wet Stay dead still for a few minutes and listen. There is a
your whole sky. Apply an extremely heavy layer of silent sound that cannot be matched even by the skill
well-mixed color to your clouds. Don't paint the of the best composer or the greatest orchestra. The
angular streak of the blizzard. Instead, lift your paper relaxing, peaceful, quiet whisper lets your mind drift
upright, at the desired angle, and allow the heavy into creative depths that only your imagination can
pigment to flow freely on the saturated paper, creat- limit. The clean smell of moist snow, along with its

ing the effect you wish. sound, is the best spiritual tool I know.

THE LIQUID LANDSCAPE 59

9. PAINTING THE SKY

The importance of sky to a landscape painter really should have pure white paper. After the yellow wash
doesn't have to be explained. It's an essential part of has completely dried, turn your paper back to its
landscape, and its understanding is essential to any original position and go through the same procedure
painter. with the blue, starting at the top edge and ending up
at the horizon. During both washes, tilt your paper

SKY AND CLOUDS toward you to help the flow of the wet paint.

Let's look a few ways to paint skies in different

at
Cloudy Skies
conditions. The most important thing to remember is
that a too dominant sky can divide an otherwise good Cloudy skies mean using much more than white on
painting; it must blend with the composition and be a blue, because cloud formations vary in structure and
part of it. (See demonstration, pp. 124-126.) in color. Cumulus clouds (A) are common insummer-
time. They're large, white, fluffy puffs against deep

Clear Skies blue skies. The relative position of these clouds and
the direction in which they move are of extreme
Clear skies may appear to be pure blue — but careful importance to a successful composition. They appear
observation will show that many colors infiltrate and
thickand are white on top and gray at the bottom. As
soften this raw blue. The sky is virtually never the
you paint them, steal a little touch of your ground
same. Atmospheric conditions, the time of year, and coloring into the lower gray part —
as if the ground
even the time of day all make a great difference in its below were reflected in them.
appearance. Instead of blindly copying the sky as you
see it, make sure that it complements the subject of •'ttf^wpgvi BiaMa
i

your painting in value as well as in color.

The color and value of the sky comes from the sun's
the particles of the atmosphere.
light reflecting off S>
Without atmosphere, we would be looking at black
space. Because the light originates from behind the
atmosphere, the color you see has a deep, luminous
quality.To recreate this feeling in a painting has
^>««;
always been one of the toughest problems facing the
landscape painter.
Transparency makes watercolor the most com-
patible medium to paint a good sky with. Watercolor,
too, gets its color and value from light reflecting off

the white paper through a thin layer of pigment.

Avoid using thick, heavy paint in your wash when
Rain and Snow Clouds
you paint skies. To insure luminosity in a colorful sky,
don't blend the colors into one combined wash. In- Rain or snow clouds are called nimbus clouds (B).

stead, apply separate, thin washes of separate colors They're usually a cold gray color and they cover the
on top of one another, allowing them to dry after each whole sky. At times, they have a break through which

layer. Let's take an example: you want to paint a a higher layer of wind-blown stratus clouds or even
yellowish haze on the horizon and a blue sky over- blue sky will show. They can be painted with a layer of

head. This condition quite often appears in win- dark gray wash suitable to your general composition.
tertime. Turn your painting upside down and put a To add interest and transparency, don't allow the
very light tone of well-diluted yellow ochre, with a wash to dryeven and monotonous. Immediately after
touch of cadmium orange, on the edge of the hori- application, mop up some of the wet paint with a
zon. Carry this wash downward, briskly applying more squeezed-out (thirsty) brush, tissue, or any absorbent
and more water, diluting the color hue as you de- material. To add drama while your wash is still satur-
scend. By the time you reach the bottom edge, you ated, tilt your paper at a 90° angle, allowing the paint

60 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

to rush in an angular direction. To do this more Perspective in Clouds
successfully, start off by wetting your whole sky before
In all cloud formations, you must follow the rules of
applying your gray wash. Avoid strong whites in
perspective. All clouds appear larger, more hand-
nimbus clouds, and relate the color to the rest of your
some, more detailed overhead and become smaller
painting.
and less defined as they descend toward the horizon.
Familiarizing yourself with the different aspects of
Thunderhead Clouds the varying cloud formations is the only way to learn
to paint the sky. Always, always keep the color of the
Thunderhead clouds (C) are usually gigantic in size. A
thunderhead is virtually a mountain of turbulent sky and clouds in harmony with the rest of your
painting.
clouds, brightly lit at the front and rapidly turning
darker toward the rear. Because it will dominate your
composition, you must be extremely careful with its SUNSETS
esthetic location. Don't waste time on minute details; duration, painting the
Because of the shortness of its
instead, concentrate on capturing the impact and There are
setting sun requires a lot of preparation.
enormity of this majestic cloud formation. only ten to twenty minutes available in the crucial
period of a sunset. (See demonstration, pp. 127-129.)

Setting Up
First,choose your subject about an hour before sunset
appears. While the orange glow turns into pinks and
reds, set up your easel and your paper (because of the
short period of the sunset, I suggest you use small
paper), squeeze clean paint onto your palette, and
make sure your water and all tools are easy to reach.
After you've placed everything in readiness, just sit

and wait. Wait until the time is just right to start your
painting. The timing of the starting moment is ex-
tremely important, for you'll have only about ten
minutes to establish your colors and composition, and
another ten minutes (maybe) to put some finishing
Wind-Swept Clouds touches on the vital areas.

High, wind-swept clouds (D) are excellent direction-

Color
giving tools for your composition. They're usually
subtly defined at the edges and should be painted as Pure, bright colors are very effective contrasted
negative form. By this, I mean that after wetting the against strong silhouetted forms without too much
sky, paint the color between the clouds, leaving the color detail. "cheesy" and a
The borderline between a

white parts clean. tasteful color rendering is very thin. Should your
Speedy application of paint does justice to the colors turn out too garish you can always do it over
nature of the fast-moving clouds. They should appear from your original sketch at your leisure and benefit
fresh and loose. by what you've learned on the first attempt.

PAINTING THE SKY 61

Atmospheric conditions, such as humidity and
clouds, make enormous day-to-day changes in the
same subject. Try to paint (from the same spot and at
the same time) a sunset over a period of several
consecutive days (A). Don't look at your paintings in

between. When you've done enough (three or four)

sketches, laythem out in front of you to study. You'll
most likely see a considerable difference betw/een
them. The reasons for this are not only the varying
sunset conditions, but your own changing moods as
w/ell.

Looking East

Sometimes a pleasant surprise awaits you when you

turn your back to the setting sun and look east.
Conditions are as equally short-lived looking in this
direction as they are looking west, but the colors are
more subtle and the objects on the ground are well-lit
instead of being silhouetted (C).

After the Sunset

After the sun has descended, you have a period of

about half an hour when exciting color impressions
offer themselves to be painted. The length of available
time varies depending upon the time of the year and
the geographic location. This post-sunset condition
usually lasts long enough to finish a quick sketch. The
silhouettes against the sky, as well as the color of
the sky, are darker than while the sun is visible.
Simple line patterns with well-defined silhouettes
must be carefully composed to form your center of
interest (6).
Discipline
The sky with the setting sun is best used as a
complementary element. You can never paint colors Disciplining extremely important. This
yourself is

as brilliant as you see them, because you're looking at means you must during the available
finish painting
very brilliant direct light instead of the reflected light time and you must control your colors so they won't
from a much less pure pigment coated paper. You can take away from the prominence of form and value.
achieve an impression of brilliance, however, by using Never get discouraged if you don't succeed. Try again
contrasts. Brightness of color to equal nature is im- and again. In my opinion, painting sunsetsis the most

possible. difficult task that a landscape painter ever has to face.

62 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

10. OBJECTS IN LANDSCAPE

This chapter deals with those "extra" elements so

often found in landscapes, such as fences, buildings,
people, and animals.

FENCES
In our society, where free enterprise respects private
property, fences are a necessary part of landscape.
The material they're made from varies as much as their
age. Older fences are made of wood, newer ones of
metal. Piled-up rocks are also common where the
culture of the pioneer settlers is still visible. (See
demonstration, pp. 142-144.)

Old Fences
Old fences show signs of age. Their color is weath-
erbeaten, and they often show signs of neglect. An old
cedar fence (A) is a very strong element as it zigzags
through the landscape. Root fences (B) are also pow-
erful. They still exist, but you have to look for them.
Wood, by its nature, shows age by splitting, twisting,
and changing color as the weather works on it. If
boards are used, nails are a natural part of the fence
(C), creating beautiful, rusty washes on the texture of
the graying wood.

Wooden Fences !^

To paint wooden use one wash to establish

fences, I

tone, form, and design. Rust marks are painted with a

strong touch of burnt sienna into this first wash while
it's still wet. 1 also indicate a few splits with the tip of
my brush handle. do the modeling and texture with
I

drybrush after the first wash is dry.

A wooden fence in the distance shouldn't have
much detail. Its design is usually a useful tool to guide
your eyes in the composition. Play it down in value or
it can cause confusion, appearing to be in the fore-

ground rather than in the distance.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Picket Fences

A picket fence (D) another delightful part of small

is

town architecture. Its charming quality

is important to

maintain. In spite of the fact that picket fences are

most often white, don't leave them as pure white
paper when you paint them. Add a little tone, texture,
or shading to give them form.

OB)ECTS IN LANDSCAPE 63
Wire Fences
Wire fences (E) are relatively young in the American
landscape. Wire, crisscrossing in different patterns, is

usually used as a protection to keep animals within the

owner's property. These fences are fastened to wood-
en posts or metal supports. The wire pattern sags, and
the occasional ripped wire disturbs the fence's me-
chanical appearance. Rust is a natural result of metal
exposed to oxidation, and should be painted carefully
when you do a closeup of a wire fence. The mesh
pattern of the wire traps all kinds of goodies in the
wind: old newspapers, tumbleweeds, piles of leaves,
etc. I find that these are fascinating subjects to paint
and that they offer a great sense of satisfaction.

on your painting. Sunlight will show brightly lit and

shaded sides of the building. The shadows of the
structure must be considered as a unit, a com-
positional element of the building. The amount of
detail that you paint should depend on the im-
portance of the structure and on its distance from you.
Never use a ruler to draw the lines of your structure.
Don't worry about not being able to draw a straight
line. Really straight lines are stiff and very hard to

accept esthetically in a painting — if you can draw

straight, you should purposely move your hand to

avoid the artificial appearance a straight line pro-
duces. A free, hand-drawn edge is much more inter-
esting and beautiful than an edge drawn with the help
of a ruler.
Gates Don't your structure from the rest of the
isolate
painting, nest on the ground and relate it to its
it
Where there are fences there are gates. Gates are
surroundings. Trees, shrubs, and fences nearby must
essentially the same as the fences they belong to
tie in and feel right when you are finished with your
(except replacement gates which are now usually
composition.
metal). Brand-new gates look uninteresting to me, but
after a while use and rust give them interest. Gates
Buildings in Groups
usuallymake an excellent center of interest. It's hard
to place them in a position of lesser importance, Building groups (B) should be painted in a similar
although size and the amount of detail will, of course, manner. However, they're more complex. Relate
help determine their importance. them to one another to create the best composition.
Don't ignore the moss on wooden fences or the rust Falling shadows of roof peaks, trees, and other forms
on metal ones. These things belong with fences and will add complexity to the buildings but should never

will make your painting more alive. suggest that you I

distract from their form and value.

study fences on the spot and that you practice a little

on closeup details. <cg'*y<K»ipn in r( .
|

BUILDINGS
Structures are mechanical forms: some seem to be-
long with their surroundings, some stand out like sore
thumbs; you must discriminate as you choose them.
(See demonstration, pp. 118-120.)

Single Buildings

A single building {A) usually establishes a good

center of interest. Pay careful attention to its location

64 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Buildings in the Distance simplicity in treatment, but you must pay more atten-
tion to the fall and pull of materials as they create
Residential groups should show some sign of life.

Wise use of details on nearby structures and simple

wrinkles. Again,my advice is to keep them simple a —
few well-placed brushstrokes hint enough about the
washes on distant ones will create a good feeling of
garments to explain their action. Make hundreds of
complexity.
quick drawings of people. Get to know them.
Cities, towns, and large groups of buildings in the
distance (C) must be simplified. A few outstanding
structures should be painted with a little more care,
but masses of buildings of similar sizes should be
handled as parts in an over-all pattern. Extreme details
must be avoided. Industrial details should be painted
freely in spite of their streamlined appearance.
They're part of the same unit of distant buildings as
smaller dwellings are. Cater to the whole unit and
don't let strong industrial forms break it up.

Animals

Animals more often complement the landscape than

contrast with it. After all, it's their natural environ-
ment. Their coloring and characteristic movements
belong in their surroundings. Complement your
painting by representing them accurately. Learn to
know a little about their anatomy and what they look
like before you attempt to paint them. Their propor-
tions and accurate silhouettes are more important
than the fine details of their fur or the shine in their
PEOPLE AND ANIMALS eyes.
Combining landscape material with activities of To become familiar with animals, I highly recom-
people or animals requires a great deal of control. mend as many visits to your local zoo as possible.
Figures should add, not take away, from the unity of Captive animals can be studied thoroughly and you
the composition. Simplicity is generally the best rule should make many drawings of each species to get to
to follow. The location
people and the color of
of know their customary movements and proportions
their clothes must be planned to add to your com- from every angle. You should study birds, if possible,
position what you intended, whether it's a blending in their natural environment. Seagulls, for instance,
complement or a snappy contrast. (See demonstra- must be seen riding the wind free to be appreciated.
tion, pp. 121-123.) Keep any study drawings you do for future use.

Keep Figures Simple Placing Figures in a Landscape

People should never be overworked in detail if you If you're uncertain where to place your figures of
want your painting to remain a landscape. Simple people or animals, suggest a method using tracing
I

washes, keeping reasonable proportions in mind, are paper. Draw your figure or figures on separate pieces
more effective than extremely detailed figures. Fresh, of tracing paper. Lay each one over the almost
flowing brushstrokes add a refreshing complement of completed landscape and move them until you find a
life to your painting. satisfactory location. Then trace them lightly.

People with very few clothes on {bathing suits, for Be careful with dimensional relationships; your
example) or in the nude must be painted with healthy figures should be placed in the correct distance for
fleshtones and with as little detail as is necessary to their size. Don't lose patience if they don't look right,
identify the general characteristics of the figure (A). it simply means you need more study and more
Your own good taste should be your guide as to how practice. In the beginning, try not to ad-lib too much
far to go. Persons fullyclothed require the same — paint from nature as much as possible.

OBJECTS IN LANDSCAPE 65
11. HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS

This chapter is devoted to suggestions in using pho- Advantages

tography as a tool, presenting your finished water-
Photography has several outright advantages com-
colors, selling ideas, and general hints which hope
pared with small doodles. Time is the biggest ad-
I

you'll find useful.

vantage. You can record the shape of a lightning bolt
with a camera. You can faithfully reproduce very
PHOTOGRAPHY AS A TOOL short-lived subjects which would be impossible to
draw or paint intime: a ripple in the water, the foamy
Photography has been frowned upon by some artists
beads in the created by waves splashing against the
air
as being a crutch for dishonorable cheats. Nothing
rocks, a seagull landing on water, a falling leaf in mid-
could be further from the truth. With the constantly
air, etc.
advancing quality of cameras and dependable film, it's
not only easy to bring home exciting painting materi-
al, but it can be an important part of the creative How to Use Slides
process as well.
Look at your slides through a small viewer rather than
a projector. Remember: you don't want to copy
Take Your Own Photographs them; you want to use them as references. This is
It's you take your own photographs so
essential that essentially what you do when you paint from nature.

that you can experience the subject by choosing it and Change things around just as you would if you were
composing it in the camera's view-finder. In this on the scene. Your painting should be the fruit of your
respect, photography is identical to painting. If you
creative thinking; it should never look like a photo-
graph. If you can't discipline yourself in this respect,
don't have a camera, you have to resort to small
sketches, which are also perfectly satisfactory. Even
photography will harm your work and you should
the most aggressive critic of photography must admit
never touch it.

that a color slide a truer reference to nature than a

is

pencil note. One

disadvantage is that the quality and PRESENTATION AND SELLING IDEAS
the type of film can seriously affect the color im- When you're finished with your painting, you'll have
pression of your subject. This is another reason say I

to consider pleasing ways to present it to the viewing

it's essential to take the shot yourself; you'll know public. Framing watercolors is a little more tricky than
when you have an inaccurate color rendering on the
varnished work, because the watercolor surface can-
slide.
not be cleaned and must be protected from dust, oil

fumes, smoke, steam, etc.

Equipment
Matting
Even with drawbacks, slides really offer more than
enough in terms of reference value. The first things Let's start with matting your watercolor. Seject a

you need to take good slides are a dependable camera pleasant, neutral color which complements your
and good film. The camera doesn't have to be ex- painting. Avoid loud colors, as they will distract from
pensive, but, naturally, the better the camera, and the your work. If your painting is light in value, use a dark
more accessories you have to go with it, the more mat; if it is mostly dark, use a mat of a lighter color. I

opportunities you'll have within your reach. have 1 prefer warm tones formy paintings — neutral beiges
a Kodak retina single-lens reflex camera, and use or charcoal browns are my current choices.
35mm. film. I medium range telephoto
also use a lens Learn to cut the opening (window) in your mat on a
and a closeup attachment. And in addition to the bevel (slant). This will give the job a professional finish
camera's own 1.9 lens, prefer Ektachrome color
1 film enhance your painting. To cut on a bevel you
that will
because of dependable color qualities and because
its must have a ruler with a strong steel edge which is cut
it tends to show more shadow details than other film. on a slant to guide your knife on an even angle. A
(1 want to point out that this is entirely a matter of razor-sharp knife is essential. It will allow you to make
personal preference.) each cut with only one slice of the blade. More than

66 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

one cut will leave ridges on the bevel and detract from Keep a record of your paintings by numbering
its neat appearance. Double mats in complementary them. It's a good idea to keep a small book listing each
shades look even more professional than single ones. painting as well as anything connected with it (loca-
Don't use cheap material for matting your paint- tion, painting date, size, customer's name and ad-
ings; a painting good enough to frame deserves a few dress, price, etc.).

extra nickels for a good quality mat. Leave about 2" or

3" of space around your painting. leave an even I
Dealers
width all around, although some prefer the bottom
Eventually, you'll consider selling through dealers. A
portion to be a little wider. The mat opening (window)
good art gallery deserves a good commission. On the
that touches the painting should cover your painting
surface, this commission looks steep, but their reputa-
at least 1/8" all around. If you use a heavy grade
tion is at stake when they accept your work. The
paper, it's enough to tape the top of your painting
professional prestige that only a gallery can offer is
only; but on thin paper, I like to use tape all around.
impossible to evaluate; and besides, you'll have more
In this case, use a good quality masking tape which
time to paint and fewer business headaches. Promot-
allows the paper to shrink and expand.
ing an artistis as much of a profession as painting, and

most of us can't be good at both. When you leave

Framing your sales worries in the hands of an ethical dealer,
A thin frame which blends with your mat and your you'll have found the friend that your career needs.

painting is sufficient for smaller paintings. On larger

ones, you should increase the width of the frame to
give it strength enough to support the weight of the
GENERAL HINTS
glass which must always be in front of a watercolor And now, here's some practical advice; hints that
painting. Any heavy cardboard is suitable for backing were useful to me and perhaps can be of some use to
your matted painting. However, if you use corrugated you. First, let's look at the positive side of painting and
cardboard instead, put a thin sheet of plastic protector consider the "do's."
between the back of your painting and the corrugated
cardboard. This is necessary because the ripples of the
corrugated cardboard are glued with a chemically Get Used to Making Decisions and Carry Them
offensive material that will, in time, eat a lined pattern Through
through to your painting. A low-glare glass, to cut
Any creative endeavor, and especially watercolor
down on reflection, is available, but it tends to fog painting, requires a decisive mind to make the hand
your painting should you use more than two thin do the right things at the right time.
mats. After you've fastened the glass, the matted
painting, and the backing into the frame, either with
thin nails or with small, diamond-shaped metal sup- Learn to See Life's Hidden Little Subtleties
ports, cover the opening between the frame and the
What seems common to an average person should
backing with a wide enough tape to seal out dirt and
engage an artist's curiosity and trigger his mind to
humidity.
action.

Pricing
Discipline Yourself to Paint Only the Essentials
The supreme test of being able to criticize the value of
Although you may find this difficult until you've
your own work comes with pricing it. The monetary
gained technical skill, will improve your painting
value of your work is in exact ratio to the demand.
it

Start with low prices. You can always increase your

immensely.
prices, but to cut them is usually disastrous. A humble
beginning is a practical way to prove the desire to Be Careful with the Use of Color
share your work with others. If you can't keep up with
the demand, slowly raise your prices until supply and Use only those few colors which are essential for your
demand are in balance. If you can interest an art painting. Bright colors are no substitute for value,

gallery in selling your work, they will be the most composition, and pictorial strength.
reliable help in establishing prices, for they know
what the market is for the quality of work you have to
Have Good Tools at Your Command
offer. Remember, commission increases with price.
Don't dicker. Stick to your prices firmly. It's im- Good results require good utensils. You won't know
portant to protect the interest of those who've already how well you paint until you've painted with good
bought your work. Consider a sale final. materials.

HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS 67
Be Inventive Don't Accept Advice Unconditionally From Anyone
Until You've Tried it Out
This ability is what will make your painting fresh,
different, and your own personal, esthetic property It may not complement your temperament. Remem-
forever. ber, your individual qualities are reflected in your
paintings. Let them be truly your own.

Be Your own Best Critic

Beware of Compliments
Ifyou're not honest with yourself, how can you expect
Your polite friends can give you falseconfidence if
sincerity from others? Listen to other people's opin-
ions, but analyze them for your own
use. Each of your
you're not alert. If somebody likes your work —
even

paintings should be good enough to keep for your-

if he offers to buy it — that alone doesn't mean that
it's good.
self. And now, on the negative side, here are a few

"don'ts."
Try Not to Explain Your Paintings

Don't Copy One of the surest admissions of guilt is a long list of

explanations of what you should have done differ-
When you copy someone else, you're led into anoth- ently. If your idea has to be explained, it should have
er's world. This world may not be compatible with been written, not painted.
your personality and you may rob your mind of the
creative opportunity to express its own idea. Copying
Don't Give Up if You Don't Succeed at First
another's work beyond a certain point may be more
dangerous than you think. A change of luck may be as close as the next painting!

68 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Tall Timbers Courtesy of CoUtts Hallmark Cards. Collection Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Kingsland.

DEMONSTRATIONS
Mount Baker, Washington (Step 1)

70 lb. d'Arches paper mounted onto a painting block,

18" X 24". My palette was cadmium lemon, Hooker's
green No. 2, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, Winsor
(phthalocyanine) blue, cobalt blue, and charcoal gray.
I began without any preliminary pencil drawing with
the heavy dark rocks of the mountain peak, using
charcoal gray mixed with Winsor blue (1 could also
have used ultramarine blue). 1 carefully avoided the
snow covered areas, where thin clouds hid part of the
highest peak, and prevented the inside edges of the
dark washes from drying sharp by wetting the paper
directly next to it with clean water.

70 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Mount Baker, Washington (Step 2)
I painted in the foreground, using cadmium lemon
and Hooker's green, with Winsor blue for the grassy
spots and the slim young pines in the foreground.
Winsor blue with a touch of Hooker's green gave me
the cool color of the water up front. Before this wash
dried, applied a heavy, concentrated pigment of the
I

same mixture for the reflection of the pines. I follow-

ed with the rugged, weather-tortured pines in the left
middleground, using a painting knife, heavily loaded
with charcoal gray, for the trunks and branches. used I

drybrush touches for the scrawny, leafy parts. I

dropped a touch of burnt sienna on the sloping soil

on the left middleground as well as onto the pre-
moistened cloud area, where added a touch of
I

ultramarine blue.

DEMONSTRATIONS/KNOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT 71

Mount Baker, Washington (Step 3)
In this final stage,painted the wind-swept blue sky
I

onto wet paper with brisk strokes of cobalt blue,

ultramarine blue, and charcoal gray washes, following
with the gentle shadow of the cloud on the snowy
slope, using ultramarine blue and charcoal gray. Next,
I painted the distant young pine forest in the mid-
dleground with Winsor blue and charcoal gray. Col-
lection Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Lewis.

Assignment: Using the techniques described in this

demonstration, place typical objects into the com-
position on the left to add interest to the shoreline.
For further details, see Know Your Environment, p. 26.

72 LANDSCAPE PAINTING N WATERCOLOR

I
Harrison Lake (Step 1)

300 d'Arches rough finished paper, 20" x 24". My

lb.

palette was Winsor (phthalocyanine) blue, cobalt

blue, ultramarine blue. Hooker's green, burnt sienna,
burnt umber, sepia, cadmium lemon, and brown
madder. sketched in the composition with an HB
I

pencil, which is dark enough to be visible but easy to

erase. My first wash covered the dark hill directly
behind the pine covered island; I used Winsor blue
and sepia. It was important that get the value right, so
I

that the pine trees (which painted later) would stand

I

out in front. Ipainted the partially exposed island to

the right of this first wash, leaving the silhouetted
trees for later. A light wash of Winsor blue over the
water was applied next, carefully missing the floating
logs.

DEMONSTRATIONS/CONVENTIONAL OR DIRECT PAINTING 73

Harrison Lake (Step 2)

After the wash on the dark hill dried, painted the

I

island, which required the greatest care. used rich

I

paint for the shrub covered rocks, loading the brush

to its capacity each time Itouched the paper. After a
yellow-green wash, Islapped in quick touches of
Hooker's green and Winsor blue to indicate the
undergrowth. A few brushfuls of burnt sienna took
care of the exposed rocks. Then came the trees; used
I

drybrush technique against the hillside, but allowed

the paint to blend freely where it joined the wet area.
The lazy reflection of the islands, as well as a touch of
dark at the very bottom of the painting, had to be
timed when the first wash of the water was about to
lose its saturated shine. The floating logs, with their
dark reflections, followed.

74 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Harrison Lake (Step 3)
Cobalt blue was the main color used for the distant
mountains and the clouds in this final stage. Burnt
umber, ultramarine blue, and sepia supplied the
modeling colors for the clouds. The application of
paint was rapid, allowing the colors to blend here and
there, yet carefully controlled the direction of its
i

flow. Then came the deep reflections below the logs:

Winsor blue, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, sepia.
Finally, added the distant pines on the small island
I

point at center right. A few crisp finishing touches,

including some white sparkles on the logs, were
applied with a razor blade. The gentle blending of the
cloud patches against the hill and the mountain was
wiped back with a saturated bristle brush; blotted up
I Assignment: Complete the painting in the sketch
the loosened pigment several times with an absorbent above, using the direct method described in this
tissue. From the Painters of Canada Series, Courtesy of demonstration. For further details, see Conventional
Courts Hallmark Cards. Collection Mrs. E. Szabo. or Direct Painting, p. 16.

DEMONSTRATIONS/CONVENTIONAL OR DIRECT PAINTING 75

Eleanor's Favorite (Step 1)

300 d'Arches rough finished paper, 22" x 30". My

lb.

palette was Antwerp blue, manganese blue, charcoal

gray, brown madder, scarlet, burnt sienna, and yellow
ochre. With no preliminary pencil drawing, satur- I

ated the top two-thirds of the paper with clean water,

starting sharply at the bottom edge of the misty forest
in applied sweeping washes of a pale
the distance. I

mixture of Antwerp blue and charcoal gray into the

sky, using a 1" wide oxhair brush, followed im-
mediately by a "heavier concentration of pigment
applied with a V
wide bristle brush. A touch of burnt
sienna, Antwerp blue, and manganese blue gave me a
cool color, creating a feeling of distance.

76 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Eleanor's Favorite (Step 2)

After the shine of the wash disappeared, I applied the

softly modeled, heavy treetrunk in the foreground. At
the same time, to build up strength, I painted in the
slightly blurred, heavy treetrunk of the pine in the
distance. While these washes were drying, applied
I

the weedy, snow covered foreground, softly modeling

it with yellow ochre, Antwerp blue, and charcoal gray.

DEMONSTRATIONS/PAINTING ON WET PAPER 77

Eleanor's Favorite (Step 3)
The young shrub in the foreground was next in this
final stage. used a painting knife with heavy charcoal
I

gray and burnt sienna pigment. Exciting, small washes

exploded wherever these strokes touched a slightly
damp spot. left these as they happened. painted
I I

some scarlet and brown madder leaves onto the twigs,

again allowing accidents to come as they would.
Brown madder blurs and charcoal gray drybrush on
the old stump brought it into the foreground and
finished the modeling of the important areas. ap-I

plied a few weeds protruding through the snow with

the thin edge of a painting knife. The snowflakes were
done in the last few touches. The softer flakes were
wiped back with the point of a stiff wet brush from the
dry paint; the crisp ones were picked out with the
Assignment: Complete the painting in the sketch
sharp point of a painting knife blade. Note the
carefully controlled survival of the white paper. Col- above, using the method of painting on wet paper
lection Mr. and Mrs. K. R. Shadlock. described in this demonstration. For further details,
see Painting on Wet Paper, p. 19.

78 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Wind (Step 1)
Silent
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My palette was yellow ochre, burnt sienna, sepia,

ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, manganese blue, and
cerulean blue. began without any preliminary pencil
I

drawing, starting with a gentle wash of Antwerp blue

and sepia to define the silhouette of the lump-like
rock. The value of this hue was about as light as the
color on the far left tip of the rock in the finished
painting. avoided the area where the wooden pole
I

was going to come later. As this wash reached the

bottom portion of the rock, used a wide bristle brush
I

to apply heavy brushfuls of burnt sienna, sepia, and a

touch of ultramarine blue on the right front, gently
blending this wash into a denser, greenish mixture of
Antwerp blue, sepia, and yellow ochre. My brush-
strokes were playfully applied to imitate the growth of
the rough weeds. Into this wet wash, scraped a few
I

gentle lines to indicate some definition of the tall

grass.

DEMONSTRATIONSAEXTURE AND PATTERN 79

Silent Wind (Step 2)

I splattered some fine drops of pigment over the area

of the rock, indicating moss-like growth. I used an
ultramarine blue and burnt sienna mixture, as well as
manganese blue (I could also have used cerulean or
Antwerp blue) mixed with sepia (I could also have
used burnt sienna). Each time had a few nicely
I

shaped splashes, waited until they dried before

i

adding more. As loosely shook the paint off the

I

brush, drops sometimes fell into unwanted areas. I

immediately blotted these with a tissue before the

color had a chance to set. Next, painted the wooden
I

pole with the supporting stick and the wooden pulley.

Burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, and
Antwerp blue gave me a soft blend of woody color. I

indicated the cracks on the pole with the tip of my

brush handle.

80 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Silent Wind (Step 3)

In this final stage, I applied the cracks in the rock with

a painting knife, holding it very loosely to allow it to
blend the paint freely and create accidental move-
nnents in the lines. Next, applied the rusty wires with
I

a worn-out, very thin sable brush, using sepia and

burnt sienna, with Antwerp blue here and there. I

painted the delicate weeds on top of the rock with the

fine edge of a painting knife, adding the bushy heads
on top with a fine sable brush in drybrush technique. I

did the same to the bottom of the pole. Last,

left of the
Iwet the top of the paper and applied a subtle, blue-
gray wash of Antwerp blue and sepia, slightly darker
on top and blending into pure white near the rock.
Collection L. I. Cooper.

Assignment: Give texture and pattern to the boards,

rocks, and grass in the sketch to the left, using the
methods described in this demonstration. For further
details, see Texture and Pattern, p. 22.

DEMONSTRATIONS/TEXTURE AND PATTERN 81

/"''^^:.;y
^

Glowing Old Maple (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My palette was cadmium lemon, cadmium or-
ange, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, warm sepia, alizarin
crimson, Winsor (phthalocyanine) blue, and charcoal
gray. With no preliminary pencil drawing, paintedI

the bright maple foliage lit used generous

by the sun. I

washes of cadmium lemon, cadmium orange, and

burnt sienna, allowing the washes to flow into each
other. After the first wash was dry, painted sharper
I

foliage details with alizarin crimson and warm sepia

washes. also painted the thin, dark branches with a
I

painting knife.

82 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Glowing Old Maple (Step 2)

After drying, the finished foliage area was masked out.

I rubbed a stick of paraffin onto the surface as hard as
possible to cover all the pores of the paper. Then I

followed the edges as well as could, slipping over

I

here and there into the white background. After I'd

finished, proceeded with the dark background,
I

ignoring the foliage, which now was well protected by

the wax coating. Winsor blue, yellow ochre, and warm
sepia gave me the greenish shades. Charcoal gray
helped with the darker areas.

DEMONSTRATIONS/MASKING TECHNIQUE AND USING THE RAZOR BLADE 83

Glowing Old Maple (Step 3)

In this final stage, wet the bottom half of the paper,

I

wetting the dark wash on top to soften the lower edge

as it flowed into the clear wash. I then applied soft
washes to the foreground grass on the wet paper.
After these washes dried, painted the dark branches
I

of the trees, as well as the sharp weeds, using a fine

brush and the edge of a painting knife. When the
painting was finished, 1 removed the wax in the
following way. Iheated an electric iron to medium
heat, laid two layers of tissue on top of the wax, then
applied the hot iron. As the wax melted, it soaked into
the tissue. Iquickly lifted it and repeated this proce-
dure about eight times, using a clean tissue each time,
until the tissue no longer absorbed any wax. Collec-
tion Mr. and Mrs. Ray Seel.

Assignment: Mask out the boats, seagulls, and pier

posts in the composition to the left, using the tech-
nique described in this demonstration. For further
details, see Masking Technique and Using the Razor
Blade, p. 23.

84 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia (Step 1)
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x
15". My palette was cadmium orange, burnt sienna,
sepia,Antwerp blue, Payne's gray, and charcoal gray.I

wet the top half of the paper and slapped in a gentle

wash of mist behind the building, using sepia, Ant-
werp blue, and a touch of charcoal gray.

DEMONSTRATIONS/DRYBRUSH 85
Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia (Step 2)
I painted the rocks directly onto the dry paper,
starting at the end of the rocky path. My colors were
Payne's gray and a touch of burnt sienna. left out the
I

silhouette of the light rocks and the planks. As the

paint dried, I added the drvbrush modeling of the
rocks.

86 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia (Step 3)
In this final stage, painted the light rocks on the path,
I

the wooden planks, and the large beam, using Payne's

gray and burnt sienna. Then painted the post which
I

supports the rope. The light, weathered, woody quali-

ty of the post comes from several layers of drybrush
washes, with each wash allowed to dry before the next
application. Iscraped the twist of the rope into the
wet wash with the tip of my brush handle. Next came
the rusty spike, for which used burnt sienna, then the
I

old fisherman's hut in the mist with the bottom part

fading into wet area. The little stick with wires on it at
the point, the reflections of the rocks, and the falling
shadow of the pole and rope on the rock (left
foreground) supplied the finishing touches. Collec-
tion Mr. and Mrs. K. R. Shadlock.

Assignment: Complete the painting in the sketch to

the left, using the drybrush technique described in
this demonstration. For details, see Drybrush,
p. 17.

DEMONSTRATIONS/DRVBRUSH 87
Snow (Step 1)
Trees in
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x
15". My palette was cadmium yellow deep, burnt
sienna, Vandyke brown, ultramarine blue, Winsor
(phthalocyanine) blue, and charcoal gray. First, wet
I

the top half of the paper and slapped in the mist of the
background forest, using Vandyke brown and ultra-
marine blue in a single wash. A couple of wet strokes
of Winsor blue hints at the frosty shrubs at the bottom
of the bush.

88 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Trees in Snow (Step 2)
After the first wash dried,I painted the dark parts of
the large treetrunks with Vandyke brown and ultra-
marine blue, then oozed burnt sienna onto the sunlit
crevices. After this,
I applied all the smaller branches,
as well as the young shoots in the foreground, with my
painting knife. I used a scraping motion, taking ad-
vantage of the flexible blade.

DEMONSTRATIONS/PAINTING KNIFE TECHNIQUES 89

F^ Trees in Snow (Step 3)

After wetting the lower third of the paper, I

the foreground shadows with ultramarine blue and a

touch of charcoal gray. After this wash dried, painted
in the snow, the shadows of the young twigs, and,
I
painted

finally, using cadmium yellow deep and burnt sienna,

I painted on the leftover leaves, which supply bright
color and finish the painting. Private Collection.

Assignment: Complete the painting in the sketch to

the left, using the painting knife techniques described
in this demonstration. For further details, see Painting
Knife Techniques, p. 20.

90 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

SH }»

Peggy's Cove (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x with the building in the left middleground, using a
15". My palette was yellow ochre, cadmium orange, sepia and ultramarine blue wash to produce the aged
burnt sienna, sepia, brown madder, ultramarine blue, look of the wood of the wall. Antwerp blue and sepia
Antwerp blue, and charcoal gray. With no preliminary proved right for the roof. The line definition on the
pencil drawing, I started painting the rocks in the side, as well as the roof of the building, is the result of

foreground, allowing drybrush edges to survive. The paint worked into the wet wash with a brush handle. I

modeling was done with cadmium orange and burnt applied these details quickly, before the wash had a
sienna washes with charcoal gray edges. The cracks chance to dry. wet the top half of the paper next to
I

were scraped into the wet wash with the tip of my the distant fog covered in the background. A
hill

brush handle. Myreason for starting with the rocks subtle wash blue and burnt sienna
of ultramarine
was to make sure the tide wouldn't cover them before defined the hill. The lower rocky edge is the result of
I'd finished the rest of the painting! then proceeded
I blending drybrush touches into the wet wash on top.

DEMONSTRATIONS/RELATIONSHIPS 91
Peggy's Cove (Step 2)

I painted the light, gray-blue wash of the boat beside

the dock and its reflection, indicating water ripples
blending into a dark, deep color under the main
building in the left center. The line indicating board
direction on the hull of the boat was done by working
the brush handle point in the wet wash. added the
I

rust colored touches at the same time. Turning to the

building in the right middleground, used Antwerp
I

blue, ultramarine blue, charcoal gray, and burnt

sienna in varied combinations to make the colors
more subtle. The dark washes below the dock, as well
as the door and window openings, had to be applied
after the first washes were dry.

92 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Peggy's Cove (Step 3)
The supporting beam pillars of the main building and
the detailed clutter on the platform followed in this
final stage. I painted small areas separately, to prevent
details from runninginto each other. The lobster trap
and the pole with the pulley were better defined than
the hints of the clutter below and were painted with
burnt sienna, sepia, charcoal gray, and brown madder.
I painted the drying nets on the side of the building
with brisk drybrush strokes of Antwerp blue, charcoal
gray, and a touch of yellow ochre. Finally, I added the
finishing touches of the dark reflections of the wood-
en pillars, the light reflections near the rocks up front,
and the soft reflection on the right center. The
inevitable seagulls completed the composition. They
were painted in ultramarine blue and charcoal gray
with a touch of brown madder for their beaks.
Collection Mr. and Mrs. Peter Rollason.

Assignment: Improve the arrangement of the scene

to the left by rearranging the objects into more
interesting relationships with one another. For further
details, see Relationships, p. 30.

DEMONSTRATIONS/RELATIONSHIPS 93
Plowed Field (Step 1)
300 d'Arches rough finished paper, 15" x 22" (half
lb.

sheet). My palette was burnt sienna, sepia, brown

madder, charcoal gray, yellow ochre, cadmium or-
ange, ultramarine blue, and Winsor (phthalocyanine)
blue. began without any preliminary pencil drawing.
I

The reflection of the setting sun glistening on the

farmhouse window makes it the center of interest and
adds a touch of the unusual to this painting (see
finished painting, p. 96). painted the farmhouse and
I

the trees onto dry paper, using yellow ochre and

burnt sienna on the house wall, and Winsor blue and
sepia for the dull, distant green pines next to the
building. Burnt sienna, with a little brown madder,
supplied the color for the sunlit, taller deciduous trees
in the distance as well as for the fine line of the snow
fence on the horizon.

94 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

w ittCMM^MlM*;
i:i.
D

Plowed Field (Step 2)

I wet the top, sky, portion of the paper, then carefully
slipped over the lacy trees once with a wet brush,
without disturbing their crisp quality. One sweep of
Winsor blue and sepia wash gave me a sky gently
flowing into the lower edges of the wet area.

DEMONSTRATIONS/CENTER OF INTEREST 95
Plowed Field (Step 3)
painted the sunlit bit of soil below
In this final stage, I

the farmhouse the middleground, using yellow

in
ochre, burnt sienna, brown madder, and charcoal
gray. The plowed field was next. painted this large
I

area with a 1" wide bristle brush, following the

direction of the pattern of theplow furrows. started
I

from the top and worked toward the top right,

left

applying new layers of additional paint and covering

more and more surface as advanced toward the
1

bottom. left the snow patch area clear, as well as the

I

shaded blue snow patch in the foreground. As I

reached the foreground, defined more weeds and

I

more of the character of the plowed field. My colors

were burnt sienna, brown madder, sepia, and char-
coal gray. Next, painted the thin line of blue hills on
I

the distant horizon and the modeling of the snow

patches (top left), including the shaded one up front.
After everything was dry, scraped in a few tail weeds
I

(right front) and added the sun's glistening reflection

in the farmhouse window with the sharp point of a Assignment: Complete the sket ch above.
painting knife blade. Collection Mr. and Mrs. D. centuating the feather as the center
Turnbull. further details, see Center of Interest,
Q--/
m
Summer Memories (Step 1)
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x
15". My palette was scarlet red, brown madder, burnt
sienna, Vandyke brown, ultramarine blue, Winsor
(phthalocyanine) blue, and charcoal gray. painted I

this sketch with no preliminary pencil drawing, when

the temperature was just near freezing. saw the I

blizzard coming in the distance, so had to work fast.

I I

defined the silhouetted form of the three red chairs

carefully, leaving out the snow covered areas. used a I

rich wash of scarlet red and applied it with a fine sable

brush. wet the paper above the chairs up to the edge
I

of the snow. Again, used a small sable brush to apply

I

the footprints and the grayish tones near the edge of

the water. The gray color was made from Vandyke
brown and a touch of ultramarine blue. After this, I

modeled the snow next to and on top of the chairs

with ultramarine blue, charcoal gray, and a touch of
Vandyke brown.

DEMONSTRATIONS/THREE DIMENSIONS, PERSPECTIVE 97

Summer Memories (Step 2)

When the blizzard started to close in, had to work I

fast. I wet the top third of the paper, except the snow
covered lower edges of the point on the right mid-
dleground. slapped a rich mixture of Vandyke brown
I

and ultramarine blue onto the wet area, adding a dark

horizontal stroke right across the place where the
distant island is located. This created a feeling of
horizon. With a little moisture in the brush, I painted
in the island and the two tree covered points of land
on both sides, using Winsor blue, burnt sienna, and
charcoal gray mixtures. At this point, the snow started
to fall; it dropped husky flakes onto my
in big,
carefully controlled, smooth wash. ran into a nearby I

building, holding the painting upside down. Inside, I

turned the painting up again and discovered that the

accidental snow drops caused by the small back runs
from melting snowflakes were lovely!

98 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

II.

Summer Memories (Step 3)

In this final stage, I finished the red chairs in fine detail

indoors from memory and the help of a photograph.
Brown madder and charcoal gray supplied the values
for modeling. Collection Mr. F. J. Robinson.

Assignment: Complete the scene in the sketch to the

left, showing the perspective of the view. For further

details, see Three Dimensions, Perspective, p. 33.

DEMONSTRATIONS/THREE DIMENSIONS, PERSPECTIVE 99

Revisited (Step 1)

300 d'Arches rough finished paper, 22" x 30". My

lb.

palette was burnt sienna, Vandyke brown, charcoal

gray, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, and Antwerp
blue. With no preliminary pencil drawing, used a 1"
I

wide tapered brush to paint in the heaviest

bristle
treetrunk (left). moved the brush, loaded with a
I

heavy wash of medium-strength gray color, horizon-

tally. This gray color was a mixture of well-diluted

ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. The edges were

left loose, rather than ruler straight. While this wash

was drying, painted the remaining trunks of the birch

I

clump same way. As these washes started to dry,

in the
I applied heavier horizontal strokes of burnt sienna,
charcoal gray, ultramarine blue, and Vandyke brown,
allowing them to form soft edges in the drying first
wash.

100 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Revisited {Step 2)

I saturated the top half of the paper, avoiding the

birch trunk areas which were already painted. While
the paper was wet, I quickly slapped in the distant
forest, using Vandyke brown, ultramarine blue, and
charcoal gray. The first washes were light. As the paint
stopped running, I applied the soft suggestions of
treetrunks, using less water and more paint in the
brush. This blending gives an exciting hint of the deep
forest.At the same time, and using the same bristle
brush, I painted the modeling of the snow in the
middleground, using a soft wash of ultramarine blue

and charcoal gray.

DEMONSTRATIONS/VALUE AND FORM 101

Revisited (Step 3)

The mound of snow in the foreground around the

bottom of the birch clump was next. started with a
I

sharp edge between the treetrunks, moving rapidly

toward the bottom and the sides. The sharpness
blended into soft modeling as the brush touched the
wet area. The modeling of the snow is free and
uneven because of the different amounts of paint in
each brushfui of wash. The young trees in the fore-
ground, middleground, and background are entirely
the result of painting knife application. A rich mixture
of Vandyke brown and Antwerp blue over the dry
washes gives sharp details. The ragged bark and the
final modeling on the treetrunks, as well as the
heavier branches, were directly applied with the
drybrush technique. As a final touch, put in the
I

carving marks on the birch. Collection Mrs. Elizabeth

Szafao.

Assignment: Complete the sketch to the left, concen-

trating on values and forms as described in this
demonstration. For further details, see Value and
Form, p. 34.

102 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

^m^:-:'

Snow with Weeds (Step 1)

Whatman Paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x
15". My was burnt sienna, raw umber, ultra-
palette
marine blue, Winsor (phthalocyanine) blue, and char-
coal gray. First, wet the top half of the paper. With a
I

^" wide bristle brush, Ipainted the sky, the distant

hills, and the fuzzy evergreens.

DEMONSTRATIONS/THE VALUE OF WHITE SPACE 103

Snow with Weeds (Step 2)

After the paper dried, I painted the thin branches of

the snow covered tree and the few scrawny trees on
the far left with a painting knife. used burnt sienna
I

and Winsor blue for the dark lines.

104 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Snow with Weeds (Step 3)
Last came the dry weeds in the white foreground.
Their tilted angle indicates the pressure of the snow. I

painted these weeds with raw umber and charcoal

gray, using a soft sable brush with a good point. From
the Painters of Canada Series, Courtesy of Coutts
Hallmark Cards. Private Collection.

Assignment: Complete the sketch to the left, using

your white space to fullest advantage. For further
details, see The Value of White Space, p. 35.

DEMONSTRATIONSAHE value of white space 105

Algonquin Rivulet (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My was burnt sienna, brown madder,
palette
Vandyke brown, ultramarine blue, and cerulean blue.
After wetting the paper, applied varied strokes to
I

indicate the forest. I used Vandyke brown, ultra-

marine blue, and burnt sienna in varying con-
sistencies. Directly next to the forest, painted the
I

shaded snow with logs scattered in it. I carried this

modeling down to the creek.

106 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Algonquin Rivulet (Step 2)

Next, painted the dark logs at the edge of the forest

I

with Vandyke brown and ultramarine blue. With the

same dark wash, Ipainted the creek, allowing dry-
brush edges to hint at fresh snow. As reached the
I

bottom of the creek, wet the paper below it. As

I I

touched the wet paper with the brown wash, the

exciting ooze that you see here happened.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SNOW 107
Algonquin Rivulet (Step 3)

In this final stage, I did the weeds. For the bulrush

heads, wet the paper where the soft head was to go.
I I

painted stroke of heavy pigment, allowing it to dry

in a

soft. And, finally, painted in the thin stems and twigs

I

with a painting knife and a small sable brush. From the

Painters of Canada Series, Courtesy of Coutts Hall-
mark Cards. Collection Mr. and Mrs. j. W. Bessey.
Assignment: Model the snow in the sketch to the left,
using the method described in this demonstration. For
further details, see Snow, p. 58.

108 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Cape Breton Island (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My palette was cadmium lemon, burnt sienna,
yellow ochre, sepia, ultramarine blue, and Antwerp
blue. started with a large wash of sepia, yellow ochre,
I

and ultramarine blue over the sandy drop, as well as in

the foreground. Near the top right, hinted at grass by
I

mixing Antwerp blue and cadmium lemon.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SAND AND SOIL 109

Cape Breton Island (Step 2)
A few simple, large washes of sepia and ultramarine
blue with some Antwerp blue followed the lazy roll
of
the waves. I allowed the whitecaps to remain un-
touched and white.

110 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Cape Breton Island (Step 3)

the detail on the sand and rocks, as

In this final stage,
well as their shadows, followed. Sepia and ultramarine
blue supplied the color. The drybrush wave splash in
the left center and the distant point on the left
horizon were rendered; the roots hanging out of the
land bank on the top right, applied with a painting
knife,helped to finish the job. Private Collection.

Assignment: Complete the painting in the sketch to

the left, emphasizing the sandy foreground. For fur-

ther details, see Sand and Soil, p. 51.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SAND AND SOIL 111

Peggy's Cove in Mist (Step 1)
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x
15". My was yellow ochre, burnt sienna, sepia,
palette
ultramarine blue, and charcoal gray. First, estab-
I

lished the two main fishermen's huts with several

layers of drybrush washes of charcoal gray and sepia. I

slapped on the lighter value reflections below the

buildings with charcoal gray. Next, wet the top part
I

of the paper, avoiding the edges of the buildings, i

painted a soft mist of fog into this with a gentle wash

of sepia and charcoal gray, as well as the misty hut in
the right middleground.

112 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

*

Peggy's Cove in Mist (Step 2)

Next came the bleached rocks on both sides of the
huts. The line pattern of the rocks was done with the
point of my brush handle. Where the rocks touch the
water's edge, a touch of burnt sienna hinted at rusty
deposits. The dry weeds in the cracks had similar
coloring. followed this with light washes of charcoal
I

gray on the houses in the background. These are

rendered vaguely, because the fog hides most details.

DEMONSTRATIONS/FOG AND MIST 113

Peggy's Cove in Mist (Step 3)

In this final stage, added the dark

I reflection under
the main building and the inevitable seagulls. Collec-
tion Mr. and Mrs. D. Grey.

Assignment: Complete the sketch to the left by paint-

ing it as if seen through fog or mist. For further details,
see Fog and Mist, p. 55.

114 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Rainy Afternoon (Step 1)
300 lb. d'Arches rough finished paper, 22" x 30". My
palette was vermilion, brown madder, burnt sienna,
warm sepia, cadmium yellow medium, ultramarine
blue. Hooker's green No. 2, and charcoal gray. I

started with the front of the old building, painting the

red brick color with vermilion, brown madder, and
sepia. continued with the side of the same building
I

in Hooker's green, adding details as drying allowed.

Then indicated the wet weeds and the muddy drive,

I

leaving out the edge of the wet sidewalk.

DEMONSTRATIONS/RAIN 115
Rainy Afternoon (Step 2)
I wet the sky area and applied large washes of a

mixture of ultramarine blue and warm sepia with a

soft, 1" wide, flat brush.

116 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Rainy Afternoon {Step 3)
In this final stage, painted the old railway station with
I

a roof of ultramarine blue which freely flowed into

the warm sepia bottom. painted the lampposts and
I

sidewalk details at the same time. Next,

finished the
I

dark foreground reflections, using the same color as

for the objects that caused the reflections, but darker.
As a final touch, I finished the signs to add atmosphere
to the painting. Collection Mr. and Mrs. George Yeats.
Assignment: Complete the sketch of rain and pud-
dles to the left. For further details, see Rain, p. 56.

DEMONSTRATIONS/RAIN 117
Spring Puddle (Step 1)
300 lb. d'Arches rough finished paper, 22" x 30". My
palette was yellow ochre, burnt sienna, Vandyke
brown, charcoal gray, Hooker's green No. 2, cobalt
blue, and Winsor (phthalocyanine) blue. painted the
1

collapsing building with a direct painting method on

dry paper, building up details as went along. Cobalt
I

blue, Vandyke brown, and charcoal gray were my

colors for the old boards and for the fallen fence.

118 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Spring Puddle (Step 2)
I applied the grass and pebbles in the foreground and
the weeds in the middle, right up to the horizon. For
this,I used yellow ochre. Hooker's green No. 2, and
Vandyke brown, in varying combinations.

DEMONSTRATIONS/BUILDINGS 119
Spring Puddle (Step 3)

In this final stage, I painted the large puddle with its

f^ reflections, done partly wet-in-wet; some of the final
reflections had to be painted on dry paper. used I

Winsor blue, Vandyke brown, and charcoal gray for

the color of the water. painted the sky on wet paper
in^r
I

with light washes of cobalt blue and a touch of

charcoal gray. finished the painting by detailing the
c^Xirt I

rock in the water that I had left out as a white

silhouette from the reflection. Collection Mr. and
Mrs. Les Buckler.

Assignment: Complete the composition of buildings

in a group in the sketch to the left. For further details,
see Buildings, p. 64.

120 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

My Children (Step 1)
300 lb. d'Arches rough finished paper, 11" x 15". My

palette was vermilion red, yellow ochre, Vandyke

brown, ultramarine blue, Winsor (phthalocyanine)
blue, and charcoal gray. First, I painted the water,
starting at the horizon, using Winsor blue and yellow
ochre with some Vandyke brown, and leaving the
shape of the white seagulls unpainted by painting
around them. After this layer of washes dried, added
I

more wave coming down to the light edge of

details,
water. At the same time, Ipainted the pale blue
shoreline above the horizon.

DEMONSTRATIONS/PEOPLE AND ANIMALS 121

My Children (Step 2)
Next, I slapped on a light ultramarine blue and
charcoal gray wash for the sky, then the shaded side of
the large stump. Ultramarine blue and Vandyke
brown were my colors. I followed with the shore rocks
and their reflections.

122 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

—/

My Children (Step 3)

In this final stage, painted the sandy foreground.

I
I

used yellow ochre and ultramarine blue, with oozing

charcoal gray to indicate dark wave marks in the sand.
I continued with the shadow of the stump on the
sand, the seagulls above the horizon, and my two
children playing at the water's edge. The red jacket on
the boy and the bluejeans on the girl made them
stand out as the center of interest. Collection Mrs.
Elizabeth Szabo.

Assignment: Place as many figures in the composition

to the left as you think necessary to add interest. For
further details, see People and Animals, p. 65.

DEMONSTRATIONS/PEOPIE AND ANIMALS 123

Misty Sun (Step 1)
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x
15". My palette was yellow ochre, burnt sienna, warm
sepia, brown madder, Antwerp blue, Winsor (phtha-
locyanine) blue, and charcoal gray. First, wet the top
I

part of the paper, down edge of the rocky

to the hill. I

painted large sweeping washes of Antwerp blue,

warm sepia, and charcoal gray. encouraged the
I paint
to remain darker near the outside edges to give a
framing effect. painted heavy loads of Winsor blue,
I

burnt sienna, and Antwerp blue on the edge of the

horizon to give the misty effect of evergreens. The
hint of twigs was produced by the tip of my brush
handle. Before these washes dried, wiped back the
I

shape of the misty sun with a clean, thirsty brush.

124 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Misty Sun (Step 2)
I painted in the rocks with simple washes of warm
sepia, brown madder, burnt sienna, Antwerp blue,
and charcoal grav- I scraped the cracks and rocky
edges into the wet washes with the tip of my brush
handle. didn't touch the area of snow, which is pure
I

paper.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SKY AND CLOUDS 125

Misty Sun (Step 3)

In this final stage, wet the lower edge of the paper

I

and dropped inthe dry weeds, using thin strokes of

burnt sienna and yellow ochre, finishing with a few
thin lines of scraggly grass blades. Collection Mr. F. ].
Robinson.

Assignment: Complete the composition in the sketch

to the left by adding the sky of your choice. For
further details, see Sky and Clouds, p. 60.

126 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

SL Joseph's Island (Step 1)
300 lb. d'Arches rough finished paper, 22" x 30". My
palette was yellow ochre, cadmium orange, cobalt
blue, ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, and charcoal
gray. With no preliminary pencil drawing, Isaturated
the whole paper with a soft sponge. Starting at the
horizon line painted a medium-strength layer of
I

yellow ochre wash downward across the whole sheet,

using a soft, wide brush. A light value of cadmium
orange followed above the horizon, getting lighter as
the horizontal strokes advanced further upward. I

washed the same brush and applied a heavy coat of

Antwerp blue and cobalt blue starting at the very
bottom. This wash got lighter, fading into the yellow
ochre wash while still wet. A dark wash of ultramarine
blue and cobalt blue, starting at the very top of the sky
and fading into the pale orange horizon, finished the
first large background wash. A light wash of ultra-

marine blue and sepia gave me the wind-swept clouds

in the sky.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SUNSETS 127
St. Joseph's Island (Step 2)

Knowing approximately where the concentrated dark

value of the trees on the island would be, took I

advantage of the still-wet wash of the water and

painted in the softly blending reflections and wave
patterns. used heavily concentrated pigments of
I

Antwerp blue, ultramarine blue, and sepia for the

reflections. For the more distant wave patterns, I

reached for light touches of Antwerp blue and sepia.

128 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

St. Joseph's Island (Step 3)

After these washes were

dry, painted in the distant,
1

hilly shoreline with simple wash of Antwerp blue

a
and sepia. Using the same color combination, but
more concentrated, painted in the rock of the island
I

and the foliage of the trees with a No. 12 sable brush. I

used as much drybrush on the edges as possible to

indicate the lacy foliage effect created when trees are
silhouetted as back lighting. After this wash
a result of
dried, I painted the treetrunks and branches with a
painting knife, using the same colors but, again, more
concentrated. Inside the largest tree, I used almost
straight paint, making sure it showed up against the
already dark wash. Finally, a few straight detail reflec-
tions next to the island finished the job. Collection
Zoltan Szabo Syndicate.

Assignment: Complete the scene to the left bv add-

ing a sunset, using the technique described in this
demonstration. For further details, see Sunsets, p. 61.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SUNSETS 129
m

Rattray Estates (Step 1)

300 d'Arches rough finished paper, 22" x 30". My

lb. of the hills in the water with the same colors, but with
palette was yellow ochre, burnt sienna, warm sepia, lighter value than the hills directlyabove them. The
brown madder, ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, and light yellow ochre wash between the hills and their
charcoal gray. Beginning without any preliminary reflection helps create a dividing line between hills
pencil drawing, completely saturated the top half of
I and water. Then wet the bottom half of the paper
I

the paper. used a firm 1" wide bristle brush for the
I and applied the dark color of the water. mixed my I

soft background washes. started with the misty blue

1 wash from Antwerp blue, warm sepia, and ultramarine
hills, using ultramarine blue and charcoal gray^ I blue. applied this wash with a soft 1" wide brush,
I

painted the partially tree covered hill, then started on starting with heavy pigment at the bottom and moving
the extreme right with a wash of ultramarine blue and with continuous sweeping strokes from side to side,
warm sepia. dropped a few brushfuls of burnt sienna
I advancing upward and losing pigment gradually until
into this wash to indicate the brownish shrubs on the I lost all color from the brush. This operation seems
slopes. The pine forest near the point of land was simple, but you mustn't lift the brush if you want
done with heavy, concentrated vertical brushstrokes continuous tone. If you stop for any reason, you must
of Antwerp blue, warm sepia, and burnt sienna ap- load your brush with pigment again and start over
plied with the same brush. painted the soft reflection
I from the bottom.

130 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Rattray Estates (Step 2)
After the paper dried, I proceeded with the bulrushes.
I started with the plants themselves, without their
reflections. Yellow ochre and burnt sienna were used
for the leaves, along with lighter greens made from
Antwerp blue and yellow ochre. used a medium size
I

sable brush with a good point to give reality to the

twisting, pointed leaves. proceeded with darker and
I

darker values, using more warm sepia and charcoal

gray to create the deeper values that suggest a heavy
concentration of weed clumps. Next, painted the
I

bulrush heads. applied a single stroke of clean water

I

with a 2" wide brush to where the soft bulrush head

was to come. picked up almost pure paint of warm
I

sepia and charcoal gray with a medium size sable

brush and painted in one wide stroke into the middle
of the wet spot. The edges blurred slightly. repeated
I

the others, except that dragged some of the

this for I

dark pigment with a small sable brush into the wet

area, suggesting the loose, wind-torn seedlings.

DEMONSTRATIONS/STILL WATER AND REFLECTIONS 131

Rattray Estates (Step 3)

approached the reflections

In this final stage, I of the
bulrush clumps and leaves in the same way as the
plants themselves, but painted them just a little
I

darker — using wavy brushstrokes as went further

I

from the point where the reflections started. Each

protruding leaf and stem has its own reflection, so I

followed all of them individually. Collection Mr. and

Mrs. K. R. Shadlock.

Assignment: Complete the sketch to the left of still

water and reflections, using the technique described
I ' y
in this demonstration. For further details, see Still
Water and Reflections, p. 53.
I

132 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

I
Lumberman's Bridge (Step 1)
70 lb. d'Arches paper mounted into a painting block,
18" X 24". My palette was Hooker's green No. 2,
ultramarine blue, Winsor (phthalocyanine) blue, yel-
low ochre, burnt sienna, warm sepia, and charcoal
gray. Beginning without any preliminary pencil draw-
ing, I wet the top half of the paper, allowing two or
three spots to dry. painted in the blue, cloud-torn
I

mountains in back with a large sable brush,

the
starting at the sharp edge where the green foliage
stops. I blended Winsor blue, warm sepia, and char-
coal gray into the wet sky.

DEMONSTRATIONS/MOVING WATER, MOVING REFLECTIONS 133

Lumberman's Bridge (Step 2)

While the top wash was drying, proceeded with the

I

loose rocks at the bottom left corner. Applying only

lighter washes first, using burnt sienna. Hooker's
green, and charcoal gray, followed with the beams of
I

the bridge, using yellow ochre, burnt sienna, ultra-

marine blue, and charcoal gray. Next, I painted the
gushing waters of the creek, combining smooth wash-
es rolling over rocks with drybrush splashes here and
there. I used Hooker's green with Winsor blue and
charcoal gray.

134 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Lumberman's Bridge (Step 3)

In this final stage, I painted the lush green shrubs In

the middleground, using yellow ochre. Hooker's
green No. 2, and ultramarine blue. Next, painted the I

crisp, shaded edges of the rocks into dry pigment on

the lower left, as well as the sharp dark modeling in
the water. Then I painted the tall, dark pine forest in

the middleground, using a medium size sable brush

with a good point. Winsor blue, charcoal gray, and
warm sepia were my colors. Last, painted the scrawny
I

pine above the bridge reaching into the clouds. used I

a painting knife and a small sable brush over dry

pigment. My colors were charcoal gray and Winsor
blue. Collection Dr. and Mrs. D. R. Milloy.

Assignment: Complete the sketch of moving water to

the left, using the technique described in this demon-
stration. For further details, see Moving Wafer, Mov-
ing Reflections, p. 54.

DEMONSTRATIONS/MOVING WATER, MOVING REFLECTIONS 135

^ '-^

Devil's Paintbrush (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted onto heavy cardboard, 15" just before the shine of the wetness disappeared, I

X 22". My palette was cadmium yellow medium, dropped a heavy brushful of cadmium yellow medium
cadmium orange, sepia, brown madder, ultramarine where the largest flower is located. The fresh load of
blue, and charcoal gray. This painting was done very wet pigment lifted and pushed aside the dark back-
quickly, with no preliminary pencil drawing. First, I ground color. quickly squeezed out the remaining
I

established the general background wash — many paint from my medium size sable brush and soaked up
heavy loads of pigment applied to saturated paper — the surface moisture from the flower along with some
with a 1" wide bristle brush. used ultramarine blue,
I extra color. I repeated touch two more times,
this
sepia, and charcoal gray in various combinations. The until I had the desired clean color effect, then painted
decorative shapes of the four-leafed weeds suggested the two smaller flowers the same way. When the
a hint of pattern.Iscraped the outline shapes into the yellow pigment was drying, but still moist, I painted a
wet wash with the tip of my brush handle wherever thin line of brown madder with the tip of a fine sable
the wet pigment allowed. As this wash started to dry, brush, using a small, circular stroke.

136 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Devil's Paintbrush (Step 2)

Next to the yellow flowers, and directly below them,I

painted the broad-leafed weeds, using cadmium or-

ange and ultramarine blue. Again, used the tip of my
I

brush handle to scrape the veins into the leaves. I

added a few quickly drawn hints of weeds to the

outside edges. Iapplied the line effect to dry paper
with a bamboo pen dipped into a mixture of charcoal
gray and cadmium orange.

DEMONSTRATIONS/UNDERGROWTH, SHRUBS, AND WEEDS 137

V
J

Devil's Paintbrush (Step 3)

In this final stage, wiped back the dry background

I

pigment where the soft yellow flower and bud are

located on the top left, using a firm sable brush with a
good point which was moist enough to loosen the dry
pigment with a gentle scrub. After this, blotted it up
I

with a tissue. While the paper was still moist, painted I

a yellow wash over the flower and modeled the center

with a spot of brown madder and charcoal gray. After
it dried, I painted the dark thin lines separating the
petals. wiped back the stem of the large flower
I

(called a devil's paintbrush) where the background

was dark and continued it with a dark line as the
background faded into light value. In this way, I

created enough contrast to show the stem. Collection

Mr. and Mrs. j. K. Russell.

Assignment: Add weeds, flowers, etc. to the com-

position on the left, using the methods described in

this demonstration. For further details, see Under-

growth, Shrubs, and Weeds, p. 49.

138 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Black Brook Creek (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My palette was cadmium orange, burnt sienna,
brown madder, charcoal gray, Winsor (phthaiocya-
nine) blue, and ultramarine blue. Ipainted these
bright rocks in the setting sun with no preliminary
pencil drawing. Iestablished the whole painting in
half an hour. The reddish color of the rocks was
tackled first. painted each rock to completion, one at
I

a time, as I went along. used a No. 10 sable brush,

I

freely loaded with cadmium orange and burnt sienna

for the sunlit spots. Brown madder helped with the
modeling. Ultramarine blue mixed with the previous
colors supplied the shaded sides of the wet rocks; the
hues reflecting the sky's blue color came from the
addition of a little Winsor blue. scraped the cracks of
I

the rocks into the wet wash with the point of my brush
handle and allowed drybrush strokes to freely define
the white foamy splashes along the lower edges.

DEMONSTRATIONS/ROCKS 139
Black Brook Creek (Step 2)
Iwet the remaining part of the paper, except the spots
next to the rocks, where tried to preserve the white
I

foam and prevent the blue wash of the water from

creeping in. Then applied large, dark tones of
I

Winsor blue and a touch of cadmium orange. Going

from dark at the bottom to lighter at the top, I

imitated the movement of thewaves with the brush-

strokes, permitting them to blend gently on the wet
paper.

140 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

K^afe^.::

Black Brook Creek (Step 3)

In this final stage, I finished the water by adding dark

washes close to the foam, allowing thin light lines to
survive between them. This gives the impression of
white foam gently dissolving into water. Next, paint- I

ed the large splashes of water reaching up from

behind the rocks. used a medium size sable brush
I

and the same colors as for the main body of water.

Then in a drybrush technique painted in a few
1

splashes of ultramarine blue and charcoal gray where

the white foam was in the shadow of the rocks. Finally,
I painted the lone seagull with ultramarine blue and
charcoal gray. Collection Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Kingsland.

Assignment: Paint the rocks in the seascape to the

left, using the technique described in this demonstra-

tion. For further details, see Rocks, p. 50.

DEMONSTRATIONS/ROCKS 141
Snake Fence (Step 1)
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x
15". My palette was yellow ochre, burnt sienna, warm
sepia, manganese blue, Antwerp blue, ultramarine
blue, and charcoal gray. wet the whole paper and
I

applied gentle washes of ultramarine blue and sepia

to model the deep, distant snow and the edge of the
forest on top. For the snow, used the same colors,
I

but much more sepia than ultramarine blue. The

scattered young trees were followed by the two young
birches on the left middleground, finished in slightly
more detail, including some burnt sienna drybrush
touches.

142 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Snake Fence (Step 2)
The partially snow-buried snake fence came next. I

used drybrush almost exclusively, varying

strokes
manganese blue, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, sepia,
and charcoal gray washes to complement and detail
the aged wood.

DEMONSTRATIONS/FENCES 143
Snake Fence (Step 3)

Then, in this final stage, 1 modeled the deep snow next

to the fence, using ultramarine blue, sepia,
and char-
the
coal gray. The fine twigs in the snow completed
composition. From the Painters of Canada
Series,

Courtesy of Coutts Hallmark Cards. Private Collection.

^^^:^^V^*'' Assignment: Add a fence of any type to the scene to
For further details, see Fences, p. 63.
L the left.

144 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Old stump (Step 1)

300 d'Arches rough finished paper, 15" x 22" (half

lb.

sheet). My palette was cadmium lemon, cadmium

yellow medium, burnt sienna, Vandyke brown, brown
madder, ultramarine blue, and charcoal gray. started
I

with the center of interest, with no preliminary pencil

drawing. The stump was my first step. Using a large,
soft sable brush, applied large washes of burnt
I

brown madder, and ultramarine

sienna, charcoal gray,
blue in shadow areas. modeled the surface as
the I I

advanced on the drying paper.

DEMONSTRATIONS/STUMPS AND MOSS 145

Old Stump (Step 2)

I followed with the foreground, painting it in ultra-

marine blue and charcoal gray, with touches of burnt
sienna. This color makes the foreground appear to be
on a shaded elevation.

146 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Old Stump (Step 3)
I used (cadmium lemon, cadmium yellow
light colors
medium, ultramarine blue, and charcoal gray) for the
background to make it look lit by the sun and to
contrast with the stump. painted generous washes
I

onto wet paper, allowing them to ooze into soft

modeling. Last, painted in the little twig in the right
I

foreground, scraped in the light definitions on the

stump with the dull edge of a pocket knife, and
slapped the tall weeds with
in a painting knife.
Collection Mrs. Elizabeth Szabo.

Assignment: Complete the sketch of a freshly cut

stump to the left. For further details, see Stumps and
Moss, p. 48.

DEMONSTRATIONS/STUMPS AND MOSS 147

Young Forest (Step 1)

300 d'Arches rough finished paper, 26" x 28". My

lb.

palette was cadmium lemon, burnt sienna, Hooker's

green No. 2, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, and char-
coal gray. started with a large, quick wash of
I

Hooker's green and cadmium lemon over the area of

the voung forest. After this dried, I applied the details
of the evergreens with the same color, but a little

darker. To get the right shade, I added ultramarine

blue.

148 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Young Forest (Step 2)
Next came the sky. Iapplied generous washes of
cobalt blue, burnt sienna, and charcoal gray, allowing
them to touch and blend here and there. As reached
I

the white mountain peak, I continued as before,

except Iswitched to ultramarine blue, cobalt blue,
and a touch of charcoal gray. The round mountaintop
in the middle center has the same colors, but they're

deeper in value.

DEMONSTRATIONS/EVERGREENS AND PALM TREES 149

Young Forest (Step 3)

In this final stage, continued with the earthy fore-

I

ground, using charcoal gray, burnt sienna, and ultra-

marine blue in a direct painting method on dry paper.
Last, Ipainted in the scrawny evergreens that had
survived a forest fire. The technique was painting
knife and drybrush, and the colors were Hooker's
green and charcoal gray. Private Collection.

Assignment: Complete the sketch of evergreen trees

to the left. For further details, see Evergreens and Palm
Trees, p. 45.

150 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Birch Couple (Step 1)
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 15" x
22". My palette was cadmium
yellow medium, cad-
mium orange, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, Vandyke
brown, ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, and charcoal
gray. With no preliminary pencil drawing, started
I

with the heavy birch trunk, using a thin

shade of
charcoal gray and ultramarine blue, applied
with a 1"
wide bristle brush. While this wash was wet, applied
I

darker values of the same color to the softly

modeled
shade. Iscraped the fine line details into the wash
before it dried with my brush handle and
painted the
dark spot near the bottom where the white
bark had
peeled off. went through the same procedure with
I

the other birch on the right, painting the

heavier light
branches behind the other trees.

DEMONSTRATIONS/DECIDUOUS TREES 151

Birch Couple (Step 2)

I wet the paper with a wide bristle brush where the

distant autumn forest blended into the sky. First,
I

painted the dark treetrunk area of the forest, using a

charcoal gray and Vandyke brown wash varied with a

touch of burnt sienna. A light wash of cadmium

orange and burnt sienna followed, indicating the
foliage part of the forest. Note the happy accident of
backrun between these two washes in the low center
of the painting. The thin trees were defined with the
brush handle, indicating the edge of the forest. The
soft washes of the weeds, done in yellow ochre, burnt
sienna, and Antwerp blue, created the playful bounce
in the foreground and the middleground.

152 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Birch Couple (Step 3)

In painted the clumps of foliage,

this final stage, I

bouncing from one clump to the next, back and forth,

switching brushfuls of color, and allowing them to
blend here and there. used cadmium yellow me-
I

dium, Antwerp blue, burnt sienna, and Vandyke

brown to give variety to the leaves. I continued with
the fine branches which connect the foliage with the
heavier branches. applied the final details to the fine
I

weeds with a small brush and the edge of a painting

knife. After a few more details on the treetrunks,
defined with drybrush strokes, the painting was fin-

ished. Collection Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Kingsland.

Assignment: Add some deciduous trees to the scene

on the left. For details, see Deciduous Trees, p. 44.

DEMONSTRATIONS/DECIDUOUS TREES 153

Birch at Hart Lake (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My was charcoal gray, ultramarine blue,
palette
yellow ochre, burnt sienna, Vandyke brown, and
brown madder. Beginning without any preliminary
pencil drawing, started with the background.
I wet I

the top three-quarters of the paper with clean water,

avoiding the birch treetrunk area, as well as the young
birch trunk. painted the threatening, stormy sky with
I

a heavy layer of Vandyke brown, ultramarine blue,

and charcoal gray, using a soft, 1" wide brush. Then 1

painted the dense, leafless forest in the distance, using

the same colors, but darker in value. swept a few
I

strokes of heavy pigment, indicating blurry dark trees

in the middleground, using a small sable brush with

hardly any water. Before these washes had a chance to

dry, scraped
I a few young trees in with the tip of my
brush handle.

154 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

II
Birch at Hart Lake (Step 2)
After these washes had dried, finished
I the birch tree
with burnt sienna, charcoal gray, and
Vandyke brown.
Some horizontal lines on the dark parts were scraped
into wet washes with the tip of my
brush handle. On
the stem of the young tree, I used an abundance of
burnt sienna, brown madder, and yellow
ochre. The
fine branches hanging off sideways were done with
painting knife strokes freely dragged into
the dry
paper.

I DEMONSTRATIONS/FORESTS 1SS
Birch at Hart Lake (Step 3)
In this final stage,wet the foreground, which, so far,
I

had been untouched. painted splashy touches of

I

burnt sienna and brown madder, which allowed

greens to peep through. The green was made from
yellow ochre and a touch of ultramarine blue. The
crisp weed lines were scraped with the tip of my brush
handle into the wash. While this area was drying, I

carefully painted the few dry leaves clinging to the

branches. Burnt sienna and brown madder silhouette
these leaves nicely against a light background. I

applied the few thin blades of grass on the lower left

with the edge of the painting knife after the paper
dried. Collection Mr. and Mrs. ]. W. Bessey.

Assignment: Complete the forest sketch to the left,

noting that there's forest in the distance as well as in

the foreground. For further details, see Forests, p. 46.

156 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Beech Tree Against the Sky (Step
1)
Whatman paper mounted on heavy
cardboard, 11" x
15 .
My palette was cadmium lemon, warm
sepia
cobalt blue, Antwerp blue,
and charcoal gray A
vignetted freedom gives this
sketch its spring-like
feelrng. To achieve this,Iwet the top halfof the paper
with clear water, using a soft
sponge. painted a wide
I

wash o cobalt blue, Antwerp blue,

and charcoal gray
on the left center of the sky,
then dragged two more
wide sweeps into the wet area
directly above the first
stroke, achieving the wind-swept
feeling of the sky

DEMONSTRATIONS/SPRING 157
''
/r

Beech Tree Against the Sky (Step 2)

I wet the bottom half of the paper, using a wide but
thin bristle brush, then went on to the grass in the
foreground. I used cadmium lemon, Antwerp blue,
and cobalt blue to get my variety of greens.

158 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

afssmmwimmmm

Beech Tree Against the Sky (Step 3)

In this final stage, painted the loose green foliage of
I

the tall young tree on top of the dry background with

a mediumsize sable brush, then painted the main
treetrunk with the same brush, using Antwerp blue,
cadmium lemon, and charcoal gray. used a painting 1

knife to paint the loose, wiggly, thin branches which

connect the foliage to the main trunk. Next, carefully I

placed the two dry, scrawny trees next to the live one,
creating a gentle contrast. used Antwerp blue and
I

charcoal gray for this. Finally, with the help of a

painting knife, I added few thin weeds in the lower
a
left foreground for the last touch. Collecdon Mrs.
Marjorie Sutton.

Assignment: Complete the sketch to the left of a day

in early spring. For further details, see Spring, p. 39.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SPRING 159
Passing of Day (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My was Antwerp blue, ultramarine blue,
palette
cadmium lemon, raw sienna, burnt sienna, sepia, and
brown madder. With no preliminary pencil drawing, I

wet the sky area with clear water. put a bit of

I

Antwerp blue into this wash, starting at the top with

horizontal strokes of a wide, soft brush, and losing
color strength as advanced toward the horizon.
I I

painted the blurred foliage of the foreground

soft,

trees into this moist wash, continuing their trunks into

the dry lower half.

160 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Passing of Day (Step 2)
The rocky point of land in the middleground was

followed by the lush bushes and trees. First, painted

I

the rocks with simple washes of burnt sienna, brown

madder, and a touch of sepia. While these washes
were still wet, scraped in some rock design with the
I

tip of my brush handle. Ipainted the lush foliage with

rich loads of cadmium lemon, Antwerp blue, and
sepia, allowing the separate brushfuls of color to
blend slightly wherever they touched each other. For
the tall pines, used a No. 6 round sable brush,
I

applying a quick wash which encouraged the edges to

remain as loose drybrush touches. I painted a few
branches and twigs with a painting knife, using a
scraping motion. Next, I wet the area directly below
the rocks with clear water and painted in the reflec-
tions while the paper was still saturated.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SUMMER 161
Passing of Day (Step 3)
While the reflections were drying, painted the
I

distant shoreline and the reflecting breeze mark into

the white water area directly below it. The foreground
rocks followed next. Medium strong washes of burnt
sienna, Antwerp blue, ultramarine blue, and cad-
mium yellow were blended slightly to create an
interesting color pattern. Cracks in the rocks were
done with the tip of my brush handle; the thin, dark
lines were done with a fine brush. Finally, did theI

fine weeds in the foreground with a painting knife.

Collection Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Kingsland.

Assignment: Complete the sketch to the left of a

summer day. For further details, see Summer, p. 40.

162 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Swamp (Step 1)
Lawrie's
Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x
15". My was vermilion, yellow ochre, burnt
palette
sienna, ultramarine blue, sepia, alizarin crimson, and
charcoal gray. With no preliminary pencil drawing, I

wet the top third of the paper with a soft sponge. I

painted heavy loads of ultramarine blue and charcoal

gray washes, indicating the distant forest. Vermilion
mixed with burnt sienna and yellow ochre were the
colors I used in equally heavy concentration to in-
dicate autumn foliage at the top of the forest. A few
loose ultramarine blue and charcoal gray washes at

the very top gave the effect of an overcast sky.

DEMONSTRATIONS/AUTUMN 163
Lawrie's Swamp (Step 2)

Immediately after wet the bottom portion of the

I

paper, the sponge touched still-wet paint (right half of

the painted area) and created a quick, blurry run. This
indicated reflection and was particularly successful
with the yellow ochre weeds in the top center area.
On the left center, painted the massive, pale green
I

weeds and rushes in the distance and dragged their

reflection into the lower edge on the left hand side.
While the bottom half of the paper was still soaking
wet, applied a large wash of a gentle shade by mixing
I

ultramarine blue and charcoal gray.

164 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

^-% *- .^le^
jtSaL
, — <*

Lawrie's Swamp (Step 3)

With painting knife, using sepia and charcoal gray,
a I

painted in the dead, scrawny trees on the top left, as

well as the other branch covered, dead trees in the
right background and the center middleground. The
two stumps and the dead tree with the birdhouse are
the result of brush application on a dry background.
For these, Iused burnt sienna, sepia, and charcoal
gray, loosely intermingled. Next, I painted the reflec-
tions of the trees and stumps, carefully painting the
wiggly water movement near the lower edge of the
reflections. After this,painted the floating leaf in the
I

lower right foreground. used yellow ochre, burnt

I

sienna, vermilion, and alizarin crimson. Last came the

birdhouse on the tree and its reflection, painted with
ultramarine blue, sepia, and a touch of charcoal gray.
Collection Dr. and Mrs. N. A. Sleeva.

Assignment: Complete the autumn scene to the left.

For further details, see Autumn, p. 41.

DEMONSTRATIONS/AUTUMN 165
Wanapetei River (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My palette was Antwerp blue, ultramarine blue,

charcoal gray, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, sepia, and
brown madder. With no preliminary pencil drawing, I

wet the top quarter area where the distant forest is

indicated. Using a 1" wide bristle brush, applied a
I

wash of varied density mixed from sepia, Antwerp

blue, and ultramarine blue. let the color concentrate
I

only at the lower part, where the forest meets the

snow covered hill. scraped the hints of many trees
I

into this wet wash with the tip of my brush handle.

166 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Wanapetei River (Step 2)

I painted in the large boulders in left center, as well as

the weedy rocks directlybelow the cedar clumps in
right center. I used burnt sienna, sepia, and a little
brown madder to get the color of the rocks. A loosely
handled ultramarine and sepia wash followed to show
the thickness of the snow on the rocks and the
modeling on the right, directly below the distant
forest. used the same color to show the shadows of
I

the cedar clumps on the snow. Next, painted the I

rushing water in the center, below the rocks, with

yellow ochre, Antwerp blue, and charcoal gray.
Across the lower third of the painting, on dry paper, I

painted the blue-green water showing through the

cracked ice. I used a medium size sable brush with a
fine point, which proved an excellent tool to render
the cracks in the breaking ice.

DEMONSTRATIONS/WINTER 167
Wanapetei River (Step 3)

painted the cedar clumps onto a

In this final stage, 1

dry background with a large size sable brush, using a

drybrush technique to show the silhouette form of the
foliage. I used burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and Ant-
werp blue in freely varied concentrations. Then I

painted into these wet treetrunks with a small sable

brush, using charcoal gray and Antwerp blue. While
these touches were still wet, applied the thin,
I

scrawny branches with a painting knife by dragging

the existing washes away from the treetrunks in rapid
sequence. also used a painting knife to indicate the
I

loose twigs under the cedars. The last touch was the
^ gentle reflection on top of the melting snow on the
extreme bottom. The blue-gray color of this wash
helped give this painting its three dimensional feeling.
Collection Mr. F. j. Robinson.

Assignment: Complete the scene to the left of winter

snow and ice. For further details, see Winter, p. 42.

168 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

The Weak One (Step 1)

Whatman paper mounted on heavy cardboard, 11" x

15". My was yellow ochre, burnt sienna, sepia,
palette
Hooker's green No. 2, ultramarine blue, and Antwerp
blue. First, wet the whole paper.
I I painted on the
arge, modeling washes of the snow with a soft, 1"
wide, flat brush, using ultramarine blue and sepia for
color.

DEMONSTRATIONS/CHOOSING YOUR SUBJECT 169

A

The Weak One (Step 2)

While the paper was still moist, I applied quick, small
strokes for the pine branches. As the edges softened, I

scraped in the needles with the tip of my brush

handle. Later, I connected these little branches and
painted the heavy snow on top to exaggerate the
delicacy of the young tree. For the thin trunk, used a I

painting knife with sepia and ultramarine blue color.

170 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

The Weak One (Step 3)
The delicate grass blades were done in this final stage.
In order to complement my composition, they had to
be painted individually, and had to take great care
I

with their design. used yellow ochre, burnt sienna,

I

sepia, and Antwerp blue in varied combinations to get

the color of the dried weeds. Collection Mr. and Mrs.
T. Beckett.

I %. ,:.V; a.-r Assignment: Complete the painting in the sketch to

the left, noting that there are three distinct planes:

foreground, middleground, and background. Choos-
ing which plane to emphasize is also part of choosing
your subject. For further details, see Choosing Your
Subject, p. 26.

DEMONSTRATIONS/CHOOSING YOUR SUBJECT 171

s

Yesterday's News (Step 1)

300 d'Arches rough finished paper, 22" x 30". My

lb.

palette was yellow ochre, burnt sienna, sepia, ultra-

marine blue, and charcoal gray. First, wet the paper.
I I

painted the top edge of the hill, using ultramarine

blue and sepia in varying combinations. Ifound my
chisel tipped, 1" wide bristle brush ideal for the effect
! wanted. went on to indicate the soft modeling of
I

the snow and weeds. As drying permitted, added I

details of grass clumps, using yellow ochre and sepia

combinations.

172 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Yesterday's News (Step 2)
While the paper was still damp, I painted the young
trees with a palette knife. Heavily concentrated
sepia
and charcoal gray supplied the right color. These
scraping strokes went soft where the paper was moist
and stayed sharp where the paper had dried.

DEMONSTRATIONS/SIMPLE SUBJECTS 173

A

Yesterday's News (Step 3)

In this final stage, Ia worn-out, No. 2 sable brush

used
loaded with charcoal gray to touch the wire fence
with burnt sienna here and there to make it appear
rusty. Then painted the newspaper on the wire with
I

yellow ochre and burnt sienna. finished the painting

I

with the snow on the newspaper and the finishing

details on the weeds, particularly the clumps in the
left foreground. Collection Mr. F. I. Robinson.

Assignment: Complete the simple subject to the left,

emphasizing the detail of the chain as the focal point.
For further details, see Simple Subjects, p. 27.

174 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Memories (Step 1)

300 lb. d'Arches medium rough paper, 15" x 22" (half

sheet). My palette was yellow ochre, burnt sienna,
Vandyke brown, brown madder, ultramarine blue,
and charcoal gray. With no preliminary pencil draw-
ing, wet the top half of the paper and painted in the
I

sky, using heavily loaded brushfuls of ultramarine

blue, Vandyke brown, and charcoal gray washes. I let

these strokes flow freely.

DEMONSTRATIONS/COMPLEX SUBJECTS 175

Memories (Step 2)

After the sky had dried, painted the burned-out

I

house. The brick walls and the rubble were done with
simple washes of burnt sienna and brown madder.
The interior walls were dirtied yellow ochre tones. I

painted the burned-out details as well as the fence on

the right center with well-defined charcoal gray
brushstrokes.

176 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Memories (Step 3)

In this final stage, the foreground creates a lead-in

pattern toward the building. I used yellow ochre,
ultramarine blue, and Vandyke brown to create the
dried-up, weedy colors. As a final touch of ghostly
neglect, I dropped the lonely crow in above the ruins.
Collection Dr. and Mrs. f. Hersak.
Assignment: Add as much detail as you can to the
composition to the left without crowding the page.
For further details, see Complex Subjects, p. 28.

DEMONSTRATIONS/COMPLEX SUBJECTS 177

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Blake, Wendon, Acrylic Watercolor Painting, Watson-

Guptill, New York, 1970

Brandt, Rex, Watercolor Technique, 6th ed., revised,

Reinhold, New York, 1963
Guptill, Arthur, edited by Susan E. Meyer, Watercolor
Painting Step-by-Step, Watson-Cuptill, New York,
1967

Hilder, Rowland, Starting with Watercolour, Watson-

Guptill, New York, and Studio Vista, London, 1967
Kautzky, Ted, Painting Trees and Landscape in Wafer-
color, Reinhold, New York, 1952

Kautzky, Ted, Ways with Watercolor, 2nd ed., Rein-

hold, New York, 1963

Kent, Norman, edited by Susan E. Meyer, WO Wafer-

color Techniques, Watson-Guptill, New York, 1968

O'Hara, Eliot, Watercolor with O'Hara, Putnam, New

York, 1965

Olsen, Herb, Watercolor Made Easy, Reinhold, New

York, 1955

Pellew, John C, Painting in Watercolor, Watson-

Guptill, New York, 1970

Pike, John, Watercolor, Watson-Guptill, New York,

1966

Whitaker, Frederic, Whitaker on Watercolor, Rein-

hold, New York, 1963

Whitney, Edgar A., Complete Guide to Watercolor

Painting, Watson-Guptill, New York, 1965

BIBLIOGRAPHY 179
INDEX

Animals in landscape, 65 knife techniques, 88-90; people and animals, 121-

Autumn foliage, ofdeciduous trees, 45 123; three dimensions, perspective, 97-99; rain, 115-

Autumn landscape, 41-42; demonstrated, 163-165; 117; relationships, 91-93; rocks, 139-141; sand and
reflecting water in, 41-42; light conditions in, 41 soil, 109-111; simple subjects, 172-174; sky and
clouds, 124-126; snow, 106-108; spring, 157-159; still
Basic washes, 15-16 water and reflections, 130-132; summer, 160-162;
Beaches, sandy, 52 sunsets, 127-129;stumps and moss, 145-147; texture
Brushes, 13, 17-18; chisel shaped bristle, 24; flat soft, and pattern, 79-81; undergrowth, shrubs, and
18; round soft, 17; using handle point of to get weeds, 136-138; value and form, 100-102; the value
unusual effects, 25 of white space, 103-105; winter, 166-168
Brushstrokes, 17-18 Deserts, 52
Buildings in landscape, 64-65; demonstrated, 118-120 Direct, or conventional, painting, 16-17
Direction, sameness of in composition, 32
Center of interest, 32-33; demonstrated, 94-96; color Drawing, preliminary pencil, 16
sequence of painting, 36-37; object as, 33;
as, 33; in Drawing board, 12
stumps as, 49 Drizzle, 56-57
Center of picture, location of, 33 Dry painting, correcting a, 37
Choosing your subject, 26-27; demonstrated, 169-171 Drybrush, 17-18; demonstrated, 85-87
Clouds, 60-61
Color, 13-14; and value, 35; as center of interest, 33; Easel, 12
clean, 11; experimenting with, 14; in spring, 39; of Equipment, see Materials and equipment
evergreens, 45-46; of snow, 58; of sunsets, 61-62; Evergreen trees, 45-46; colors of, 45-46; trunk and
selecting, 14; value of, 11 branches of, 45
Color wheel, 14 Evergreens and palm trees, 45-46; demonstrated, 148-
Complex subjects, 28-29; demonstrated, 175-177 150
Composition, correcting monotonous, 32; in land-
scape, 30-38; repetition in, 31-32; rhythm in, 31; Fences, 63-64; demonstrated, 142-144
sameness of direction in, 32; space in, 30; value in, Fields, plowed, 52
30-31 Flatwash, 15
Contrast of values, 34 Fog and mist, 55-56; demonstrated, 112-114
Conventional or direct painting, 16-17; demonstrated, Foliage, of deciduous trees, 44-45
73-75 Forests, 46-47; demonstrated, 154-156
Form, and value, 34-35; visualizing, 35
Damp paper, painting on, 19-20 Framing your painting, 67
Dark to light, in sequence of painting, 37
Dealers, art, 67 Gates, 64
Deciduous demonstrated, 151-153; fo-
trees, 44-45; General hints, 67-68

liage of 44-45; roots, trunk, and branches of, 44; Graded wash, 15
twigs of, 45 Grass, 50
Demonstrations, 69-117; autumn landscape, 163-165;
buildings, 118-120; choosing your subject, 169-171; Harmony, in composition, 31; of natural elements in

center of interest, 94-96; complex subjects, 175-177; landscape, 26

conventional or direct painting, 73-75; deciduous FHelpful suggestions, 66-68
trees, 151-153; drybrush, 85-87; evergreens and Hoarfrost, 58
palm trees, 148-150; fences, 142-144; forests, 154-
156; fog and mist, 112-114; know your environment, Introducing watercolor, 11-14
70-72; masking technique and using the razor
blade, 82-84; moving water, moving reflections, Knives, painting, 13
133-135; painting on wet paper, 76-78; painting Know your environment, 26; demonstrated, 70-72

INDEX 181
Lakes, 53;moving water in, 54-55 Perspective, and three dimensions, 33-34; basic ele-
Landscape, autumn, 41-42; spring, 39-40; summer, 40- ments of, 33-34; in clouds, 61; planes of, 34
41; winter, 42-43 Photography as a tool, 66
Landscape at your feet, the, 48-49 Planes, of perspective, emphasizing, 34
Landscape composition, 30-38 Plowed fields, 52

Landscape painting techniques, 15-25 Presentation and selling ideas, 66-67

Learning to see the landscape, 26-29 Pricing your painting, 67
Light conditions, in autumn, 41 Puddles, 54
Light and dark, in sequence of painting, 37
Lighting, 57 Rain, 56-57; at night, 57; demonstrated, 115-117;
Liquid landscape, the, 53-59 distant, 57; during storms, 57
Local conditions in landscape, 26 Rainclouds, 60-61
Location of center of picture, 33 Razor blade, in masking technique, 24
Reference sketches, 37-38
Reflecting water, in autumn landscape, 41-42
Masking tape, in masking technique, 23
Reflections, and still water, 53-54; in puddles, 54; in
Masking technique and using the razor blade, 23-24;
rain, 57; moving, and moving water, 54-55
demonstrated, 82-84
Relationships, of shapes, in composition, 30-32; dem-
Maskoid, in masking technique, 23
onstrated, 91-93
Materials and equipment, 11-13
Repetition, in composition, 31-32
Matting your paintings, 66-67
Rhythm, in composition, 31
Mist, morning, 56
Rivers and creeks, 55
Moist paper, painting on, 19
Rocks, 50; demonstrated, 139-141; glacial, 50-51; man-
Monotony, in summer landscape, 40-41
made, 51; stratified, 50; volcanic, 51
Mood, in wet-in-wet technique, 36
Rubber cement, in masking technique, 23-24
Moss, 49
Rushing water, 55
Moving water, moving reflections, 54-55; demon-
strated, 133-135
Sand and soil, 51-52; demonstrated, 109-111
Sand banks and pits, 52
Nature of watercoior, the, 11 Sandy beaches, 52
Saturated paper, painting on, 19
Object as center of interest, 33 Seasons, painting the, 39-43
Objects in landscape, 63-65 Sequence of painting, 36-37; center of interest in, 36-
Oceans, 53; large waves in, 54 37; dark to light in, 37; light to dark in, 37
Opaque watercolors, 11 Showers, 37
Shrubs, 49
Painting, conventional or direct, 16-17 Simple subjects, 27-28; demonstrated, 172-174
Painting on wet paper, 19-20; demonstrated, 76-78 Sketches, reference, 37-38
Painting the seasons, 39-43 Skies, clear, 60; cloudy, 60
Painting the sky, 60-62 Sky, painting the, 60-61
Painting knife, "drybrush" effects, with 18; for paint- Sky and clouds, 60-61; demonstrated, 124-126
ing evergreens, 46; on wet paper, 21-22; strokes, 20; Slides, how to use, 66
treating blade of, 20 Snow, 58-59; blowing, 42-43; characteristics of, 42;

Painting knife techniques, 20-22; demonstrated, 88-90 color of, 58; demonstrated, 106-108; early, 58; fail-

Paints, watercoior, 12-13; list of, 13 ing, 58-59; late, 58; sound and smell of, 59

Palette, 13 Snow clouds, 60-61

Palette knife, see Painting knife Space, in composition, 30; white, is paper, 35-36;

Palm trees, 46 value of white, 35-36

Paper, 11; as white space, 35-36; painting on damp, 19- Splitdrybrush, 19
on moist, on saturated, Spring landscape, 39-40; color, in, 39; demonstrated,
20; painting 19; painting 19;
painting on wet, 19-20; stretching, 11-12; wet, and 157-159
painting knife, 21-22 Squeezed pigment, unusual effects with, 25
Paraffin, inmasking technique, 24 Still water and reflections, 53-54; demonstrated, 130-

Pattern, and texture, 22 132; giving movement to, 53-54

Pencil drawing, 16 Storm clouds, 61
People and animals in landscape, 64-65; demon- Storms, rain, 57; snow, 59
strated, 121-123 Streaky wash, 15-16

182 LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR

Stumps, as center of interest, 49; cut, 48; rotting, 48; Value and form, 34-35; demonstrated, 100-102
uprooted, 48-49 Value, in composition, 30-31
Stumps and moss, 48-49; demonstrated, 145-147 Value of white space, the, 35-36; demonstrated, 103-
Subject, choosing, 26-27 105
Subjects, complex, 28-29; simple, 27-28 Values, contrast in, 34
Summer landscape, 40-41; demonstrated, 160-162
Sunsets, 61-62; demonstrated, 127-129 Washes, basic, 15-16
Water, giving movement to still, 53-54; in creeks, 55;
in lakes, 53, 54-55; in oceans, 53, 54; in puddles, 54;
Textile, texture and pattern in, 22
in rivers, 55; moving, and moving reflections, 54-55;
Texture and pattern, 22; demonstrated, 79-81; in
reflecting, in autumn landscape, 41-42; rushing, 55;
nature, 22; in textile, 22; man-made, 22
still, and reflections, 53-54
Three dimensions, perspective, 33-34; demonstrated,
Water carrier, 12
97-99
Water in landscape, 53-59
Tracing, 16-17
Watercolor, introducing, 11-14; the nature of, 11;
Trees, colors of evergreen, 45-46; deciduous, 44-45;
opaque, 11; transparency of, 11
evergreen, 45-46; foliage of deciduous, 44-45; palm,
Watercolor paints, 12-13; list of, 13
46; roots, trunk, and branches of deciduous, 44;
Waterfalls, 55
trunk and branches of evergreen, 45; twigs of
Waves, 54-55
deciduous, 45
Wax, in masking technique, 24
Trees in landscape, 44-47
Weeds, 50
Twigs, of deciduous trees, 45
Wet paper, painting on, 19-20
Wet-in-wet wash, 16; mood in, 36
Undergrowth, shrubs, and weeds, 49-50; demon- White space, is paper, 35-36; value of, 35-36
strated, 136-138 Winter landscape, 42-43; demonstrated, 166-168
Unusual effects, 24-25 Wiping off, unusual effects with, 25
Edited by Margit Malmstrom
Designed by James Craig
Set in ten point Optima by Wellington-Attas Computer Composition, Inc.
Printed by Rochester Polychrome Press, Inc.
Bound by Riverside Book Bindery
I
Photo Beckett Gallery, Ltd.

Zoltan Szabo is one of Canada's fore-

nnost landscape painters. Born in 1928,

in now a Canadian citi-

Hungary, he is

zen and makes his home in Ontario.

Mr. Szabo studied art in Hungary, but is

largely a self-taught artist, making fre-

quent forays into the Canadian wilder-

ness to paint and gather material for his
unique watercolors. In addition to

painting, he gives private lessons and

has taught art classes and conducted art
seminars both in Canada and the Unit-
ed States.

Mr. Szabo's work has been exhibited

in one-man shows in the Tygesen and

the Penell galleries in Toronto, the

Beckett Gallery in Hamilton, Ontario,

and in many group shows in Canada
and abroad. His paintings have also
been seen in numerous shows with the
Society of Canadian Artists of which —
he is a member — and with the Society
of Canadian Painters in Watercolor.
Mr. Szabo's paintings are owned by
private collectors all over the world,
also appearing as Christmas cards, pub-
lished by Coutts Hallmark of Toronto.

Jacket design by James Craig

ISBN 0-7736-0034-5

General Publishing

Printed in U.S.A.
i
(
r.l 5