MATERIALS
• Atelier Acrylic Interactive Paints: Titanium White; Acrylamide Yellow; Cadmium Yellow Deep; Vermillion Orange; Pyrolle Red; Pyrolle Alizarin; Turquoise; Phthalo Blue (Red Shade); Quinacridone Purple; Dioxine Purple; Phthalo Green. Also Matisse Yellow Oxide.
• Gesso: Black and White.
• Binder Medium.
• Rice Paper or Texture Paper.
• Large brushes – one inch to two inch sizes.
• Willow Charcoal.
• Atelier Satin Painting Medium.
STEP ONE
Prime the canvas support with vigorous strokes of gesso, leaving textural lines. Cross-hatch brush marks. Allow this to dry thoroughly.
STEP TWO
With binder medium, glue randomly-placed roughly-cut pieces of rice paper or textured paper onto the lower third of the canvas. Textured paper should be torn (not cut), to give a better transition of edges when glued. Again, dry thoroughly.
STEP THREE
Grid the canvas roughly into thirds or quarters, mainly as a guide for applying paint in the colour transitions which are about to take place. Grid lines are used as a guide only and they need to be only lightly drawn or they will contaminate the clarity of the paint.
STEPS FOUR AND FIVE
Start applying random patchwork style areas of warm and cool “yellow blend’ paints, taking some into the next patch; and start to blend in the oranges and reds as you proceed down the canvas.
Mix the paints on the canvas, using white to create tones.
STEP SIX
Continue – introducing aqua; and then warm and cool blues, purples, and green. These colours are best not worked too much, as they can become muddy. Dry the work thoroughly again at this point.
Use a scraper or card to drag contrasting colours across all areas of the canvas; balancing lights and darks, sea and sky.
Use squeeze bottles of black and white gesso to draw the outlines of the boats and buildings. Balance the areas here, to achieve overall balance in the composition.
Tweak the areas that aren’t interesting, and squint to assess dark and light areas while balancing accordingly. This is the hardest part – often best done at a later stage after a long hard look to analyse the requirements.
At all costs, play! And don’t tighten up … otherwise the subject will lose its spontaneity, energy and dynamism.
MASTER HINTS AND TIPS
• Seek out a mentor, and experiment without fear (using different mediums) on the path to recognising what you really want to do.
• Allow yourself time to explore and destroy. Paint over old paintings to create new exciting works with their own ‘understories’. Play, become a child again. Your time. Your place. Your art.
• Learn from everybody and discard what you cannot use.
• Use all the colours on your palette in all parts of the work to make the results more harmonious and connected.
• Create folders of ideas, with photographs of work you would like to explore in the future; maybe an artist’s work that inspires you to try something different. Often when you are looking for inspiration it will come to you while considering images collected from the past.
• Recognise your capabilities and seek help in overcoming shortfalls.
