MATERIALS
• Reference photographs.
• 300gsm Arches watercolour paper.
• Artists’ watercolour paints in selected colours.
• Selected brushes.
• Soft graphite stick.
• An assortment of reference photographs was used to define the direction of this painting … a slow and ponderous process which the artist really enjoys.
I had been out to Colby dam, near Toowoomba. I had seen this old
gate beside the road and stopped to photograph it. What I saw inspired me and the idea for this painting of ‘Country Cousins’ was born. From when the initial idea was formed, the process of composing the thumbnail sketch and the selection of different kookaburra photos took a considerable amount of time … before I was ready to transfer my drawing to the prepared, stretched watercolour paper.
STEP ONE
I usually enlarge my original drawing on my photocopier to the correct size, ready to be transferred onto the 78 x 54 cm stretched piece of 300gsm Arches watercolour paper. I prepared the back of the drawn picture with a soft graphite stick and copied my drawing onto the watercolour paper. This gave me a faint image to work from. I redrew any pieces that were missing and then started preparing my palette. On a scrap piece of art paper, I painted swathes of various colours before deciding on my palette.
If I want to depict a warm scene, I will choose predominantly warm colours. I always work out the colours I will use in each painting before starting – this gives me unity throughout the painting. I prefer to use a limited palette; using transparent colours with minimal staining qualities.
STEP TWO
To begin, I masked out the white of the Kookaburras’ heads and their feathers; and also the sunlit side of the fence post. I made up big enough ‘puddles’ of each of the colours I intended to use in the first wash, enough to cover the whole surface of the paper. Commencing with this wash, using a one inch flat watercolour brush, I laid in Cerulean Blue with a touch of French Ultramarine Blue, using less colour and more water as I came down to the hills. Then Alizarin Crimson was added to the blue to create the distant hills. Continuing down the page, I added Raw Sienna and then Burnt Sienna to warm the foreground. While the distant hills were still damp, I add the greyed green mix of Ultramarine Blue, Raw Sienna and Burnt Sienna to suggest distant trees. The work was then left to thoroughly dry.
After the first wash dried, I painted the gate using Burnt Sienna and a wash of Cerulean Blue (while it was still wet), to create the rust effect.The gum trees were then formed using a quarter-inch damp brush to lift off colour, to create the white trunks. Using a Number 12 round brush, I made a varied mix of Cobalt Blue and Raw Sienna and French Ultramarine Blue created for the greyed green of the foliage. Then the work was left to thoroughly dry again.
STEP THREE
Time to put faces on the Kookaburras. I like to do the faces first on my birds, so I can feel their personalities. The masking fluid was removed from the heads, and I started by adding the eyes using Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. The tops of the beaks were painted with Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna; the undersides with Alizarin Crimson and Raw Sienna. I then added an underwash of Cobalt and Ultramarine Blue to the wings, which would glow through the brown of the wings when the feathers were painted in.
STEP FOUR
The rest of the masking fluid was removed and the heads were detailed using different combinations of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. The shadows on the bodies were introduced using Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue to create a lovely mauve. Burnt Sienna was added to the undersides of the tail feathers, and the shadows were introduced to the fence post. I started adding more washes to the post, and also began to add the cracks and the wood effect.
STEP FIVE
Time consuming detail work was attended to on each of the birds to paint the feathers – again using the mix of Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. I tried not to overwork them and purposely left the feathers incomplete; otherwise the birds would look too stiff. Many hours went into completing each bird and developing each character … still using my limited palette. More work was done on the gate and the wire, creating a ‘lost and found effect with the wire; allowing the eye to finish the picture.
FINAL STEP
After walking around the work for a day or two, I decided to add the grass in the foreground and lighten the gate wire. Time to put the brushes down. It would be so easy to keep working on a picture because I have enjoyed the process so much, and I don’t want to stop! But stop I must. All I needed to do now was sign the work, and give it a title.
‘Country Cousins’ was complete.
