MATERIALS
• French Ultramarine
• Windsor Yellow
• Raw Sienna
• Permanent Sap Green
• Green Gold
• Olive Green
• Windsor Red
• Permanent Rose
• Cerulean Blue
• Indigo
• Scarlet Lake
• Light Red
• Perylene Maroon
• Stock: I work on a Daler Rowney/Saunders Waterford Illustration Board. It comes in three surfaces on a sheet 22 x 30 inches in size. For oversize paintings I use Arches watercolour paper.
• Brushes: Most people are quite surprised and often relieved to discover that I actually use fairly inexpensive synthetic nylon brushes. Sizes range from very tiny 10/0’s to about a 6 in the larger size. As long as the tip is in great condition.
It is no doubt fairly easy to see why I was so drawn to this subject. I always love watching the lorikeets frantically enjoying the Black Bean Trees around my home, so chirpy and enthusiastic as they go about their daily routine, and working on this as a painting really made me feel happy! It is a complex mixture of joyful, curious and lively elements from my natural environment and I was captured by its rich colour, vibrancy and vitality. The palette was just as varied and challenging to work with and quite different balance to most of my other works, which made a lovely change of pace. This project really appealed to me on many levels, both visually and technically.
STEP ONE
The first step is actually deciding on your subjects and elements. This is then developed into a composition or layout that you are happy with. Once this is determined and your layout is refined, the final drawing is transferred cleanly and precisely to your paper ready for painting.
STEP TWO
As each element or area is managed fairly independently of another for me, it doesn’t really matter where I choose to begin. Given the complexity of this painting, I elect to start with the stamens of the flowers. My main intention here is to ‘map out the painting, to give it some sense of form and direction, and to ensure that these delicate areas are preserved as well as possible.
STEP THREE
Sticking with the flowers now, I continue to have fun playing with these wonderful colour mixes and delicate balances, enjoying every minute of it as I go. It is a bright and exciting palette to work with and the colours are perfectly compatible, rich and joyful. My focus here is to create clean, fresh colours and really make them sing on the page.
STEP FOUR
There is an enormous amount of work involved in completing the background. I fill it in painstakingly carefully, taking care to keep the pigments clear and clean, to preserve the delicate blue highlights, as well as achieving rich contrast and interest to the painting, It is also important to capture the feel and nature of your subjects here. Plants require this sensitivity as much as birds, and I am very aware of this. In this step the mood and atmosphere of your painting is determined and the story’ of your piece starts to come to life.
STEP FIVE
The branches are rendered now, throwing a new colour balance and interest into the mix. I take care here to achieve the right strength and depth without making this element overpowering to the completed painting. The heads of the birds are roughed in then worked up slowly and carefully, delighting in the intricate colour and detail of these birds. The eyes are everything here. They must capture and hold your attention, so time is taken here to get it right. Suddenly, the painting comes to life!
FINAL STEP
The final piece comes together with careful rendering of the birds. The biggest issue here is the need for incompatible colours to mix cleanly, retaining their qualities without turning muddy. Reds into blues and greens certainly has its challenges! The second issue is making sure the birds are clearly retained amongst such similar surroundings as this has. Whilst they are particularly camouflage in real life, in a painting you don’t want them to disappear entirely. A final tweaking pulls the painting together, and this piece is complete.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Everyone works differently of course and you need to experiment with materials, subjects and approaches for yourself and find what works for you and your objectives. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Remember that it is only paper and this process is all just a part of your journey and natural evolution, a part of learning and improving. Take what you can from your mistakes and use those things to grow and improve for your next piece.
• If you are struggling with your paints looking muddy and dull, try removing white from your palette completely. This means not only removing white itself, but removing any pigment that has a white base or that has been contaminated with white. Clean your palette thoroughly and replace these with transparent pigments and you may find this works a lot better for you.
• Cost is a consideration for almost everyone, but when it comes to your paints, buy less if you have to, but buy artist quality. Over time you can accumulate a lovely selection of paints without too much pain to your wallet, and you will find if watercolour is used well, a tube will last you a very long time indeed. Buying the right materials really is money well spent. Starting with limited materials often makes you very creative and resourceful in your approach too, so don’t worry about where you start, just worry about starting! I like to recommend people buy colours they love and are drawn to, colours that excite you. It’s the same with choosing subject matter… go with what excites and captures you!
• Remember to have fun with what you are doing, rest and eat, and don’t wash your brushes in your tea!
