Companion Portrait
Exhibition: Companion Species
Artist: AFA Permanent Collection - Various Artists
Advanced - requires previous art experience
Overview
In Companion Species we see a diverse approach to the methods and materials used by the featured artists to create their works. If we were to examine each artists career, we would see that it is common for an artist to use a range of methods and materials within their artistic practice and through the span of their career. Each artist is selective and intentional about what materials they will use to render an idea. Every material brings something unique to the creative process and can influence how an artist works and how the finished artwork is perceived.
Within this collective of artists, four works of art were created using watercolour. Watercolour is a unique medium that uses light-filled areas, richly coloured dark transparencies and can often produce spontaneous and intuitive effects. If you examine the specific watercolour works in the exhibition, observe how light is created— not by using white paint as in other painting techniques, but rather by using the white of the paper and transparencies. Negative watercolour painting is a technique that focuses on this unique aspect of watercolour painting by using the unpainted surface of the paper as the main focus. Instead of painting the primary object, the surroundings are painted first, leaving the primary object free and therefore with the most amount of light, bringing it closest to the viewer.
In this exercise, participants will create an animal portrait, honouring a personal relationship with an animal companion while exploring negative watercolour techniques— emphasizing the mediums unique characteristic of using light to create focus and depth.
Objectives
Learn basic watercolour concepts of transparency, gradients and water pull.
Develop a composition rich in depth.
Use a personal relationship with an animal companion to inspire an idea.
Use fine motor-skills and precision to learn a complex watercolour technique.
Materials
Good quality water colour paper x 2
Painters tape
Variety of round brushes; small, medium and large
Pencil
Eraser
Watercolour paints
Paint palette
Water containers x 2
Paper towel
Reference images of your companion animal
Instructions:
Step One
For participants who have never worked with watercolour, you can complete this first quick exercise and learn how to create gradients in watercolour. This will help set up our palette for our main project.
Begin with a sheet of watercolour paper. Using a pencil draw 4 squares. Select one watercolour pigment and place a small amount on your palette. Fill one small palette reservoir with clean water.Using a paintbrush, pick up a very small amount of your selected watercolour pigment and mix into the water in your palette. Mix well and load your brush. On your paper fill your first square pulling the watercolour inside the shape, making sure to keep a generous bead of water flowing on your paper and reloading your brush when necessary. This first square will be your lightest tone.
Note: You will work with 2 water containers. One you will use for clean water only and the other for washing your brushes. This way you won’t contaminate the clean water when using it for mixing new tones.
Step Two
To create the next gradient, fill another palette reservoir with water. Pick up a small amount of pigment and add to the water. We are trying to create a slightly darker tone than our first square by slowly adding a bit more pigment than in our first gradient. You can use the empty space on the paper below your squares to test as you are mixing. Once you are satisfied with the tone, fill the second square, pulling the watercolour inside the shape, making sure to keep a generous bead of water again.
Note: You don’t ever want to let an edge dry that you are working on or you will see the line when it dries. Keep pulling the watercolour, always working the edges to stay wet so that you have a nice blended look.
Step Three
Repeat step two until each gradient square is complete. Each subsequent square should have slightly more pigment to create a darker tone than the previous square. Once all four squares are complete, you should see a nice graduation in tone across the 4 squares, the first being the lightest tone and getting increasingly darker moving to your right.
Your palette is now set up to create a single colour gradient that we will use for our project.
Step Four
To begin the project, sketch some thumbnail composition ideas on scrap paper. Your animal should be the focal point so make sure it maintains the main focus. Have your reference photos in front of you to work from to help create a likeness.
Step Five
Transfer your final composition to watercolour paper using pencil, lightly drawing the outline of each object.
To emphasize the depth created by this watercolour technique, our background should consistent of simple overlapping objects. For example, trees, leaves, flowers, houses, or geometric shapes etc. You can do an image search of “negative watercolour” online to help visualize some possibilities. Have some of the background objects overlapping one another to create more depth.
Step Six
Once you have finished your drawing, you will label each layer. It can be confusing to keep track of which objects belong in which layer once you begin painting. To make it easier for yourself, label each object identifying which ones will be furthest back and which ones will be closest. All the 1’s you will leave free and unpainted while the 4’s will be furthest back and end up darker. Your animal companion should be layer 1 and remain unpainted until the very last step.
Step Seven
Once you have prepared your palette, you can begin painting. Pick one of your lightest tones and paint a wash over everything except the the objects marked with 1’s. Be precise when you are painting, carefully following the edge of objects in the layer that should not be painted. Otherwise, you should be intuitive and free, add a bit darker tone in a couple areas to create gradient blends within the layer. After you’ve finished the first layer, wait for it to dry completely.
Note: Always make sure what you are painting next to is completely dry, otherwise your tones will blend and your layers will not be well defined.
Step Eight
Paint your next layer, this time leaving both the 1’s and 2’s untouched. With each layer, you are building up the tone of the layers behind to create more depth. With each layer you should be using slightly more pigment (a darker tone). Let dry completely.
Step Nine
Apply the third layer, leaving the 3’s, 2’s and 1’s untouched. Be patient, precise and careful defining your edges. Let dry.
Step Ten
Once all your labelled layers are completed, apply paint to your final background layer. Leaving layers 4, 3, 2, and 1 untouched. Continue to work this back layer to darken it and intensify depth.
Note: You may choose to have less than 4 layers, or more. Repeat steps until all of your layers are complete.
Step Eleven
Go in to previous layers and add your details. Add light pigment to define shadows in areas where an object may be more behind, or forward. Use a fine brush to add any other details to the background objects.
Now you are ready to paint your focal point. Set up your palette with colours of your choice and paint your animal companion. Start with a background colour and let dry. Add all remaining details. Gently erase any visible pencil lines.
