Framed Watercolor Painting

Framed Watercolor Painting

Watercolour Painting Demonstration Little Loch Broom, Highland, Scotland

Please note the painting can be viewed via the link below in the author biography.

Firstly let me introduce my brushes theres the large Ron Ranson hake, flat and a no.3 rigger. These are accompanied by my seven colours Raw Sienna, Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue, Light Red, Paynes Gray, Alizarin Crimson and Lemon Yellow.

I began this painting by wetting the paper all over with clear water. With the large hake I randomly brushed in some Raw Sienna into the sky area. I also brushed a little into the water area. Water generally reflects the sky colours and I find it easier to get it in early while it is still on the brush.

Loading a clean brush with Ultramarine Blue, I went back into the sky and painted around the clouds, effectively creating negative shapes in the sky. Suddenly the initial Raw Sienna now appears to give the impression of clouds filling our sky. Remember to make the clouds narrower as they near the horizon.

As with the Raw Sienna, I continued the Ultramarine Blue into the water area to complete the reflection of the sky. If we need to add any more reflections in the water later in the painting we can just rewet the paper.

When painting land near the horizon I often use the same predominant colours I used in the sky. Looking far into the distance you find land and sky merge in one continuous tone.

To create a misty effect on your horizon you need to put your land in just before the sky is completely dry. In my painting Ive waited for the sky to dry so that I get a crisp edge on the land.

Loading my clean brush with the sky colours and a little Paynes Gray I put in the far land either side of the horizon. Its worth remembering that if you plan to put some distant yachts into your painting, the darker the land, the more the white sails will stand out.

Coming forward on the left, I again waited until the paint was dry before brushing in the large hill with a stronger mix. The rest of the foreground was painted in with various mixes of Raw Sienna, Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue and Light Red. Remember to clean your brush regularly so as not to let it get too muddy!

The finishing touch to the painting will be to add the dark lines of mud where the land meets the water. Before doing this you have to ensure the paper is dry. If you dont have the patience to wait then you can use a hairdryer.

Mix some Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue until you have a mix that is almost black. Make sure the hairs on your brush come to a chisel edge. If the hairs are split then place just the very tip of the brush into your water jar so as to bring the hairs together.

With your hake full of dark colour put in the mud lines. Remember to keep it subtle and not overdo it. Being of such dark colour, the mud lines could begin to dominate the painting and ruin it.

All thats left to do are the distant yachts. Making sure the paper is dry, place two credit cards across one another on the horizon so as to create a triangular template with which you can remove the paint so as to create the sails of a yacht.

Take the flat brush and dip it in your water. Wipe the brush on a tea towel to remove the excess water and then brush the paper to remove the paint before dabbing with a tissue to create the sails. Repeat the process so as to create as many yachts as you like, though as always, dont overdo it!

Finally take your rigger and sign your finished painting. Remember not to sign to near the edge else the frame will cover your signature. Now stand back and admire your masterpiece!

About the Author

Steven Cronin is artist and author of oil and watercolour painting tutorial books aimed primarily at beginners. Visit his bookstore at http://www.LearnToPaint.net To view the painting please visit http://www.steven-cronin-art.com/2010/03/little-loch-broom-from-dundonell-15-x.html

what are the strecher strip for?

are they to straight the watercolor paper before i paint it?
or are they just a frame for the picture?

Do you mean "stretcher bars"?
Stretcher bars are used to hold canvas firm and tight. This is mostly for oils and acrylics.
To hold watercolor paper tight, you need to tape the paper to a wooden board.

DIRECTIONS FOR STRETCHING WATERCOLOR PAPER ON A BOARD:
Use 4 strips of gummed brown tape, one for each side (edge) of the piece of watercolor paper. Cut these slightly longer than the sides. Put them aside for the moment.
Soak a sheet of watercolor paper in cold water for a couple of minutes. This is to allow the fibers in the paper to expand.
Lift the sheet of watercolor paper and gently shake off the excess water. Place it on a drawing board, which must be lying flat.
Smooth the watercolor paper out with a clean sponge (preferably) or your fingers (but wash them first to get any grease off them). If the sheet of watercolor paper not perfectly smooth at this stage, it won't dry smooth.
Moisten a strip of gummed tape and stick it down firmly alone one side so that one third of the tape is on the paper and two-thirds on the board. This will stop the watercolor paper pulling off the board when it dries.
Tape down the other sides of the sheet of watercolor paper in the same way.
Leave to dry for several hours, away from direct heat. As the water evaporates, the fibers in the paper contract, leaving the sheet of watercolor paper flat.
Keep the board flat while the watercolor paper dries, otherwise the water will drain to one edge and the paper will drive unevenly.
When you paint on the watercolor paper, it'll stay flat because you won't ever soak the whole piece as much as you did in step one.

Tips:
Don't use hot water to soak your watercolor paper as this could remove the sizing from the paper, and don't soak it for too long for the same reason. Sizing is added to watercolor paper to reduce its absorbency.
Use different color sponges for smoothing a piece of paper and moistening gummed tape so you never run the risk of getting gum on your sheet of watercolor paper.
If you don't get on with gummed brown tape, an alternative method is to staple the paper down onto the board instead.
You may be able to peel off some of the tape, but be careful not to tear the paper. Rather just trim off the edges of the paper or hide them under a mount.

http://painting.about.com/cs/watercolours/ht/Howto_WCstretch.htm

DIRECTIONS FOR USING STRETCHER BARS FOR CANVAS:
Step 1
Cut your piece of canvas at least 6-8 inches wider than the dimensions of the stretcher bars (taking into account the frame's depth). You'll need this extra canvas to have something to get a grip on to be able to pull and stretch it.
Step 2
Lay your frame centered on top of the canvas you've cut.
Step 3
Make sure that the grain of the canvas is lined up straight with the stretcher bars.
Step 4
Start with the longest side of the canvas. Fold it over, and plop down three staples with your heavy duty stapler near the center of that stretcher bar.
Step 5
Rotate the canvas. Or go to the opposite side and pull rather tight, fold the canvas over the frame, and put down three more staples near the center of that stretcher bar(exactly like the first side).
Step 6
Go to one of the unstapled sides and give the canvas a good solid pull, fold it over, and put in two staples.
Step 7
Go to the opposite and last unstapled side and pull the canvas very tight, fold it over the frame, and give it a few staples there as well.
Step 8
Go back to the first side and working from the centers to the corners, pull a piece of the loose canvas over the stretcher bar (generally standing/kneeling from the opposite side) putting in two staples or so for each section (depending on the size of the frame).
Step 9
Go to the opposite side of the canvas and repeat the previous step.
Step 10
Continue pulling and stapling pieces of the canvas moving around the canvas edges in the same order as above. If you want, you can staple near the corners and then place a staple between the center and the corner, instead.
Step 11
Continue until you have about four inches of unstapled space from the corners.
Step 12
Fold the corners however suits you best and staple them down. One way that works is to tuck them under twice so that one straight edge is just even with the corner.
Step 13
Pull the corners very firmly, as this is the final tightening you give the canvas and the most important.
Step 14
Once you're finished, flip the whole canvas over and tap it with your finger. It should sound like a drum. It should be very, very taut. If there is any creasing or strange pulling, you'll be able to see it from here. If you mis-stapled or don't have the canvas particularly taut, pull the staples and fix it. The canvas will sag far worse once it is painted.
Step 15
Pound in each staple with a hammer until it is flush with the wood.