Water Color Painting: Practice 2

STILL WATER

As previously mentioned, it is important that you study your subject well. If you are painting from a picture, you must look at it closely and observe the different tones you see. Some objects may look the same at a first glance but if you will let your eyes focus on an object, you will see the different tones I am talking about.

For this painting, several techniques were used. Wet in wet technique was used  in trees, foliage and grass; while flat and graded wash for the sky and the reflection on the pond. The grass near the water were glazed with a light yellowish pigment. Before you begin painting, lay out you drawing as your guide. 

TREE, FOLIAGE, GRASS. Depending on what you see in your subject, identify the type of green you see. Create a light mixture and apply it on the object using a flat wash. This will be your highlight. Let it dry a bit. On the same mixture, add another paint to make it darker than the initial mixture. Apply in irregular brush pattern. Repeat the process with the mixture; making it darker in shade for the shadows. Do not use the paint straight from the tube. For a realistic effect, you can try to create mixtures of green, yellow, some brown, some blue to darken the color that will be used for the shadow. Make sure that all mixtures will be based on what you see on your subject. It may not be the exact color but should be something closer, at least. Always have another paper ready to try the colors first before application.


REFLECTION. Draw a line connecting the eye to the water and measure the angle created between the water and the line. Use this same angle to connect the top of the item being reflected with the water. Where the line hits the water, this is the top of the object's reflection. Make paint mixture thin and transparent, keeping in mind that the actual color of the water should be the dominant hue. Paint the water over the reflection. It should be a thin wash that would allow the reflection to show clearly through. Add more water to thin out the mixture or use lighter colors. For the wet method, paint the water in first. While the water is still wet, add in the reflection. Instead of using stripes, fill the brush with the desired color and create lines. Allow the paint to run and bleed into the wet color of the water you already applied. The reflection will distort automatically as it mixes with the wet paint.