Workshops and Videos

Due to feedback from participants of a recent Zoom session I conducted (Beginner's Guide to Watercolor), I created a high speed, demo video showing my watercolor painting process. The video runs about 10 minutes. Below I include painting tips associated with my impressionistic painting style that you will see demonstrated in the video:

• I don't (typically) work from light to dark using multiple layers. Rather, I sculpt and connect shapes, aiming for the correct color and value with my first wash to maintain a sense of freshness and spontaneity with the painting. I then add shadow shapes and any necessary details. 
  
  
• My palette contains several colors, but for any one painting, I typically use mixes from a smaller set of colors. Much of "Orange Hat" was done with various mixes of Cobalt Teal and Scarlet Pyrrol and a few other colors for skin tones and the father's shirt. I typically create my neutrals by mixing the compliments of the main colors in the painting. 
  
  
• I do most of my color mixing directly on the paper, using the advantage of a vertical easel to allow for colors to mix and mingle on the paper. I lay in one color, followed by quickly adding another into and around the initial color, letting all blend, particularly for larger shadow areas (e.g., father's shirt; skin tones). And if you lay down a warm color (e.g., Scarlet Pyrrol) first, followed by it's compliment (e.g., Cobalt Teal), you will get a lovely glow shining through the final consolidated color wash (e.g., father and son swim trunks). The key is to lay down or charge in your color and let the wash be. You can still add color while the wash is wet, but then get out of Dodge! Too much brushwork and/or going back into a drying wash will ruin the beautiful mingle effect.
  
  
• I lose and/or soften a lot of edges with my impressionistic style of painting, as I am more concerned about painting and connecting shapes and much less concerned about details. Also, I like to let the viewer fill in the missing details of a painting (our brains are hard-wired to perceive coherence). In "Orange Hat", the little boy has a bit more detail compared to the father because he and his hat are the major center of interest; particularly the hat, with the painting's most dramatic color and value contrast.

Enjoy the video!

Explore the Wonderful World of Watercolor

One of the comments I hear frequently is “I would really like to try watercolor painting." But folks tell me that they are not sure where to begin. Let me help! I love introducing people to this magical medium. It's one of my favorite things to do!

I’ve put together an e-book for you to download where I discuss painting materials (e.g., paints, brushes, paper, palettes and more), including recommendations for a starter kit. I also discuss basic watercolor brush strokes and painting techniques.

Click here for downloadable pdf: Beginner's Guide to Watercolor - Materials and Basic Techniques  

You can also check out other videos below showing how I sculpt a face for portrait painting:

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