Good Question of the Week: Do you really use Ivory Black?
I get a lot of questions in my inbox and the blog comments these days, I think every so often I’ll post a few to the main page here, so everyone can benefit from the discussion.
S.T.: Marc, I just read your list of colors and am rather surprised to see black! Why not Indigo, or Payne’s Grey? Just curious and always interested in learning. Thanks.
Marc: So in fact, that is a great question. For that particular class supply list we’re discussing, I’m trying to keep the number of colors down to a minimum. It can seem like a lot for people to purchase in one go (though, really it’s not – painting is a cheap activity compared to almost anything else. Golf? Skiing? Drinking?!)
But other than that here’s my thing:
In my approach to watercolor I’m working larger-to-smaller, lighter-to-darker. (Like everyone I think?) By the time I get to the darkest dark parts of the image I am A: wanting to cover color that has gone down before, and B: doing very small embellishments. The darkest darks are usually done with a #0 or #2 round. So honestly – we are mostly talking about opaque-ish dots and dashes :) (See this old worksheet that I plan to update soon).
But, yes, you need a sturdy dark that does the job.
Sometimes, I’ll use Ivory Black. But just as often I’ll use a thick mixture of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna, or Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson.
Occasionally I’ll use a few special effects colors (that I didn’t call for in the basic color list) – Prussian Blue (my version of Indigo) and Shadow Green (Holbein). These are strong, dark, transparent pigments. Good alternatives IMO to Ultramarine, as a mix with a complement like Alizarin.
But when there is a true black going on – like a velvet dress, or raven hair – I’m quite willing to use liberal amounts of Ivory Black. I’ll even use black gouache (mixed into other watercolors) to be even *more* opaque.
RE: Payne’s Grey: In my (admittedly limited) experience, this is the one color that changes the most when it dries. Payne’s is always going lighter than I expected. Add to that the fact I work a lot ‘on the run’ – sketching in the field – carrying all my supplies all day – I’m always trying for the smallest possible kit that still gives me results. Thus – Mr. Payne’s Grey gets the boot.
Also, here’s a completely unrelated story about a bad experience with Payne’s Grey.
Warming up for the watercolor class
Last night Syn Studio’s drop in drawing. Spending some time warming up for my upcoming class.
There’s some more of these spontaneous 5 and 10 min watercolors on figure drawing blog: Tarosan. (NSFW warning).
Supply List for Class
Just a quick note: If you are interested in, or already registered for, my Expressive Painting in Watercolor class at Syn Studio this Oct-Dec – here’s a link to the supply list.
Last I heard there were only two spots left! ~m
…and the demos from the weekend
And now, what (some of you) have been waiting for: the demos from last weekend’s workshop!
My method for this sort of “architectural portrait” always begins with a structural drawing. You have to go slow in order to go fast. A painting on location might take two or three hours, depending on complexity. People are surprised to hear I spend at least half the time on the under drawing.
The key thing I want students to take home is: Drawing from the Outside in. Finding the furthest dimensions of the subject – and verifying by measuring – before drawing too many interior details. I don’t want people to become obsessed with measuring. It shouldn’t be laborious. Drawing must remain expressive. But I’m always disappointed in my own work if the proportions are off. The idea after all, is to capture a recognizable place and relay the feeling if being there. (I realize now I’m going to have to figure out how to make a video on sight-measuring. I’m thinking about how to best do it).
Really, you’ll regret rushing in if you end up needing to erase some nice drawing. Worse yet, drawing for half an hour and finding the top of the cathedral goes off the page. Used to happen to me all the time.
Other topics during the demos included, drawing shadow shapes not linear details, (examples here, here, here and, with-nudity-here) and the compositional principle I call the gradient of interest.
Once you have a drawing you can start the fun part – pouring on the washes! It might sound hokey, but watercolor truly is a joyful medium. The color flows and mixes in front of your eyes. With the right sized brush you can cover the entire drawing in seconds. The magic all happens in a rush of splashing paint and darting calligraphy.
I hope, even while students are carefully drawing – ‘tongue sticking out the side of their mouth’ as my friend Lydia says, they are feeling some of that enjoyment :)
Photos from the Workshop!
We had 30 students shared between myself and my co-instructor Shari Blaukopf. Some locals, some from Ontario, and some from as far as British Columbia, California, Florida, and Texas.
If I can say it myself, about our own workshop, it was a smashing success :)
We heard a lot of positive comments; the techniques we chose seemed on target, people seemed to enjoy the critiques and “classroom” exercises – even if some found them challenging. To me, that’s the right balance. A lot of learning, a bit of pushing people to do things they haven’t tried, but not making it so frustrating that people shut down.
I was flattered that a few of our students were people I’d taught in past USK symposia (Lisbon and Santo Domingo). It’s great to know they would come all the way to Montreal to paint together again.
My friend Matthew Brehm once described teaching as ‘aggressive learning’. I like that phrase. In order to explain a method to someone else, you really have to wrestle with it. Be confident you’ve conquered it.
It’s a useful mental model for me. Having a hit-list of techniques to nail down before the next season of classes. I’m doing some research on new things to teach next time. Stuff I’ll un-veil when I think I’ve ‘crushed it’ as the kids say.
I had a great time meeting everyone at the workshop. I have to say this was the most social class I’ve been at. Thanks to Shari’s organizing, all the students, plus spouses and friends, were out for dinner every night, showing off their day’s work, sharing sketchbooks and talking art into the evening. It was a pretty cool feeling, bringing the spirit of the USK symposium to Montreal.
The rest of the event photos are posted up on our new Urban Sketchers Montreal Workshops Alumni Facebook group. All you who’ve taken a course with us (or even those who really want to!) – feel free to share your sketches and future sketching plans here. I’d like this to be a place where everyone from our past workshops can keep in touch into the future.
Thanks again to everyone who attended! I look forward to sketching with each of you again soon.
10 Week Watercolor Class at Syn Studio
A few people have asked about classes, so I’m pleased to announce:
Expressive Painting in Watercolor
Starting in October, for 10 weeks, I’ll be teaching a watercolor class at Syn Studio on Wednesday nights. As the weather gets poor in fall, maybe you’d like to come inside and paint :) We’ll be covering a wide range of subjects, starting with still life, doing some work with a model (both full figure and portraits) and then a ‘graduation piece’ to apply everything on a larger more complex work.
I’ll be emphasizing watercolor over top of drawing, as that’s more suitable for beginners, and of course is my own preference. Plus trying to help students with color and composition, handling hard and soft edges, improving your ability to execute small detail, and to draw expressively with the brush.
Looking forward to meeting some of you there!
Next Sunday Sketching: Aug 25th: (Free Event!)
Sunday August 25th, 10 AM we will meet in front of Pointe-à-Callière museum to sketch at their historical recreation 18th Century Public Market.
If there’s any new sketchers thinking about coming, you can read up on Drawing People in Motion. (PDF). There should be a lot of great characters in costume to draw.
I’m sure there’s lots to sketch here, but of course the Old Port has plenty to see within a short walk. We will not relocate in the event of rain, because the museum is a good option for backup.
Hope to meet some new sketchers!
Info about the market here
Info about our Sunday Sketching events here:
Drawing really makes you look at things…
Sometimes you can look right at something and not really see it. Until you sit down to draw it that is.
I’ve sketched in this square about five times now – and just the other day I finally *really* looked at the statue of Jeanne Mance (Female figure on the lower right).
I was shocked to see how the sculptor chose to pose her figure. She’s got a young (naked) native boy in a motherly headlock. Holding him back as he strains to grab something just out of reach. Amazing. It doesn’t get any more real than that hey? That’s really how they thought about things back then? A little heart warming fable about Jeanne giving that tough love to the natives. I know we’re colonizers – but still – this is how she goes down in history? Nice. I suppose even the way the story gets told is part of our history.
This is the kind of stuff I find myself thinking about while drawing.
We’ve actually been back just over a week, but of course coming home from a sketching holiday means returning to a huge inbox and a set of onrushing deadlines.
Here’s one of the reasons I’ve been quiet for awhile. Archiving all the sketches from the trip:
On past sketching trips I’ve tried to paint on location as much as possible. That’s the dream – painting en plein air from sunrise to sunset. But often, the sad reality is I come home from a week in the field with 8-10 watercolors – and out of that I’ll only really love three. (No matter how good the work is, I never really like more than the top three). This time I knew there was too much I wanted to see in BCN. That just wasn’t going to cut it.
As well, there was the deal with the pickpockets. We’d heard many stories about petty theft – which I was ready to disregard as tourists’ exaggerations – until one of our friends on the ground was robbed just a day before we left.
Suddenly I’m all paranoid, and I start reading on the web about the famous bird-poo pickpockets. “Here let me clean your jacket and that pocket lint-y wallet!”. My favorite pieces of tourist advice: “Don’t allow anyone to come within arms length. Shout ‘Stand Back! in a loud voice.” And this good one: “Especially don’t trust anyone in a police uniform. They are probably fake”.
So I was persuaded to travel with the the lightest possible kit. Just a pencil, blob of kneaded eraser, and loose paper carried around in my trusty leatherette ‘presentation portfolio’. I’ve been using it for the last 10 years as a sketchbook slash drawing board. I was asked more than once if I was carrying around a menu.
I was running out of paper during our “Drawing People in Motion” workshop, (burning through examples, plus giving away all demos to students). Somewhere in there we passed an office supply store and grabbed a new block of cover stock. I had about 10 sheets of euro sized A4 left when we got back – so that means this is a shot of about 90 pages of BCN sketching goodness (minus false starts left in trash bins all over the city). Plus a little tease of the latest paintings. I’m using the location sketches printed onto 140lb watercolor paper as the basis for color works. More on that later.
Meanwhile, I’ve been cramming for our upcoming Montreal Workshop THIS WEEKEND! Neck deep right now in the final arrangements. Had to reserve a classroom in case of rain. Still making maps and handouts for the students. Have been going down every morning and scouting locations – finding the best drawing spots. Really looking forward to meeting artists Thursday night. This is going to be our best workshop so far, just because of the home field advantage.
John Singer Sargent Watercolors: Exhibition Report
We recently visited the Brooklyn Museum to see the show of John Singer Sargent watercolors. It’s close enough to Montreal that I couldn’t really pass it up. Not and still call myself a serious watercolorist. The exhibit ends July 28, so by the time I post this it’s basically over – however, it comes to the MFA in Boston (Oct 13/13 – Jan 20/14), so that’s another chance for Nor’easterners.
Like most artists, I’ve always admired Sargent’s mastery of calligraphic brushwork in oil. I wasn’t as aware of his watercolors before this show. Which I suppose was the point. The curators have brought together a never-before-seen exhibit.
So, for those that don’t have a chance to get there in person – here’s my report:
Citizen Sketcher 