PAINTING WITH YELLOWS

IT'S THE END OF FEBRUARY, AND MY DAFFODILS are coming up. Spring is really coming, and I'm in the mood to paint daffodils.

BUT

PAINTING YELLOWS can be tricky. Sometimes when shading we end up with green or mud instead of a color that looks like a shaded yellow. Below is how I made a color chart to help me keep my yellows pure looking.

Yellow doesn't get to a very dark value, so we have to trick the eye sometimes. To begin this chart, I picked some of my favorite yellows (for yours, just use a warm and a cool to keep it simple)* plus raw sienna. I have 8 squares in the top row, so I could choose 7 yellows plus my raw sienna. 

Below you'll see how I started my chart, skipping every other color to give it a chance to dry before painting next to that space.

Below you see all my colors. I tried to do cool to warmest, but one is out of place.

So left to right, I have raw sienna, Nickel Titanate, Hansa Azo, Cadmium medium, Isoindolilne (that is out of place, much warmer than..) New Gamboge, and Quinacridone Gold.  The left hand stripe beneath each square is that same color, which will be glazed over when dry. 

The stripes on the left of each color show that yellow with another color glazed over it.

(I used burnt sienna in the second row; purple in the third row; perm red in the fourth row).

The stripe on the right side of each color show that yellow mixed on the palette with the new color.

So in the first column on right your first row shows raw sienna by itself. The row beneath it shows raw sienna glazed over with burnt sienna. And to the right of that is raw sienna mixed on the palette with burnt sienna. The third row shows raw sienna and purple, glazed, then mixed. The last row shows raw sienna with red, glazed, then mixed. 

The purpose of this was to show the possibilities of yellows I could make and what colors will make attractive shades of the yellows I'm shooting for. You could also experiment with a color glazed over with yellow instead of yellow glazed over with a color. 

This picture shows a daffodil done by underglazing with purples. The lemon and pear are done wet into wet. You can often take advantage of the warmer yellows, using them for shaded areas. 

TWO EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SHADE YELLOWS

Below are six experiments. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are underglazed. A shading color is used to "model" or sculpt the lemon, much like shading a drawing. #1 uses burnt umber; #2 uses purple; #3 uses burnt sienna. (You can try other underglazes, like neutral tint, dark greens, etc. Play and see what works.)

#4 is wet into wet, using hansa yellow, raw sienna, and a bit of green. #5 is wet into wet using hansa yellow, quin gold, and a bit of orange. #6 is simply painted with hansa yellow only. 

Now you can see the result of glazing over the dried undercoat. Numbers 1, 2, 1nd 3 are glazed over

with hansa yellow.And number six, the one with just a layer of yellow, is shaded over with raw sienna and more hansa.

*Warm yellows lean to orange; cool yellows look lemony, sometimes almost green, and are a lighter value than the warm ones. 

In class I showed a book by Billy Showell, who is a botanical artist. Gorgeous flowers! She likes to mix her own mid tones (like neutrals) to use as underglazes in pale and white flowers, using one part cad red medium, one part cad yellow pale, and two parts French ultramarine.

MORE ON THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY

MORE ABOUT COLORL MIXING

In the following steps, I've tried to stay within my basic 3 colors that I started with: Azo Yellow, Cobalt Blue, and Rose Madder Lake. I have to admit to adding one of my favorites, Transparent Pyrrol Orange, in one of the steps, just because.

In the above picture, I mixed a black using an orange made from my red and yellow and my cobalt.You could use the red and green of the colors you've chosen.  (The miskit was still on the butterfly wings) I painted in the black on the butterfly wings and on the body with a first layer. When it dried, I painted over the darkest blacks with another layer of black. This is an example of creating an opaque color in the lesson on 5 ways to mix color. Note that some of the blacks are lighter than other parts.

The next step used the GLAZING method of mixing colors. I used my cobalt blue to create shadows and separations in the pink flowers. (My miskit is still on the center of the flowers in this picture above)

The next step involves more GLAZING. With miskit still on the flowers, on the back flower I glazed more rose madder lake to unify the shadows and the flower. And just to show one color glazed over another, I used transparent pyrrol orange over the front flower. 

To create the background, I reverted to CHARGING color into color. 

But first, a little about backgrounds (which, I admit, are not my strong point)

What you want to be aware of are ways to make things that are important come forward; things less important to recede into the background. 

If you want to emphasize something, you need some kind of contrast: light against dark value; clean color against dulled color; soft edges or hard edges; changes in texture; complimentary colors. there are others, but you get the picture. In general, warm colors will come forward more than cool. Details will come forward more. 

To make something recede, it's sort of the opposite. Make the values closer together; subtler changes in edges (or edges blurred); colors that are closer in temperature; more greyed or neutralized colors.

That said, I wanted the orange flower to come forward more. I tried for a neutralized blue in the background, which would be the opposite of the orange. (neutralized by putting oranges and some greens in the wet blue) On one side I salted to change texture, but the other side wasn't wet enough to accept the salt. So I'll have to fix that later. 

The butterfly has lots of detail, so I did the area around it with a pale, neutralized blue. (light value against dark value; opposite colors; detail against no detail)

I removed the miskit after I darkened the bottom of the centers a little bit. I painted the legs and antennae of the butterfly with a mixture of orange and blue. I painted the shadows with cobalt blue. 

These last few steps were done at home, not in class.

Here I've painted in the yellows on the flower centers. If you look closely you might see that I also lifted a little bit on the flower petals and on the wings. 

I darkened the stem just a little under the flower and washed the salted area over with water. I washed over some of the whites on the wings with water to blur the harshness of some of the spots. 

It's nearly done. I just need to tape it up to my kitchen wall and look at it over the next week or so to see what else needs to be done. 

PUTTING IT TOGETHER: COLOR MIXING METHODS ON BUTTERFLY

PART 1

This was from a photograph taken last September of a monarch that landed on my zinnias. I added an extra flower on the left to balance out the picture.

Next I masked (miskit) out the white spots on the butterfly and the light centers. I could have painted the centers yellow and then masked that, but I didn't. 

The next steps all used knowledge I gained from studying color mixes ahead of time. These first few took advantage of color charging methods. I found that the four colors I wanted to use were Rose Madder Lake, Azo Yellos, cobalt blue, and green. 

I mixed an orange and pulled out a little bit and dulled it with a little cobalt blue for the underside of the right hand wing. I wet the entire wing, painted the right wing with the dulled down orange and the left with the dark orange. While wet I added some rose madder to the left and a little cobalt blue in some areas.

I did the flower centers next, wetting them, adding yellow, and then dropping in (again, charging) some oranges and blues to create some texture.

The flowers created by wetting them first, applying rose madder lake, and charging some yellows in some places and cobalt where there might be shadow, especially the center areas. The stems are also done, wet, with a yellow or orange base, and charging in some greens and blues, with a little rose.

Next week: finishing the painting using other color mixing methods, like glazing and mixing darks on the palette.

Color Mixing

The APRIL, 2019 issue of Watercolor Artist Magazine had an article that interested me on color mixing. The author is Ryan Fox, and the page numbers are 11-17. So this post and lesson were inspired by this article, and I encourage you to read the article if possible. It's the way I often paint, but he makes it sound so simple. I especially encourage doing this if you are trying to limit your palette, to see how many colors you can create with only a few paints. My examples show complimentary colors, but you can try this with anything.

Color mixing trial using transparent pyrrol orange and cobalt blue. 

Top left to right: 3 mixed on palette; wet into wet; pyrrol orange with blue dropped in (charged);

bottom left to right: orange glazed over blue; blue glazed over orange; opaque; blue charged into orange.

color mixing trial using rose madder lake and hookers green

5 WAYS TO MIX COLOR

Before you paint, you might be pretty certain of the color combinations you want to use. If you will work them out on scrap paper first, you might be surprised: either the color choices may not be what you expected or you may find something else you like better.

STEP ONE: CHOOSE TWO OPPOSITE COLORS, a red/green combination or blue/orange.

METHOD 1
MIXING COLOR ON THE PALETTE> This is a traditional way of mixing color, especially with acrylic and oil, so we expect it to be the main method for watercolor. But it isn't for every artist. Combine your chosen colors in about equal amounts to create a neutral. Make a 2" stripe of that. Next to eat, add more of one color (say orange) and make a 2" stripe next to that. Then add more of the other color (say, blue) and make a third stripe next to that.

Mixing on the palette gives you a source of consistent color that you can add to as a base. It gives a very flat appearance.

METHOD 2
WET-INTO-WET

Paint a 2 x 1 inch rectangle of each color, side by side, leaving a 1-inch dry spae between them. While both colors are wet (SHINY) take a brush loaded with clean water and join the area between the rectangles, merging the two colors.

METHOD 3
COLOR CHARGING

This is a wet-into-wet technique also. Crreate a 2 x 2 inch square of each color. WHILE THE PAINT IS WET (SHINY) drop the opposite color into a corner. Observe how different this looks than glazing (next method)

METHOD 4
GLAZING

Paint a 2 x 1 verticle stripe of each color a few inches apart. DRY. When dry, layer each color's complement in three horizontal stripes, one dark, one medium, and one light value.
You should notice the underlying color glowing through the color glazed on top. The colors are mixed VISUALLY.

METHOD 5
Making color appear opaque

Create a rectangle with a dark value created by mixing your two colors on the palette. DRY. Drop pure color on top and let it dry. It makes the color appear opaque insteadd of transparent. And you can create a pretty good black or dark brown with almost any colors.

METHOD 6
SIDE BY SIDE

This method isn't in the article, but it was used by the impressionist painters. It is laying pure color side by side in small amounts and allowing your eye to visually blend the colors. You don't see it used much in watercolor because you have to dry one color before you can put another pure color next to it.

Cat's Eyes

This is a painting I did in the spring of 2017 that uses alcohol inks on yupo paper. I dripped alcohol inks into the eyes and parts that have color. I used permanent marker, fine and ultra fine, to mark the fur and black stripes. I removed some of the stray alcohol ink with a swab and alcohol, but mostly I left it as is. There are also bits of fluid acrylic here and there. I was able to paint acrylic and water color right over the alcohol inks because the water doesn't move the ink.

ALCOHOL INKS 101

SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED

Alcohol inks can be an inexpensive, fun way to create. Above you can see some basic supplies:

(Left to right) a small palette, sprayer bottle, dropper, alcohol inks, 91% alcohol, stamper and pads,

permanent markers, cottons swabs, small brush - NOT A GOOD ONE - a straw. I SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED PLASTIC GLOVES - this can get messy. On the right is a ceramic tile. You can also use ANY NON-POROUS SURFACE, such as yupo, plastic (light switch plates), or shiny metal.

There are several good brands of alcohol inks, and I don't have a preference. Tim Holz Adirondak, and Jacquard Pinata are two I've used. You can buy them at a craft store or on Amazon. The Pinatas can be purchased in a 9 or 10 pack, and that seems to be a good value. Most of the Tim Holz are sold in packs of 3.

Below is an good way for beginners to start:

ALCOHOL INKS WITH PERMANENT MARKERS

You can just scribble on some marker and just make a design. But I've included here a way to create an abstract sunset. When using markers, don't put alcohol on the tile first. The inks will not come out of the marker if you do. 

 First, using two colors of blue, make some horizontal lines on 1/2 of the tile. 

Spritz with alchol to make it run--keep it at an angle to it can run.

Then, when that has dried, on the other side, use yellow, orange and red markers.

Cover the blue (like with plastic) to protect from alcohol spray, and spritz those colors.

Again, angle the tile so the colors run together. 

Next, when that is dry, wipe a circle clean with alcohol on a swab, then color in some 

orange and yellow for the sun. Swip some narrow pieces of the blue water with a swab.

Color in with some yellow. Then spritz slightly to let the colors run.

Finished. You can go over this with blue marker or other color that needs to be touched up.

EFFECTS

Spritzing lightly with alcohol makes these tiny white flecks in the painting.

This pink one has gold mixitive in the left hand side. Mixitives are heavier,

and they can be mixed with the ink directly or dropped on or swirled in.

STAMPING blends all the colors together.

ALCOHOL INKS

 When using the alcohol inks, you can spritz the surface with a little alcohol first so that the inks move around a little better. Drop a few drops onto the tile. (A LITTLE DAB WILL DO YA)

You can blow the ink around with a straw. But these inks DRY QUICKLY, so you don't have a lot of time.

Adding a few more inks and blowing with a straw. See the red-orange circle in the bottom left pink area? That is made just by dropping the ink into another color. They tend to push against the other color, not really mixing much at this point. 

Spritzing with alcohol again. It creates textures. 

Taking my stamper and stamping all the colors together. 

I dropped some yellow into that. Then "painted" the rest. To paint, you drop a little ink into a plastic palette. At this point you can mix colors and/or add mixitives in the palette. I dipped the brush into green ink and "painted" leaves onto the dry red surface. Thin the paint or clean your brush and palette with alcohol. 

USING A FIXATIVE

When you are done, your piece is already waterproof. But to preserve it, you can put a fixative on it.

You want to make sure your fixative is GLOSS, not matte. The Polycrylic on the left is a heavier duty finish. The acrylic sealer on the right is fine if you are just using it as a decoration. 

There's a little trick if you don't want to get more spots on your piece. Hold the spray 18 inches or so from the piece and LIGHTLY spray. This will help hold the color in place. If you try to heavily spray on the first pass, you will likely move the ink, because a lot of these sprays contain some alcohol. After about 15 minutes (or whatever the can directions say) you can apply a heavier spray. If using for a trivet, either use the polycrylic or several coats of acrylic.