LOOSE TECHNIQUES ON BUILDING

ONE MORE TIME: TAKING NOTES ON JEAN HAINES TECHNIQUES

Most of these techniques I've used in one form or another. But, I've never combined them the same way that Jean Haines does. So here is my exercise/practice using some of them on a building. 

#1 Using a card to create background, straight lines.

In the violet vase picture, she used a card (or scrap watercolor paper) to block

out the vase and create the background. Here, the card is used to cover the building and create some background. I placed the card to the left of the blue background, and holding the brush farther away from the brush end, painted in blue, stroking upward to the right. I removed the card and continued to work on the background, adding green for leaves and some purple, trying to keep the colors cool on this side.

I also used a card to create a diagonal at the bottom, and just stroked upward with blue and purple.

I covered the roof with a card and painted a light blue over the sky on the right. Then I worked on

the texture of the building. I used a card to mark the topof the building (covered the roof). I painted in burnt sienna and ochre; salted while wet; then

STRETCHED some plastic wrap over the salted area. While I've used salt and saran together before, Stretching the wrap to make the lines straighter was different for me.

(Picture with wrap on)

Wrap off.

I painted the side of the building with the same colors, using same colors, but only salt.

So you can see the difference in the tetures. The saran wrap holds the salt in place, creating

an old building texture.

Using the card again, I painted the shadow underneath the roof and the side roof.

I finished all the roof, holding a card at different angles.

I also used the card to create the top of the window and the line underneath it.

I painted in a loose tree on the left. (Not my best)

This is as far as I got. There's a lot I like about it. I forgot to say that, as I put in greens for the tree, I allowed some to bleed into the side of the building, just as I let purple from the iris bleed into the wet leaf. (previous blog) 

 I did enjoy using the card to create straight lines.

There was a good question: why not just use tape to tape off lines? You could use tape. (In fact, that's

probably what I would have otherwise chosen)  But there really is a sense of freedom to using the card, not having to wait for paint to dry to remove tape. You can also make decisions quickly instead of all planned out. Plus, I did not draw one single line on this painting.

(sketch plan below on sketch paper--none sketched on watercolor paper)

Try this...I think you'll have some fun and feel a little looser when painting a building.