Chris Campbell Watercolors: What to Know before starting a "pour"

Today we worked some more on finishing the negative paintings.

It's a matter of building up the background layer by layer, darkening the values with each new layer.

Here are the steps I took to finish the sweet potato vine:

On some of the leaves, I created some veins, negative painting on each side of the veins.

Some of the flowers needed to stand out more because the original background was too dark. I used Bleed Proof White to give it a boost.

I made a few enhancements, adding some color on leaves that looked dull, adding some color to the grasses. I completed creating some hexagon shapes in the background to unify the painting. I think I am going to call it finished.

Here are just a few of the negative paintings the class created:

And one more Sarah is doing for a competition:

UNDERSTANDING POURING

This was our practice to understand pouring.

Basic supplies:

masking fluid and brush dedicated for masking

(I also showed how to used contact paper or tape for some masking)

100% cotton 140 pound paper

a board to attach paper to

3 primary colors in tubes (quinacridones, pthalo, reds, Hansa yellows, are good for the first pour)

3 small containers for mixing (Dixie cup, yogurt cup, etc)

large brush for wetting the surface

pad to absorb dripping paint

cup or container for draining off excess paint

Prepare 3 small jars of primary colors. Put a little tube paint in a container, such as a yogurt cup or bathroom sized Dixie cup, and add a little water to completely dilute it. Test the diluted paint on a piece of paper to be sure it is the right value. If it's too dark, add a bit of water; if too thin, add a bit of paint.

I use a dog training pad to absorb the mess as I go along.

First make a copy of your drawing and create a "map" for masking. (Just on some drawing paper) Copy it onto your watercolor paper also. Mark the 1's first, to indicate that those shapes remain white; then mark #2's next, for your 2nd masking; mark #3's next, to indicate what will be the last masking.

Draw the simple picture on watercolor paper. Then mask off those shapes you want to keep white and are #1 on your map.

When the masking is dry, wet the entire paper and pour your colors. POUR YELLOW

first, because yellow has the least TINTING STRENGTH. In fast, yellow mixes will need less water in them for pouring. You can tilt the paper back and forth to get a good blend. When the colors look good to you, lay the painting flat and let it dry naturally, no blow dryer. (IT will glue the masking fluid to your painting if you dry it on hight)

Mask off your #2's; let the masking dry; then pour your next layer, increasing the amount of paint to water in your mixes.

After it is dry, mask off shapes with #3 on them. Dry the mask, then do a third pour,

this time with the paint darker.

When dry, remove all the masking fluid. You'll note that some of the first layers are not as colorful as they were at first. The masking fluid can remove some of the paint.