Wednesday, September 24, 2014

OJ

OJ, watercolor, 6.5x9.5" ©Diane Mannion

Day 24 of the 30/30 Challenge

Found this pitcher in an antique shop in Arcadia, FL, a favorite place to hunt for still life objects!  I'm sure my grandmother had the same one when I was five years old!  

It's fun to see how far I can push watercolor, working in glazes and lifting, although I'm still convinced oils are much easier to work with.  Set this up in front of my still life painting lights and worked from reference photo I took myself.  I'm pleased with the result although I like a painting to look more like a  painting and not a photo.  When folks try to compliment my work and say it looks like a photo, I cringe. 

And even though I did work from my own photo... I changed it quite a bit to add more punch... or juice to the colors.  Also simplified and abstracted a lot.  I think this is a bit too "photographic" for my taste.   What a conundrum!

A bit about glazing in watercolor.
 
Alert reader, Jo Mackenzie, watercolorist and 30/30 artist asked about glazing.
Here's my answer:

All I know about glazing in watercolor is by experimenting on my own. Think of transparent layers of color like cellophane, when colors are combined they all shine through.  IMPORTANT to let each layer dry then carefully layer another color over it without disturbing the underpainting.

Any color can be used, preferably a transparent rather than opaque watercolor.  Red, yellow, and blue together make a gorgeous neutral... and are much more luminous if applied in separate layers rather than mixing all together on the palette first, which is the simplest way to explain it.

 I don't work this way in every painting or area though. Sometimes ultramarine blue and burnt sienna mixed for first layer, then glaze with another color to create value and depth. This is why watercolor takes so much longer for me to work with... waiting for one area to dry before I glaze over it. I've heard to only use three layers of glazes (which I think is hogwash or nonsense), some artists use as many layers as it takes, maybe twenty or so. But I do like to work faster and will glaze as little as possible.


7 comments:

Jo Mackenzie said...

Wow......OJ never looked better. I am enjoying watercolor month so much.

Jo Mackenzie said...

I would like to know more about glazing. Do you have a favorite resource for this?

Susan said...

Yep, it's a bit too realistic, but that is still impressive. I'm sure the technique you've used will come in handy elsewhere. :)

Diane Mannion said...

Thanks, Susan... it's a difficult subject but here's my two cents worth... I love realistic paintings that don't look photographic. Paintings that go beyond realism and take on a life of their own. Here's that word again, verisimilitude. I think my OJ painting is right on the verge, but not quite there. Guess I'm a visual perfectionist.

Diane Mannion said...

Hi Jo, have been enjoying your 30/30 sheltie adventure, wonderful series. All I know about glazing in watercolor is by experimenting on my own. Think of transparent layers of color like cellophane. Let each layer dry then carefully layer another color over it without disturbing the underpainting. Red, yellow, and blue make a gorgeous neutral... and are much more luminous if applied in separate layers rather than mixing all together on the palette first, which is the simplest way to explain it. I don't work this way in every painting or area though. Sometimes ultramarine blue and burnt sienna mixed for first layer, then glaze with another color to create value and depth. This is why watercolor takes so much longer for me to work with... waiting for one area to dry before I glaze over it. I've heard to only use three layers of glazes (which I think is hogwash or nonsense), some artists use as many layers as it takes, maybe twenty or so. But I do like to work faster and will glaze as little as possible. Phew... this is a long explanation! Will copy and put in my post. Thanks for your good question, Jo Mackenzie

Jo Mackenzie said...

I need to print this out. I have never heard the glazing approach described in a way that I could understand but this makes sense to me.
Now I guess .....I should try it and see what happens. I am going to have to write out a step by step plan and follow it otherwise I will start "winging it" and never be sure of what strategy worked.
Time to write my "IEP" or Individualized Educational Plan. Thank you so much for taking the time from your busy day to answer in such depth. This is very generous of you and I am hungry to try it all.

Wendy Barrett said...

Wow, wow, wow!! You have an amazing ability to depict glass Diane. Love this so much!