WATERCOLOR: Structures, Space, & Shadows with Katherine Wright. Last Saturdays’ FREE Demo at DANIEL SMITH Artists’ Materials

 

Katherine began the demo talking about the effects of light falling on structures (both natural and man made) and how shadows from those structures create a sense of space.  Katherine said that it is important to learn that; ” Understanding what light is so we can understand it as Artists.”  This is an important topic to Katherine and she spent some time talking about it, which since she shared a fair amount of technical information and observations I will not write more on the topic as it would make this post very long!

 

Katherine briefly outlined how she works starting with her sketches, which she said; “I work a lot from my sketches, [and] sometimes I like my sketches better!”  She works out the numbers to enlarge her sketch to the size that she will be working with on watercolor paper, then uses graphite transfer paper to transfer the image.  Here is a tip for you:  Katherine likes to re-use the image on the transfer paper (she will do it multiple times) for another painting, she will make different decisions, color choices etc. and ultimately have a very different painting.

 

The paper Katherine prefers to paint on is Arches 300lb hot press watercolor paper , because she said she is: “lazy and does not like stretching watercolor paper”, although she does sometimes use the cold press too.  To begin painting, Katherine prefers LARGE brushes, the larger the better!  One of her favorites is a size 40 round DANIEL SMITH watercolor brush that is no longer manufactured.  I thought her preference for larger brushes was very interesting since her background is architecture (check out her architectural illustrations ).   I asked her about it after the demo, and she said she really likes the gestural freedom of the larger brushes for her watercolor paintings.  Later she will add details into the painting with smaller brushes.  Starting with her large flat brush, Katherine told us that, “flat brushes can really get you a long way”, she began working on her painting of some buildings on a hillside in Italy (she lived in Puglia for 3 years) with her watercolors. 

 

Katherine begins by expressively working on her “under-painting” which she calls “a mess” (!) using the large flat brush, then she lets the colors dry a bit and goes back in and “intensifies it” with stronger color.  Later she will begin to add details with a fine brush, but not too much.  Katherine encouraged many questions during the demo and happily answered them although, it did mean that the demo ran over 15 minuets, so she was not able to finish some of the detail work she would have liked! 

Some of the other helpful tips that Katherine shared with us was that she does not use black, but rather prefers to “make interesting darks” by combining colors like DANIEL SMITH Extra Fine Watercolors in French Ultramarine , Burnt Umber , and Quinacridone Magenta to make “interesting darks”.  Also how important it is to really know your watercolor paints and their qualities.  Katherine gave us an example of how, when she first began working in watercolor, she did not realize why when mixing Alizarin Crimson with Naples Yellow , she lost her luminous transparency.  Later, once she learned more about her watercolors, she found out that Naples Yellow has Zinc White in it, and Zinc White is one of the more opaque colors. 

 

To learn more about  watercolor painting  from Katherine, she is teaching a Workshop: “Putting perspective in your work!”   April 12, 2009 at the Kirkland Woman’s Club, please contact Katherine via her website for more.