DEMONSTRATION Winter Patterns
Here is a scene in the Perthshire countryside (right), where I was attracted to both the lines made by the stone walls and hedgerows, as well as the strong foreground shadows on the snow. I just knew I wanted to capture the scene in watercolour.
MATERIALS
Surface
Saunders Waterford 300gsm
watercolour paper 14x10in (35.5x25.5cm)
Artists’ watercolour
Ultramarine blue
Cobalt blue
Burnt sienna
Alizarin crimson
Green apatite genuine
(Daniel Smith) or olive green
Yellow ochre light
Quinacridone sienna (Daniel Smith)
Cadmium orange
STAGE 1
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1 I taped my paper to a plywood board with masking tape. I drew only the lines needed to place the objects correctly. You may prefer to draw more detail initially, but this might tighten the end result.
2 Dampen the sky area with clean water and, whilst this is soaking in, mix yellow ochre with alizarin crimson in one well of your palette and cobalt blue in another.
3 Using a large wash brush apply the blue, leaving spaces for the clouds.
4 With a different brush, add the clouds but avoid touching the blue. The dampness of the paper will bring them together.
5 Touch the lower parts of the clouds with the cobalt blue on the other brush to create the appearance of shadow.
6 Leave this to blend and dry, while you strengthen the cobalt blue and add the foreground shadows cast by the trees and fences out of view behind you. Allow to dry thoroughly.
STAGE 2
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1 Use the side of the No. 12 Round to add burnt sienna to some of the fields in the distance. I kept this quite dry by touching a tissue first to take some moisture out of the brush and applying the paint with fast strokes to create a hit-and-miss dry-brush effect.
2 Add a mix of cobalt blue and alizarin crimson for distant shadows in a similar way.
3 Paint the front of the farmhouse with burnt sienna and yellow ochre and plenty of water.
4 Next apply a strong mix of cobalt blue and burnt sienna with the point of the No. 12 Round brush to create the walls and hedgerows. Add touches of blue here and there to give variety.
5 Check the front of the farmhouse is dry before adding the shadow sides and roof with the same dark mix then begin painting the trees nearby. Don’t worry about colour, it is tone you need to get right.