swnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial Joe Francis Dowden - Watercolour Paintings www.joedowden.com email: joe@joedowden.com How To Paint Woodland Foliage CAPTURING TEXTURE IN WATERCOLOUR: - WOODLAND “BIN THE RULE BOOK AND GET LOST IN THE , woops” \ ‘The pictures are a lite raw, for which T apologise, but they are photographed in the course of my work, in studio conditions and they do tell the story. ‘THE PRINCIPLE Keep it simple” - that is the oft repeated mantra of watercolour - but not here. Simplifying can be hard work so don't bother. Just throw the lot in and make it as complicated as you ike = bin the rule book and get lst in the woods, Use these techniques but don't worry - nothing is crucial just throw in as much texture as possible. ‘THE PROBLEM How to get the trees to interweave with the leaves. How to save the labyrinth of light and sky-holes. ‘THE SOLUTION Mask lights at the beginning and save a few more as you go. If you've got too many at the end you can always paint them out with leaf colour, Use these methods. Try some or all ofthe tools shown. Improvise and let me know if you have a favourite tool or tick Remember the light source - itis to the left, a little ahead MATERIALS Paper : - Whatman 200Ib not. (or 140Ib not). Phone Daler Rowney : Tel: 01344 461000. Otherwise use Arches 140Ib not. Phone (0788 799 8499 or email joedowden®@yahoo,co.uk for independent and free advice on all your paper problems. Paint : - New Gamboge, Cadmium Lemon, Naples Yellow, Phthalo green, Burnt sienna, Burnt umber, French ultramarine, Crimson alizarin, SAA paints or Lukas from www.lawrence,co.uk, Tel: 01273 260260, Brushes : - Sable round no 12, no 2. SAA or www.tosemaryandco.com Tel: 01535 600090. Fig 1. Masking tools : - Left to right, Corn Cob stick, colour shaper, two ruined masking brushes, dip pen, tooth brush. bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm waswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolor Tutorial Masking textures, Fig 2. ‘Top row : - Ruined brushes, one with a lot of old dried up ‘masking fluid, one with not so much, Middle row : - Tooth brush spatter and finer tooth brush spray from dragging thumb across bristles. Bottom row, Dip pen lines. Sweet corn stick lines. Masking. Fig 3. ‘Sky areas masked - old masking brush. Fig 4. ‘Small sky holes masked with tooth brush spatter - always ‘mask more than you need - you can always touch them in afterwards if there is too much negative space. bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm aneswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolor Tutorial Fig 5. Just a few leaves masked with kebab stick Fig 6. Fine lines of tangled foliage masked with dip pen rib. Figs 7 & 8, A few leaves, sky-holes and Tree trunks masked with colour shaper. bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tmswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial Fig 9. When dry, spatter water into upper area with a large pointed round sable in a wet and dry pattern, then, Spatter yellow into wet spatter, in the upper trees. This forms three textures simultaneously - wet on dry spatter, wet into wet spatter, and the two combining, It tends to create a labyrinth of negative spaces between the colour - it makes ready made lights for the sky between the leaves, adding to the masked sky for the complexity of the scene, bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tmtaza Joo Dowden- Woodard Folage Watercolor Tuoi Fig 10. Brush some yellow, wet on dry over the lower area, leaving a few flecks of white, Fig 11. Use the tooth brush to spatter masking fluid for leaves lining the lane, Use a stencil and move it up as the spatter gets finer so smaller leaf texture appears in the distance. Fig 12. Using wet into wet spatter technique, add greens with yellow green mix and add French ultramarine and Burnt umber for, darker greens. bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm weswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial Fig 13. Water feathering technique - Gently criss cross water leaving spaces between strokes, then, Fig 14. brush trees through this while stil wet. They will diffuse or feather across wet areas but remain hard edged on the dry areas. Fig 15, ‘Add darks, brushing them through wet spatter. in wet with the wet in wet spatter technique. Use stencils for wet on dry spatter along lane edges. bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm aswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial Fig 16. ‘More wet in wet spatter technique followed by... ‘Trees and branches, finishing off with a fine number 2 sable. ‘The woodland is progressively built up. Be careful to leave a few extra lights for leaves. Finish the light green on the ground with yellow and small amount of green and Burnt sienna, using wet in wet spatter. Paint the foreground darks with wet in wet spatter. Figs 18 & 19 The image is built up progressively using these techniques. bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm maswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial Fig 20. Brush a light wash of French ultramarine, Crimson alizarin, and Burnt sienna in a warm grey colour onto the lane and brush shadows wet in wet a mix of French ultramarine, Grimson alizarin and a litle Burnt umber. Fig 21. Dry brush the stant fallen leaf texture onthe lane edges bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm aswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial ‘Much of this has already been done by now, attention to 4 detail is important to build up the complexity of a forest one piece at a time, making no attempt to simplify. Figs 22 & 22A. Remove all the masking flu Fig 23. btw joedondennvood andra im aiaswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial ‘Touch in some of the lights created by the masking, being careful to leave those you wish to keep, Fig 24. Paint the remaining forest and touch in the horses by wetting them and adding browns of Burnt sienna, with darks made by adding French ultramarine and Cobalt blue, leting it spread into the brown, Leave a few glints of white, Wet the unmasked trees and add browns and greens to the trunks and darks from the right. “Touch in the rider. The jacket is dark and trousers a lighter buff colour. Wet the puddles, add Naples Yellow and streak down a few darks while itis wet, not letting them mix in fuly. bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm sweswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial Fig 26. Detail Fig 27 Finished image. (Click image for larger version - Image will open in new Window) Would you like to learn more? Check my Events and Courses pages for details of courses and workshops. If you have any painting or materials enquiries, feel free to contact me, bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm wweswnazo Joo Dowden Woodland Foliage Watercolour Tutorial | Home | News | Events | Courses | Paintings | Books | DVD/Video | Tutorials | Workshops | Links | Contact | bephwwjoedonden netwocdandutrial tm wre