9/03/2008

Blue Breakers


4" x 5", Gouache on Plate Bristol Board

I did not find this picture easy to do. At one point I actually
rinsed it off under the tap. That was a good thing, as it revealed
(as it can do), some subtle tones and textures I wouldn't have
seen had I not done that. I really wanted it to be semi-abstract,
as I love a balance of realism and abstract. I find that very
intriguing.

As it is, I am fairly satisfied with this effort, as I absolutely love
the colors. If you haven't tried gouache (opaque watercolor) yet,
you ought to give it a try. You don't actually have to run out and
buy a "set" of gouache if you have a set of watercolors. All you need
is a tube of Chinese White, which I learned today was invented in
1834 (and certainly made good use of by Turner, who left no less
than 20,000 works of art at his death!).

You can mix the Chinese White with the watercolor. This is actually
how gouache (then known as "bodycolour" ) was originally done in
the 18th century. Hmm.....interesting. Anyway, it is really fun to
work with, because you can use it transparently or opaquely, and
any "mistake" can be covered up. It is kind of like oils, really, except
that you really can't "blend" it so much, and it does tend to dry a bit
lighter than it is when it is wet.

Thanks for visiting today.

4 comments:

Jacqui Dodds said...

This painting is lovely. Thanks for posting about adding chinese white to watercolour - didn't realise you can do this.
Jacqui
http://www.jacquidodds.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Jacqui - thank you for the nice comment. Yes, it is interesting about the Chinese White. That is probably what Turner was probably using most of the time...I like your blogs. Want to link? I'll go ahead and add yours to my list.
Priscilla

Anonymous said...

Jacqui - thank you for the nice comment. Yes, it is interesting about the Chinese White. That is probably what Turner was probably using most of the time...I like your blogs. Want to link? I'll go ahead and add yours to my list.
Priscilla

Jacqui Dodds said...

Hi Priscilla
Thank you for your comment about my blogs. I have added you to mine. Not sure which of mine you want to link to but my art blog - 'Jacqui Dodds Art'
is at this URL:
http://www.jacquidodds.blogspot.com/
Many Thanks
Jacqui