Watercolor Painting: A Comprehensive Approach to Mastering the Medium by Tom Hoffmann Read Free Book Online Page A

There comes a point, however, beyond which the paint begins to lose its natural luminosity. When the light can no longer pass through all the paint and reflect back from the white paper to the viewer’s eye, the surface looks dull and lifeless. This alone would be a good enough reason not to pile on too many layers, but there is an even more compelling case for efficiency.
    In a way, the individual artist’s understanding of his subject is the subject. What we see when we look at a painting is the way the painter has interpreted the scene. Much of the pleasure of our experience as viewers, whether or not we are conscious of it, is seeing into the artist’s mind. When we are shown only the essential aspects of the subjectwith nothing extra, we see the world fully translated into a few washes and strokes. There is a sense of collaboration between artist and viewer, as if we are being counted on to fill in the blanks.
    How does the artist know when such a simple treatment would work? The skills involved in recognizing what is essential and what is optional are awareness skills. While John Yardley’s My New Shoes , opposite, certainly displays a deft hand, it is not the brushwork that is most impressive. He knew which were the truly telling aspects of his subject, and he gave us credit for being able to keep up with him. As viewers, we feel respected.
    With a fundamental economy of means in mind, I begin my translation of a subject by trying to understand it as a series oflayers. I imagine a succession of transparent films that will add up to the appropriate degree of complexity for the subject. To get in the habit of seeing this way, it is useful to impose a limit on the number of layers you are trying to identify. Roughly speaking, I envision a first layer of the lights, a second of the middle values, and a third of the darks. Although it is sometimes necessary to be subtler, I find that most subjects can be brought to life with just these three. Looking at the detail of My New Shoes, below, notice how the sandals are painted with three simple layers on white paper: blue shadow (light), pink stripes (middle), and brown stripes (dark).
    What we see when we look at a painting is the way the painter has interpreted the scene. Much of the pleasure of our experience as viewers, whether or not we are conscious of it, is seeing into the artist’s mind.
    This detail of My New Shoes shows the efficiency with which John Yardley presents his subject, which is part of the appeal of the painting. Everything we need to know is here, with nothing extra. The artist stopped as soon as the story was told. We are presented with the essential information and invited to imagine the rest.
    JOHN YARDLEY, MY NEW SHOES, 2011
WATERCOLOR ON PAPER
16 × 12 INCHES (41 × 30 CM)
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    There is no question that this is a satisfying painting—both in form and in content. Framing the backlit figures with a cool, dark neutral highlights their radiance and focuses our attention on the dark-haired girl’s fascination with her wonderful new shoes. A closer look, feature by feature, reveals that the painting could hardly have been simpler.

    R ESOLVING AN I MAGE THROUGH L AYERS
    It is an unusual picture that can begin with a first layer wash that covers the whole page. Usually there is some reason to reserve whites, or to refrain from putting the initial color under something that will come later. It is usually necessary, therefore, to consider the image as a collection of shapes and to envision theprogression oflayers for each one. Keeping the overall number of shapes to a minimum will help prevent confusion, for both artist and viewer. Therefore, when you’re assessing your subject, it is important to ask: How will the image resolve into layers?
    However many shapes you can gracefully juggle in your work, I recommend staying focused on the big picture. For me, it does not work to bring one shape out to full realization while the rest of the shapes are