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A Demonstration in Watercolor
by Joyce Roletto Faulknor
Beveled Vase with Distorted Shapes
Adding an organic subject always brings "life" to a still life. Finding man-made objects that reflect nature is always a plus. I love this piece of glass and the fun distorted shapes of the onions and garlic that run through its beveled edges.
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Watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-press paper
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Supplies
SURFACE - 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed paper
BRUSHES - No. 6 round, 1/4-inch (6mm) flat, 1/2-inch (12mm) one-stroke, 2-inch (51mm) one-stroke
PIGMENTS - Burnt Sienna, Permanent Alizarine Crimson, Phthalo Turquoise, Quinacridone Gold, Winsor Green (Blue Shade)
OTHER - HB pencil, Eraser
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Reference Photo
This vase is special to me. It was a gift from my watercolor class. But I didn't only select this piece for sentimental reasons; I was also struck by the curves of the vase that went along with the curves of the onions and garlic.
See reference photo enlarged
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1 PAINT THE LARGEST AND DARKEST MEDIUM GRAY VALUES
As you can see from the reference photo, the glass appears to have curved stripes. The majority of the dark shapes appear at the base.
[After transferring your drawing's guidelines] Mix two puddles of pigment, one to represent the black shapes and another, a few shades lighter, to represent the teal shapes. For both use Winsor Green (Blue Shade) and Permanent Alizarin Crimson with a hint of Phthalo Turquoise.
Use a 1/4-inch (6mm) flat to gently paint in the black shapes that are the edges of the beveled portions. While this area is still wet, clean your brush and lay in the teal pigment next to the dark shapes. The two should slowly bleed together. Think one shape at a time.
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2 PAINT THE VASE'S BASE
Add the swirls and shapes within the shape of the vase's base using your no. 6 round and a puddle of the Winsor Green (Blue Shade) and Permanent Alizarine Crimson mixture. Within the dark shapes you will see highlights separating the tight swirls. It is important to keep these highlights; they will help you establish the shape of the base. As you can see from the refrence photo, the darkest shapes appear on the right side. But you will have a few dark shapes on the left side that will reach up to the top.
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3 BEGIN THE DISTORTED ONION SHAPES WITHIN THE BEVELED EDGES
Separating the beveled edges from the flat glass section of the vase will help you get this portion of the painting organized and keep you from getting lost. Concentrate on one task at a time.
Mix Permanent Alizarine Crimson and a hint of Phthalo Turquoise for the onion color. Begin with the large dark shape on the beveled edge. Look for a starting point and a stopping point within the shape. Use the no. 6 round to paint in a nice juicy shape at the top of the edge, pulling the pigment with your brush. Rinse the brush and begin where you left off to lighten the pigment.
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4 ADD THE GRAY VALUES
Once you have placed the dark shapes representing the onion, you can begin adding the lighter-valued onion shapes. Add Winsor Green (Blue Shade) to your puddle from step 3 to turn the mixture gray. Add the gray shapes that begin to develop the vase using your no. 6 round. Follow the swirl of the beveled edge.
The left side of the vase has a vast array of lines that look as though they blend together as they swirl to the top. When painting this area, leave a little of the white of the paper to give the lines the separation they need.
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| 5 PAINT THE DISTORTED GARLIC SHAPES IN THE BEVELED EDGES
Mix a hint of Burnt Sienna into Quinacridone Gold and paint the distorted shapes of the garlic on the beveled edges. Some of the darkest shapes are almost brown in color; add a hint of Winsor Green (Blue Shade) to the puddle for those spots (you should get a beautiful, rich brown). Some of the shapes begin with a very dark value of brown and then change to a lighter shade of gold. For those, add water and pull the pigment down to create the lighter shape.
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6 PAINT THE ONION BETWEEN THE BEVELED EDGES
Premix three values of the Permanent Alizarine Crimson and a hint of Phthalo Turquoise to get ready for the next few steps. The distortion is not so prominent in these spots, but it is still there. You'll keep working on the onion shapes.
With your 1/4-inch (6mm) flat, paint in the darkest values. Let the paint dry completely. Then, using the lightest puddle of pigment, glaze using your 1/2-inch (12mm) one-stroke. As you are glazing add the middle value while the glaze is still wet. Adding this value creates the illusion of depth and transparency in the glass.
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| 7 BEGIN THE GARLIC
Using your mixture of Quinacridone Gold and a hint of Burnt Sienna, begin painting the darkest shape of the garlic. Because it's so light, you will need to lay in the dark shapes, rinse the brush, then lighten the pigment, following the curves of the garlic. Just paint the shapes and the values as you see them.
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8 GLAZE THE GLASS AND SHADOWS
With your 1/2-inch (12mm) one-stroke, glaze some of the lightest shapes of the vase using Winsor Green (Blue Shade) and Phthalo Turquoise, mixed with 95 percent water. This glaze is very, very light. The shapes just need a slight amount of color.
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9 DETAIL THE EDGE OF THE VASE
The rim of the vase has lost-and-found lines and edges. Using the mixtures you used for the onion, the garlic and the glaze, and your no. 6 round, paint in the lines and edges as you see them in the reference photo.
Save Adjustments for Later
Now that the glass piece is finished, you may be tempted to work on adjusting some values or glazing over some areas. It is best if you wait and finish the background, shadows, onions and garlic. Finishing the rest of the painting will give you more information, and you may or may not want to add those details.
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10 PAINT THE OUTSIDE ONIONS' DARKEST VALUES Using the dark-to-light method on the onions will help define their shapes and textures. Mix Alizarin Crimson with a hint of Phathalo Turquoise. Using the no. 6 round, follow the curves of the onions as you paint in the darkest values.
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11 PAINT THE ONIONS' MEDIUM VALUES
Add water to the pigment you mixed in step 10 to create your medium values. Using the no. 6 round, paint in the shapes.
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12 ADD THE STEMS AND GLAZE THE ONIONS
For stems, add Quinacridone Gold to the medium value mixture. Then add water and more Quinacridone Gold. The final glaze should have a hint of gold showing.
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13 BEGIN THE ROOT OF THE GARLIC The root of the garlic is where you will find the darkest values. Mix Burnt Sienna and Winsor Green (Blue Shade) for a rich brown. Using the no. 6 round, paint the dark shapes as you see them, creating the circle image at the base of the garlic. Let it dry completely. |
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14 BEGIN THE GARLIC'S MEDIUM VALUES
With a medium-value Burnt Sienna and Quinacridone Gold, paint the shapes following the contour of the garlic.
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15 ADD COOL VALUES TO THE REST OF THE GARLIC
The rest of the garlic needs more of a cool value. Still using the no. 6 round, add a hint of Phthalo Turquoise to the medium value, then add water to lighten the mixture even further. Follow the contour of the garlic and soften the edges. Allow this to dry.
Erase any remaining pencil lines. The garlic may look a bit unfinished, needing more details to make it "pop." But it's best to wait until you finish the background before making further adjustments.
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16 PAINT THE BACKGROUND TO FINISH
Mix Burnt Sienna and Phthalo Turquoise. Use the wet-on-wet dry technique and a 2-inch (51mm) one-stroke for large washes and a no. 6 round for the small areas.
Twist the one-stroke brush to get the texture for the background. Begin on the dark side and add small amounts of water as you move to the lighter side.
Once the background is bone dry, paint the shadows. The background shadow is the same mixture of pigment. The tabletop background has a bit more gray in it, so add Permanent Alixarine Crimson for that, and add water so the shadow is a little lighter in value. Add more Permanent Alizarine Crimson to get an even grayer shade for the shadow under the onion.
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Beveled Vase with Distorted Shapes Demonstration
by Joyce Roletto Faulknor
Watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed paper,
Visit Faulknor's Website
See Amazon's full listing for Stunning Crystal and Glass
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Demonstration from Stunning Crystal and Glass: The Watercolorist's Guide to Capturing the Splendor of Light by Joyce Roletto Faulknor is published by North Light Books, an imprint of F + W Publications. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
Artwork and Text Copyright 2012 by Joyce Roletto Faulknor. All Rights Reserved. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHT
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