Breaking the old rules of watercolour.

I've just uploaded a new video to youtube about the techniques I used in my watercolour painting "A study in green" This is actually a one minute preview of the video I have on Mindbites called "Breaking the old rules of watercolour"

In the 26 minute video I demonstrate in detail how this watercolour was made, using mostly unconventional techniques. I worked on it both outdoors on location and at the studio.  Breaking many of the old rules of watercolour painting is something I enjoy doing, it is after all the result that matters. 

I don't know whoever made all these rigid rules of watercolour. As a creative person I hate being told what to do or how to do it. By using a little imagination (isn't that what an artist has?) many different tools, materials and methods can be used to achieve the result you want. And why not?

In the video I show and explain: My way of using masking fluid.

The use of different brushes, pens, sponges, colour shapers, kitchen roll, watersoluble pencils, cutter blades, stencils, saucepan scrubbers, plastic bags and clingfilm.

Not to mention the totally forbidden opaque white!

The whole video can be seen at here http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/19739-breaking-the-old-rules-of-watercolour

Warning: competitions based on facebook "likes"

I'm a bad loser I know, and perhaps a little naïve at times. I really thought I had a chance of winning the W&N prize for the best painting video but I didn't. The strange thing is that I did have the best rating but my competitor on the finishing line suddenly had the most facebook LIKES. Perhaps I'm stupid but I thought that the competition was based on quality and not necessarily on the amount of facebook friends. I'm not saying this was done, but I was shocked to find out that its possible to BUY facebook likes when participating in a competition. Look here!!!!!!
http://royalserviceteam.com/tag/buy-facebook-friends-for-voting-contests
Thanks to all my sincere  friends for voting for me anyway. I'm perhaps a little wiser now...

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A study in green

Elizabeth Tyler adding the last details to her watercolour.

I've been spending some time on the beach in the early hours of the morning before the sun creates hard contrasts. I love getting really close to my subject when painting watercolours but it's not always possible, and when the wind gets up I usually get wet feet.

In Scandinavia the sea has a completely different colour compared to the bright turquoise and deep ultramarine of the Mediterranean. It's usually a subtle mixture of greys, greens and pale blues here. As a focal point I chose a stone adorned with bright green moss right on the water's edge. The wet moss added an element of vibrancy to the otherwise subdued tones of the sea in the early morning light.

It took several days to paint this subject, so some of the work was done back in the studio. Even though I’m not always able to spend the whole painting session on location I like at least to start and finish the painting there.
 

"Green Sea"  watercolour 34 x 57 cm © Elizabeth Tyler 2012

One day to deadline!

          Now with only one day left to deadline for the W&N acrylic painting video competition my video about this painting in progress looks like it has a chance of actually winning!

           If you would like to give it a push over the winning line by rating it, here is the link:

           http://acrylics.winsornewton.com/en/win/entry/64/

          You can read more about it in my previous post.

 The technique I used in the video is called Grisaille, a method of painting in which full modelling is done in black and white (in this case Paynes grey) and then finished by adding transparent glazes in colour.