Saugeen Kayakers - Watercolour & Pen Workshop

In watercolours, I do not use white paint often. You can protect the whites on the paper but either using masking fluid or packing tape. When there is a larger area or uncontrolled pouring of watercolours, packing tape is very useful. Always test your watercolour paper with the packing tape before starting your painting. Apply any watercolour paints on top, dry and remove the tape. If this damages your paper, DO NOT use on your painting. Only use masking fluid.

So much fun to see the magic happens, when we pour watercolours onto our wet paper. You never know what the outcome will be!

Wet on Wet technique is a more controlled technique where you can apply watercolours in certain areas on wet paper. In some parts of our background, we will have playing with the cling wrap.

You will be surprsed when you lift the cling wrap. Now you must decide your tree background. Each of us will have to create our trees by negative painting.

After removing the masking fluid and packing tape, you discover quickly that your sketch has slightly lightened or lines have to be corrected. Take time to look at your reference and make adjustments as needed with your Micron pigma pen.

By adding shadows at this point, you will start to become familiar with the subject and their highlights.

This lecture explains how to mix watercolours for the kayaker's hands. Again we are concerned with adding the shadows cast.

Kayaks come in different colours. Let's have fun painting the kayaks with any colour you wish. You do not have to follow the reference  or my choices! Do not forget to add some of this colour to the reflections.

Now its time to paint the life jackets and the kayakers hair. Don't forget about painting their reflections!

Let's have fun painting the water, but remembering that less paint is better to keep reflections!

Nearing to the end of a painting, it is always good practise to look at your painting at a distance. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do You need to use your micron pigma pen to add extra details
2. Does your painting needs more reflective colour in the water? If so add more
3. Does your kayakers need more darks? If so paint more darks
4. Do you need to paint darker areas of the water especially at the bottom on the left and right
5. Do you need more abstract objects in the background forest

I am hoping that you enjoyed learning new techniques or reviewing old ones. Summary of the techniques include:

• Painting with two mediums 'Watercolours' and 'Pen'
• How to create your own transfer paper
• How to cover a large arear using packing tape
• How to create unusual backgrounds, just by pouring watercolours and using cling wrap
• How to paint the contrast of light and shadows