Friday, July 23, 2010

Cowboy Demo Day 3 -- Let There Be Light!


     Today’s post will demonstrate the application of  only one wash.  And this is very important:  No single wash will propel your painting into something special like this phase of the process. 
     This wash consists of Burnt Sienna and Alizarin Crimson.  These two colors serve as a basis for starting to build a lifelike flesh tone.  This mixture can range from either end of its spectrum.  However, the spectrum is rather compressed with only two colors.

     Here is a small color swatch showing the range (with more water on the top row, and more pigment on the bottom row.)  Try this mixture yourself on a separate piece of watercolor paper.  Play with it for some time before you go for it on your painting.

     Sample #1 leans more to the Alizarin Crimson side for a redder wash.
     Sample #2 is a mixture of 50/50, and this is what I used on the demo.
     Sample #3 leans more toward the Burnt Sienna.  This is for a ruddier complexion.

     You can adjust this mixture easily, by choosing which end of the spectrum you prefer.  And here are some colors that mix well with this pair:  Cadmium Yellow will warm your mixture a lot; Cadmium Orange will warm it, but not as much; and Indian Yellow is a good choice when you want less intensity. 

     So here we go….. I chose to paint around the eye and you’ll notice that on the jaw line, I feathered the wash where the form turns into the light by gradating the wash.  This is where the limitations of a blog and photos make a demonstration tough.  But do the best you can.  It’s just our starting point.
     At the rate we are going, we should wrap up our painting by next Wednesday or Thursday.  I will take a breather tomorrow (Saturday) and give you an update on my  “Anchor” post.
     For those bored with this process, hang in there, and I’ll see you on Monday…. Change is coming!

All content and images © Mark Kohler Studio.




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