Paul Brand's notes from workshop with Ed Whitney
Dec 22, 2014 10:55:56 GMT -6
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Post by Celeste McCall on Dec 22, 2014 10:55:56 GMT -6
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Paul Brand's Notes from his 1970 watercolor workshop with Ed Whitney
In the summer of 1970 I took a two week watercolor workshop with Ed Whitney in Kennebunkport, Maine. The experience was invaluable. I learned a startling new (to me) idea: following simple guidelines allowed me to compose a picture with a strong center of interest that catches the eye. What follows are my notes from this workshop made during the daily critiques of our paintings. I have transcribed them here in hopes that you will find these ideas as valuable as I have. (These ideas were originally written for watercolor painting but they apply to all media.)
Center of interest:
At the center of interest place the darkest dark next to the lightest light and the coolest cool next to the hottest hot.
Make the center of interest large compared to the size of the paper.
Have ample light shapes in the painting. Never lose the lights. Also have ample darks.
The shapes of the lights, darks and mid tones should be interesting, i.e. oblique, with two different dimensions & has interlocking edges.
Oblique shapes are more dynamic than horizontal ones.
Preliminary sketch
Plan the main dark, light and mid tone shapes with a small pencil sketch.
The preliminary sketch should emphasize large shapes and ignore details.
In this preliminary sketch make the mid tone darker so the light shape reads readily.
In the actual painting make the mid tone lighter so the dark reads readily.
Darks and mid tones should not be too close or the dark won’t read.
The mid tone area should be larger than the darks and lights.
The proportions of the preliminary sketch should be the same as the final painting. For example, make a 3 x 4 sketch for a 12 x 16 paper. Otherwise you will have difficulty transferring the plan from the sketch to the full size paper.
Make a separate practice drawing if necessary to get an accurate image of the subject.
Theme
A painting should have a visual theme. Imposition of a theme provides unity. A visual theme refers to a dominant shape or direction. For example, if most of the shapes in a painting are vertical and angular, then vertical and angular is the theme of that painting. In this sense the word theme does not refer to subject matter (still life, landscape etc,) nor does it refer to style or emotional content. The theme should relate to the essence of the subject. A vertical with crosses may serve as a theme for a forest interior scene, horizontal wavy lines for water, etc. Repeat the theme in line, color and value with variations.
Color
To achieve unity in a painting, make the painting either mostly warm colors with a cool contrasting area, or mostly cool with a warm contrasting area.
Complementary contrasts near the center of interest will help attract interest.
Include some neutral colors (near gray) to avoid a garish effect.
Broad composition schemes:
Light against dark.
Dark against light
Small light, big dark in mid tone.
Small dark, big light in mid tone.
Gradation.
Overall spotty.
Ask yourself:
Is the center of interest an unequal distance from the four corners?
Is it being overworked?
Are the whites (light shapes) ample?
Do they take a journey?
Are the darks ample? Are they near the whites for contrast especially at the center of interest?
Are the darks and whites of unequal size and shape, and placed at some oblique or zigzag?
Is the mid tone far enough from the darks to allow the darks to read?
What is the theme? Is it clear in the main darks and lights?
Is there an overall gradation in value & hue?
Is there color dominance? Directional dominance?
Is there some conflict? For example, if most shapes in a picture are horizontal, add a few contrasting verticals.
Are colors repeated in different areas?
Are there too many hard edges? Too many soft edges?
What is it to much of?
Is there a neutral area to make the color sing?
Is there decoration with lace (that is, some fine lines to contrast with larger shapes)?
Technique
Touch the paper with your brush as little as possible.
Use the largest brush that you can for all but the fine details.
Make a plan before you go into an area. If you plan after you start painting the area usually gets overworked.
It is easier to work from light to dark & background to foreground than the reverse.
Texture shows where value changes (for example, a granular surface at the edge between dark and light on a rock).
Hold your brush near the end for flip and rhythm.
Don’t look at what you are doing; look at the rest of the picture.
Avoid lollipops.
Avoid a regular saw tooth shape. Make zigzags unequal. Never have an oblique directly hitting a corner; the effect is too powerful. Also don’t create an equilateral triangle in the corner. Don’t be aggressive near an edge.
Gradation enlivens a painting.
Is there a light path through the picture (created by connecting white or light areas)?
With a dominant straight or oblique a small curve adds drama.
A very long line with nothing behind it is bad; it draws the eye off the paper.
Make marks in the foreground early, soon and freely.
Vary the quality of edge and line.
Avoid halos. Don’t outline shapes; make edges by changes in hue or value rather than line.
A precise half of an object is wrong. If you must cut something don’t cut it in half.
Grade the hue & value behind an object to make it look in and not on the picture.
An island is more aggressive than a peninsula.
Use tongs (think of the yin and yang symbol).
Overall gradation gives movement.
When the center of interest is not in the foreground, the foreground can be soft & out of focus.
Light sources give a third dimension. Show the reflection of light from one object onto another.
When the middle tone is too close to the dark they merge and you get a two note chord instead of a three note chord. On the other hand no matter how light the middle tone it won’t merge with the light.
Rocks should be convex to convey strength.
Edges should have variation.
Green & lavender love each other.
Lace (fine lines use as decoration) is a chance to add design by creating rhythms and unequal interesting negative shapes.
For a group of three verticals, put the smallest with the second smallest, and the biggest further away (Momma & baby bear together, poppa bear off to side).
Paul Brand's Notes from his 1970 watercolor workshop with Ed Whitney
In the summer of 1970 I took a two week watercolor workshop with Ed Whitney in Kennebunkport, Maine. The experience was invaluable. I learned a startling new (to me) idea: following simple guidelines allowed me to compose a picture with a strong center of interest that catches the eye. What follows are my notes from this workshop made during the daily critiques of our paintings. I have transcribed them here in hopes that you will find these ideas as valuable as I have. (These ideas were originally written for watercolor painting but they apply to all media.)
Center of interest:
At the center of interest place the darkest dark next to the lightest light and the coolest cool next to the hottest hot.
Make the center of interest large compared to the size of the paper.
Have ample light shapes in the painting. Never lose the lights. Also have ample darks.
The shapes of the lights, darks and mid tones should be interesting, i.e. oblique, with two different dimensions & has interlocking edges.
Oblique shapes are more dynamic than horizontal ones.
Preliminary sketch
Plan the main dark, light and mid tone shapes with a small pencil sketch.
The preliminary sketch should emphasize large shapes and ignore details.
In this preliminary sketch make the mid tone darker so the light shape reads readily.
In the actual painting make the mid tone lighter so the dark reads readily.
Darks and mid tones should not be too close or the dark won’t read.
The mid tone area should be larger than the darks and lights.
The proportions of the preliminary sketch should be the same as the final painting. For example, make a 3 x 4 sketch for a 12 x 16 paper. Otherwise you will have difficulty transferring the plan from the sketch to the full size paper.
Make a separate practice drawing if necessary to get an accurate image of the subject.
Theme
A painting should have a visual theme. Imposition of a theme provides unity. A visual theme refers to a dominant shape or direction. For example, if most of the shapes in a painting are vertical and angular, then vertical and angular is the theme of that painting. In this sense the word theme does not refer to subject matter (still life, landscape etc,) nor does it refer to style or emotional content. The theme should relate to the essence of the subject. A vertical with crosses may serve as a theme for a forest interior scene, horizontal wavy lines for water, etc. Repeat the theme in line, color and value with variations.
Color
To achieve unity in a painting, make the painting either mostly warm colors with a cool contrasting area, or mostly cool with a warm contrasting area.
Complementary contrasts near the center of interest will help attract interest.
Include some neutral colors (near gray) to avoid a garish effect.
Broad composition schemes:
Light against dark.
Dark against light
Small light, big dark in mid tone.
Small dark, big light in mid tone.
Gradation.
Overall spotty.
Ask yourself:
Is the center of interest an unequal distance from the four corners?
Is it being overworked?
Are the whites (light shapes) ample?
Do they take a journey?
Are the darks ample? Are they near the whites for contrast especially at the center of interest?
Are the darks and whites of unequal size and shape, and placed at some oblique or zigzag?
Is the mid tone far enough from the darks to allow the darks to read?
What is the theme? Is it clear in the main darks and lights?
Is there an overall gradation in value & hue?
Is there color dominance? Directional dominance?
Is there some conflict? For example, if most shapes in a picture are horizontal, add a few contrasting verticals.
Are colors repeated in different areas?
Are there too many hard edges? Too many soft edges?
What is it to much of?
Is there a neutral area to make the color sing?
Is there decoration with lace (that is, some fine lines to contrast with larger shapes)?
Technique
Touch the paper with your brush as little as possible.
Use the largest brush that you can for all but the fine details.
Make a plan before you go into an area. If you plan after you start painting the area usually gets overworked.
It is easier to work from light to dark & background to foreground than the reverse.
Texture shows where value changes (for example, a granular surface at the edge between dark and light on a rock).
Hold your brush near the end for flip and rhythm.
Don’t look at what you are doing; look at the rest of the picture.
Avoid lollipops.
Avoid a regular saw tooth shape. Make zigzags unequal. Never have an oblique directly hitting a corner; the effect is too powerful. Also don’t create an equilateral triangle in the corner. Don’t be aggressive near an edge.
Gradation enlivens a painting.
Is there a light path through the picture (created by connecting white or light areas)?
With a dominant straight or oblique a small curve adds drama.
A very long line with nothing behind it is bad; it draws the eye off the paper.
Make marks in the foreground early, soon and freely.
Vary the quality of edge and line.
Avoid halos. Don’t outline shapes; make edges by changes in hue or value rather than line.
A precise half of an object is wrong. If you must cut something don’t cut it in half.
Grade the hue & value behind an object to make it look in and not on the picture.
An island is more aggressive than a peninsula.
Use tongs (think of the yin and yang symbol).
Overall gradation gives movement.
When the center of interest is not in the foreground, the foreground can be soft & out of focus.
Light sources give a third dimension. Show the reflection of light from one object onto another.
When the middle tone is too close to the dark they merge and you get a two note chord instead of a three note chord. On the other hand no matter how light the middle tone it won’t merge with the light.
Rocks should be convex to convey strength.
Edges should have variation.
Green & lavender love each other.
Lace (fine lines use as decoration) is a chance to add design by creating rhythms and unequal interesting negative shapes.
For a group of three verticals, put the smallest with the second smallest, and the biggest further away (Momma & baby bear together, poppa bear off to side).
