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WATERCOLOR
LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND
LUMINOSITY
10 Watercolor Painting
Techniques from
Artist Daily
WATERCOLOR LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND LUMINOSITY
Skin–tones
& Colors
that Shine
ALI CAVANAUGH DISCOVERED
WAYS & MEANS TO CREATE
RICHLY NUANCED FIGURE
PAINTINGS IN WATERCOLOR.
by Lynne Mos s P e r r i c e lli
A
li Cavanaugh prefers
watercolor as a medium,
but her approach is more
like that of an oil painter.
Building up multiple layers,
slowly blending the paints
to the desired color and value, she achieves
a remarkable depth and luminosity, especially
in the skin tones. Such a labor-intensive
approach and an unconventional application
of watermedia requires a special surface,
which Cavanaugh discovered in Ampersand’s
Aquabord, a plaster panel cradled in birch
plywood and covered with kaolin clay. The ABOVE
artist describes the surface as “pebbly,” con- Falling Through
veying a rich texture that holds the paint well. Your Redolence
2008, watercolor, 30 x 22.
Best of all, the wet surface allows the paint to Courtesy Bering & James
remain workable over a long period of time. Gallery, Houston, Texas.
This content has been abridged from an original article written by Lynne Moss Perricelli. This premium has been published by Interweave Press,
201 E. Fourth St., Loveland, CO 80537-5655; (970) 669-7672. Copyright © 2008 by Interweave Press, a division of Aspire Media, all rights
reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without consent of the copyright owner.
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WATERCOLOR LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND LUMINOSITY
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WATERCOLOR LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND LUMINOSITY
Cavanaugh begins any new work by what the figure will wear. “The clothing photos to her computer, where she
first arranging a photo shoot. Her mod- sets the tone, but more important it can view and manipulate them with
els are typically her daughter and niec- allows me to bring together the two Photoshop software. “I choose one
es, and she dresses them in clothes things I love the most: fabric and the photo or a couple of photos and piece
from her own collection of vintage fab- figure. Painting the fabric and the pat- them together,” the artist describes.
rics. “The magic for me is in dressing terns motivates me.” “I eliminate some elements, change
the figure and doing the photo shoot,” Setting up her digital camera on everything to black and white. I cut
Cavanaugh says. “The creative part of a tripod, she takes some 200 to 300 and paste from other photos, keep-
my process is mostly in capturing the photos. She engages the model in ing everything on the screen.”
figure in a pose that is emotional.” She conversation to find a natural, com- Once she has determined the
spends a great deal of time deciding pelling pose. She then uploads the composition, she selects a panel and
I Remember How
It Used To Be
2007, watercolor,
20 x 16. Private collection.
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WATERCOLOR LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND LUMINOSITY
RIGHT
Why Not
2008, watercolor, 14 x 18.
Collection the artist.
BELOW
Twice
2007, watercolor, 12 x 12.
Private collection.
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WATERCOLOR LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND LUMINOSITY
Putting on
Perfection
2008, watercolor, 30 x 22.
Collection the artist.
She allows each layer of paint to dry burnt sienna, and Van Dyck brown. lifting out the paint with clean brushes
before she applies the next, which In painting the fabrics, she layers and paper towels. She also pulls out
prevents the previous layers from lift- complementary colors to build depth. highlights and makes other adjust-
ing. Her skin tones typically consist For gray fabrics, she combines lamp ments. “I don’t know how to explain
of varying degrees of the following black, Payne’s gray, indigo, and ceru- it other than to say I just go into it
paints: yellow ochre, cadmium red lean blue. and layer the paint. I just keep work-
light, cadmium red medium, a variety As Cavanaugh layers the paint, she ing until it looks good,” she says. A
of purples, sap green, burnt umber, reworks certain areas as necessary by painting generally consists of up to
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WATERCOLOR LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND LUMINOSITY
RIGHT
BELOW
6, 7, 8, 9, 10
2008, watercolor, 16 x 20. Collection the artist.
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WATERCOLOR LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND LUMINOSITY
ABOVE LEFT
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WATERCOLOR LESSONS ON
DEPTH AND LUMINOSITY
DEMONSTRATION: DOUBTFUL
Step 4
Cavanaugh next developed
the figure’s dress, using
a combination of French
ultramarine, indigo, and
burnt umber. Again she
worked from light to dark.
1 Step 5 4
To create depth in the
2
Step 2
Beginning with the bandana, the artist
began laying small strokes of color, using
a combination of lamp black, Prussian
blue, cerulean blue, burnt umber, and
sepia. To convey a sense of depth, she
worked from light to dark.
3
Step 3 THE COMPLETED PAINTING:
Doubtful
The artist gradually built up the layers 2007, watercolor, 20 x 16.
of paint in small strokes. Collection the artist.
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Create a Tre asu re
to Last Fo re ver
John Hulsey
e a rs , W a te rc o lo r has provided
For over 20 y r a rt is ts around the
w a te rc o lo
inspiration to ti n g s w hether you
y o u r p a in
world. Perfect or landscapes.
rt ra it s , s ti ll li fe
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