Frank Walters’ Watercolour Demo: 18 th October
- amshenton4
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
It was a large and very enthusiastic audience that greeted Frank Walters when he came to demonstrate expressive watercolour techniques.
Frank chose Guildford Cathedral as his subject and painted it in a homage to one of his favourite artists, Edward Wesson.
A celebrated local artist, Wesson was also a previous Chairman of our society! Frank painted several views of the cathedral, each capturing the Wesson style of muted
but powerful skies combined with masterful brushwork to evoke an atmospheric depiction of the subject.
Frank emphasized the importance of painting for enjoyment and to paint in
one's own style. Atmosphere over accuracy and detail was stressed. He
made reference to 'lost and found'; where a balance of hard and soft edges combine to help the viewer find definition.
Frank really enjoyed meeting our members and is keen to visit again. In the meantime, he sent this link to one of his videos which outlines the importance of complementary colours in En Plein Air painting.
Enjoy!
Frank’s Watercolour tips:
1. Be aware of the water to pigment ratio. Begin with very diluted paint and deepen (use less water)
as the painting develops.
2. Leave areas of light to show sunlight etc and/or use white gouache to add
highlights.
3. Paint in layers: put in areas of local colour and paint thinly over to create
shadowed areas which also retain local colour.
4. Place warm and cool colours next to each other.
5. Use your brush to draw rather than a pencil.
6. Have deep wells of colour - use lots of water
especially for ‘plein air’ painting.
7. Using negative space can be highly effective.
8. Use wet on wet to create looseness.
9. It's important to leave the background to dry before painting detail into it.
Frank recommended have two or more paintings on the go.
10. Use a good quality paper and brush: Frank currently uses Baohong watercolour paper and a Rosemany No 12 Kolinsky Sable brush.
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