Simplified Subject

Watercolor is at its best in simple subjects.

San Francisco Bay Boat

Tonal Compression

With a little bit of patience this can be done.

Arched Entry, Dordogne, France

Paris in the Afternoon

Here is a attempt to capture the light and mood of the scene.

Golden Light in Paris

More Sketches with the Students

Here are a few of the sketches the students see being executed during the class. For these sketches I use a Sanford uni-Ball Micro black pen and gouache on Strathmore Toned Tan paper.

Ballet

Moving

A Formal Approach to Gouache

In this painting the effort was to strike a balance between soft and sharp edges.

Solitary Creek

Graphite Powder

Rendering form with paper stomp and graphite powder is fun. Here is an example.

Paper Stomp Lady

Composition and Color

Another small gouache painting.

The Old Tree and the Creek

Two Studies

Another pair of small gouache sketches.

Hidden Among the Rock

Sunset at Pine Trees

Simple Composition with a Story

Here is a watercolor with a simple notan but able convey a story.

I Want to Know Everything. From the Movie "Great Expectations."

Pencil Sketch

Small sketch with Turquoise Prismacolor pencil lead with purple filter.

Family Picture, circa 1950.

Planning the Composition

In these sketches the students were asked to analyze the subject by creating an envelop of it with geometric figures and polygons; establish the order of the planes from front to back; draw the specific shapes of the forms and erase the geometric figures used at the beginning; outline the core shadow that separates light and dark areas of every form; established the shaded areas -including cast shadows- of the entire subject and connect the forms with a global hatching that represent the areas without light. After these steps the watercolor painting can begin.

Study of the Planes. Garden Bushes.

 Connecting the forms with dark shades to unify the composition

Dog Walk. Paris, France.