Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2025 i Watercolor Artist

Every genre of art brings along its own creative pleasures and joys—and unique struggles. For painters of the face and figure, learning one's way around the anatomical structure of the human body— if one's intention is to capture a reasonably believable depiction of form—can be intimidating, but for many, that isn't even the most diffi cult aspect. Unlike an inanimate subject, like a bowl of apples, every human subject is a distinct individual with their own personality and character. Very often, it's the desire to move beyond a likeness, and to capture that unique “spirit” of the human subject, that poses the biggest challenge for painters. “I paint people not because of what they are like, not exactly in spite of what they are like, but how they happen to…

In contrast to the public presentation of much formal portraiture, miniature portrait painting is notable for its intimate scale. The miniature originated in Europe as early as the mid-15th century, when it was developed from illuminated manuscripts. Diminutive likenesses became popular as gifts and mementos that were often intended to fit within lockets, watches and snuff boxes, or to be framed for display. Among the artists who produced miniatures, sometimes for royal courts, were Nicolas Hilliard, Hans Holbein the Younger, Rosalba Carriera and Francisco Goya. The English fondness for the genre was exported to colonial America, where it thrived until it was supplanted by photography in the mid-19th century. By the turn of the 20th century, miniature portraiture enjoyed a renaissance in the U.S, as evidenced by the founding of…

Once or twice a week, you can find Annette Smith at an open live-studio session at Scottsdale Artists' School, in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she's one of the few watercolorists painting a model over the course of a few hours. “I'm pretty much addicted to painting from life,” she says. “It's an escape, almost like going on an artistic vacation. I'm in the moment.” Smith's loose, impressionistic portraits and figures definitely feel “of the moment.” They're skillfully rendered so just enough of the subject emerges from a background of pale washes. Drips and spatters are evidence of the flurry of action it takes to get everything down before the live session ends, and the final outcome captures a moment that feels eternally lively and organic. Knowing when to stop can be…

National Watercolor Society Mary Jansen PORTLAND, ORE. Phoenix Rising (watercolor on paper, 26x17½ ) When I select a bird to paint, I first consider the intrinsic spirit of the animal. From there I attempt to build the creature's unique energy into my composition. Like a fiery phoenix, the Western Tanager lights up the Pacific Northwest for a few weeks in the spring and fall and then suddenly disappears, moving forward on its migratory path. It seemed natural to place the bird in a scattering of dying autumn leaves to echo the fable of its rise from the ashes. To illustrate the metaphor further, I downplayed the colors of the leaves and water to emphasize the brilliance of the bird's plumage. It was a joy working with seasonal warm hues. Quinacridone gold…

Many artists find that depicting skin tones with watercolor can be intimidating. Portrait students often seek a magic formula, a specific set of colors they can rely on time and again. In reality, there's no one “right” answer, at least not in terms of all-purpose color mixtures. There are, however, several concepts to keep in mind when interpreting flesh in watercolor. OBSERVATION & VARIATION Instead of relying on rote formulas, learning to observe is crucial. Treat every subject as an individual and look at it carefully, whether you're observing it from a photo reference or life, as I did in Subconscious I (opposite). Some differences within the rainbow of humanity are more obvious while others are more subtle. Lighting also influences how an individual appears. Artificial indoor light, the light…

Step 1 Using a mechanical pencil, I lightly sketch the portrait on paper. I leave the pencil construction lines and allow them to become part of the painting. Step 2 Beginning in the background, I start the initial “block-in” wash on dry paper and drag this wash into elements of the hair and clothing. While this wash is still wet, I continue painting the hair, clothing and skin tones, saving the white of the paper for highlights such as the tip of the nose. I prefer to paint skin tones last in the initial block-in so the skin tone color will blend into the previous painted washes. A ‘back-run” developed in the block-in wash; I'll work around it. Step 3 I began painting the features, eyes, sections of the hair…

The tried-and-true technical approach to depicting depth in a painting involves breaking the composition into three planes of vision with a distinct focal area in each plane. There's more to a successful painting, however, than just the portrayal of depth. If we want to captivate viewers' attention—to encourage an audience to linger for a time with the work—we need to think of a painting as a visual journey. SET THE STAGE I like to think of the process of composing a painting as similar to setting a theater stage, where the director strategically places elements not only to enhance the narrative but also to provide a sense of depth and—most importantly—relevance. Th is approach enriches the viewers' experience, encourages them to engage with the narrative and, ultimately, keeps hold of…

It was the summer of 2015, and recent college graduate Melissa DiNino had just landed at the airport in Bozeman, Mont. With a rough set of directions in hand, she began the three-hour drive— at least 30 miles of which was on dirt roads—to a ranch in the remote Centennial Valley that would be her home for the summer. Located in the southwestern corner of Montana, near the Idaho border, the 450,000-acre Centennial Valley comprises public lands and a handful of sprawling family ranches. It's vast, lonely country where the nearest grocery store is a two-hour drive away. DiNino thought it was stunning. “I felt right at home in that landscape, which is funny for someone who had never been there before,” she says. DiNino had been hired as a…