Hello 

Welcome to the FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter #110,  Watercolor Sketching

Hello from Dillman's.....Sorry for the day delay on the newsletter...... very limited WiFi yesterday at Dillman's due to storms in the area so I couldn't get it out to you.... but better late then never.

We are 2 day into my Dillman's 4 day workshop and we already have 4 exercises under our belt. All 20 students are doing amazing stuff and yesterday I learned a new lesson to teach students about how to get good composition in their work.

If you missed this springs workshop don't worry, I'm teaching at Dillman's again in the fall. info here

Last Saturday night I was at the Transparent Watercolor Society's annual dinner in Kenosha and I was so excited about meeting so many wonderful watercolorist. Even if one doesn't get an award or get in a show like the TWSA it is good to go to the annual awards dinner and meet watercolorist like yourself.

My next Float-Your-Pigment newsletter will be my 111 newsletter so it will be a special one. Everyone that knows me well, knows how much I love the number 11, and since I had nothing special on my 100th newsletter I decided to do it on the 111th. I decided I will be skipping next week and will bring you the 111th newsletter on the 29th of June. I need to make some time available to make that newsletter special.

To make it special I would like to make the 111th newsletter about you my students and past students. I would like anybody that is or was a student of mine to send me an image of one of your best works along with a short bio of yourself. If you have a shot of an early piece of work, also send that with your best piece. It's is because of my students that I do this newsletter so I would like to share with all my readers the wonderful work my students are doing.

Send your images and bio to david@davidrbecker.com

David

NO Class at the Civic Center in Libertyville on June 15th
Yes to Class at The Studio in McHenry on June 17th

2 weeks ago while in Seattle I tried to sketch as much as possible and once in a while I tried out a watercolor sketch from one of the black and white sketches. The sketch below I broke down into 4 stages from the B&W value sketch that I did in Seattle. I hope it inspires you to also sketch in watercolor once in a while. 

For me sketching in watercolor is different from a in-studio painting only because of the size. I do sketches in watercolor at a 5x7 size. In studio painting I do anywhere from 11x15 up to as large as I can get.

Paint the sketch just like you would paint a large watercolor just do it on a smaller scale.

David

The watercolor sketch  below was first done as a black and white sketch and then done again as a 4 step watercolor sketch.

Stage 1- I did this black and white sketch from life in the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada

Stage 2- I drew up the pencil line onto watercolor paper using the value sketch for reference.

Stage 3- first wash I color the light objects leaving any white objects that remain white in the sketch.

Stage 4- I color the background around thecfirst wash of light color.

Stage 4- finish off the sketch with details. This sketch is only 6x8inches