BeckerArt FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter August 6th, 2 Color Limit

Published: Tue, 08/06/19

Hello

Welcome to the FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter #219 2 Color Limit

Hello From Otter Lake Canada.

First off I would like to apologize for last week's newsletter. I proof read it after it went out the next day and it was definitely not one of my better newsletters. I do have somewhat of an excuse but there really isn't any excuse for sending it out like it was. My excuse was I was writing it in a tent, at a camp, at 2am and I kept on falling asleep while writing it. So my advice is to never write a newsletter in a small tent when you are overly tired and up writing a newsletter at 2 am.

This weekend I am teaching In Ottawa Canada at Wallack's Art Supply and the following week I am in Baldwinsville, NY with the Art and Soul Watercolor group to do a 3 day workshop... can't wait to see all of you that signed up for these workshops!

David

No Becker Class but yes to a Sue Macfarlan Class at the Civic Center in Libertyville, Thursday, August 8th 1pm to 3:30pm

No Becker Class at the BeckerArt Gallery in McHenry, Saturday, August 10th 9:00 am to 11:30 am

2 Color Limit

This week's newsletter shows you how I used just 2 colors to paint an entire painting.

Sometimes I feel it is a great exercise to have my students work with a limited palette of 1, 2, and 3 colors. It makes you work harder in thinking about values, drawing, techniques, composition and not so much about the colors. I feel many students tend to put too much weight on what colors they use and forget all about the other more important things when they are painting in watercolor. Limiting your palette takes the worry out of what colors you are going to use and gives you more time on working out the values.

See below how I took this 2 color painting from beginning to end.

The colors I used were Quinacridone Gold and Prussian Blue. I didn't pick these 2 colors to match the photo I just randomly picked them because I thought they would give me a good value range.

The photo I took of the image I wanted to paint

My drawing with pencil on Stonehenge Aqua 300lb paper

First wash using only 2 colors... Quinacridone Gold and Prussian Blue

Second wash I started putting in Darks to create the objects in the scene

I continue with the darks putting in the trees

Next I use a bristol brush and add another layer of leaves by tapping the brush on the surface.

This is the final detailed wash after I used the Bristol Brush for the leaves

I added white after deciding I wanted to add some lights into the 2 colors I used... this is not a traditional way to work in transparent watercolor but I just felt it could use the light. soory about the low resolution picture.

WORKSHOPS and DEMOS in 2019

Wallacks Art Supply store CLASSES Ottawa, Ontario August 10th

For Information Morning Class, Afternoon Class

Art and Soul Watercolor Group WORKSHOP, Baldwinsville, NY, August 12th - 14th,
Information to come

Cheap Joes WORKSHOP, Boone NC, Sept. 9th - 13th CANCELED

Dillman's Watercolor WORKSHOP, Lac du Flambeau, WI, Sept. 23d - 26th
For Information Click Here

LaGrange Art League WORKSHOP, LaGrange, IL, October 18th - 20th
For Information Click Here

Product of the Week

The product I am posting this week is a Sketchbook I have purchased recently and it has a super quality paper for sketching in. I highly recommend it!

BUY HERE

Buy this or any product here on Amazon

Artist's of the Week

Last week I did such a bad job Linking the websites of the wonderful Vermont Art Event instructors to their websites I want to link all their websites to this week's newsletter in artist's of the week.

PLease check out their amazing works on their websites!

Lynn D Pratt

Robert Burridge

Linda Kemp

Jean Pederson

Annelein Beukenkamp

Sean Dye

Jacob Aguiar

BeckerArt Brushes

Click Here to Purchase BeckerArt Brushes

Shop Amazon by clicking the logo below to help me fund this newsletter... Thank You!

For any other info please email me at david@davidrbecker.com