BeckerArt FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter March 3rd, Lighting

Published: Tue, 03/03/20

Hello

Welcome to the FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter #249, Lighting

Yesterday I had the pleasure of demonstrating at a huge Blick's Art Store in Evanston, IL. I was demonstrating on the Black Stonehenge Aqua Black to make the customers aware that, yes you can use transparent watercolor paint on black watercolor paper. I also made the customer aware that you are allowed to use white paint with your watercolor and no watercolor police will come and arrest you. See demo below.

The Lakes Region Watercolor Guild will meet next Thursday the 12th of March. for more info go to www.LRWG.org

This coming Friday I have a workshop in Morris, Illinois. This and my next workshop in Duluth, MN is sold out. If you don't want to miss out on future workshops sign up early, see links below.

Yes to Class at the Civic Center in Libertyville,Thursday, March 5th 1pm to 3:30pm

Yes to Class at the BeckerArt Gallery in McHenry, Saturday, March 7th 9:00 am to 11:30 am

Lighting

One of the first things you need to look for when composing a painting is the lighting of the scene. Without light what do you have? Nothing but dark blackness. When you add light what kind of light are you using? Sunlight, overcast, moonlight, incandescence, candlelight? Each lighting situation is different and you need to know exactly what kind of light you will be using in your scene so you can prepare your value sketch and painting to show that kind of lighting.

Below I demonstrate a very bright sunlit scene. The photo I turned black and white so I can see the values of the lights and darks.

The image I used for this scene was turned into black and white so I could see the values of the lighting that I will use. I did this instead of a value sketch on this painting but I normally will do a value sketch to figure out my lighting and composition but this scene I felt already had a great composition so I just used the photo as my value sketch.

The lighting in this painting will be strong sunlight coming from the left and it will be so light that it will put rim lighting on the edge of the people in the painting. I used masking fluid to save that thin line of light.

I then paint in all the light background washes and I planned on doing this painting in a very limited palette of colors and focus mostly on the lighting.

After I put in the lights, I then start with the middle tone dark of the people.

I follow up the middle tone dark with the large darks and then I finish of the painting with the dark details, shown below.

WORKSHOPS and DEMOS of 2020

WORKSHOP Morris Watercolor Guild, W/C, Morris, IL., March 6th Sold Out

WORKSHOP Lake Superior Watercolor Guild, W/C, Duluth, MN, March 26th- 28th Sold Out

DEMONSTRATION_DILLMAN'S FEST at my Gallery in McHenry, IL. May 3rd INFO HERE

WORKSHOP Dillman's, Lac Du Flambeau, W/C, Wisconsin, June 29th to July 2nd INFO HERE

WORKSHOP Vermont Art Event, W/C& Acrylic, Burlington, Vermont, July 27th to July 31st INFO TO COME

WORKSHOP Thousand Island Art Center, W/C, Thousand Island, NY, August 4th to August 6th INFO HERE

WORKSHOP Goshen Painters Guild, W/C, Indiana, August 13th to August 15th INFO HERE

WORKSHOP Dillman's, Lac Du Flambeau, W/C, Wisconsin, Aug. 31st to Sept. 3rd INFO HERE

WORKSHOP Artisan Expo, W/C & Acrylics, Santa Fe, MN. Sept. 24th to Sept. 26th INFO HERE

WORKSHOP Sangamon Watercolor Society, W/C, Springfield, IL. Oct. 9th to Oct. 12th INFO HERE

Product of the Week
Easel

I like all the ways you could use this easel!
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Artist of the Week

Bill Dale

Here is someone that really does some amazing figurative and portrait work!

BeckerArt Brushes

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