In Good Form
Shaping objects with directional brush strokes
Happy 4th to our US readers!
It’s the first post of the month, so I’ll dip into my watercolour library and introduce you to one of my books. Today it’s “The Complete Watercolor Book” by Wendon Blake / paintings by Claude Croney (more about Claude below).
This book is a great compendium for beginners. I really like Claude’s style, and I recognise glimpses of my own in it.
We’re doing an exercise inspired by chapter 2 - Modelling Form.
Modelling form is all about creating the illusion of roundness, depth and dimension. It's how you turn flat shapes into rendered objects.
The key is brushstrokes that follow the form, and some subtle value shifts.
These strokes may not necessarily be visible in the end, but you have a better chance at “sculpting” something that has volume and shape.
The Exercise
Pick some round objects, like fruit and vegetables or bowls
Loosely sketch a composition. You can start with just one, and then progress to 2 or more for a mini still life
Use bold, curved brushstrokes that follow the shape of the object. Think contour lines with colour
Let the darks bleed into midtones. Leave your highlights as untouched paper
Keep it simple. Three values: light, mid, dark. Let water do some of the blending and work with a medium strength mix. If it’s too watery you won’t get the effect of brush strokes.
Examples
Gradient washes gets us a flat look vs creating volume with brush strokes
Sculpting with paint. My brush strokes followed the roundness of the bowl. No verticals allowed!
The videos of these 2 exercises are below.
Why
Modelling form gives depth and realism without needing detail. Even a basic object looks considered
Gets us out of the habit of “filling in shapes with paint”, and use the brush more expressively
Builds confidence with simple subjects. A well-painted onion can be just as compelling as a mountain view
To achieving your best form,
Patrick
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