Watercolor Masking and Pouring Part 1

A friend asked me the other day to show a small group how to mask and pour a watercolor example. It has been awhile since I have attempted this but I am up for the challenge. Hopefully my photos are good enough to get the idea across.

For this example I chose a winter scene. This is a rocky, flowing stream in the middle of winter. There are plenty of whites to save with the sunlight coming through the trees and the snow covered branches and ground cover.

I usually begin by sketching out my subject in three values: light, medium and dark. Unfortunately I do not have a photo of my sketches. They weren't real clean because I did them fast and already knew what I had in mind to paint. I will try to remember to include my reference photo too.

I roughed out a sketch on my Arches watercolor block. I made it a little darker so that I could show you some of the detail involved. I like to draw so my rough is fairly detailed. This also makes it easier to mask later since everything is mapped out.

Once the drawing is done I use liquid mask to map out the snow on the ground, the light side of branches and tree trunks, sunlight coming through the tree tops and reflections in the water. This is probably the most tedious part of the painting.

Finally we are to the fun and spontaneity of the painting. Pouring is unpredictable but the results are fantastic. Mix up your color choices ahead of time and make them as saturated or as transparent as you want. If you want bright colors or dark colors make your mix strong and opaque enough. If you don't put the color down as intense as planned then going over it later will just muddy up your painting.

For this example I am mixing strong, bright colors. Use a larger soft hair flat brush to wet the entire surface and let it soak in until there is a dull shine. I always begin by pouring or splattering light to dark. In this case I start with my yellows, then reds, then blues and a little green.

From here you can do things like spritz water droplets into the mix when the painting begins to dry to a dull shine or sprinkle salt on it. This leaves all kinds of spots and interesting blends.

We will let this dry and come back to it with another layer or two in spots to enhance detail.

If you like my work, let me paint for you too. I can paint portraits of you or family members or landscapes you cherish. Visit www.mikeprout.com for more examples of some of my work.

Developing Your Creative Style As An Artist

"I don’t think we should be worried so much about style, whatever that is. We all learn to form the same identical letters between the lines, and got critiqued on how well they matched the correct form.  And yet, in spite of that we each developed our own unique handwriting. It wasn’t something we had to worry about, it just happened. It is especially so with our signatures, often just rhythmic lines." ~ Carl Purcell, Watercolorist

This is the best explanations of developing an artist's style that I have come across. Hopefully this helps you if you are fretting over your artistic style development. Practice, practice, practice and it will come naturally...

For more watercolor paintings, please visit my website www.mikeprout.com

Timeless Watercolor Portrait Painting

Have you ever considered having you or someone you love painted in watercolor or oils?

A quality painting is timeless and can tell much more about the person than a photograph. Michael has been painting portraits and scenes in both watercolor and oil paints and has a style that is a touch of realism and bold color. His favorite subject matter revolves around horses or equestrian art with paintings of horses on the ranch, in the wild or in competition. He likes to capture the character and expression of his subject matter and tell a simple story. If you would like learn more about his work, please visit www.mikeprout.com and if you are interested in contracting him to paint your next portrait, please click here to contact Michael. Please enjoy your visit.

Sweet 65 Cuda and Cancer Recovery in Watercolor

Here is a portrait example done in watercolor recently. There is a story behind this portrait...

A good friend of my family has been diagnosed with cancer recently. The medication is rough on him. He was a fairly big guy growing up and has been reduced to a shell of a man. Years ago he started to renovate his 65 Cuda but then got sick and set it aside. His kids got together and had a group of car enthusiasts finish his renovations. They did a fantastic job and he was so excited to see it restored. To add to this I created a portrait of him with his car.

This fellow helped me get a start in freelancing design many years ago. I wish there were more I could do for him and his family. Best wishes Mark and thank you.

This was created on 18x24 Arches 140lb Watercolor Block with Winsor and Newton Artist Watercolors.

To see more of my paintings, please visit www.mikeprout.com

Daises Anyone? Watercolor Painting Daises

Daises anyone? I was struggling for things to paint and right out side my window there was a patch of daises. I grabbed my sketch pad and took some notes. When I came back into my studio I combined my sketches and developed this composition of 3 large daises.

Eventually I will attempt to paint a similar piece in either Acrylic or Oils since the subject is fantastic and I love bright color.

For more paintings, please visit www.mikeprout.com

This painting was created on an 18x24 Arches 140lb Cold Press Watercolor Block using Winsor and Newton Artist Watercolor Paint.

Apricot Blossoms in Spring Watercolor Painting

Here is one of my recent favorites. We have an old Apricot tree right outside the window of our old farm house. This spring it bloomed and held on to those blooms for days. I took a few photos of it and did a few sketches before they all blew away.

This painting started out wet and my colors began to bloom as well. At one point I thought it was over but after letting the first layer dry I realized that all was not lost. I added a few more layers to strengthen it and voila "Apricot Blossoms in Spring".

I created this painting in about 2 hours from start to finish. Not including the previous sketching and photography though. I used an 11x14 Arches Watercolor Block at 140lb Cold Press and Winsor and Newton Artist Watercolors.

A little about how I produced the painting... First I sketched it out from several value sketches I had already thought out. Unfortunately I can't find those right now or I would have included them. Next I soaked the paper and let it absorb the water until the shine was gone. Then I began to add my greens and reds and let them spread their color. I kept an eye on the painting at this stage to keep water from pooling in any one spot. I hurried the final minutes of drying with a handy hair dryer to cheat a little. I then added some browns and greens to the limb and deepened some of the pink colors. It had to dry again. I added the shadows in a purple hue and tightened up some of the details. That's it in a nutshell.

If you would like to see more of my work, please check out www.mikeprout.com

If you have any questions, contact me or better yet put them in the comments below and I will try to answer them for everyone's benefit. Enjoy!

Playing with Shadows in Watercolor

Well, another painting I finished up recently was fun playing with shadows in watercolor. Along side one of our neighborhood fences I came across a patch of Black-Eyed Susans I think and a little yellow finch. Picture perfect opportunity. Well, actually I had to combine two photos to get this one because the little bird just wouldn't cooperate.

Anyway, I loved the colorful greys and soft shadows so much that I had to paint it. Enjoy.

Please visit my website www.mikeprout.com to see other paintings as well.

Note: This painting was created on Arches 140lb Cold Press Block with Winsor and Newton transparent watercolor. It is an 11 x 14 painting.