Projects, Skill Level 2
Project 2 -1: Pure Vanilla
Last updated 23 December 2018
Skill Level: 2
A watercolor requiring an intermediate skill .
Source Photo
Photo of Watercolor
Pure Vanilla
Pigments
Yellows: Nickel Azo Yellow (NiAzY — PY151, MG Graham)
Quinacridone Gold (QAu — PO48, Daniel Smith)
Brown: Van Dyke Brown (VDBr — PBr7,Daniel Smith)
Blacks: Lamp Black (LBk — PBk7, Daniel Smith)
Noodler’s Eel Black Ink (NEB).
Elements
Label Background Color: QAu + VDBr
Gold label border: QAu, NiAzY, VDBr
Vanilla in bottle: VDBr
Lettering on label: VDBr
Highlights on bottle: QAu, VDBr
General background on bottle: LBk, VDBr, dilute
Paper Background: LBk, very dilute and graduated top left to bottom right (most pigment).
Shadow: LBk, dilute
Paper
10½" x 13”, cut from 52.5”-width roll of Arches 356 gsm/156 lb Paper. (Paper of this size gives an 8½" x 11” painting surface after masking out a 1” border.)
Painting Time
About eight hours over two calendar days.
Techniques
I used the RCPT technique to generate a sketch.
I put in the background using LBk and graduated it from the bottom right corner to the top left using more water there.
After this was dry, I added a graduated wash of dilute LBk heaviest at right edge of the box and graduated with clear water to the middle of the box and let it dry thoroughly before continuing to form the shade on the bottle.
I added the lines in the bottle cap using a dip pen with LBk.
I then began on the gold striping on the label, first laying in dilute NiAzY, then QAu for the yellower parts, and reserving some white for the shine. Dilute VDBr was used for the duller parts or the strip. (The only difference between yellow and gold is that gold has a shine that must be simulated by fading into a lighter wash). For the center circle, I left spaces for the vanilla blossoms that I would paint later.
I added a light wash of VDBr for the top surface of the vanilla in the bottle. Note that this differs from the photo which has the liquid level below the top of the label and thus, not visible. Moreover, the container is thin plastic meaning that the liquid should go virtually against the bottle. However, I treated it as if it were a thicker glass bottle and left some space between the liquid and the outer surface of the “glass.”
I then added highlights on the bottle with NiAzY (dilute).
I added the lowlights just under the bottle cap and the ring below using a dilute wash of VDBr simulating a reflection from the vanilla upward.
I added the liquid level below the surface using a more concentrated wash of VDBr, taking care to thin the wash near the highlight reflection in the center.
I added the lettering using NEB.
I painted the vanilla blossoms and beans in the center of the label by first using a dip pen with VDBr for the striations on the blossom. Then I added dilute and more concentrated VDBr washes for the lighter and darker parts of the plant.
I painted the black rubber boot on the bottom of the bottle using LBk, taking care to thin the wash to simulate the highlight as I did consistently all throughout the label.
After all was dry, I added the shadow using LBk, dilute. [Shadows take practice. Add the shadow using a dilute pigment and graduate the wash to be thinner (less pigment) at the edges farthest from the object. Then let it dry. At this point you may have a hard edge rather than a diffuse one. The concentration of pigment at the edge is easily removed by wetting a section of the edge with a damp brush, blotting the area immediately with a paper towel, rinsing the brush in clear water, and repeating until all of the edges are softened.]
Differences Between Watercolor and Source Photo
The “PURE” in the label is a bit sloppier than I wanted.
The black rubber boot on the bottom of the bottle exists in the picture. However, if I were thinking, I would have left it as a clear glass and painted brown vanilla extract inside of it to simulate a glass bottle. Too late.
I simplified the shadow to indicate a single diffuse light source rather than the multiple overhead light sources existing in the photo.
I omitted the reflection of the overhead lights seen in the bottle top.
Project 2-2: Coconut Oil
Last updated 19 July 2018
Skill Level: 2
A watercolor requiring an intermediate skill .
Source Photo
Photo of Watercolor
Coconut Oil
Skill Level: 2
A watercolor requiring an intermediate skill .
Pigments
Yellow: Yellow Ochre (YOc — PY43, Windsor & Newton)
Brown: Burnt Umber (BtU — PBr7, Daniel Smith)
Van Dyke Brown (VDBr — PBr7, Daniel Smith)
Red: Perylene Maroon (PeM — PR170, Daniel Smith)
Blue: Phthalo Blue (PhB — PB15 , Daniel Smith)
White: Watercolor paper
Elements
Jar Cap: PeM + PhB
Label and Logo Text: VDBr + BtU
Solidified Coconut Oil: YOc + BtU, very dilute
Coconut husk: BtU + VDBr
USDA label brown: BtU + VDBr
Shade and Cast Shadow: VDBr glazed with dilute PeM + PhB
Paper
9 1/2 x 12", hot press side, cut from Arches En-Tout Cas roll, 280 gsm (134 lb)
Painting Time
About two hours in over two days.
Techniques
I used the RCPT technique to generate a sketch.
I laid in a graduated background with VDBr wet into wet and graduated the pigment from dark to light as one travels down the page.
I laid in a very dilute wash of YOc + BtU to simulate the solidified coconut oil in the jar.
I mixed PeM + PhB to make the black for the cap, and then laid it in place, fairly concentrated. After it was dry, I lifted out some highlights using light scrubbing with water and blotting with a paper towel.
I laid in the yellow straw color of the label using YOc, dilute to the desired color.
After this was dry, I used a dip pen with BtU to create the straw mat background on the label.
I used BtU + VDBr for the coconut husk on the label and a more dilute mixture to indicate shade on the white of the coconut half. I used clear water to graduate the dilutions as needed for effect to simulate roundness of the coconut.
I mixed VDBr + BtU to make the text. For the thicker letters, I used a dip pen for the outline and a small brush for the fill. For the smaller letters, I used the dip pen alone.
I used VDBr to create the shade and cast shadow followed with a small amount of dilute PeM + PhB mixture to darken the shadow.
Differences Between Source Photo and Watercolor
I took some artistic license with the circular USDA label by reversing the colors on the label bottom as it would have been impossible to do this adequately with masking fluid given the small scale.
The outlines of the straw mat on the label were a bit too dark, so I lightened them with some clear water and blotting. Unfortunately, BtU is very easy to lift and there are some portions of the label near the top right where some of the outline has been washed away.
Project 2-3: Just the Two of Us
Last updated 4 Aug 2018
Skill Level: 2
A watercolor requiring an intermediate skill .
Source Photo
Photo of Watercolor
Just the Two of Us
Pigments
Yellow: Naples Yellow (NpY — PBr24, M. Graham)
Red: Perylene Maroon (PeM — PR170, Daniel Smith)
Green: Phthalo Green, Yellow Shade (PhG — PG36 , Daniel Smith)
Blue: Phthalo Blue (PhB — PB15 , Daniel Smith)
White: Watercolor Paper
Elements
Garlic Shade 1: PeM + PhB, dilute (light gray)
Garlic Shade 2: PeM + PhG,YS + NpY, dilute (light brown)
Garlic Root: PeM + PhG + NpY
Metallic Silver: PeM + PhB, dilute to med. conc.
Pan Black: PeM + PhB, concentrated
Shade: PeM + PhB, dilute
Cast Shadow: PeM + PhB, med. conc.
Paper
10¼" x 14" Arches Hot Press Block 300 gsm/150 lb paper.
Painting Time
About three hours over two days.
Techniques
I used the RCPT technique to generate a sketch.
I mixed a metallic silver using PeM + PhB and graduated the shade to simulate the specular reflection of a metallic surface. (The only real difference between gray and silver is that silver has more variation between highlight and lowlight and picks up surrounding colors with better facility than gray.) I applied this to the rim of the pan and the metallic parts of the handle and the rivets.
I then worked on shading the garlic with grays and browns mixed as described in the Elements list.
I used a JinHao fountain pen nib in a Speedball holder as a dip pen for the lines.
I used a rigger for the light roots and then used a dark brown (PeM + PhG + NpY, conc.) in a dip pen to outline some roots. I also used the dip pen for various highlights on the garlic.
After this was dry, I began the black of the handle and pan circumference using concentrated PeM + PhB and reserving room for the highlight as the pan transitioned from side to floor. I also (obviously) painted around the rivets.
I then painted the floor of the pan using a more dilute mixture of the pan black and blended them by using a streak of water at the interface.
I then used the same PeM + PhB for the cast shadow, adjusting the water to get the desired shade. I let this dry to a hard shadow, before scrubbing with a #2 Dynasty Black Gold brush to soften the cast shadow edges.
I also used the same #2 synthetic brush, or a small scrubber if required, to reinforce highlights in the handle and pan. A prominent highlight on the foreground metallic rim was also prepared this way.
To smoothly graduate the width in perspective, I used a Speedball C calligraphy tip loaded only with water as a scrubber. This allowed me to scrub away paint overage left by the brush.
I then used a Speedball nib holder with a JinHao fountain pen nib to smooth the outline of the handle and pan. I did this by applying the appropriate shade to the nib and inking it in over any rough outlines left by the brush.
I used the pan black mixture in this dip pen to add the shade in the handle depression so that I would have clean lines on the shade.
I used the same mixture to sign my name in the cast shadow under the pan in the foreground.
Differences Between Source Photo and Watercolor
The rivets weren't as round as they could be owing to a wayward brush stroke or two.
Because PeM + PhB is so staining, I was a bit too late to scrub out the foreground highlight on the pan rim. Therefore, I had to apply more pressure than I wanted to get the shine as I needed it. This left the paper a bit rough in that area.
