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AUTHOR
A LVA R O CA STAG N ET BELIEVES
that ‘your work is your best teacher’, therefore, the philosophy of this book will enable you to learn a great deal from observing and evaluating your own paintings, and building on your discoveries so that you can improve and develop your own personal style of watercolor painting. Drawing on his own wealth of knowledge and experience, Alvaro will guide you through key topics – philosophy, ideas, technique, color, brushstrokes and magic – advising you how to assess and respond to each topic, as related to your own work. He explains that: ‘By contemplating your work, without judging it, you learn about your own strengths and weaknesses. Your work can tell you what to do next and what to avoid. For example: How did you observe your subject? Can you improve your methods? Where could you reaffirm the things you
are discovering by putting them into practice?’ The structure of the book is based on six chapters, each with introductory text discussing the key topic concerned. The chapters include a generous selection of stunning watercolor paintings which cover a wide variety of subjects and include detailed, informative captions, so as to expand on the points discussed in the paragraphs. Furthermore, this book includes four advantageous, step-bystep lessons, using different reference sources such as photographs, computer, sketches and real life. Alvaro shares his demonstrations for appealing landscapes in Australia; boats in Cadaques, where his first DVD, Inspired Watercolor was filmed; “Circulo Militar” Plaza San Martin, a beautiful building in Buenos Aires; and an interior painting in his own studio.
“There is no teacher in art, your teacher is your work, your vision can’t never be match by your ability to paint, so, always ask yourself, what is wrong with it, how can I make it better.... aim high!!”
B rushes are the most important tool to the painter, and . . . Alvaro Castagnet’s signature squirrel brushes are of premier hair - soft and very absorbent. They hold lots of water and color, great to carry the paint to the paper, with fewer strokes. Longer handles allow for more freedom & better craftsmanship. Designed to paint, paint & paint! A new line of Escoda Synthetic signature brushes with long red handles are also available. Alvaro is the designer of his own art materials, which you will see him, use in this book.
P ainting W ith P assion
B eyond T echnique alvaro castagnet
RAINY DAY CHAPEL ST 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
I love working with contrast, the soft and subdued look of the background buildings, against the strong and thick paint colors on the cars and their lights, extending the reflections into the transparent washes of the road. I think it works quite well, happy with the result.
Alvaro Castagnet P.O. Box 12054 Montevideo, Uruguay 11300 Website: alvarocastagnet.net Copyright © Alvaro Castagnet All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including information storage and retrieval systems without the permission in writing from the publisher and author. Author, Artwork: Alvaro Castagnet Edited by Robin Capon Photography by Alejandro Serra Design and Layout by Debra Ashton Production: Ana Maria Castagnet Embedded Open Font License (OFL) for LibreBaskerville and Alegreya ISBN-13: 978-0-9848524-3-7 Original Publication Date: 2011
CIUDAD VIEJA (Old Town) 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
Watercolor “ALLA PRIMA” done in one go, no glazing dealing with values as you go along, mixing on the paper. I described the silhouette of the car with a saturated pigment, I broke the intensity of this washes by dropping water and let it take its own way.
PREFACE
A LVA R O CA STAG N ET IS ONE of the most skillful and successful watercolor artists of the present day. As an inspired, expressive painter, he is known for his powerful, impressive and colorful style. In particular, Alvaro’s strengths lie in the interpretation of light effects and his ability to evoke mood and capture the soul of the places that he paints. Since 1985 there have been manysolo exhibitions ofAlvaro’s work, with paintings acquired by private and corporate collectors worldwide. He has been recognized with prestigious awards over the past 30 years including the National Watercolor Society; Alice Bale Art Award (Australia); three by the American Watercolor Society; Shanghai Zhujiajiao Biennial and many more. Alvaro was elected as a member of the AWS, USA, Australian Watercolor
Institute, ACUA, and he is an Honorary Member Ohio Watercolor Society. Alvaro’s win at the Shanghai Zhujiajiao Biennial Exhibition, in 2010, has been a great achievement for his successful career, as the exhibits were of upmost high level and included masters from China, Britain, USA, Russia, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Spain, etc. The award winning painting will be shown in a permanent exhibition at the Quanhua Watercolour Art Gallery. His outgoing personality and professional ability make him a popular choice to participate in many top events in the watercolor world, including the Cross-Century Asian Pacific Watercolor Exhibition, the Belgian Biennale, and the Biennale de Madrid. Alvaro was invited to participate in the auction/exhibition “The Art of Saving Lives” at Sotheby’s Australia. He is one of the five members of the Winterlude Painting Group, who together have produced a book chronicling some of their painting expeditions, paint-outs and exhibitions.
Alvaro was personally invited to take part of the most accomplished world-class watermedia masters’ exhibition, organized by Jiangsu watercolor Research Institute (WRI) Exhibition of Contemporary International Watermedia Masters, held at Jiangsu Province Art Museum gallery, Nanjing, China, during June, 2010. It was with great honors, he received certificate of distinction. In August 2010, the NWS in USA presented him with a Golden Artist Colors award and selected his painting, “After work - Chicago”, to participate in the Travel exhibition for their 90th Annual show. His work has been featured in several books, in addition to his own very successful first book, Watercolor Painting with Passion, published in 2000. He regularly writes for some of the major international art magazines and is currently working on a new series of DVDs, following the success of Inspired Watercolour. Alvaro, known as the “Passionate Painter”, travels around
the world, painting, demonstrating, lecturing and judging art competitions and attending exhibitions of his work. He conducts watercolor painting workshops in a variety of countries, including the USA, UK, France, Spain, Australia and South America; and he has established a reputation as a popular and inspirational painter. Alvaro currently lives in Montevideo, Uruguay, with his wife, Ana Maria and their sons, Gaston and Calvin. He communicates with art enthusiasts around the world at alvarocastagnet.net.
“At the end of the day, the only thing that counts is your insight, your reaction, and the way you convey your feeling towards the subject.”
WATCH ONLINE alvarocastagnet.net
Table of Contents chapter two
chapter three
chapter four
IDEAS
TECHNIQUE
COLOR
AUTHOR
Trust your instinct and imagination
Use the colors that most express your personality
PREFACE
Art begins with an idea, a mental image that you feel strongly about and compelled to express. Embracing that new idea, and developing it to a successful outcome, requires both an emotional response and all of your painting skills. Head and heart must work together, must be in tune, and so let the painting slowly take shape and fulfill the expectations of the initial vision.
Maximize your inspiration through the use of innovative technique
acknowledgments foreward introduction
PASSION, A KEY ELEMENT IN A MASTERFUL WORK OF ART!
Technique is the means by which we are able to translate ideas into successful, expressive paintings. Essentially, our technique relies on the various skills we have developed for handling paint and applying it in the most appropriate way to convey what we think and feel about the subject matter.
chapter one
chapter five
chapter six
A PHILOSOPHY FOR PAINTING
BRUSHSTROKES
THE MAGIC
Plan it in your head, but paint it from your heart
Make every brushstroke count
The creative force within us
The importance of working with good quality brushes and developing the ability to make sensitive, economical and descriptive brushstrokes cannot be stressed too highly. Skills in using a variety of brushstroke techniques – from applying broad washes of color with a big brush, to adding accents of color, concluding with detail and calligraphic lines using a rigger or small sable brush – are one of the greatest assets a painter can have.
The magical process of creating a painting, of expressing and communicating an idea. And of course, there can be magic in the finished painting itself, in the way that it can conjure up a certain place and mood. Art can take many forms – descriptive, poetical, expressive, illusionistic and so on. It may come from our inner being, our soul, or it could be purely cosmic and intuitive. Whatever the force that inspires us to paint, there should always be an element of magic!
Artists paint for various reasons. But what distinguishes the ordinary from the great in painting is not necessarily the vision, degree of skill or power of expression, but the thinking, feeling, philosophy and associated qualities that motivate the work. Somehow, however subtly, those qualities must be evident in the final painting, and so be communicated to the viewer. The most intriguing, emotive and enduring paintings have an inherent sense of poetry, a meaning beyond the subject matter itself. They challenge our perceptions, play on our emotions.
Color is all around us; it is a very powerful and exciting part of our lives. Everyone responds to color. Usually it is the first thing we notice when we look at an object or a scene: we react to the sensation of color before we are fully aware of shapes and other qualities.
demonstrations
Australian Landscape Boats in Cadaques Circulo Militar, Buenos Aires Still life - StudiO
PLAZA MATRIZ 22 x 30” (56 x 76cm)
Plaza Matriz is a beautiful square in the city of Montevideo. Again here, I found that working on an initial charcoal sketch helped me simplify details and concentrate on the essential design. Generally, I prefer to make a tonal sketch, rather than one in color, because it offers the freedom to choose the best possible color palette for the final painting – which in this case was totally guided by the simplicity of the sketch.
TRAILER
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acknowledgments
This project would not have been created, without the encouragement of you all, supporters and friends, who through all your con-
tinuous “asks” gave me the strength and inspiration to write it. Most importantly, this book would not have been concreted without the countless hours of hard work of my
darling wife and life companion, Ana Maria. This is “your” book as well; words are not enough to express my gratitude to your commitment and support.
Our sons, Gaston & Calvin, that not only help with their existence for motivation, plus also to help me decipher how to work with the computer!
And Debra Ashton, for her expertise and hardworking approach to concrete the book in a very restricted frame of time. Through this book, I want to say THANKS!! to you all. Hope you like it!
foreward
S
OME TIME, about 20 years ago, I was dropping off a bunch of watercolours to a Gallery in Melbourne. I could hear some activity in their large studio area where Workshops were regularly conducted so I enquired who it was that seemed to have a class so whooped up. “Alvaro Castagnet,” was the reply, “I’m sure that he would like to meet you!” At that time the name meant nothing
to me, but it certainly soon would! I was then introduced to the dashing young Instructor, looked at his vibrant demo paintings and thought to myself “Wow! Watch out for this guy, he is something very special!”........ and isn’t that the way it has turned out? Alvaro has firmly established himself as one of the finest watercolorists in the world today, gaining recognition in many countries,
“An artist should transmit with total honesty his feelings for the subject, with paint” Alvaro Castagnet
winning prestigious awards and achieving Membership status in the Australian Watercolour Institute and the American Watercolor Society. While basically following a traditional approach to the watercolor medium he has injected his own exuberant Latin personality into his work, giving the paintings an excitement which is uniquely his own. There is nothing weak and wishy-washy about the way he handles the medium, I guess that I’d liken him to a swashbuckling pirate, taking chances as he goes, plundering the subject to gain every last ounce of drama or romance for his interpretation and then leaving us breathless with the final result! Alvaro is now a good friend of mine and I’ve watched his development with much interest, as he has spread his wings and sought a career on an International level. He joins an exciting group of young artists around the world who are taking watercolour to a new high, helping to raise an acceptance and interest in our beloved medium which has had a rather neglected recognition for far too long. No wonder Alvaro is called the Passionate Painter! Robert Wade OAM, AWI (LM), AWS, FRSA, PWS
introduction
PASSION, A KEY ELEMENT IN A MASTERFUL WORK OF ART! This is why I strongly believe that to paint well you must paint with passion. So how can you paint with passion?
F
OR ME, painting with passion is the ability to reach within yourself and communicate the essential qualities of the subject in your own individual way. And the way that this is accomplished, I believe, is by going beyond technique.
MERCADO del PUERTO I 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
Simple ideas often make great paintings, and this is a good example. I was having lunch at Mercado del Puerto when I noticed the waiter coming towards me, slightly bent forward, counting the money, and with his whole body shape lit against the scene behind. I instantly thought he would make the perfect subject for a painting. (Good thing I always carry my camera!)
In my first book, Watercolor Painting with Passion, I showed how to combine the principles of technique with a powerful message. It was published some time ago, and since then no doubt my paintings have changed and my technique has evolved. But my main motive, the driving force to paint watercolors, is still the same. It is to capture the essence, the feeling, of the subject that I have chosen to paint. I want to express it with complete honesty, quality, and with the passion that I feel when I paint with this medium. Painting with watercolor is a truly absorbing
process and one that I greatly enjoy. And that I have fun with! So this book is an invitation to go further – to explore the elusive side of painting and go beyond technique. With every subject, expressing its essence, its particular sense of place, mood and atmosphere, should be the main motive. Trying to express that is what should encourage you to attempt to conquer those aspects that can be very mysterious in painting – work that is evocative and shows passion and feeling. Many of the watercolors shown in this book were painted on site. Painting en plein air has certainly helped me explore a new dimension inspiration and technique. This is because when you paint on location you have to work quicker, because the weather conditions and the light and mood can change rapidly. So your work inevitably looks fresher, more spontaneous. And this is why I would strongly recommend plein air painting to
every artist. The benefits are tremendous. Go out, paint without fear, and enjoy yourself! I mention fear because sometimes it can be such a strong feeling that it inhibits the way that we work. It stops us from exploring and experiencing new things, trying out new colors, washes, tricks and so on. Do not deprive yourself of such a rich experience for the sake of fear. If you do make mistakes, nothing is lost. Aim to fix them, or just start again. Let yourself be influenced by nature, by the real world. It will invigorate your work. And don’t worry about your painting style. In my view, a painting style develops and matures naturally. It relies on years of painting and practice.
MRS. LEE 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
So into her work, it was her expression of being absorbed and fulfilled so powerful and evocative.
You may be surprised to hear that I think it is always important to feel a degree of dissatisfaction with you work – because dissatisfaction aids motivation. I am never fully happy with the paintings I produce, and this is precisely what keeps me going and drives my passion. It is always difficult to successfully express on paper what I had in mind for the painting, but of course that is the essential motivation. But there is nothing quite like the sense of satisfaction and pleasure that you enjoy when you “know” that you have captured what you wanted to say about the subject, that it has actually “worked”! This is why I so ardently believe that your best ‘teacher’ is your own work. What I mean by this is that you can learn a great deal by looking at and evaluating your work.
Ask yourself these two main questions: What is wrong with it? How can I make it better? These are the questions that I constantly ask myself and I think it is from that sort of analysis that I owe my improvements and consolidation as an artist. In this book, as well as discussing the main pillars that sustain good painting practice, there is also an emphasis on exploring and exploiting your own philosophy as an artist. You need skills in basic techniques, but equally it is vital to believe in your own insight, your own intuition. After all, this is what will enrich a good work of art and ensure that it is a timeless one.
“We artist are imperfect and paintings are the summary of the perfect imperfection.” Painting is definitely something that you need to feel a love and passion for, and something that you should enjoy. If this is so, then there will be no difficulty in immersing yourself into painting with full force. In consequence your work will benefit and become increasingly more individual and successful.
MELBOURNE VISTA 40 x 26” (101 x 67cm)
Mood is more important than detail. In this view of Melbourne, I wanted to convey a sense of atmospheric perspective, showing the immense scale and all the rhythm of this city, without specific detail.
I very much hope this book will help you pursue your watercolor painting with a stronger force and tackle your subjects with greater authority. Passion, quality and integrity – these are the key aspects to focus on to develop your work and take it to a higher level. So here’s to all of you and the wonderful world of the watercolor medium! Enjoy it! Alvaro
chapter one
A PHILOSOPHY FOR PAINTING Plan it in your head, but paint it from your heart
A
TANGO I 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
The tango is a dance of energy and passion, and this is the feeling that I wanted to capture in this painting. He is standing still, she is moving rapidly around him. The sense of energy, the movement, the spontaneity of the dance, the passion – these are the qualities that I have aimed to express.
RTISTS PAINT for many different reasons. But what distinguishes the great from the ordinary in painting is not necessarily the content, degree of skill or power of expression, but instead the thinking, feeling, philosophy and associated qualities that have motivated the work. Somehow, however subtly, these qualities must be evident in the final painting, and so be communicated to the viewer. The most intriguing, emotive and enduring paintings have an inherent sense of poetry, a meaning beyond the subject matter itself. They challenge our perceptions, play on our emotions. Representational art has been the main form of expressing ideas since the earliest civilizations. However, if paintings are made with the sole objective of recording subject matter they can be predictably illustrative; most likely they will lack originality and integrity. Such paintings tell us very little about the artist and what he thinks and feels about
BLUE TOWER 42 x 26” (107 x 67cm)
There are lots of interesting towers in Montevideo. I made this painting from a friend’s house, overlooking the old town district. To maximize on the impact of the subject, I decided to contrast the carefully painted tower with a much vaguer and broadly-treated foreground area. “Follow your gut feelings, trust yourself, let your composition describe the subject, the best possible way, and if something is not right, get rid of it!”
his paintings. In the present age, and with changing attitudes towards art, I believe the only way we can make traditional, representational art valid is to take it beyond the obvious interpretation. We have to be more intuitive and explore aspects such as mood, ambiance and feeling. The power to capture the essence of a subject with true feeling will come from deep within you, from your soul. Although you can have lessons on how to paint - on drawing techniques, color theory and so on – no one can teach you how to paint your way. Your art cannot be taught. It develops as a result of a commitment to your work: it comes from your own resources, from practicing, analyzing, contemplating and evaluating. So it is not something that you can simply acquire from someone else.
Essentially, the way that you learn to paint is by actually painting. All the guidance and help that you need is there, within your own work. Your work is your best tutor. The greatest lessons are learned from the experience of painting and from careful thought and deliberation about your paintings. Allow yourself time to think about and consider each stage of working, and approach it without fear or preconceptions, because all the answers you need to know are already there, in your successes and failures.
MERCADO del PUERTO III 14 x 11” (35 x 28cm)
I am always impressed by the glow and the feeling of warmth coming from a charcoal grill restaurant. That feature is the essence of this painting, and it plays the most important role in capturing the mood and ambience of the scene.
“The emotional mind creates, and the rational mind explains it. Another way of saying this is, your ‘heart’ perceives it and your ‘head’ translates it.”
TANGO PASSION 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
Through the in and out of washes and the color scheme of the painting, my aim was to enhance the togetherness of the dancers and the unity of the painting.
Inevitably, if you only embrace concepts and techniques belonging to other artists, you will be limited in developing your own, distinctive style of painting. Together with acknowledging these points, the most constructive way to develop your work is by painting as often as you can. The brain is an amazing organ: once you believe in your thoughts and establish a sense of direction or a goal to strive for, you will find that you can paint more intuitively. By painting freely and confidently, eventually your thoughts and painting will be as one. Your most successful paintings will be those for which you can work with a real passion and energy, knowing what it is that you want to achieve. If you are hesitant and fearful, those fears will come true! Having said this, every painting is something of a discovery and you can never be quite sure what will happen.
Artists who need certainty in everything they do are less likely to make paintings that are interesting and have real impact. So, always be true to yourself and paint with conviction. Trust yourself, trust your intuition, follow your gut feeling. This is essential! With confidence in your abilities you will feel able to experiment, paint freely, be bold and break the rules. Be prepared to embrace surprises and take advantage of chance situations. Aim for work that is individual and exciting. Plan it in your head, but paint it from your heart!
MELBOURNE 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
I love this city; it has great subjects, especially downtown, as there are so many beautiful old buildings. I used a very small range of colors, mainly yellow ochre and cadmium red and only a bit of ultra….
Ability without hard work is not enough. Skills and techniques are a good starting point, but without firm objectives, discipline and application, skills will count for little. When you first start painting, it is natural to focus on developing a good technique, with pure washes, attractive colors, fine brushwork and so on. Initially the emphasis is on the painting process, the art of making a painting, rather than self-expression and adopting a subjective approach.
ings about it. However, this challenge makes painting all the more exciting and enjoyable.
But increasingly, as time passes, practice and experience will help you develop as an artist. And you will start to appreciate that true art is much more than great technique or being a good craftsman. Art must engage feeling, mood, passion and magic.
So forget about perfection, because that works against creativity. Rid your approach of fixed ideas and instead be open to new experiences, to change. Paint with a clear resolve, but always with excitement, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn!
Once there is that realization, a slow process of change begins. Then, painting becomes more difficult perhaps, because everything is secondary to the goal of capturing the essence of each idea and in a way that expresses your thoughts and feel-
Naturally you will make mistakes; no painting is ever perfect. However, failure is always a useful way of learning, so try to profit from your mistakes. Similarly, learn to accept criticism in the right way. Artists can be particularly sensitive, but when criticism is well-meant and it comes from someone whom you respect, it can be extremely helpful.
BUENOS AIRES URBAN SERIES I
26 x 40” (67 x 101cm)
It is great to capture the feel of a city... in a different way, from the rooftops. Many washes of soft yellow ochre bleeding with grays.
TORTONI CAFE III 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
Again here, it is the particular quality of light that is the real subject of the painting, creating a sparkle and focus. With interior subjects such as cafés and restaurants, capturing the feeling of light can be very tricky, since there is often light coming from several different sources. In this painting I concentrated on the contrast between the general darkness of the room and the far away light background, the light fixtures and of course with the waiters adding interest.
URBAN SERIES II 40 x 26” (102 x 67cm)
Painting townscapes, with lots of buildings, is something that I greatly enjoy. This painting is one from a series that I have made of my hometown, Montevideo. The challenge with this type of subject is to create the sensation of many different buildings, in a big city, without involving any real detail – just using the watercolor medium to suggest.
CAFE BREAK 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
Worked very much “alla prima”, quick and not too many details left the man’s white shirt quite bright, so the focal point would be stronger.
SAN TELMO B.A. 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
This painting won an award at the NWS. I love the atmosphere of the old café bars, and I try to visit them, everywhere I go. I find them an exquisite subject to paint. If they are old and weathered so much better! In this case, the group of old friends, chatting over the news, the light coming and bouncing on the tables, and I applied my artistic license and made the column viridian green!
NEW YORK SERIES III 26 x 43” (67 x 101cm)
Here, I wanted to convey the busy and vibrant atmosphere of Times Square. I concentrated on the yellow cabs, which I personally love, as they are such a feature of the city. I used the strength of my washes, their chromatic intensity, to enhance the spirit and depth of the subject.
TRAILER
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HARBOUR BRIDGE I - SYDNEY 40 x 26”(101 x 67cm)
The Sydney Harbour Bridge, with its beautiful, massive metallic design, is a world icon. As I was driving onto the bridge and was able to appreciate its imposing structure, emphasized by the midday light, I thought it would make a very striking subject to paint. The challenge here was to capture the essence and beauty of the structure and so create an exciting painting, without getting bogged down in details. RAINY DAY GLENFERRY RD 22 x 30” (56 x 76cm)
Rainy days are an inspiration! I chose a vertical format looking across this busy street, to emphasize the perspective and design. The lights from the cars and their reflection all work together to maximize it. I think the magic here was to capture the reflection, and the “blurry wet look” of the subject with broad washes, and not many details. I think it has a lovely abstract feel to it.
JOE 22 x 30” (56 x 76cm)
Joe is a well-known jazz musician who plays in the streets of New Orleans. I was attracted to his music and the passionate way he was playing it, and this inspired me to paint him. To capture the power and sense of expression in his playing, I decided to concentrate on his face, mouth and hands. I was delighted when this painting won a High Winds Medal award at the AWS, 2004. Incidentally, although I called him Joe, I later found out that his real name is Elliot!
DORREGO BAR 30 x 22” (77 x 57cm)
This is one of many popular cafes in Buenos Aires. The lighting is subtle, creating a strong sense of mood and atmosphere. When I saw the light catching the group of young friends placing their orders with Manuel, the waiter, I thought it would be a lovely story to tell. (By the way, if you ever go there, I recommend a beer with some of their delicious nuts!)
TORTONI CAFE II (Sketch) 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
This sketch gave me the inspiration and confidence to produce the much larger work which you can see on the next page. Notice how I have used a certain amount of ‘artistic license’ to change the color of the waiter’s jacket and add touches of red throughout the painting and so create a more harmonious composition with greater impact. I just loved it!
CAFE TORTONI SERIES I 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
This is one of many paintings that I have made of the Café Tortoni. It is a favorite place of mine, and I always spend some time there when I visit Buenos Aires. It is a typical Argentinean café, full of atmosphere and activity. I liked the wonderful contrast between the light values in the foreground and the dark background. As well, I liked the sense of movement with the waiter and the different customers, all the objects on the marble tables, and of course the chance to use some red on the beautiful leather chairs!
TORTONI CAFE 42 x 30” (107 x 77cm)
In this painting, red is the predominant color, giving a strength and unity to the whole composition. There is some red in every color mixture. The unpainted white areas in the foreground help to lead the eye into the painting.
chapter two
IDEAS Trust your instinct and imagination
A
RT BEGINS with an idea, a mental image that you feel strongly about and compelled to express. Embracing that new idea, and developing it to a successful outcome, requires both an emotional response and all your painting skills. Head and heart must work together, must be in tune, and so let the painting gradually take shape and fulfill the expectations of the initial vision.
OVERVIEW 25 x 40” (65 x 101cm)
Dealing with buildings in paintings is one of my greatest pleasures; in this case, this is one of a full series I have done of my hometown Montevideo. The challenge here is to achieve the sensation of lots of interesting buildings, in a big city, without falling into details, using the watercolour medium just to suggest. This painting won an award, in 2010, at the Shanghai Zhujiajiao International Watercolour Biennial.
Essentially, painting is concerned with interpreting an emotional reaction, an inspiration, using shapes, colors, lines and movement. At the beginning of a painting you need to be at the highest level of sensitivity and response, developing a dialogue with the work that is intense and passionate. In this phase, you should be so involved in your work that nothing else matters – you won’t be aware of time, or even aware of yourself! The only thing that should concern you is the sheer pleasure of painting, with all the challenges and rewards that comes with it.
So, you need to be focused about your painting and have a clear vision, a strong idea in mind. This is the key to creating something with real impact. Decide on what you feel is important about the subject matter – what you would like to capture and convey about it – and stick with that objective. In turn, it will guide the progress of the painting from start to finish.
HARBOUR BRIDGE II 40 x 26” (101 x 67cm)
The massive iron work was very inviting and a nice challenge to paint, the road works as a nice “lead up” to it, the rest is a bit out of focus, making it softer to the eye, and to present a contrast to the rigid iron work…
However, within that objective, as you work, don’t be afraid to embrace surprises and mistakes and make the most of these if they will help enhance the impact of the painting. Sometimes it is wise to accept uncertainties as virtues. But don’t be swayed from your initial concept and motivation for the painting. Build on that as you interpret the subject. Keep the work decisive and uncomplicated: simplicity is something that artists must always strive for in their paintings. The challenge of each new idea is the driving force in painting: something will excite the artist’s imagi-
nation and inspire him or her to paint it. But of course, having started with a certain idea, it can be very difficult to capture its full intensity within the constraints of a painting. Yet interestingly, this is one reason why artists continue to pursue the challenging act of painting. They relish its demands, savour its rewards, and are continually wanting to achieve higher, more accomplished standards of work.
CADAQUES 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
A quick painting done on site. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and hot. I wanted to portray the beautiful Cadaques village, and concentrated on the strong shadows in the foreground, to maximize the perspective and add drama to the subject.
It is a great feeling when you embark on a fresh challenge. Artists are sensitive people and as such they are very receptive to new ideas and the inspiration and excitement that accompanies them. Imagination is another important factor in this process, as it enhances the ability to convey the most powerful expression of mood and atmosphere. It is what I would describe as a dream-like quality, as in fact creativity is, in a sense, a consequence of dreaming. At the moment of inspiration the degree of potential creativity is at its greatest, I think.
And this is why I would advise that you start painting straight away. When you discover a subject that excites you, something for which you sense an affinity and feel strongly about, it offers a tremendous opportunity for personal, expressive work. And from the beginning, working in conjunction with your response to the subject, observation and imagination will be vital factors.
SANTIAGO de COMPOSTELA 14 x 11” (35 x 28cm)
For this large painting of Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia, a beautiful city in north-west Spain, I chose a dramatic perspective view of the main pedestrian crossing, which is situated just on the edge of the old town. I wanted a view that would encompass the lively activity of the city and at the same time direct the eye towards the wonderful, historic buildings.
For without imagination there can be no work of art. Equally, as the painting begins to take its course, your painting skills, experience and knowledge will assume increasing significance. Once you have a strong desire to paint something, it is very important that you exploit that excitement and vision by immediate action, by working with observation, feeling and integrity. This is the approach that will lead to the most meaningful, personal and expressive results.
ANTWERP STATION 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
Antwerp station is a great place to paint. So impressive, full of action, mood and sounds..... Again, the massive structure in iron was a challenge and a great back drop, for this painting. I worked on the trains with details but in loose fashion, following the same abstract expression.
In contrast, painting simply for the sake of painting is not likely to produce anything very rewarding or exciting, because it will lack inspiration and creative energy. Let your feelings about the subject matter and your responses to the painting govern the working process. Put aside any pre-conceived ideas you may have had about what you are painting and what makes a successful work of art. Trust your instinct; be intuitive. Remember that if the subject matter does not ‘speak’ to you and fire your enthusiasm to paint it, then inevitably the finished painting will reflect this and look ‘worked’ rather than created with sensitivity. Also, a more intuitive style of painting will suit the inherent character of the watercolor medium and the way that it responds best.
MONTEVIDEO PORT 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
Here, I decided to focus on the two tugs as the main areas of interest in the painting, but at the same time aiming to capture the essence and atmosphere of this busy, industrial port.
Idea followed by action is the essence of the painting process. Generally, the most reliable way to develop an idea is by first adopting a considered, contemplative approach. This will help trigger your thoughts and imagination: think, feel and then paint. Begin by getting to know your subject. Find out as much information about the subject as you can, before working on the painting.
You may find it helpful to start with some sketches to explore different ideas and approaches. For example, you could experiment with several color sketches, using different color ranges, and from these decide which one will be the most appropriate for the subject matter and how you wish to interpret it.
BOURLA CAFE IN ANTWERP 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
Another café scene and again plenty of atmosphere and contrasts of light and dark, warm and cool colors, and compositional features to create interest in the painting in this case the dancing of the brush work and the use of drops of water to create lots of different objects, without having to “draw them”.
Similarly, you could use a sequence of sketches to help you reach decisions about the composition, which is another element that has a tremendous influence on the impact of a painting. During the painting process itself, the challenges are twofold: there is the emotional challenge in capturing with feeling the mood of the subject and the sense of place; and there is the challenge of mastering technique, and so enabling the vision for the painting to be expressed confidently and successfully.
TIMES SQUARE, NY II SERIES 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
There is so much to see and do in Times Square. It is a truly inspirational place. As in any painting, success in capturing a subject like this depends just as much on what you decide to leave out as on what you decide to put in. Here, I wanted to concentrate on the foreground activity: I wanted that to be the focus of attention. To help achieve that effect I worked with broad washes and some texture, avoiding defined shapes, to ‘push back’ all the busy foreground.
Perfecting their technique is something that all artists strive for. We would all like the skills that would allow us to convey on paper the vision for the subject exactly as we perceive it. In my own case, for example, when I first started painting, I remember that my ambition was to develop an impressive technique! Mastering technique is complicated and takes time, but it is usually achievable. This is more than can be said for the difficulties involved in communicating mood and emotion within the painting, which is a far more complex issue.
You may think that technique must abide by certain rules. But there are no definitive rules in painting: every painting is different and because of this it sets its own parameters and demands. In effect, as soon as you apply the first brushstrokes, you start defining the limits within which you are going to work and the general procedure for the painting. The moment you place the first drops of color on the paper, you begin to set up a dialogue between yourself and the painting.
ESSAOUIRA 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
At the end of market day in the beautiful town of Essaouira it was still very colorful and interesting, and I thought the perfect time to paint, as it was much quieter. The figures stood out particularly well against the dark arcades.
ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
This is a quick sketch which I made on site, looking towards the market in the beautiful village of Essaouira, Morocco. It was my very first painting there. When you arrive at a location like this there is so much to see and absorb. I think the best thing to do is grab your paints and brushes and make a start on something. Don’t spend a lot of time looking for a ‘winner’, just put down some colors and aim for the essence of the scene. Work with passion and have some fun. You can always develop the subject later, when you are back in the studio.
I would say that when the idea is strong, and you have a clear vision, then the technique will follow the idea. Always the power of your work will be your vision, and this in turn will encourage the right working methods. Check also that the idea is worth pursuing. Is it strong enough to make an exciting painting, and will it sustain your interest and enthusiasm throughout the whole process? It will, if the vision is there and you have a real desire to work on it!
FLINDER ST STATION 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
This painting is all about the hustle and bustle of a busy rail station. To capture that effect, I have concentrated on the people, crossing the street, or hurrying to work or to catch the next train.
TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK SERIES I 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
Times Square is always full of interest. The challenge is to make a simple, effective painting from what is essentially a complex subject. Notice how I have isolated the figure in the foreground to create a strong focal point. Also I have used dry brushstrokes to add a sense of movement to the figure and help accentuate it. These brushstrokes create a lovely contrast against the surrounding washes. Taxis are a characteristic feature of New York, so I always include them.
“I notice I always end up with a much better painting when I let myself go with the flow, bold, free, aggressive and kind of “couldn’t care LESS”. URBAN SERIES MONTEVIDEO 43 x 26” (110 x 67cm)
The idea of this painting was to reflect a “big city busy lifestyle”, with lots of interesting architecture. But instead of making “that” the focal point, I went for a very small section.....like “cutting out a little piece of “life” in the big city. I reflected the details around the pedestrian crossing, and zoomed in on the focal point, leaving the numerous buildings at rest; treating them very loose, with big broad washes - depicting just shapes, and shadows casting from rooftops, buildings, etc.
LA PARRILLITA 40 x 26” (101 x 67cm)
La Parrillita, in Montevideo is owned by my best friend, Daniel Vinoly. I go there often; it feels to me almost like my second home. I take the family, meet with friends, eat great food, talk about soccer, and I have a great time. The restaurant was very cozy, but small, so, after a few years, Daniel moved to a larger premise. And so, I took this opportunity to paint the “old” Parrillita, and give it as a gift, in the opening of the new place. You can see Daniel standing attending to orders and yes, it is me, sitting down, having a chat. I used a very loose technique, with smoke coming out of the fire, and reflections on the wall, and drippings on the foreground tables. I had a lot of fun painting it, just like when I go there!
I felt very comfortable about painting him, because of our friendship, and I am really happy to include the painting in this book.
FRANK (Sketch) 14 x 22” (35 x 56cm) OIL PAINTING
This is Frank, a great friend of mine. He was my neighbor when I lived in Australia. Frank is a house painter, and he often used to come round at the end of the day to have a chat about things. One day, when I was experimenting with oils, I ended up making a small, quick painting of Frank with a brush in his hand.
Of course, as a watercolor painter I have always been used to working from light to dark. But when I tried oils I had to work in the opposite way, from dark to light - this is the fundamental difference between the two mediums. So, in this painting I began with the shadows on the wall and the face, and when I had placed these dark values, I was able to judge the middle tones and highlights. In particular, I felt that by adopting a tonal approach to the face, and concentrating on the main shapes and colors, I could capture Frank’s look and personality.
NEW YORK SERIES II 40 x 30” (102 x 77cm)
There was so much to say about this subject, so I just got on with it!
chapter three
TECHNIQUE Maximize your inspiration through the use of innovative technique
T
ECHNIQUE IS the means by which artists are able to translate ideas into successful, expressive paintings. Essentially, your technique will rely on the various skills you have developed for handling paint and applying it in the most appropriate way to convey what you think and feel about the subject matter.
TANGO PASSION II 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
Again here, it is the intensity, color and passion of the dance that I have wanted to convey, working with a warm color palette and strong contrasts of tone and color.
However, although technique is obviously very important, it should never be allowed to dominate the painting process. Instead, it should always play a supporting role in enabling individual expression. In fact, if the technique is sound, it will go largely unnoticed in the finished painting, because it will have conveyed the emotional impact of the work so successfully. Ideally in your paintings, in the first instance you will want the viewer to be captivated by the narrative and mood rather than the technique.
MONTEVIDEO PORT (Charcoal sketch) 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
I quite often make a sketch in charcoal before starting on the painting. I find this is a great help in working out the important shapes within the subject, and the contrasts of soft and hard edges. Sketching is particularly useful when, as here, the subject is difficult and challenging. The busy, industrial port of Montevideo was a complex subject to tackle, and the initial charcoal sketch proved invaluable when, subsequently, I worked on the watercolor version.
APPLECROSS (Sketch on site) 14 x 11” (35 x 28cm)
For this color sketch, of the attractive little town of Applecross in north-west Scotland, I worked with a color scheme very much based on burnt sienna – a limited palette consisting of ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson. If you look carefully, you will see that there is a very smooth transition from a weak burnt sienna wash in the distance, to a much darker version in the foreground. I liked the challenge of representing the rocks with different shapes and coordinating them for maximum impact. And in the background I have suggested something of the architecture of this beautiful part of the world, creating a sense of depth.
This is how Camille Pissarro spoke of technique: ‘As far as execution is concerned, we regard it as of little importance. Art as we see it does not reside in execution: originality depends only on the character of the drawing and the vision peculiar to each artist.’ Naturally you will always be wanting to improve your mastery with the materials that you work with. Skills in technique can be learned and acquired to some extent, but equally your confidence in using watercolor or other paint media will grow with time and through hard work, lots of experimentation, and the determination to turn failures into triumphs. Like a flowing river, your technique will be continually changing, evolving. In the same way that you have your own style of handwriting, equally it is of paramount importance to develop a distinctive painting technique - what might be called your ‘fingerprint’ in art.
FISHERMEN’S END OF DAY 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
This lively beach scene was full of light and atmosphere. I decided to focus on the foreground, where the fishermen were chatting before they went home for the day. I have used a variety of brushwork effects, particularly for the water and the boats, which I wanted to avoid looking too rigid in execution. And to add to the impact, I used big shadows to contrast with the light areas. I think this example encapsulates the important elements necessary for a quick, small painting of this type, namely: strong design with bold shapes; simplicity; and a free, “alla prima” approach.
The factors that determine this ‘fingerprint’ are your acquired skills, experience and knowledge, combined with your own initiative.Your technique should be exuberant, uninhibited and individual. Practice is vital. The more you paint, the better your technique will become, and consequently the more successful you will be at expressing your ideas in a convincing, fulfilling way. Your technique will develop as a direct consequence of the act of painting. Every painting is a new experience that will add to your knowledge and your skills and understanding of the watercolor medium. What you learn from one painting will inform the next. Also, from practice and experience, you will gain confidence, which is another very important prerequisite when painting. A sound technique will enable you to focus on the essen-
tials. In painting, it is often the more direct, spontaneous effects that have the greatest impact. Achieving more with less is imperative: simplicity is a must. Like other forms of art, painting is usually more successful when it is focused, exciting, imaginative and enjoyable, and that requires economy of technique. Painting should always be a very personal, unique, free and natural expression of ideas; a way of working that is not governed to any significant extent by premeditated conditioning or methodology.
VENICE 30 x 22” (56 x 75cm)
A painting like this is a great occasion just to work with simple shapes as the buildings and background dictates and develop an “automatic” focal point with the interest of the figure, walking towards the foreground. Simple and easy to execute!
“Establish a tonal field, and stick to it.”
DOWNTOWN MELBOURNE III 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
This is a very busy part of Melbourne, and what I wanted to capture in this painting was the movement of all the bicycles as they sped off immediately the traffic lights had changed. In the background you can see the profile of Flinders Street Station. The handling of the brushstrokes played a very important part in this painting – for example, in suggesting windows and other architectural features without drawing every detail, and in placing the foreground shadows, for which I used broad, fairly dry brushstrokes.
In my view this is the essential difference between painting and some craft activities, in which it is possible to reproduce items that are more or less identical in their form and finish. In painting, the technique is the craft aspect, the vehicle for expressing your ideas. But you will need to be more than simply a good craftsman: you will need to work with imagination, personality and passion.
COOKING 30 x 22” (77 x 57cm)
The atmosphere in the small, Chinese kitchens is fascinating. I tried to paint as fast as they could cook. I did the minimum drawing and concentrated on the main focal area, with its splash of red and the cooking vapors.
WORKING KITCHEN 30 x 22” (76 x 56cm)
Watercolor is the ideal medium for this type of subject, in which you want to capture a particular moment in time and a distinctive mood. In this painting the moment is when the waiters at the Charcoal Grill restaurant are collecting the food, ready to take it to their customers. I have treated everything in quite broad terms, including the faces. However, there is just enough suggestion, I think, through little touches, to represent the facial features and capture character and gesture.
If you rely too much on technique your paintings will lose their emotive quality and their sense of integrity. There can be a temptation to repeat certain effects that are always reliable, rather than assessing the individual needs of the painting in respect of the three key elements of technique – drawing, brushwork and color. You must aim to resist that temptation.
by other people. It is a tool that we gradually develop through the years of painting. As our ideas become more sophisticated, so must our technique. It is something that we must keep working at, for it will never be perfect. What is more, to create really good paintings, we need to support technique with an ability to improvise and be innovative.
Drawing is an essential skill for all artists. It is interesting to note that the more freedom you seek with your paintings, the more developed your drawing skills need to be. A successful painting will always start with sound drawing. This creates the framework for the painting and will encourage the confidence to adopt a more relaxed, expressive approach when considering brushstrokes and color.
TANGUEROS
In summary, technique is the tool that artists use to bring their ideas into reality, to express them in a form that can be understood
14 x 22” (35 x 56cm)
Loved going to Tango shows in Buenos Aires. I took a photo with my iPhone, I really liked the couple, I had it in my mind.... my photo was not good quality, but I had the “sensation” in my mind.... I worked very quickly, with mainly two colors, blue grays and red. The emphasis is on their movement and their faces.
PAINTING IN THE RAIN: SCOTLAND 14 x 11” (35 x 28cm)
I was in Scotland with some friends, and had just finished a demonstration painting. When they in turn started to paint, it looked such a great subject that I had to make a quick sketch. As so often happens in Scotland, it soon started to drizzle, and that is why some of the textures in this painting have been slightly enhanced!
FITZROY - MELBOURNE (Sketch) 14 x 11” (35 x 28cm)
This sketch was done very quickly on a hot, sunny day, working from an appropriately warm color palette. Dry brushwork enhances the strong sense of sun and heat.
STUDIO PRACTICE 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
“BE FREE, paint for self-indulgence, the pity aspect of being a painter is that we have been bombarded since the age of five to think logically with lots of don’t and do’s. We intellectualize everything and art is the opposite; ART IS INSIGHT, it doesn’t exist. Try to undo everything you know and for the sake of it!”
Gaston and a couple of friends came to my studio, to practice a few techniques in oil and w/c, as they had a subject at school. I let them have my table, and while seating waiting for them to finish. I resolved a very complex foreground, letting the water run, applying splashes of pigment, to create interesting texture, without adding details. It was a very cold rainy day, the studio was a bit dark, and created great mood.
WATERSIDE HOTEL MELBOURNE 30 x 22” (76 x 55cm)
Melbourne is a very dynamic city, and this is a statement of its changing face. Contrasting with the old pub in the foreground, you can see some of the new development of the docklands area.
SAN TELMO 30 x 22” (76 x 56cm)
San Telmo is a beautiful square in the city of Montevideo. Again here, I found that working on an initial charcoal sketch helped me simplify details and concentrate on the essential design. Generally, I prefer to make a tonal sketch, rather than one in color, because it offers the freedom to choose the best possible color palette for the final painting – which in this case was totally guided by the simplicity of the sketch.
RAINY DAY IN BERLIN
TRAILER
copy and paste URL into web browser https://vimeo.com/ondemand/alvarocastagnetberlin/80311631?autoplay=1
chapter four
COLOR Use the colors that most express your personality
C
OLOR IS all around us, it is a very powerful and exciting part of our lives. Everyone responds to color. Usually it is the first thing we notice when we look at an object or a scene: we react to the sensation of color before we are fully aware of shapes and other qualities.
AFTERNOON GLOW 26 x 40” (67 x 101cm)
Although the inspiration for this painting was the gorgeous sunset reflection, essentially it is a painting all about red. The red light that invigorates the painting creates impact through the richness of the color itself and also through the different techniques involved in applying the color. These include dry, thick brushstrokes as well as dribbles of color and soft washes that reveal the fluidity of the medium.
In painting, color is always significant because it has the ability to stimulate emotions and convey feeling and mood. However, it cannot be considered in isolation – it has to work in relation to other factors such as composition, drawing and technique. When painting, all of these elements are equally important. There is no single element that creates a great painting. Color is significant in that, no matter how perfect the composition and other elements might be in a painting, if the color scheme fails, the painting will fail with it. And, of course, tonal values are an integral part of
this process. Wherever you see different tonal values, equally you are looking at color, because tonal values are simply how light or dark a color is. Color adds passion and expression to a painting. Consequently, it has a direct influence on the way we react to paintings. If, for example, the colors are bright and exhilarating, they will, in turn, make us feel excited and elated. With the right colors and the skill of the artist, we can sense the warmth of the sun in a painting, enjoy the magical qualities of light, experience the effect of rain, and so on. For every artist who wishes to work in a traditional, representational way, being able to handle color to achieve mood and atmosphere is an essential skill. Each artist has a unique, intuitive response to color. We are all individual: we think and feel differently and consequently we choose different colors. The reaction to color is a very personal matter and
something that should be reflected in your choice of a color palette. Use the colors that most express your personality that touch your soul! For those who are just beginning with watercolor, the key to developing a good color sense and an appropriate color palette is to work initially with just a few colors and experiment fully with these. Gradually, you can introduce other colors, as you gain confidence, and so develop your own, distinctive color palette. I use only six or seven colors, plus two or three extra ones when I am painting people.
BEACH SCENE 26 x 40” (67 x 101cm)
Australia, great beaches, the vista was great, the reflections on the sand, the green water and the eucalyptus bushes, with their blue/green colors.
“There is never a BAD subject, if you have the right vision, you’ll turn anything into a work of art!”
LAST LIGHT BUENOS AIRES 14 x 11” (35 x 28cm)
This is a little sketch I did in the streets of Buenos Aires, when on the South American Winterlude Painting Group trip with my friends Nick Canosa, Patrick Carroll, Herman Pekel and Joseph Zbukvic. We were coming back to the hotel after a day’s painting, when I saw this striking view, and I decided to give it a go. It had to be quick, as we were hungry for dinner! The qualities I most like about this sketch are the muted colors and the very limited palette.
This is why, when I discuss colors, I prefer to keep to general terms rather than advocate specific colors. For it is far better that you find the particular warm red that you like, for instance, or the earthy yellow, than simply choose the colors that I use. In fact, the names of colors, such as Indian yellow, are not that important. What matters is that you are able to recognize the color temperature and characteristics so that you can select and use different colors to the best effect. And, perhaps contrary to what you would expect, working from a limited palette often has more impact than using lots of colors. It is your expressive power with color, rather than the range and intensity of colors that is important in your paintings. The key to success isn’t necessarily very colorful paintings, in which, essentially, color has been used for its own sake. Instead, impact will come from a sophisticated use of color – mood achieved
by the considered selection of just a few hues. In every painting, I think there should be one color above all others that sets the mood and creates a sense of unity, a color that helps to maximize the vision of the artist. For me, grays are always significant colors. In everything around us there is a combination of very delicate grays, and when painting I always try to capture those subtle effects.
“Technique should be entirely subordinate to the demands of your emotions.”
VENICE (Sketch) 14 x 22” (35 x 56cm)
To maximize on the impact of the subject, I decided to contrast a very vague background, just the silhouette of the church, then carefully painted the posts with a much vaguer and broadly-treated foreground area.
You might think that a painting which involves grays will be dull and uninteresting. But, with sensitive treatment and a good balance of warm and cool grays, any painting will glow and look stunning. For mixing the different grays, I often make use of the leftover color on my palette. Once I have started painting I seldom clean my palette, because I know that any surplus color, if included in the mixes, will be harmonious to those already used. The scope for color mixes is infinite, of course, and in this context it is the amount of water used that is always a crucial factor in creating interest, variety and subtlety.
TWILIGHT on the SENA 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
The appeal of this subject was its simplicity, both regarding the composition, with its silhouetted shapes, and the very limited color values. As far as I can remember, I only used two colors: ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. So, even with just two colors you can paint an entire subject in watercolor, full of atmosphere and mood. It is a great medium!
My advice is to avoid using color straight from the tube. Colors that are not mixed or blended will result in crude, unsophisticated paintings. Instead, explore the use of secondary colors, tertiaries, and different hues, color temperatures, values and so on. This will help you develop paintings that are personal, expressive and evocative.
LUNCH BREAK 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
I see this scene very often, as my studio is located near the business district in Montevideo. At lunch time, the restaurants are full of office working people. The light was reflecting on this business man’s chest, his red tie was glowing.... To break a muted color scheme, I placed a strong red pigment on his tie, then, I worked on the table’s mess and the background, with washes and dry brushstrokes with no particular shapes...just texture insinuating some objects ....I let the light do its work!
As well, it is helpful to study the basic color theories and gain an understanding of how to achieve different shades and tones, for example, and how these are influenced by the quality of light. And similarly, with a knowledge of cool and warm colors, you will be able to create the illusion of form and space in a painting and capture the sense of place. But above all, with color, as with other aspects of painting, you must be true to yourself and the way that you want to express your ideas. Picasso once said that: ‘When I haven’t any blue I use red.’ Essentially, the most successful paintings do not rely on the choice of a particular color: it is the sensitivity in handling color, the way it is used, that is the more important factor. Whatever the subject matter, it is color that adds the character, mood and feeling.
CAFE CHICAGO II 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
The reflections of the light on the wall are what attracted me to this subject. What helps to keep the painting simple and flowing in all aspects, is its homogeneous palette. The painting is united and the ambiance is enhanced.
PLAZA INDEPENDENCIA GIRONA (Sketch) 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
This quick demonstration painting was made with a limited palette of warm colors, predominantly yellow ochre’s. The speed and flow of execution worked well in helping me link all the shadow areas and emphasize the lights. For the richest darks I used a blend of ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson. DORREGO CAFE 14 x 28” (35 x 28cm)
I did a full series of this subject. This is a small and one of the first in the series. The subject really kept my interest, as there were so many aspects to exploit. Here the brushwork has a lot of fluidity with constant finding the negative shapes....the colors even though are almost all muted, some splashes of rich red, or bright yellow, creates a degree of excitement.
TWILIGHT FITZROY 40 x 26” (101 x 67cm)
After an enjoyable game of Snooker with my friend Jo, walking back to his house, I noticed this subject which, in the evening light, was truly inspirational. Catching the reddish glow of the sunset, the shapes of the buildings were very striking, and it was a great pleasure painting them. Again here, it was the dramatic contrast of light and dark values that I liked, particularly the big, broad shadows in the foreground, which add to the effect. Accordingly, I chose a limited palette consisting of burnt sienna, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson.
TANGO LESSON 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
Tango salons, where tango lessons are given, are often dark, moody places, and this is the effect I sought to achieve in this painting. To add impact to the subject, I decided to dress the man in a white jacket, so creating a stark contrast to the subdued lighting effect.
MOROCCO 30 x 22” (77 x 57cm)
I found Morocco a land of beauty and surprises. At every step I was impressed by the culture, the people, the shops and the general way of life. I could see that the hustle and bustle and the colorful clothing were qualities that would make wonderful subjects to paint. I liked the way that people would stop for a casual chat with their friends, when they had a chance to meet in the middle of the street. Again here, it was the red color that gave impact to the subject.
SUNSET, 25 de MAYO ST 11 x 22” (28 x 56cm)
Here, my aim was to express the warmth and the special effect of light as it happened towards the end of the day. I deliberately chose a tall, narrow shape for the painting, because I wanted to exploit the long shadows and add to the drama of the light.
WALTER 14 x 11” (35 x 28cm)
Walter, an old friend of mine from Canada, was waiting for me in the hotel lobby in Bagno Vignoni, Italy. He was dressed in a very artistic way, and I thought he would make a perfect subject to paint. Notice that I have made the background very dark, so that the emphasis is on the figure.
chapter five
BRUSHSTROKES Make every brushstroke count!
T
NICE 22 x 30” (56 x 75cm)
Nice is a wonderful city, and on a crisp, sunny morning I came across this striking scene. The sunshine was strong, creating interesting shadows, everywhere. I worked very loose on the background, mainly with washes; the only shape I kept was the beautiful tower. The light coming towards the foreground, develop an “automatic” focal point with the interest of the figure, walking towards the cafe. I worked on “staccato” (chiaroscuro) approach on the awning, to create a maximum impact and feel of light. I used the same principle on the waiters and his shadow on the floor, this creates a sense of unity in the painting.
HE NEED to work with good quality brushes and develop the ability to make sensitive, economical and descriptive brushstrokes cannot be stressed too highly. Skills in using a variety of brushstroke techniques – from applying broad washes of color with a big brush, to adding accents of color, detail and calligraphic lines with perhaps a rigger or small sable brush – are one of the greatest assets a painter can have. These skills will take time to acquire. In every painting you have to be continually aware of the brushstrokes you are making, because they are the principal means of resolving the complexities of the subject matter and conveying your ideas about it. But be economical, make every stroke count! Adding more and more brushstrokes, in the hope of finding a magical one that will give the painting exactly the kind of impact you want, is never the best approach. It will inevitably lead to a tired, overworked painting.
BON MARCHE 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
As here, I like contre-jour subjects in which I can concentrate on simple, interesting shapes, conveyed with just a few brushstrokes and enhanced by contrasts of counterchange – dark shapes against light, and vice versa. Further contrasts can be achieved within the technique, by working dry-brush effects against wet-on-wet washes.
MARRAKESH II
“Passion should overwhelm reason time and again.”
14 x 22” (35 x 56cm)
The beauty of this painting resides in the minimalist approach. Set of colors is basically off white and blue, and the lost and found edges, creates a feel of movement. The contrast creates interest.
One of the most difficult aspects of painting is to express ideas in an assured, confident way. Brushstrokes play a key role in that process and, more than any other factor; they will reflect the feelings, character and passion of the artist. Like handwriting, brushstrokes are a very individual attribute. And obviously this is true in relation to all types of painting, not just with watercolor. There is no room for vagueness and uncertainty with brushstrokes. Be adventurous and aim to use your brushstrokes with authority. Especially with watercolor, which is such a sensitive medium, indecision and a lack of confidence will show immediately. So, aim for spontaneity and freshness in your work: these are the qualities that make watercolor so appealing and distinctive. Try to convey the idea,
the mood and your feelings for the chosen subject with the integrity and economy that watercolor will allow. I agree that adopting a bold brushwork approach to interpret mood and atmosphere is no easy task. One of the key issues in this respect is the ability to assess and mix the right tonal values. In watercolor, the important factors in creating successful tones are the water/ pigment ratio and the weight of the brushstroke on the paper.
RELAXING 14 x 22” (35 x 56cm)
It was Sunday siesta time, we have had a nice lunch with the family and friends, and everyone had just gone, Ana & I were just relaxing, not thinking about painting at all, but when she fell asleep, I saw a good subject, and just for a bit of fun, I painted it.
If you master those aspects you will be able to paint with fresh, intuitive and bold brushstrokes that will convey the necessary sense of light, depth and volume. The surface quality of a painting, the way that the brushstrokes are applied and create particular effects, is another important consideration.
TOORAK RD MELBOURNE 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
This painting has a lot of contrast in values. The fact that is “into the light” makes the background to be lighter and just merely a shape, that counterparts the massive use of red, in the car with all the dark value and abstraction on this given area, which seems even stronger, only for the fact that is placed on the foreground. So, automatically becomes the focal point.
For me, it is the paint quality, in conjunction with an intuitive, expressive approach that I most strive for. I believe this is what determines a successful painting – the interaction of insight with paint quality. Brushstrokes must be meaningful. Through their sense of rhythm, their texture and the way that they express volume and other qualities, they tell us what the painting is about.
THE KITCHEN II 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
As you will have noticed, the restaurant is a favorite theme of mine. This time I have included the waiter in a deep black suit, in contrast to the white clothes of the chefs, so adding more rhythm and interest to the subject.
Equally, every brushstroke should have an aesthetic quality. Whether it is a long sweeping stroke that covers the length of the paper, or one of a series of much smaller, more textural marks, every brushstroke counts. Rhythm adds energy, movement and consequently interest and impact to a painting. Rhythm is achieved by exploiting diversity, versatility and contrast in the use of your brushstrokes. You could use long strokes contrasting with short ones, for example, or delicate wet-in-wet effects together with bold brush marks, either applied to damp paper or a dry surface. Similarly, texture can be a significant factor in helping to convey the mood and character of a subject. When thinking of texture, you must take into account the type and quality of paper you are using.
»Forget » details. Think big! »Brushstrokes » mark the rhythm in a painting. »Sensitive, » expressive brushstrokes make a difference. »A » good brushstroke is one that exploits the characteristics of the paper.
BUSY IN THE KITCHEN 22 x 30” (57 x 77cm)
I love Chinese food and also the atmosphere that is created by the steam and the cooking equipment. This kitchen was very small, with many cooks and a hectic sense of work, which is the quality that I wanted to capture in my painting. Incidentally, the food was delicious!
CAFE LE DEPART PARIS 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
This café is in a very popular part of Paris, at the intersection of two main boulevards – Boulevard St Germain and Boulevard St Michel. My aim was to use the loose shapes of the figures in the foreground to lead the eye back towards the café. I used some very bright colors, including a rich cadmium red on the awning and two washes of yellow ochre on the walls, with the second wash toned down just a little. My intention in using the two washes was to capture something of the character of the building and, of course, enhance the focal point.
FRIDAY LUNCH 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
Another restaurant scene and again plenty of atmosphere and contrasts of light and dark, warm and cool colors, and compositional features to create interest in the painting.
It is very important that you find the kind of watercolor paper that suits your style of work. Then, you can build up a knowledge of the paper and so be able to exploit its qualities to the greatest advantage in your paintings. The finest watercolor paintings are those that show skills in using a variety of brushwork effects, both with wet-on-wet and dry brush techniques. But whatever the type of brushstrokes used, economy is the keyword. Rather like playing golf, in which the winner is the one who takes the fewest strokes, so in painting generally the most successful watercolors are the ones in which the artist has expressed the idea with the minimum number of brushstrokes.
MVD 26 x 40” (67 x 101cm)
MERCADO del PUERTO II 40 x 26” (101 x 65cm)
After spending a solitary, quiet and enjoyable morning painting, I often take a break for lunch at the Mercado as it is just a short walk from my studio, and offering a varied menu, an interesting atmosphere and agreeable music; it is the perfect place to meet my friends. I wanted to create a painting that was typical of Mercado del Puerto; that would reflect its character, atmosphere and activity. So, I have focused on the people, the waiter, and the hustle and bustle.
TORTONI CAFE SERIES IV 30 x 22” (75 x 56cm)
In this painting I worked ‘alla prima, quick and not too many details left the man’s white shirt quite bright, so the focal point would be stronger.
RUE du BACI 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
As here, every painting should have a touch of interest and also a touch of excitement, I think. The waiter is quite prominent, with the dry-ish brushwork around him helping to make him stand out. In the upper part of the painting I have used a much freer treatment, with contrasts of rich, dry brushwork and wet-on-wet washes.
GREENVILLE - NEW YORK 14 x 22” (35 x 56cm)
Note the broad, cross-hatched brushstrokes in the foreground of this painting, which I think are vital to its success and interest. Think about doing something different, add your own artistic touch, it doesn’t matter that is not on your subject. Small details like this are the ones that make a big difference!
Above
SCOTLAND (Sketch) 22 x 11” (56 x 28cm)
This demonstration I painted quite a few years ago, in a most beautiful place in the highlands of Scotland. So fresh and transparent, a subdued and gentle watercolors.
TORTONI CAFE SERIES V 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
This was obviously a magnetic subject for me! With its various reflections, colors, figures, objects and light values it was full of interest and potential. I have used some white in this painting. My advice is don’t be afraid to use some watercolor white, titanium white or Chinese white if necessary. It can be a perfectly valid part of a watercolor-based technique.
HARBOUR BRIDGE III 40 x 26” (101 x 67cm)
chapter six
THE MAGIC The creative force within us
A
RED FLAGS SHANGHAI 26 x 40” (67 x 101cm)
This was a very cold day during the last few days of winter in Shanghai, but full of mood and atmosphere. I used layers of subtle washes combined with the contrasting bright red flags. The man on the right was in charge of the pedestrian crossing!
S LONG as I can remember, I have felt a compulsion to draw and paint. Similarly, I have always enjoyed a fascination for brushes, pencils, colors and other art materials. For me, painting is the great passion of my life: the more I paint, the greater the passion. What I enjoy most of all is the magical process of creating a painting, of expressing and communicating an idea. And of course, there can be magic in the finished painting itself, in the way that it can conjure up a certain place and mood. When I first started painting, while I loved to explore brushstrokes, lines, colors and all the various facets that make up a work of art, this in itself could not answer the magnetism, the attraction that painting held for me. What astonished me most was how certain artists could capture something amazing and beautiful from just an ordinary subject – the sort of mundane scene that we see every day. It
is the mark of a great artist that they are able to respond to any subject with such sensitivity and insight as to touch the spirit of it and communicate this within the finished painting. It is that sort of magic that I find so appealing and inspirational. That magic must come from deep within the artist, from his or her sense of awareness, creativity and passion. The challenge, as I have said, is to express yourself and your feelings, while at the same time being truthful to the source of inspiration and your individual style. Although knowledge of the watercolor medium and all the different techniques is a good thing, ultimately it is how you exploit that knowledge that is important, and whether you can stretch the boundaries of technique to explore ideas in a more daring and unpredictable way. This is why I have a very open approach concerning the painting process.
“As a rule of thumb, never go for the obvious subject. I prefer to succumb to the chancy elements of life, the unpredictable and the absurd, and turn them into a work of art. There is always far more to win.”
PARIS 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
I love Paris: I love its architecture, its sense of style, and its crêpes! This painting is wonderfully simple, yet atmospheric and evocative. It was made with just two washes. The first wash established an under-painting, while the second - a broad, unifying wash enhanced the variations of tone and so created the sense of light and depth. I wish I could work just as simply and effectively in all my paintings!
For me, what counts most is the result. As well, when choosing a subject, I never worry too much about how impressive it looks, because ultimately it is also my interpretation, my response, which will play a big part in determining the degree of interest and success in the final painting.
POKER SERIES 44 x 26” (112 x 67cm)
Exploring a new subject matter is always challenging: This was a poker tournament at the casino. Very intense moments, subtle lights, very expressive faces; therefore, blue was the central interest, so, I placed it in many objects. The rest was diffused, by broad washes and dry brushstrokes.
With subject matter the most important point to remember is to respond positively to your first reaction, to be aware of the particular qualities that initially attracted your attention. And you must always paint with sensibility and a consciousness of who you are and how you feel.
“Create tension between light hues and strong shadows.”
VENICE 14 x 22” (35 x 56cm)
I have painted Venice many times. This canal view was painted from the center of a bridge, which gave the subject an enhanced sense of perspective and distance, adding to its impact. I was inspired by the sharp contrast of the dark boat and its reflection against the brightly-lit water. It was a simple and beautiful subject.
LE BONAPARTE CAFE - PARIS 30 x 22” (76 x 55cm)
Watercolor doesn’t have to be weak and washy: you can vary the paint consistency to suit the subject matter and effects you want to achieve. I particularly like the strength of the pigment in this painting, and also the striking effect of light, which creates the focal point. Note how I have worked around the main figure in the foreground with blended washes of color, so that it does not dominate the painting.
To quote Henri Matisse: ‘To translate my emotions, my feelings and reactions of my sensibilities into color and design – this is something that neither the most perfect camera, even in color, nor the cinema can do.’ His words, I think, encapsulate everything I have been discussing about being an artist and the magic of painting. Art is something that is indestructible: it survives from generation to generation, a creative force within every human being. And art can take many forms – descriptive, poetical, expressive, illusionistic and so on. Where does it come from? Our inner being, our soul, or is it purely cosmic and intuitive? Whatever the force that inspires us to paint, there should always be an element of magic!
URBAN SERIES III 26 x 40” (67 x 101cm)
This is a view looking down onto the old town district of Montevideo. The sense of distance is achieved because of the perspective and the tonal values, with much darker tones in the distance, where there is less light. The street lights in the foreground add a touch of interest to this area and also give a sense of scale and depth.
GLORIOSO PENAROL 47 x 31” (120 x 80cm)
This painting was all passion, because of the subject, (the soccer fan, celebrating our team victory). The fireworks were all over the place.
CHICAGO AT NIGHT (56 x 35cm)
Chicago is another great city, and even better at night. I like night scenes; I like the strong contrasts of light and dark. I think what helps to make this painting successful is how the light filters through it, in every element. There are lights in the buildings and reflections on the street, the yellow cabs, the sidewalk, and so on. “DONT BE INTELLECTUAL, when you paint the worst thing you can be is to be too smart and intelligent, be stupid, innocent, naive and if you can even funny!”
CLEANING UP 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
In this painting I wanted to convey the atmosphere of the scene through the various contrasts of color and tone, rather than the objects.
TANGO SHOW 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
Is basically black and red, as much of the Tango atmosphere.....putting a bit of emphasis in the arm and faces...the rest is just a blur of colors.
BOULEVARD MONMARTRE PARIS 22 x 14” (56 x 35cm)
2009 AWS - High Winds Medal Award
FLINDERS ST STATION BY NIGHT 43 x 26” (110 x 67cm)
HOMETOWN MONTEVIDEO PORT 40 x 27” (104 x 69cm)
Aerial views are always interesting, I think. This view, of the old port in my hometown of Montevideo, seen with all the cargo ships and metal structures set against the light of the water, was so striking that I just had to paint it. I used an almost monochromatic palette, with muted colours but including a few red brushstrokes where I wanted the viewer’s eye to rest. Using a limited color palette is a good way to simplify a busy subject yet at the same time capture its atmosphere. “Painting is the amalgamation of elements that communicate an idea, a feeling, a mood – and this has to be done with passion!”
DORREGO CAFE 43 x 26” (110 x 67cm)
Another café scene and again plenty of atmosphere and contrasts of light and dark, warm and cool colors, and compositional features to create interest in the painting. Love to paint the reflections and the light. I used a very diffused foreground, to offset the busy background, and so create a stronger interest.
PARIS 30 x 22” (78 x 58cm)
I had just finished a very productive afternoon’s painting under the bridge, and was packing up, when I saw this wonderful scene, with its perfect sunset light. I took a photograph to capture the gorgeous twilight atmosphere, and worked on the painting later.
FRIDAY MORNING 22 x 30” (57 x 77cm)
For this painting I wanted to create an impressionistic look of a busy street scene. In the streets of every big city there are always lots of cars, people, shadows and shapes mingled together. The aim in the painting was to somehow interconnect all the different elements into a single unified composition.
PARIS at NIGHT 30 x 22” (76 x 56cm)
I much prefer to work with a warm color palette, and for this interesting night scene, painted at the famous corner of Boulevard St Germain and Boulevard St Michel, I kept to a limited range of ochre’s, reds, sienna’s and ultramarine blues.
demonstrations Step-by-Step
Australian Landscape
I
N SHARING with you how I paint, I thought it would be helpful to show you the different reference sources that I work from, such as photographs, my laptop screen, sketches and real life. For this landscape painting I worked from a photograph on my laptop screen. I took the photograph while driving back from Bathurst to Melbourne, in Australia. It was such a hot day that I did not want to get out of the car to take some photographs. But the scenery was so appealing, so I decided to take some shots from the car. I started shooting with my camera – it was rather like shooting with a magnum gun! In consequence this photograph is a bit blurry, although for me that is actually quite good. It gives the effect of squinting your eyes to concentrate on the main shapes; it helps you avoid unnecessary little details. So here we go!
STEP 1
To set up the composition all I needed to do was to draw a few lines and shapes – the main shape of the mountain, the tree on the left, a few cows in the field, and some tree trunks in the foreground on the right-hand side.
STEP 2
Obviously the sky was the main player here. The wonderful cloud shapes were particularly interesting, and also the color. For the clouds, I used a warm wash of mauve cobalt blue with a hint of crimson, very light and with lots of water. I preserved a white edge on the clouds and against that I added a touch of cerulean blue, but not too strong. While the wash was still wet I painted the undercoat of the distant mountain, using a grayed yellow ochre hue. And I added a wash to the foreground, which ultimately will include dark shadows, with a combination of crimson and burnt sienna.
STEP 3
Next, for the distant mountain, I used ultramarine blue plus a tiny among of burnt sienna to gray down the blue. Then I continued painting with horizontal brushstrokes here and there, until I reached the trees on the left-hand side. These were painted with a creamy wash of burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre and a touch of alizarin crimson, allowing me to work alla prima, all in one go. I worked on the cows with the same colors, just adding a bit more ultramarine blue.
STEP 4
I connected the shadows with the trees on the right-hand side, leaving negative shapes for the eucalyptus trees. For texture, I splashed on some green turquoise and yellow ochre, with a touch of white to add body and keep the hue.
Even if it is a simple subject like this one, have a plan, “try to have a picture in your head, of the finished painting” it will help you to paint with freedom!
demonstrations Step-by-Step
Boats in Cadaques
I
HAVE BEEN fortunate enough to visit Cadaques quite a few times. It is such a beautiful and inspiring little town and it is not hard to imagine why so many artists decided to settle there. I liked it so much that I chose it for the filming of my first DVD, Inspired Watercolor. On my last trip I sketched quite a lot, in my small travel pad, and I did a few demonstrations while painting with a group. Photographs are always a very good form of reference, but this time I chose to work from my own previously painted sketch. Now you can give it a go, and learn something very valuable.
“I enjoyed my day out in Cadaques, even if I hadn’t left the comfort of my studio!”
STEP 1
When drawing in the studio it allows you to work in more detail. So here, after placing the main elements – always thinking about them as a relationship of shapes - I decided to enhance the composition by drawing the boats, fishermen and poles with a greater degree of definition.
STEP 2
Having finished the drawing, I covered most of the paper with a general wash of yellow ochre, using my own brand, the big #10 mop brush, which holds a lot of water and pigment. While the wash was still wet, I added a touch of cerulean in the sky area and viridian on the foreground boat. I also added a hint of mauve to the left-hand foreground area, to break up the flatness of the large expanse of yellow ochre wash.
STEP 3
Before working on this stage I made sure the paper was dry. For speed, I used a hair dryer. Then I continued, first by applying a wash of cerulean blue over the sea area, to maximize the glow and add depth and movement. Also, note how I have combined the wet-into-wet effect with some dry brushstrokes. Next I painted all the boats, except the one in the immediate foreground. I used mostly the same hues, although in different proportions – cobalt blue, cerulean and, where I needed to make it very light, a touch of watercolor Chinese white. For the top edges of the boats I used cadmium red. I quickly started on the shadows, using the same colors, but less water. For the stronger tones I used a thicker mixture of burnt sienna, ultramarine and a bit of cadmium red. The fishermen and the poles proved a great way of breaking the horizontal design made by all the boats resting on the sand.
STEP 4
Now I began working on the details, using my fine rigger or needle point brush. I worked on the poles, flag post and rope’s, and added another darker tone inside the foreground boat to enhance its three-dimensional quality and interest. Also, you can see that I have painted an overall on the fisherman on the right and finished the one on the left.
A few more brushstrokes on the boats added to their rustic, weathered quality, and I also added a few birds and my signature – as usual, in cadmium red light!
This was a very simple, fresh watercolor. Not many steps were needed; I just took advantage of what the medium offers.
demonstrations Step-by-Step
Circulo Militar, Buenos Aires
N
OT LONG AGO I visited Buenos Aires, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. For me, it is a painting paradise, as it has so many subjects that truly impress and inspire me. I love to paint in Buenos Aires. It is a must-visit city when Ana Maria and I plan our South American workshops. This particular subject was a view that we had from our meeting point after lunch. The Plaza San Martin is a beautiful square right in the center of the city. It is full of flowers, big trees and benches where you can sit and soak up the sun. From here we had a great view across to the Circulo Militar, a gorgeous building in the French style. The atmosphere was relaxed, but still with a nice buzz. It was very sunny, which created some beautiful shadows – I just had to paint it! I set up my easel under a large tree and began to try out some lines and colours. Here is how I developed the painting.
STEP 1
I always start with a drawing, for which I normally use a 4B graphite pencil. With a street scene such as this I first of all consider the street level. It is usually in the lower third of the paper. After that I concentrate on the main shapes of the buildings and finally I add the cars and figures.
STEP 2
Next, I add the first color washes. For this painting I began with cerulean blue, for the sky area. As the wash continued downwards I worked with yellow ochre, towards the pedestrian crossing, which I left as a series of negative shapes. I added ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson to complete the wash on the left, and used some cobalt blue on the right.
STEP 3
Once these initial washes had completely dried I started on the rooftop, in the upper- left area of the painting. I used cobalt blue and burnt sienna for this, adding the tree with the same colors plus yellow ochre – but with less water than before, so that I could make stronger darks. I continued with a weaker wash for the buildings, finishing off with lots of juicy washes of cobalt blue, burnt sienna and a hint of cadmium red.
STEP 4
I continued with the washes on the right-hand side of the building, using the same hues but making them slightly lighter than the central part of the painting. All the time I made sure that the painting kept its overall feeling of unity.
Note that all the figures are at eye level, to enhance the sense of perspective, and that I have left the figures as ‘negative’ shapes to maximize the sense of light.
STEP 5
For the final details, such as the backs of the taxis on the left-hand side and the figures walking across the pedestrian crossing, I kept to the same color palette but with different variations in the color mixes. In watercolor painting it is not only important to use a harmonious set of colors, but also to aim for interesting and appealing brushstrokes that interconnect areas of the painting. For the fine lines and architectural features of the buildings, I used my ‘needle’ brush, which is like a rigger.
demonstrations Step-by-Step
Still life - Studio
M
Y STUDIOS HAVE always been a good source of subject for an interior painting. I don’t know if it is the “mess I always make sure I keep in order”, the love of art materials, or the ambiance, in which of course I feel very much at ease as I paint here often. I surround myself with objects, books, photos, paintings, catalogues, etc., that have value to me, and I collect from everywhere in the world. So, in this case, I decided to paint a small corner of my old carpenter’s bench, with all the elements and nostalgia.
“Composition should reflect the essence of the subject.”
STEP 1
So, in the first step, I moved some of the elements a bit closer, and placed the trumpet guy John, a bit higher, so my composition would flow better. I concentrated in drawing the main figurines, which had to be drawn with certain degree of details, as they are ‘human’ shape, and so, needed to be proportional and at the right scale. The rest of the elements are just depicted by lines, except for the flat brush, which for its location in the foreground, had to have a good definition. For the background, I drew a ‘frame’ around the main characters, thinking ahead about the light source, making sure I leave that section without paint, so to enhance the guys, which of course are going to be the focal point. As for the rest of the background, I just drew some general lines as limits.
STEP 2
I the paper was stretched, by using masking to the board, creating a 3 cm/1inch boarder all around, which is going to be quite a nice “frame’ for the painting, once finished, you will see! There was no need to wet the paper, as the size (56x35cm) and being stretched, was enough to work straight on, placing the first washes. I chose a gorgeous yellow, (I call it, “Amarillo Glorioso”, like the stripes of my dear soccer team, “Penarol”) which is the color on my studio walls. So I worked with yellow ochre, all around the “frame” I pre-determine to leave it white of the paper, I went quite strong, “to set the pace” I used a bit of burnt sienna and a hint of crimson down the bottom, and the same mixture, but added quite a bit of ultramarine blue around the Trumped guy.
STEP 3
I started to “dress” the main figurines, with loose washes, but setting up a definite hue; viridian green on john, burnt sienna and cadmium red on Peter, but still a light value. I worked with quite a degree of freedom and abstraction, on the set of brushes on the right hand side; I worked alla prima, with the right value at once. I worked on the skin tones a bit of crimson & hint of yellow ochre. I splashed quite a bit of water, just the dirty one from my bucket, to produce a natural dripping effect, so intrinsic and beautiful, of the watercolor medium.
STEP 4
Here I started going up in value on the left hand side, so to maximize the impact by working with contrast. Placed a few more brushstrokes on the back wall, depicting some of the paintings I got hanged on the walls, and added a few dry brushstrokes with a mixture of ultramarine blue, mauve, crimson and sienna to give more prominence to the white area, and start increasing the contrast; this way, I am “building up” my middle tones. And some darker darks on the very front foreground, brushes and my bodyguard figurine, always thinking of the “yin and yang”, as making this side darker, will enhance the opposite side being lighter. Here I worked with different mixtures of ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, and alizarin crimson. Using the same colors, with different proportions, it gives unity, but chromatic difference.
STEP 5
Here I started concentrating on “dressing” John & Peter, darkening their skin tone, using pure cadmium red for his T-shirt, and burnt sienna and ultramarine for his vest. I also placed quite a few loose strokes around him, this way, enhancing and bringing the focal point forward. I darken up the green jacket, by placing a blue violet (ultramarine & crimson) Here again I worked on their skin tones, now, placing shadows and reflections on their noses and heads. John used to hold a guitar, but got lost during the last studio move, so, he is now doing his famous gigs with one of my best sellers, the “needle point red brush”.
STEP 6
Worked on touches to pull the painting together; darkening some sections, and adding details. Worked with a fine synthetic brush, as they are not as soft as the natural hair one, and so, the spring is less flexible, with a very defined point, that allows you to place dots and very fine lines.
So, there is John, dreaming to be playing like an idol guitarist, the bodyguard, watching from close behind, and Peter, blowing his own trumped! Can you see and feel the ‘story”?
Now you know who are my companions while I paint every time in my studio!
The message that I would like to transmit with this book encapsulates my own experience on the art of painting watercolors, as well as, my own vision, point of view, and my thoughts about this beloved and elusive medium. I express them in general, not absolute terms. I strongly believe you learn from your own work. Art instructors can teach you technique, but they will not teach you to be an “artist”; because your artistic vision should emanate from within you! So, my advice to you would be to work hard, practice a lot, analyze, reflect - and learn from it. Ask yourself what is wrong? How can I make it better? Aim High! And above all, paint with a smile on your face and for the sake of it! For total self-indulgence and fear free! We should all work hard to put watercolors in a place to be recognized properly. It is a beautiful, permanent, and hard to accomplish medium. Please join this Crusade and expose as many people as you know to watercolors....I think after they discover it, they will only love it, and thank you for it! And please don’t forget to let me know what you think of this book! I am waiting to hear from you at [email protected] or alvarocastagnet.net and on Instagram.
4 s tep b y s tep demonstration s Chapter Titles: CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF THE SUBJECT AS YOU GO
BEYOND TECHNIQUE Express work that is evocative and shows passion and feeling. Author and artist Alvaro Castagnet emphasizes the importance of – philosophy, ideas, technique, color, brushstrokes and magic – encouraging you to observe and evaluate your own paintings, and build on your discoveries.
in s i d e thi s b oo k STUNNING WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS
With detailed, informative captions, to inspire and build confidence as you apply the techniques explained. FOUR STEP-BY-STEP DEMONSTRATIONS
Including countless explanations to show you how to convey the key concepts of watercolor into a powerful work of art. ELUSIVE SIDE OF PAINTING ILLUSTRATED
To help you go “beyond technique” in your own work. With every subject, expressing its essence, its particular sense of place, mood and atmosphere, as your main motive. PASSION, QUALITY AND INTEGRITY
These are the key aspects to focus on to develop your own, distinctive style of painting great watercolors!
PHILOSOPHY IDEAS TECHNIQUE COLOR BRUSHSTROKES THE MAGIC
