The Art of Painting Sea Life in Watercolor

Master techniques for painting spectacular sea animals in watercolor

Maury Aaseng, Louise De Masi, Hailey E. Herrera, Ronald Pratt

• Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781633229327
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Techniques d'art

With helpful tips and easy-to-follow lessons, The Art of Painting Sea Life in Watercolor will teach readers everything they need to know to create beautiful works of art in watercolor.

The Art of Painting Sea Life in Watercolor opens with a guide to essential information on the necessary tools and materials for both sketching and painting, including pencils, paints and brushes, palettes, supports, and mediums. In addition to learning about basic drawing and painting techniques and color theory, readers will learn how to create compelling compositions, achieve depth, and render realistic textures.This new title in the Collector's Series features a large variety of stunning sea life, from an adorable sea otter to an magnificent whale. With a fresh, modern spin on this majestic subject, The Art of Painting Sea Life in Watercolor is a comprehensive and indispensable resource, packed with beautiful illustrations and expert instruction, for all artists smitten with the animal kingdom.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

The sea provides some of nature’s most picturesque and scenic views, allowing the watercolor artist a great variety of creatures and environments to paint on canvas. This book has been designed with the sea lover and artist in mind, to help you bring both the grand and the everyday creatures of our planet’s bodies of water to life beneath your brush. Each chapter features a different talented artist as he or she guides you through step-by-step lessons designed not only to master the medium of watercolor but also to complete a finished painting of your favorite sea-life creatures. From learning which tool is most appropriate for which technique to drawing realistic sketches and achieving the best color wash for each painting, artists of all skill levels will enjoy the projects highlighted in this book. Break out the brushes and paint—let’s get started!

Tools & Materials

Paints

Watercolor paints are available in cakes, pans, and tubes. Many artists prefer tube paints because they are fresher and the colors are brighter. It is best to use good-quality paint, but if you are just starting out, it’s okay to use less expensive student-grade paint and upgrade to professional grade later. You don’t need to have a huge palette of color. You’ll find that each of the artists in this book works with his or her own palette of colors, listed at the beginning of each project. You may find you prefer to work with different paints, so don’t be afraid to experiment. You’ll also want white gouache for touch-ups and highlights.

Brushes

There are many kinds of paintbrushes available, but they can be narrowed down to two types: synthetic and natural hair. Synthetic brushes are usually less expensive than natural ones, but they don’t retain water as effectively. Synthetic brushes are great for working with masking fluid. For the projects in this book, you’ll want a variety of flat and round brushes in varying sizes, a hake brush, and a rigger brush. Make sure you have one small round detail brush and several synthetic brushes for masking.

Hake This brush is great for laying in backgrounds on very large areas.

Paper

Watercolor paper comes in a range of textures: hot-pressed, which is smooth; cold-pressed, which has a medium texture; and rough, which has plenty of tooth (raised areas of paper). Watercolor paper also comes in different weights, designated in pounds. The higher the number, the heavier the paper and the less likely it is to warp when you apply water. A popular choice is 300-lb. bright white, cold-pressed watercolor paper. The tough surface of this paper allows you to use mask, as well as use some lifting techniques, without damaging the paper. The 300-lb. weight of the paper allows for a wider time frame to work wet-on-wet before the paper begins to dry.

Watercolor Paper

These three different sheets show how the paint looks on hot-pressed (A), cold-pressed (B), and rough, textured paper (C).

Palette

Palettes come in different materials—plastic, glass, china, wood, and metal—and in various shapes. Plastic is lightweight and less expensive than other materials. All these palettes will clean up easily with soap and water. No matter what style you choose, try to find one with a large, flat area for mixing and creating washes and plenty of wells for holding all your colors.

Masking Fluid

Masking fluid, or liquid frisket, is a latex-based substance that can be applied over areas you want to keep white. When dry, the mask repels paint, so you can paint over it without covering the white support underneath. When the paint is dry, gently rub off the mask with masking fluid pickup or an old rag. You can also apply masking fluid over color that is already dry to protect areas from subsequent layers of color.

Additional Materials

A few other items you ma...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Animal Favorites with Maury Aaseng
• Chapter 3: Beneath the Surface with Hailey E. Herrera
• Chapter 4: Ocean Portraits with Louise De Masi
• Chapter 5: Undersea Landscapes with Ronald Pratt
• About the Artists
• Index
• Copyright Page