Whitton - Collins Artist’s Studio — Loosen Up Your Watercolours

Collins Artist's Studio

Loosen up your

Judi Whitton

Collins, an imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by Collins 2005

Copyright Judi Whitton, 2005

Editor: Diana Vowles

Photographer: Howard Gimber

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Judi Whitton asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Source ISBN 9780007183241

Ebook Edition JANUARY 2015 ISBN: 9780008108519

Version: 2015-01-05

To the Lewis family

Contents

Judi at Painswick

John Yardley

35.5 25 cm (14 10 in)

I have known Judi Whitton for almost 15 years now and have seen her painting develop from a fairly traditional style of watercolour into her current lively and vibrant productions. In the way that many Scottish painters are described as Colourists, Judi can truly be said to be a watercolourist. Her palette combines depth and subtlety of colour, while the free brushstrokes almost abstractions are based on sound drawing ability.

Technical knowledge, composition and great originality are here combined to promote maximum enthusiasm in the student. Admitting to a personal admiration for Judis work, I can safely recommend this rewarding book not only to those wishing to loosen up but also to those wishing for something different in their painting.

John Yardley

Tulips in Blue Jug

40 50 cm (153/4 193/4 in)

Its a funny business being a painter. Certain skills, such as loosening up, sound easy but in practice are difficult to achieve. Many painters yearn to free up their style but often the only advice they can find is, Just free up a bit and relax. Without more specific guidance it is hard to know how to progress, so the aim of this book is to provide solutions for anyone who wants to loosen up their painting be it a little or a lot and is at a loss as to how to set about it.

Learning to paint free, seemingly effortless watercolours where the paint appears to dribble off the paper with a carefree simplicity is a straightforward procedure if you tackle it systematically; while watercolour is a bit unpredictable at times, it is nevertheless quite logical. We are all creative, we all have talent and we can all paint more loosely. The ability is in us somewhere and with a little practice, encouragement and guidance it can be found and developed.

This book, designed for artists already possessed of a little experience, introduces a methodical approach to loosening up watercolour paintings which is based on the principle that anyone can achieve this and still maintain his or her personal identity. I am delighted to include paintings by John Yardley, Charles Reid and John Palmer as some examples of lovely loose flowing watercolours in styles that are different from my own.

If you have ever wondered how to stop yourself filling in everything, how to keep light and airiness flooding into your pictures, how to decide about the amount of detail to include or how to recognize when your painting is finished, there is help at hand within these pages. You will find guided practical work, Studio Tips and Explore Further sections, together with Food for Thought suggestions where some alternative views are introduced. There are a few surprises, too; for example, producing a spontaneous painting can involve slow and painstaking deliberations. Sometimes it is even necessary to tighten up and analyse your subject before you can reach your aim of loosening up.

The techniques of watercolour painting are more accessible than the philosophy, attitude, perception and style of a watercolour painter. Much of this book is dedicated to the more difficult and even elusive ways of thinking that a loose painter employs, together with ideas to develop your creativity, for these are infinitely more relevant to painting in a loose style than the technical aspects. I hope that within these pages you find plenty to help you to achieve a greater level of freedom, spontaneity and originality in your own individual style of painting.

Rugged Cliffs

25.5 33 cm (10 13 in)

This seemingly straightforward subject has been brought to life with the paint-handling techniques and interpretation. The watercolour has been kept simple, while care has been taken to design the shapes within the picture border.

St Isaacs Cathedral, St Petersburg

18 23 cm (7 9 in)

With just 20 minutes available, I felt hopelessly inadequate trying to capture this magnificent building in my sketchbook. However, looking at my attempt now, every one of those precious minutes is imprinted in my painting memory.

Sadly, some fledgling artists believe that only special people are creative and that if you arent born imaginative then there is no hope. This just isnt true. So often we have original ideas but fail to recognize our own creativity.

People sometimes imagine that creativity means rendering the sky purple and buildings orange, but you do not have to go to these extremes to be original. Imagination and creativity are considered intangible and unquantifiable, the preserve of the demonstrably talented; in fact, we all make many creative decisions in our daily lives, such as planning out the garden or deciding where on a table or shelf to place a bowl of flowers.

While many people feel reasonably confident that they can learn painting techniques, given time and practice, they tend to be far more hesitant about their chances of developing their creative abilities. However, there is no elusive magic to the imaginative side of art; it is just a matter of recognizing that you use the creative side of your brain whenever you paint. An artist can develop by means of creative exercises in the same way that practising technical matters will lead to greater skill.