Watercolor Techniques the ISS Way
There is no shortage of information about traditional watercolor painting techniques. For the beginner, watercolor techniques are about soft, watery, transparent, loose, carefree painting. While this describes one approach to watercolor painting there are other equally pleasurable painting techniques available to those willing to explore them.
The Myth About Watercolors
The idea that watercolors have to be transparent is a myth. Take a look at the famous watercolor painters John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, J.M.W. Turner, and Edward Hopper. You will be surprised by how much opaque pigment they used in making their masterpieces.
Many painting workshops teach us that this is the only "true" or "pure" way of approaching watercolors. At ISS, we feel that style and technique is something that is unique to each student and it is our goal to help you find it.
Painting Techniques Used by the ISS Instructors
To demonstrate how artists use different techniques to achieve their personal style, let’s take a look at the range of watercolor techniques used by the Intensive Studies Seminar faculty.
Fran Larsen
Fran paints with acrylics used as if it were watercolor. Many of the passages are transparent with many layers of washes that acrylics can allow, and sometimes opaque paints are used as glazes to alter tonality or intensity. Her images while unique and personal are atmospheric and representational.
Learn more about Fran Larsen
Christopher Schink
Begins his watercolors with a wet-in-wet technique of running sequential glazes of non-staining pigments. He may use 4 or 5 different colors all applied to the top of the vertical paper and allowed to cascade downward. This approach creates luminous layers of color upon which darker pigments are added.
Learn more about Christopher Schink
Alex Powers
Begins with a beautiful charcoal pencil drawing. There are times when very little pigment is necessary. Color is used only in contrast to the lines and shapes made with the pencil. He used gouache paints ranging from transparent to opaque.
Learn more about Alex Powers
Skip Lawrence
Paints with watercolor pigments the way many people apply oil pigments. He often times begins with the darkest values and brightest colors and works to lightest values and grayed colors. His approach is non-traditional in every way many times applying bright light colors on top of dark gray colors (It is generally accepted that this cannot be done).
Learn more about Skip Lawrence
Katherine Chang Liu
Paints with acrylic pigments on wooden panels. Her technique is to work from dark shapes and images that are buried under lighter layers of grayed light values. She used drawing and collage. The beauty of acrylics is the range of transparent to opaque layers that can be used in hiding buried symbols and images.
Learn more about Katherine Liu
Discover Your Own Painting Techniques and Style at ISS
Good technique is essential to making great art. There are many places to go to learn painting techniques, but ISS is one of the few that will help you find your own. Once you match your painting technique to your personality and ideas you will find new meaning to your art.
At ISS we are dedicated to helping you find the ideas and techniques that are perfect for you. Learn more about the ISS art seminar or register now.