Those first few #watercolor washes are so important for a variety of reasons... 1) They help you #paint some confidence into what youre doing. 2) They set the tone. Literally. Is your subject predominantly a warm or cool subject? The washes you put down first should indicate that. A good neutral tone is fine, if youre confident you can work with it, but it helps to really look and get a feel the overall tone. 3) They can be a good indicator of the approach you wish to take... Washy, loose, controlled, tight, etc. Theres no set rule for your approach but it helps to keep it in mind through the whole painting. Of course, your next painting could be handled in a completely different manner. I find it helpful to lay the washes down over large tonal areas first (see the skull below) with a large brush, then get into the micro details eventually, reducing brush size as you go, the level of detail depends solely upon you and how far you wish to take your subject.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 06:19:33 +0000