Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Painting Techniques with Delicate Textures

Here's a watercolor/gouache technique that was popular in the 19th century. (Link to YouTube Video) . 

The method involves building up textures in at least two layers of paint with delicate brushstrokes. It contrasts drybrush strokes and wet-into-wet touches.

More info about those artists I mentioned: 

6 comments:

Bevan said...

I always love to see how far you can go with just two colors and three tubes of paint. I have been playing a lot with the "zorn palette" recently and I now have a heap of portraits done with two colors plus white and sometimes black as well. I really need to try the underpainting in casein sometime.

A. Daly said...

Hi James,

Great video as usual! I was wondering if you would know any good artists that specialized in Urban Architecture paintings, particularly during the time periods of Sargent or Leyendecker or Rockwell and Cornwell? I have found a lot of good portrait, figure and organic landscape artists from these periods but do not know many who painted structures and buildings as a primary focus. Perhaps even architectural paintings of buildings that had yet to be built.


James Gurney said...

A. Daly, check out Ernest Watson's and Arthur Guptill's books, and you can search the blog with the search term "architecture"

Stephen and Nyree, for this one I used a very thin and very light gray underpainting, gradated from cool on one side to warm on the other.

Pierre Fontaine said...

As wonderful and informative as the video is, I really want to know where you got those large pencil props and why do you have them? Do you have them just for fun or were they used for a project or decoration? Or was this a special effect? If so, it was really well done!

James Gurney said...

Pierre, the idea came from a silver bean can that I rescued from the compost and combined with a piece of cardboard. No idea how I'll use it. It was just for fun.

Virginia Fhinn said...

Giant pencil brand: Duely noted! Haha! This was great, you've really upped your video-making game and I love seeing the progression of your creativity in videos.