Demo on Aquabord at the Longmont Artists' Guild

Marcio's demonstration at the LAG meeting
(photo courtesy of Yvonne Ogg)

Last night, the Longmont Artists' Guild held its first meeting after the summer hiatus, and I had the honor to be Guest Artist. For my demonstration, I chose to do a piece on Aquabord panel, size 20x16. I used a variety of mop, flat and round brushes, and mostly Daniel Smith paints on this demo: Permanent orange, cobalt teal blue, manganese violet, french ultramarine, quinacridone burnt scarlet.

I was able to advance it only to half completion, not as much due to the time limitation of an hour, and to the size of the board, but to my unwise decision to decline the offer of an overhead mirror. Having to maintain the board at a steep angle to allow the sitting audience to view the painting without glare, I struggled with paint runs and drips while painting very fast. Watercolor painting is always a partner dance, and I had to adapt my approach to conditions and persevere. I had to rework areas, work on smaller areas at a time, move from shape to shape to allow for drying time, etc. In the end, I was still able to give the attendees an idea of my method and style, and a sense of the benefits and challenges of this relatively new painting support.

The best part for me was indeed the interest and participation of the audience. They had questions on selection of paints, drawing strategy, choice of subject, materials and techniques used and avoided, and so on. Aquabord was indeed new to many, so I was pleased to share some information and tips, repeated here in summary:

• Aquabord is a panel manufactured by Ampersand for use with watercolor, with a warm white, slightly textured surface made of kaolin, also known as China clay. Working on Aquabord is similar to doing fresco paintings.
• Prior to use, it is important to "flush out" the air bubbles trapped in the clay, by brushing or sponging the entire surface with a good amount of clean water.
• The surface texture is equivalent to cold press paper, but the clay is more abrasive than paper, so the use of expensive and delicate brushes is not recommended. I use older squirrel mops, or synthetic brushes on it instead.
• Aquabord is more absorbent than watercolor paper and paint dries fast on it. To me, it makes it harder to achieve large, smooth washes than on paper. But when working at an angle, there is less beading, and more runs than what you experience with watercolor paper.
• It is very easy to lift paint from Aquabord, which means you can correct errors easily by lifting slightly or back to white. You can actually remove an unsuccessful painting altogether and start from scratch. But it also means that you have to be careful when applying new layers of paint--if your brush is stiff or if you rub too hard, you may unintentionally lift the previous layer. I like that this feature allows me to mix with a previous layer, or correct a drip or run, by applying a different color on top of it and mixing the two with the friction of the brush. 
• Painting on a panel is more convenient than stretching paper to avoid buckling, particular helpful for outdoor work, but panels are heavier than paper to carry.  
• Aquabord is versatile. Colors are very vibrant on it, as you can see in the works of Karen Vernon. It is great for Wyeth-like dry brush realistic technique. Ali Cavanaugh does beautiful, detailed portrait work on this surface. Stephen Quiller uses it with acrylic paints.
• Paintings on Aquabord can be varnished and framed without glass. The Ampersand website has recommendations of varnishes to use. I use spray varnish--Krylon crystal clear acrylic coating, then thin coats of Krylon UV archival varnish mat and gloss in alternation (matte removes glare but too much can deaden the colors; gloss enhances colors, but produces glare).
• Aquaboard panels cost more than the equivalent size paper, but the added cost can be offset by savings in framing, as neither backing board, mats or glass are necessary.
• Most watercolor societies do not accept paintings on Aquabord in their main water media exhibits.

Many thanks to the LAG Board for the opportunity to share my work!

Demo at the Front Range Community College

Lunch Break, 16x12

Last month I had the opportunity to return as a guest to the FRCC in Longmont for a demo. This time I chose to demonstrate painting a street scene on Aquabord. Thanks to Camille and her students, they were engaged and attentive and asked excellent questions. They had a chance to observe how the paint reacts at a near vertical angle on this clay support, and how color can be easily lifted and areas reworked on this surface.

Aquabord is made of kaolin clay, and needs to be "flushed" (saturated with clean water) before first use. After that it accepts watercolor in a similar way as paper. Color lifts easily, so care must be taken when painting in layers not to disturb the previous application. The benefits are that corrections are easy, color can be lifted all the way to white, there is no buckling and the piece once finished can be sealed and framed without glass.

The image below is the result of the 1.5 hour demo.

The image above is the finished painting, after another couple of hours of work.

Demo Photo

Long Wait, Drive On

Long Wait, Drive On, watercolor on Yupo, 16x20

This is the finished painting that I started last month as a demo (see previous post). It resumes my experiments with Yupo and with urban scenes--I like the variety of perspectives and textures that this subject provides, and enjoy the challenge of portraying details on the slick surface of the synthetic paper.

The problem (or solution) is that Yupo makes it so easy to subtract pigment and repaint an area that it invites endless revision... I had started with a much simpler and more muted sky that I liked better, but the intensity of shadows and the brightness of the street color called for an intense blue sky, so I added more cobalt turquoise. It does look better in real life than on the photo.

I have several paintings and ideas in progress, I hope to start posting more often, as it is quite fun to share ideas and images.

Demo at Front Range Community College

Last week I had the pleasure to do a demo at the Front Range Community College in Longmont. My subject was an urban scene on yupo. Due to the longer drying time on yupo, I was not able to complete the painting during the class, but that was not the objective anyway. The goal was to share some of my experience and techniques for working on this new surface. During the one and a half hour session, I described both the thinking process and the many forms of paint application and removal--from the use of stamps and templates to watercolor sticks and sponges. The students participated with their comments and questions, and it was a very enjoyable time overall. The image shows the painting in progress.

ArtWalk Demo

The Dicken's Opera House, Longmont, Watercolor on paper, 22x15

Last Friday night, I did a live demonstration at a street fair. It was the first time I did a demo outdoors in the evening. The Main Street in Longmont was closed to traffic at 6:30pm and then all the setup activity started, so I was not able to start painting until 7pm. I anticipated I would not have daylight for long, so I took a photo of the street corner scene I wanted to paint two days before, and used that as my reference. I also did all the pencil drawing ahead of time, so that I would be able to complete the painting during the demo.
I brought a daylight lamp, but that meant intense glare on the paper and less than enough light where my palette was. But I did complete my painting and was quite happy with it, and the viewers gave good feedback as well. This is a view of the Old Opera House in Longmont, a very nice building... so nice in fact that I accidentally allowed it to compete too much with the other focus area of the scene, where all of the figures were.

This is a photo of my setup. I used M Graham watercolor paints (mostly azo orange, cadmium red light, viridian, cobalt blue, cobalt teal, ultramarine blue and quinacridone rust, in addition to some neutral tint) and squirrel mop brushes, and a synthetic round for details. I worked on a half sheet of Arches 140lb Rough paper, and it took me one hour and 45 minutes.

Upcoming Demo at ArtWalk

A week from today, on September 16th, I will be doing a painting demonstration, this time in Longmont, as part of the ArtWalk festival on Main Street. I will probably do a street scene of that very location. I always have fun on these occasions, the dialog with the viewers is stimulating and I end up learning a lot from verbalizing the process to the audience and getting questions and immediate feedback. If you have a chance, please stop by! The demo starts at 6:30 pm, at the ArtWalk demo booth on 4th and Main, across from Ziggy's Coffee.
(Photo courtesy of Gene Youngmann)

Hazy Lazy Morning Light! (Part 2)

In my previous post, I told the story behind the painting Hazy Lazy Morning Light. I painted it on my birthday. I didn't have a lot of time, so I had to work very fast, which explains why some things didn't go as planned. Here's how the process of painting it went:

1. I started with a light drawing on Fabriano Artistico 140lb rough natural white paper. I wetted the top of the sheet, placed a light wash of Indian yellow (Daler-Rowney) and dropped in some quinacridone rose (M. Graham), cobalt turquoise (W&N) and permanent olive green (Schmincke).

2. I applied cerulean blue (W&N) mixed with some quinacridone burnt orange (Da Vinci) for the background trees, and mixed some ultramarine finest (Schmincke) with the previous colors to create the darker areas, trying for a continuous shape.

3. I painted the boats and the reflections in one go, using varied mixes of the same colors as above. I worked around the white details of the top of the boats. I overworked the reflections, they should have been simpler.

4. I used some masking tape to cover some areas, applied water and lifted a little with a moist brush, to indicate the light through the trees.

5. I overdid the lifting, should have been only one or two areas... At this stage I also darkened some of the areas around the house with ultramarine finest and added more Indian yellow.

6. Throughout, I used only two brushes, a squirrel mop #6 and a kolinsky round #12 for the details. The planning and concept took quite a while, but the painting was completed in a few hours, just in time to get ready and head over to Golden for the opening reception of the CWS State Show.

Demo at the Colorado Watercolor Society, part 2

This is a detail of the finished stage of the painting I started in my demo at the CWS general meeting last week, as reported in my last post.

The detail shows the variety of the color, texture and brushwork that went into the piece. Some shapes have been refined, added, lifted, taking advantage of the characteristics of the Aquabord support, whereas other shapes remain as first placed during the demo.

Below is the image of the complete painting:
A Morning in Inistioge, Ireland. Watercolor on Aquabord, 16x20.

Demo at the Colorado Watercolor Society

This week I had the honor to be one of several artists invited to perform a live demo at the Colorado Watercolor Society, as part of the program for the February general meeting. There was great attendance and the responses were very positive.

I did my demo of a painting sketch on Aquabord, for the benefit of those who were unfamiliar with this support. My subject was the same street scene in Inistioge, Ireland, which I had portrayed in my sketchbook and posted on this blog before.

During the allowed time of one hour, I did my best to answer questions and narrate the thinking process behind the painting, while battling very dry conditions from the air-conditioning and paint runs on a near vertical board. I worked with my usual squirrel mops, sizes 6 and 8, and synthetic rounds, sizes 12 and 16, and used a limited palette of ultramarine finest, perylene maroon, quinacridone burnt orange and cobalt turquoise, with some touches of sepia, cadmium scarlet and neutral tint.

Despite the furious pace and loose approach, I did not complete the painting, but there was enough opportunity to discuss and show the characteristics of the materials, demonstrate some techniques and offer a glimpse at what the normal process would have been like. Below is an image of the study at the point where the demo ended, I will work on it further and later post the completed painting.

Demonstration This Saturday!

This Saturday, October 2nd, I and other artists represented in the Rocky Mountain National Exhibit will be doing demonstrations of our techniques, from 11am to 2pm, at the Foothills Art Center in Golden.

I plan to do a complete painting on Yupo, of another urban scene, in a style similar to the piece in the exhibit, to give people a good sense of the methods and materials used, the thinking process, etc.

This will be an informal event, the public is encouraged to ask questions and participate. The artists will be in front of their exhibit paintings, doing the demos at the same time, giving the public the opportunity to choose whom to watch. It will be a fun experience, and it is totally free. By the way, admission is free all day to the exhibition as well.

Demo at the Depot Art Center, Progress Photos

In a post back in October, I described the demo I did at the Depot Art Center in Littleton. Jeff Owens attended that session, and was kind enough to allow me to share some of the photos he took at the occasion. They allow me to show the progress of the painting in more detail below:

1. Here I am describing my approach. I tried to describe my goals and decision-making process, as well as answer questions, throughout the session.

2. First washes in the sky area. I treated this demo as I would a plein air session. The photo of the scene was pasted on the wall, but the setup, speed, technique and level of detail employed were the same I use outdoors.
I used a quarter size sheet of Saunders Waterford Cold Press paper. It was not pre-soaked or stretched, I simply clipped it to my board, sketched outlines with pencil and started painting.

3. This photo shows the build up of wet on wet colors for the dark shapes of the farm buildings.
I am working here with a Rekab squirrel mop size 6. The palette is a metal watercolor box with both full pans and half pans. The colors were from Schmincke, Winsor & Newton, Da Vinci.

4. At this point, I changed to a size 24 Da Vinci Cosmotop Spin to work on the mass of trees and the details of the fence and other dark shapes that connected the left and right side of the painting.

5. I added the darkest shapes, making sure to blend them together for continuity. I worked carefully to preserve highlights, and to keep the negative shape of the figure.

6. In this photo, I'm adding the details of the figure, with the help of a smaller synthetic travel brush.

I was at the 1 1/2 hour period, so I had to rush to insert some last details and adjust some colors and values.

The final result is shown below.

Boston Harbor: From Sketch to Final Work

I had meant this study to be more of a step-by-step demo, but I ended up forgetting to photograph more often or more evenly during the painting process, so now all I have is some snapshots of the work in progress. They still provide some insight into how the painting evolved, so here is the development of Boston Harbor:

1. Pencil sketch, fairly detailed. My goal was to practice painting water, and to use a combination of colors I hadn't used before: turquoise and scarlet. I was attracted by the diagonal lines that lead to the main boats. I "invented" some details, such as the figures. In my reference photo, somehow, the scene is deserted.

2. First washes, using cadmium scarlet and cobalt turquoise in various combinations, with some cobalt blue and some magenta as well. I didn't want the sky to be blue, so I used the diluted scarlet for a pale orange hue.

3. I added glaze of cadmium scarlet to unify the distant buildings, and of cobalt turquoise over the scarlet on the nearby buildings, to darken and cool down the color. It was difficult to work the sunlight because this photo was taken in the middle of the day, with the sun high in the sky. It is trickier to define shapes without longer, darker shadows.

4. I added the water very quickly, with loose strokes of a large brush, with cobalt turquoise and a little scarlet to gray it down in shadow or reflex areas. I pulled some of the cobalt turquoise onto the boats as a reflected color. I added darks and other details, using indigo mixed with the previous colors.

5. I got tired, moved on to other paintings and left this unfinished at this stage for a couple of months, until I finally got back to it yesterday. I finished the shapes of the boats and added details in the middle ground (too much I think). I used watercolor pencils to add lines and details and color in some areas, as in the poles, for instance, to finish the piece.

Boston Harbor, W&N watercolors on Waterford CP paper, 22x15

Demo at the Depot Art Center

This week I was invited to do a demo at the Depot Art Center and Gallery in Littleton, Colorado. The event was very well organized and well attended. It was a challenge to paint while avoiding blocking the view of the 20 or so participants! But I enjoyed the experience immensely and the feedback I got was positive. Here is an image of the demo study:


This was painted on a half sheet of Waterford 300g cold press paper, using Yellow ochre light, Ultramarine finest, Cadmium red light, Permanent Carmine, Cadmium yellow medium, from Schmincke; Cerulean blue, Cobalt turquoise, from Winsor & Newton; Quinacridone Burnt Orange, from Da Vinci. The brushes I used were Rekab 320s Kazan squirrel mops, sizes 6 and 8, and Da Vinci Cosmotop Spin synthetic round, size 24.

Some participants were curious about the Rekab 320s brushes: They are not usually available from the major suppliers in the US, I had to order them directly from the US importer Armadillo Art (see the website on my list of Links of Interest to Artists). They are excellent quality and much more affordable than other major brands.

I hope the presentation and discussion were interesting and useful to all participants! I plan to post a step-by-step demo here very soon.