Friday, March 19, 2010

Hazel's versions of Day Two!

My versions on Day Two are in the post below this!
These photographs of Hazel's work-in-progress giraffe were taken sitting in front of her demonstration table, which had a mirror angled above it so that we could see exactly what she was doing, brushstroke by brushstroke, as well as her palette and how she mixed her colours - quite sparingly, I was surprised to see.
Step one: Laid down a blue wash for the sky - she used French ultramarine here - pulling it into the shadowed areas on the giraffe's neck and face. Aureolin yellow splattered into the damp wash to indicate trees in the background.
Step Two: A pale yellow ochre wash into the face and down the neck, burnt sienna touched into the ochre to build up the tone and the hue in the face, and sepia touched in on the horns, using the side or the edge of the brush to create the texture of the hairy tips - not painted hairs!
Step Three: Adding the details to the face - shadows from a mix of Burnt sienna and ultramarine in the ears and darks of the eye, with a bit of sepia I think - just one light brushstroke for the eyelash of the far eye! Deepening and softening the shadow down the neck.
Step Four: Adding the pattern onto the neck in burnt sienna, with more ultramarine on the dark shadow side.
She produces her vivid, rich colours knowing exactly how much water and pigment is on her brush. I have always mixed up huge pools of watercolours, sloshing more water in with every brushload and consequently throwing buckets of expensive paint down the plughole - another good lesson learnt!

10 comments:

Maree Clarkson said...

Isn't amazing how quickly and expertly these fabulous teachers get it done?! And now I've learnt something (rather obvious!) from your class - I also rinse away vast amounts of pigments! Will have to rectify that.

Marie Theron said...

Sounds like a wonderful experience, Cathy! I love your ostriches. Together they form new designs. It looks as if they are so nice to do that one can paint them all day long! Maybe have some paint ready near the phone and when you are having a conversation you can doodle them!

Robin said...

I love all the pictures from the workshop but those ostriches - LOVE THEM! Their legs remind me of ballerinas. They are so cute! You really captured them. Your posts make me want to dig out my Hazel Sloan books this weekend!!!

Cathy Gatland said...

Maree, much seems so now that I've seen her demonstrate them - just hope I can remember all these 'obvious' things!

Marie, how nice of you to visit - I love your West Coast paintings and stories! I can't believe how many times I've watched ostriches and not thought of painting them - they are so fun to do!

Hi Robin - cute, but you don't want to get too close to those ballerina legs! Hazel's books are well worth pulling out for inspiration.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks again for taking the time to share all this with us. Does she draw anything or draw with her brush?

Cathy Gatland said...

Hi Rhonda - mostly she draws with her brush, using it to form the shapes, not an outline then filling in. If she wants to preserve some whites, she'll sketch a light pencil outline, and for the big animal heads where eyes, ears etc have to be accurately placed... I'll add to this when blogging Days 3 and 4

Laura Frankstone said...

This is a wonderful post, Cathy---you are so generous to share your workshop with us.

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Thank you so much Cathy for these wonderful long detailed posts of the Hazel Soan workshop days. I've always loved the way she works straight in with the brush and full of rich colour for watercolour. Her animals are always actively mobile and capture the unique shape and movement of each species. So kind of her to let you post her demonstration to us all.

Your own work shows how much you absorbed from her and I know it will only enhance your own unique style, bringing you even more confidence. I liked your comment '... now, how did I do that last time?'... so, so true.

Wonderful and thanks for taking so much time to share all this fabulous knowledge.

Anonymous said...

This is so exciting Cathy! Wish I could get to he=r workshop1
Ronelle

Charlene Brown said...

How could I have missed these posts? Didn't even know about them until I noticed you were mentioned in 'Who's made a mark this week' on Making a Mark! These write-ups of your workshop with Hazel Soans are beautifully presented and illustrated -- and the antelope aren't the least bit shoddy! Thank you for sharing this clearly excellent workshop!