oil/acrylic resources for artists | aprillombardi.com | art lessons
watercolor supplies
watercolor demo videos
great watercolor paintings
color mixing basics for watercolor:
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Mix warm grays, cool grays, and blacks with Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber (or Burnt Sienna)
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Mix a clear violet/purple with Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue.
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A basic light flesh tone is made with Alizarin Crimson, Raw Sienna (or Yellow Ochre).
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A basic dark fleshtone can be made with Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, and Raw Sienna (or Yellow Ochre).
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Alway mix your own green colors when painting nature, and mix a variety of greens (try for at least 7 variations). Start with any yellow mixed with any blue. Then mix another green with a different yellow and another blue. Try different combinations, then darken a few of the greens with a tiny anount of Alizarin Crimson or any red. Burnt Umber mixed with Ultramarine Blue will also darken green. Lighten green with Cadmium Yellow Light or Lemon Yellow. Get a silvery looking green by adding a cool gray (Ulramarine Blue, Burnt Umber)
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Darken yellow, or yellow ochre, with purple or violet (Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue)
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Make a habit of always using a little Ultramarine Blue in any brown color, and always add a little Burnt Sienna or Burnt Umber to Ultramarine Blue.
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Burnt Sienna is really a darkened toned down orange color, which is why it works so well with Ultramarine Blue.
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To tone down a Phthalo Blue, mix it with a little Cadmium Red Medium.
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To tone down a Phthalo green, add a little Alizarin Crimson.
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Refer to the color wheel. Complementary colors are opposite one another, and can be used to mute each other.
watercolor supplies: list
minimal basic watercolor paint colors: Transparent Yellow or Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Red, and French Ultramarine Blue. These three colors can be combined to make a full palette.
basic paint colors: Transparent Yellow, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Red, and French Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red Medium Hue, Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna or Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue, Hooker's Green.
optional colors: Cobalt Blue, Indigo Hue, Permanent Rose, Manganese Blue, Sap Green, Terre Verte, Naples Yellow, Raw Umber, Indian Red, Indigo, Neutral Tint, Davy's Grey, etc.
watercolor brushes: Flat ¾" or 1" ; Round ⅛" or ¼"; and small pointed brush for fine detail. Synthetic bristle is the least expensive. Miscelaneous tools for mark-making: a toothbrush, a thin dowel, thin cardboard strips, etc.
watercolor palette: large, approximately 12" x 16", white watercolor palette
paper: Minimum 140lb watercolor paper, any size
miscellaneous: paper towels, box for materials, plastic container for water
create a series of works - ideas from the College Board:
- A series of works that begins with representational interpretations and evolves into abstraction.
- A series of landscapes based upon personal experience of a particular place in which composition and light are used to intensify artistic expression.
- Abstractions developed from cells and other microscopic images
- Interpretive portraiture or figure studies that emphasize dramatic composition or abstraction
- A personal or family history communicated through symbols or imagery
- A series of expressive landscapes based upon personal experience of a particular place
- A personal or family history communicated through the content and style of still-life images
- Abstractions from mechanical objects that explore mark-making
- Interpretive self-portraiture and figure studies that emphasize exaggeration and distortion
- A project that explores interior or exterior architectural space, emphasizing
principles of perspective, structure, ambiance created by light, etc
- An interpretive study of literary characters in which mixed media, color and form are explored
- The use of multiple images to create works that reflect psychological or narrative events
color mixing in watercolor
watercolor supplies
oils and acrylics
art resources | aprillombardi.com | instagram
Watercolor basics Graduated washes
Interpreting photos, not copying them
Painting hair in watercolor (7 minutes)
Portrait demo using white paint for highlights (please use liquid frisket instead!) (13 minutes)