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aterco our PAINTING ....\.

Jean-Louis Morelle

First published in the UK in 2003 by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd London • Cape Town • Sydney • Auckland Garfield House 86-88 Edgware Road London W2 2EA United Kingdom wv.lw. newhollandpublishers.com 80 McKenzie Street Cape Town 8001, South Africa Levell, Cnit 4, 14 Aquatic Drive Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086, Australia 218 Lake Road NorthcOLe, Auckland, New Zealand Copyright© Groupe Fleums-:'vlame, Paris, 1999 Copyright © colour triangle,jean-Louis Morelle, 1999 Copyright© English translation: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, 2003 All rights reserved. No pan of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders. ISBN 1 84330 52 1 6 Publishing Manager: Ch ristophe Savoure Artistic Manager: Danielle Capellazzi Graphic design and layout: Claude Poirier Ediwr: Guillaume Po Producer: Florence Bellot Computer graphics: Laurem Blonde! English translation: Bernie Wright 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed and bound in Malaysia by Times Offset (M) Sdn Bhd The author would like to thank f'rancoise Coffrant and Elisabeth de Montmarin who encouraged him to write this book; Ewa Karpinska, particularly for her productive conversations on the problems relating to colour; Gerard Leserre and Philippe Mothe for their friendship and faith; the Aittouares and Vanuxem gallenes; the photographers P Lesage and j.-F Schall; and all the painters and those who love watercolours who contributed to this work: Ulie Abadie, Wolf Arrich, Pierre Bergonhe, Annick Berteaux, Marc-Fabien Bannard, Claude Boquin, Georges Corcia, Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, Daniel Estrade, Bernard Gobet, Gottfried Salzmann, Bernadette Tonnellier, Guy Veyssier and Mamina Yunoki. The photographs with no reference to copyright are the author's own.

atercolour PAINTING

Jean-louis Morelle

NEW HOLLAND

Foreword

7

The world of colour Colour classification elsaac Newton's classification

8 10 10 11

• The last classification: cyan, yellow and '•

magenta

,.

11

• The object as the precursor of colour 12

• Arranging colours

24

• Darkening colours

25

• The choice of triangle

26

produced colours

26

• Renoir's and Monet's palett es

27

• Forming a palett e

28

• Complementary colours

28

e Strong shadows

29

• Three sample palettes

30

• Trichromatic greys

31

• How to define a colour

32

• Application to painting

12

• Using the colour triangle effective ly 34

• The base colours

13

• The 31-colour triangle, or ed ucating the

• An explanation of the terminology

14

• The ideal and reality

14

• Trichromatic print ing of the

,,

24

• Theoret ical colours and commercially

• Classificati on using three colours: blue, green and red

The colour triangle

18th century

Shadows • The colour of shadows • Painting outdoors • When shadows became blue eAn expanded palette • Complementary co lou rs • The discoveries of Chevreul • What is an optica I mix?

16

18

eye to the three-colour process

35

• The colour table

36

• Bui lding on experience

37

• Conclusion

37

~ ./(

.·

Gallery

/

,

.,,"'~ • Gottfried Salzmann, New York, Towards the North

41

• Preparinwthe p,c{per

41

• The key' mo~ent

44

• The surfaci of th.e paper

45

1.. -

I

• Colour de~sit/ • How to control the halo effect

76

·"'

W~t;bn-wet te~hni1q e ~

~~~~icj'of brysh

J I

46

• Reproducing the halo effect

48 51

• Strokes and brushes

52

• Painting with pure water

54

77 • Dan iel Estrade, Reliquary for Exchange Currency, Spirit Mortar 78 • Ewa Karpinska, Quinces on Red Cloth 79 • Gerard Leserre, Morning by the Pond 80 t An nick Berteaux, Cape Coz

81

• Pierre Bergonhe, Saint-Martin Canal 82 • Philippe Mothe, Road Signs

83

• U~l ie Abadie, Red Knot

84

• Jean-Louis Morelie, Nape of a Woman

85

Techniques using dry surfaces 56 • Some recommendations eln contact with the senses

56 58

• Achieving fluidity

61

• The second brush

62

. studying the subject • The blurred edge

64 64

• The invisible halo

66

• De pigmented brushwork

66

• Denser brushstrokes

68 68

• Edge darkening • Style and approach

71 73

• Where to start

74

• How to test your paper

Step by step • The Green Door, Gerard Leserr.e ~ ;;: .~. Boats on a Pond, Gerard • Peaceful Street, Phili ppe • Butterfly Nude, Jean-Louis • Young Girl Sleeping, Jean-Louis Morelle • Rosehips, Ewa Karpir\ska • The Lost Rosebush, Ewa Karpir\ska • Redcurrants, Ewa Karpir\ska • Poppies, Ewa Karpinska

86

A

Jean-Louis Morelle, The Unmade Bed

The sensuality of water and cloth fuse ... The morning light on the whiteness of the sheets is captured by using the correct shading- not too pale and not too dark.

6

To my father

T hroughout the years that I have practised watercolour painting, one thing has become clear: before it becomes paint, watercolour is first and foremost water. Water fills us with fear and pleasure in equal measures, thus making us aware of the rich and ambivalent relationship that we have always had with this element. The child who is afraid of th e power of a wave may also be filled with wonder at the p atterns drawn on his bathtub by bath salts - his first contact with pigments and, without doubt, his first emotion evoked by a painting in water. I have seen these feelings re-emerge in many amateur painters - nobody is truly free of them. This gave me the idea to develop a method of teaching based on in-depth observation of th e phenomena that water creates. Very simple conclusions are born from such observation. We very quickly notice that we have no con trol over water and that we cannot force it to do anything. We must respect it. Firstly it spreads, next it is absorbed an d then it dries after a period of time. The main purpose of this book is therefore to en courage you to develop your own observations of water, and in particular to find a way of relating to water. You will learn how water behaves, but you will also become aware of your own interaction with this element. Combining theory and practice, the aim is to develop a relationship with the medium through first learning to handle water and then learning how to love it.

j EAN -L OUIS M O REL L E

Colours are mixed first of all on the palette and then on the painting. The two acts are totally separate . . -· The objective of this chapter is not to theorise on the hypothetical laws of harmony, which are at the mercy of current trends, but to help you to achieve the colour tone that you desire on your palette. Bonnard pinned his canvases to his bedroom walls for months to achieve a lasting and penetrating impression, such was the value that he attached to the perfection of composition and harmony in his paintings. What is available nowadays to study colour? The modern age has gained control of the reproduction of colours through printing, photography and television. These advances have been generated by exceptional individuals and the history of scientific and technical discovery is a mine of information for each of us. When dealing with art, intuition is best, but knowledge of physical phenomena enables us to work in a more reasoned fashion. Be tempted to learn about colour. Find out how to gain control of your palette. And then, once you have discovered the advantages of this logical approach, empty your mind and let yourself paint.

8

I be wo

mlour

9

Wa

t c r

c o 1 o t:t__r___P_a_Ln ling

olour classification The watercolour painter works with three elements: water, pigments and the light reflected by the paper. The way in which light works is of particular importance when using this method. This is why knowledge of physical phenomena can have a tremendous influence on your working methods. You need to be able to distinguish the fundamental colours of the additive system (light waves) from the primary colours of the subtractive system (pigments). In nature, light waves of all kinds are mixed together at random.lf we observe the line of the rays refracted by a prism, we will see a continuous strip of colou rs. We pass imperceptibly from dark

blue (short waves) to green (middle waves), then from green to red (long waves). There are also less obvious bands of colour: light blue between dark blue and

A The seven colours of Newton, the physicist, were undoubtedly infl11enc:ed by music with its seven main notes. Indigo was later dropped from the colour sped ram.

green, and light yellow between green and red. A The contin11ous band of the colour spectr11m. The eye perceives eledromag· netic: waves of somewhere between 380 and 780 nanometres (nm).

These waves are actually colourless: it is our brain, linked

Isaac Newton's classification

to our eye, that converts them into colours. This conversion may

In 1669 the English physicist Isaac Newton (1642- 1727) sug-

differ from one animal species to another. The bee, fo r example,

gested breaking down the colour spectrum into seven colours:

sees ultraviolets that we cannot

violet, indigo, blue, green,

pick out while cats and dogs find

yellow, orange and red. He also

it difficult to see reds.

demonstrated the reversibility of this phenomenon: by recreating the full range of all of these

10

The world of co l ou..L_

colourswith the help of a second prism, he was able to reproduce white light. Newton thus established the universal theory, which states that all colours are contained in white light. This is known as 'additive' synthesis. Black, on the other hand, does not physically exist. It is simply t he absence of all emitted or reflected radiance.

Classification using three colours: blue, green and red

I

I

I

~ The blue (436 nm) , green (546 nm) and red (700 nm) filters. Together they come close to recreating the entire spectrum.

--4 To decipher light waves, the retina goes through a series of complex processes. The rods in the periphery of the human-retina are sensitive to moderate radiance. There are three types of cones, and each of these contains a visual pigment, which is sensitive to blue, green and red.

A century later, the British biologist and doctor Thomas Young (1773- 1829) hypothesized that

the cells of the retina are sensitive to t hree fundament al colours: blue, green and red. In 1852 the German doct or and

Von

completely. The filters used in

red, named 'magenta', can only

Helmholtz (1821-1894) reiter-

photographic equipment and

be seen by using two prisms. If

ated the classification and hypothesis put forward by Young, which was later to be

scanners allow the light waves of one third of the spectrum to pass through but block the other

these two prisms, placed very close to one another, and make

confirmed by modern biology. Three years later in 1855, the

two thirds. What happens, however, in

the red bands of one coincide with the blue bands of the

Scottish physicist James Clark Maxwell (1831-1879) demon-

t he gaps between these three

other, partially superimposing

physiologist

Hermann

fundamental colours?

strated that all shades of colours that exist in nature can be obtained through additive synthesis from blue, green and

we combine the refraction of

the bands on to one another, magenta red will appear.

The last classification: cyan, yellow and magenta

The existence of these three primary colours can be proved by . a simple experiment. Three

red mixed in variable proportions

If we carefully observe the colour

projectors of neutral lig ht and

of coloured lights. Modern technologies that requ ire the use

spect rum as it passes from blue to green, we can make out a thin

red are needed. If we place a

of filters often draw on this classification. They are based

band of pure, light blue between the two areas. Th is blue, later

on the fact that blue, green and

described as 'cyan', is not easy to

red each occupy approximately

discern. The same applies to the

one third of the spectrum and

yellow, known as 'primary'. This

that when used together they

is an equally thin band between

recreate the spectrum almost

the green and the red. Primary

three fi lters for blue, green and filter of each colour in front of each of the projectors, t he beams combined will reconstitute white light. The intensity of each of the Iig ht sources does, however, need to be measured accurately as the precise quantity

11

_ __

_

\VatercoloJJr

Pain..t..i_n_g

+ fundamental blue

green

cyan

+ green

fundamental red

yellow

+

of blue, green and red rays on

waves (blue), a small amount of

the screen varies.

the long waves (red) and very

What happens if we mix these

few oft he middle waves (green).

light rays in pairs? Our eye

This is why subtractive synthesis

synthesizes the mixture of waves

is known as the phenomenon

from the blue and green filters,

that is key to the creation of the

producing a clear cyan- blue. In a

colours in the world that sur-

similar way, additive synthesis of

rounds us. It clearly has an enor-

green and red results in primary

mous influence on the mixtures

yellow. Lastly, when the red filter

that the painter makes on his

is combined with the blue filter

palette.

magenta red appears in t he form of fuchsia pink.

fundamental red

fundamental blue

magenta

Additive synthesis of the three fundamental colours, two at a time. The mixture of the blue and the green is perceived as primary blue-cyan, that of the green and the red is perce ived as primary yellow, and that of the red and the blue as primary red magenta. Our eye converts the mixture of the two waves into a single colour. .A

A

Initially these results appear

Application to painting

absurd. How can we actually

If we mix two pigments we are

imagine that a mixture of blue

actually combining two phe-

and green could lead to pure

nomena as this process reduces

blue, when every child in the first

the intensity of radiance and syn-

year of primary school finds out

thesizes two subtract ions. These

that this combination results in a

phenomena have a major impact

dark grey-green? In actual fact.

on the work of the watercolour

depending on whether we are

painter, as the more the colours

working within the wor ld of

are mixed, the higher t he inci-

waves or the material world of

dence of absorption and the

pigments, the results will differ

more luminosity decreases. Take

considerably.

care to examine the manufacturer's chart for prepared colours

The object as the precursor of colour

it. Diagram of the reflection and absorption of white light on a molecule of red pigment. The three wavelengths of fundamental blue, green and fundamental red are absorbed and reflected in varying degrees by the pigment molecules. But the pigment appears red because the reflection of long waves (which are red) is predominant . It is s ubtractive synthesis of waves A+B+C, which are reflected in varying proportions, that determines the diverse colouring of objects.

as some shades have been made

Colour is dependent on the way

with several pigments. It is thus

in which the molecules of a body

possible, without knowing, to

react with light. A body always

synthesize a number of different

diffuses fewer luminous rays

subtractions in our mixes and to

than it collects: matter actually

lose a great deal of luminosity.

absorbs a proportion of these

As a result, it is not only impor-

rays and reflects the rest. If a sub-

tant to take care with the opac-

stance reflects all of the rays in

ity or transparency of the colours

the spectrum its surface appears

that you are using, but also with

white; if it absorbs nearly all of

their composition. Do not be

them

afraid to ask your retailer for

it seems black. The

molecules of a red pigment

leaflets on each brand with the

reflect red waves and absorb

composition of each colour.

blue and green waves. The molecules of an ultramarine blue pigment reflect most of theshort

12

which can be found in art shops,

I b e w o r 1 d o Lc_a_L..,_...__..___ _ __

The base colours

ana lyzed in the colorimeter, it

The pigments you use should

can be observed that it mainly reflects blue and green waves.

give you complete freedom to recreate all of the shades that you observe or imagine. Before

The primary yellow pigment reflects a large proportion of the

beginning

green and red waves, whilst the

work, you

wil l

probably be unaware of the number of tones, that will appear in your painting and as a result will need to be able to create all possible mixes.

• Reflection of waves emitted by primary blue-cyan. A peak in the reflected waves can dearly be detected in fundamental blue with considerable reflection of green but high absorption of fundamental red.

magenta-red

pigment

will

reflect some of the red waves and a small amount of the blue waves. Why,

for

example,

do

The more complex the compound of a particular colour

cyan-blue and primary yellow

tone, the more it will absorb light intensity, and the small er the

t he reflective propert ies of these

result in green? We've looked at two pigments, and now let 's examine their absorption.

area of the spectrum that wi II be reflected. On the other hand, the greater the ability of these base pigments to reflect a wide area of the spectrum, the more the painter is able to accurately mea-

Cyan-blue paint absorbs waves A Reflection of waves emitted by the primary yellow image. It is a light colour as there is a high level of reflection in fundamental red and green, but much absorption of fundamental blue.

retain

yellow, which absorbs the shortest waves (blue), is mixed with this blue, only the middle waves

sure out the different subtractions. To

of the greatest length (red). If a

(green) will be reflected. If we add a red pigment to this green,

complete

freedom of action, the artist

it will absorb the green. This will

must therefore set up his palette with pigments that are:

demonstrate a synthesis of three

- chemically pure (they have not been created through

will thus approximate to black'.

mixing); - light and luminous; - highly reflective in all three areas of the colour spectrum.

subtractions and the end result

• Reflection of waves emitted by the primary red magenta image. This pigment reflects fundamental red, a proportion of fundamental blue that cannot be discounted and absorbs the green.

Other pigments will only be used in a supplementary capacity (see Renoir's suggestions on his own palette, page 27). With subtractive synthesis, only the colours close to cyan-blue, primary yellow and magenta-red possess these qualities and enable all shades to be recreated . This is why these three primary colours are used in printing. In fact, when the pigment closest to cyan-blue is

A For what reasons does the mixture of cyan-blue and primary yellow pigment result in green? If we amalgamate two of the previous curves, it can be observed that the absorptions of cyan-blue and yellow cancel out the red and blue at each end of the spectrum. The •ore we mix pigments, the smaller the quantity of light that is reflec:ted.

1. Refer to Moritz Zwimpfer, Couleur optique et perception, Paris, Dessain et Tol ra. 1992

13

_

\Va I e r co 1 o u r P a l n 1 j n

g

An explanation of the terminology

(light waves) and subtractive synthesis (pigments). In my

references to two f undamental

of t he journey of an artistic

To adapt to the world around us,

writing I make use of the

colou rs (blue and red) may be

creation ...

the brain, conn ected to the eye,

qualifier 'fundamental' when

followed in brackets by the way

This is how we explain t he

converts the combinations of the

referring to light waves (in

in which they would be com-

difference between t he world of

diversely refl ect ed rays into

other works they are called

posed in the subtractive system

waves, with its three fundamen-

colours. We can attempt to

'primitive') and 'primary' when

(violet-blue and orange-red). In

tal colours that are mixed t o

explain colour mixing log ically

referring to pigments.

accordance wit h the latter

create white light, and the

This is why, throughout the book,

This alchemy marks the start

(as we will do at the end of the

The task of the painter, who

system, primary red-magenta

material world with its three

chapter through the colour

can be likened to an alchemist

should actually be mixed with a

primary colo urs t hat result in

triangle), and the logic used will

capable of any mix, becomes

little primary yellow to gain an

black through subtraction of the different waves.

be subordinate to the workings

increasingly complicated. If you

approximation of fu ndamental

of t he subtractive system. This

wish to use a colour tone t hat

red . Fortunately green doesn't

wi ll even have an impact on our

approximates to 'fundamental '

cause any confusion.

use of terminology.

blue, you may f ind a corre-

t he understandi ng of colours stem

We actually call the first of the

sponding blue pigment, or create

The ideal and reality

fundamental colou rs of the

it by mixing. If you add a small

No pigment could be defined as

spect rum 'blue'. However, we

amount of primary 'magenta '

a 'pure' colour. If this were the

also call the 'cyan' blue that our

red to primary 'cyan' blue, you

case, painters could compose

eyes perce ive from the mixture

will end up wit h a colour ton e

their pictures out of beams of

of blue and green coloured lights

that isclose to fundamental blue.

light - a fine poetic image ... The

'blue'. These two kinds of blue

Is fundamental blue a violet-

artist can, however, attempt to

are not of the same nature.

blue? From a strictly physical

find pigments that approximate

Similarly, 'magenta' red isnot the

point of view the answer is no.

to the three primary colours as

red of the spectrum . Only

That would amount to saying

seen by the naked eye. By mixing

primary yellow is uncomplicated

that this funda mental blue is a

them, you combine the most

as it can easily be distinguished

mixture of two waves, which is

varied subtractions: blue with a

from green.

not the case. But from the

hint of red becomes violet, and

practical perspective of mixing

this violet can be broken by a

Many works, when touching

Many arguments rel ating to from

t he

confusion

between these t wo different systems.

on colour synthesis, do not spec-

colours

the

minute touch of yellow. When

ify the red or blue to which they

subt ractive syst em, our eye and

yellow is added to red it becomes

are referring. It is, however,

brain convert this fundamenta l

orange-red and this orange- red

Garden in Lower Montreuil. A

essential to highlight the differ-

blue into a slightly violet colour

can in turn be mixed with blue,

dust haze of impressionist dots.

ence between addit ive synthesis

compared to primary cyan-blue.

which wi ll result in brown, etc.

14

according

to

I> Jean-Louis Morelle,

15

\Ya

1

c rc

0

10

II

r p aiJ.l. t.iJl g

.,_ Jacob Christoph Le Blon,

The Cardinal of Fleury, 1738. Colour print engraved on three plates, based on a painting by Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659- 1743). Le Blon invented modern three-colour printing at the beginning of the 18th century, achieving very fine results in spite of imperfect primary colours.

Trichromatic printing of the 18th century

physical matter. His research

he could use a black plat e to

began in 1706, two years after

supplement his work.

In 1996 the National Library of

the publication of Optic by

France organized an exhibition

Newton. Le Blon very quickly dis-

Jacques-Fabien Gautier-Dagoty,

called 'The Anatomy of Colour' '

covered that the phenomenon of

took this step. As the head of a

in Paris. On display were copper-

colour absorption could in fact

fami ly business he scrupulously

plate engravings from the

be an asset in certain situations.

exploited the invention of his

beginning of the 18th century, in

He wrote: 'All visible objects can

master and dominated the

particular anatomical plates

be depicted through painting

history of 18th century engrav-

printed in the three base colours.

with three colours, namely

ing in three colours, leaving us

These colours were different

yellow, red and blue, as all other

magnificent anatomical plates.

from those used in contemporary

colours can be made up of these

Good fortune had smiled

printing, but did resemble them:

three, which I call primitive

on Le Blon's invention but

the blue could be compared to

colours ... And a mixture of these

numerous economic factors

Prussian blue, the red was simi-

three primitive colours produces

caused it to be neglected for the

lar to a slightly fiery crimson and

black and all other colours ...

following hundred years. Print-

the yellow was not very different

Here I am only speaking of mate-

ing in three colours, and later in

from yellow ochre. However, a

rial colours, that is the colours

four colours, required a high

most important step had been

used by painters, as the mixture

level of skill in a number of areas.

taken. Prints of three plates

of all of the impalpable primitive

Perhaps the technique made its

superimposed with three low-

colours does not resu lt in black,

appearance too soon, but Le

density colours enabled the artist

but exactly the opposite, that is

Blon is worthy of our admiration

to recreate the shades of nature

to say white'. (The Harmony of

as we are now building on the

almost perfectly. What transpired

Colouring in Painting, London,

foundations that he put in place.

from this work resembled the

1725.)

wealth of tones present in oil painting.

The refinement of Le Blon's engravings was a contributory

A German researcher, Jacob

factor in the success of his argu-

Christoph Le Blon (1667- 1741 ),

ment. However, to obtain deeper

was

_ __ __1..u6_

One of Le Blon's pupils,

these

shading he had to apply very

magnif icent engravings. Both a

responsible

f or

dense layers of ink to the three

scientist and a painter, he was

plat es, which was very time-

experienced in the use of

consuming and made the drying

pigments and working wit h

process difficult. He sensed t hat

1. Florian Rodari (dir.), The Anatomy of Colour: The invention of colour engraving, Paris, Lausanne, National Library of France, Olympic Museum of Lausanne. 1996.

\\ial(·rcolo u r Pa i nting

hadows If you were to go into space as an astronaut, the sky would be of the deepest darkness imaginable. Far beyond Earth, in a place where no stars shine, black becomes absolute. Our earthly atmosphere, filled with gas and steam molecules, hides the relentless black of the sidereal void. These very diverse molecules reflect light waves and diffuse them in all directions. Short waves, converted into blue, are much more spread out and are refracted more sharply than long waves, which are converted into red.

The colour of shadows

to give a shadow a trace of the

As mentioned at the beginning

three colours, in unequal pro-

A hint of white light isenough

of this chapter, in physics black is

portions, according to the reflec-

not a colour but rather the

tive properties or absorbency of

absence of light. This is of major

the element s involved. Shade

consequence to the artist, as

therefore has its own colour and

colour is altered according to a

the ability to find it will be the

decrease in white light.

most important test that the artist undergoes. A further consideration is that no shadow is devoid of reflection. Good painters can thus be set apart from t he mediocre by their ability to determine the colour of a reflection in relation to the

-4 Alexandre·lsodore Leroy de

colour of a shade, which is itself

Barde (1777-1828),

also dependant on the local tone

Still life with exotic birds

of the object and its environ-

Watercolour and gouache.

ment. As a result, no colour can

In this period, the colour of

be studied in isolation. Whether

shadows was based on the

it is plunged into darkness or not,

concept of light and dark and

it can only exist in relation to the

was achieved by darkening the

other colours that surround it.

local colour of the object.

_ _ _ ___._.18_

T he wor l d of c o l o11r

Painting outdoors

the subtractive system). It is for

The disappearance of black, dull

this reason that the

and tar-like shadows from aca-

disappear first at nightfall. Blues

demic painting was one of the

remain visible for a longer time.

reds

artistic gambles of the 19th cen-

Do not conclude from this that

tury. The battle was begun by

all shadows are blue. The local

Eugene Delacroix (1798- 1863)

colour of the object, as well as all

and then waged by t he painters

that

it

reflects

f rom

its

of the Barbizon school, soon to

surroundings, and the harmoni-

be joined by the Impressionists.

sation that needs to take place

They went out to fight armed

with the tonal range of the

with a new weapon, which seems

picture have much influence on

very familiar to us today: the

t he composition of the shade.

tube of paint. It was practical, easy to transport and did not

An expanded palette

need any preparation. This

Everything had a code in aca-

invention enabled artists to leave

demic art. The subject matter

their studios at long last and

needed to be smooth, flesh was

to paint directly from nature,

pearly, shadows were brown,

which meant that they then had

and the last relics of classical

to face up to reality. Shadows

myths were thought to promote

that had looked colourless

elevation of souls. Blue was only

beneath t he heavy curtains of

used as the local colour of an

the studio now had their own

object. The Impressionists were

specific colours and reflections,

actually the f irst to display the

which had to be worked into

whole of the primary colour triang le on canvas. Within

shading in the painting .

established art the major issues

When shadows became blue

duality of light and dark, which

Cezanne, played with t he effect

A

In a way, blue entered the history

completely ignored the relation-

of depth, created

Portrait of Vallier, circa 1906.

of painting via the shadow. The

ship between complementaries.

juxtaposition of two colour

(Watercolour and graphite.}

Houses of Parliament, London

This re lationship can only be

tones. Modern art had realized

Cezanne used blue as the

(1905), painted by Claude Monet

grasped by resolving a series of

once and for all that t he space

complement of orange-red. The

(1840-1926), or the fragmented

problems, as a colour can only be

within the picture went beyond

local colour of the object was

use of orange and blue in the

matched with its complementary

the illusion created by its unique

no longer predominant.

vistas of Mont Saint-Victoire

by mixing the other two. The use

geometric perspective.

(1904-1906) by Paul Cezanne

of the complementary was to be,

(1839-1906) are proof of this.

with or without Chevreul, a

in painting revolved around the

Genera lly speaking, short waves

(fundamental

favou rite t heme in all painting

blue;

throughout the second half of

violet- blue in the subtractive

the 19th centu ry. Artists also

system) are much more widely

tried out bolder contrastive use

diffused

of warm and cold colours, and,

than

long

waves

(fundamental red; orange- red in

by th e

Paul Cezanne,

following

the

example

of

19

Waterco J our Pa i nting

~

Complementary colours in additive system. Fundamental green (F(;I mixed w ith fundamental red (FRI results in primary yellow (PVI . Mixing this yellow with fundamental blue (FBI will result in white light (WI. Primary yellow and fundamental blue are complementary to one another.

Complementary colours Using the addit ive system (that is light waves), if we were to remove fundamental blue from t he spectrum, itscomplementary would appear, t he synthesis of the mixt ure ofthe red and green bands. We have seen t hat t his synthesis

produces

primary

yellow (see page 12). This then becomes the complementary of fundamental blue and vice versa. If we were to remove green from the spectrum (similar to the mid-green in the subtractive II> Fundamental red (FRI mixed with fundamental blue (FBI will result in magenta red (MI which, when mixed with fundamental green (F Fundamental blue (FBI

mixed with fundamental green (F(;I will result in cyan-blue (C) which, when mixed with fundamental red (FRI. will resu lt in wh ite light (WI. Cyan-blue and f undamental red are complementary to one another.

colours two at a time we will produce the primaries cyan-blue, ye llow and magenta-red. In the subtractive system the opposite occurs to create mid- green, orange- red and violet-blue, colours which are then termed as seconda ry. This does not change anything: t here is always one colour, which is complementary, resulting from the mixture ofthe other two, and vice versa.

20

The discoveries of Chevreul One man was more capable than any other of examining two or more colours together: Eugene Chevreu l (1786- 1889). A chemist by train ing, he was appointed director of the Gobel ins Tapestry Works in 1826. Responsible for listing wool dyes, he discovered

• Complementary colours in the subtractive system. Cyan-blue (C) mixed wltll primary yellow (PV), results in mid· green (M Strokes made using a flat brush in the shape of a eat's tongue, with the flat side and edge of the brush on wet and dry surfaces.

1> Srokes made using a flat square-edged brush, with the flat side and edge of the brush.

> Strokes made using a japanese brush. with curves. inverted curves, and exertion of pressure on the tip.

52

spontaneously. The thickness of the stroke on the paper is determined by the pressure exerted on the tip. The squirrel hair brush is shorter and allows you to disperse water laterally which is very useful for laying wash es in pure water or fo r performing sweeping and oval strokes. Each tool thus has its own qualities. It is very easy to draw straight lines with the end of a square-edged brush or to use its flat s ide to dampen wa ter-reduced surfaces. Strokes with rounded brushes on wet surfaces are ·well pitched and are neither too angular nor too gentle. The Kolinsky sables are similar to the squirrel hairs but cannot wet wide surfaces, as their capacity to carry pure water is not great enough. They do, however, enable you to make very precise

I e c b n i q ll r s

~

Strokes made using a

rounded sable brush with a fine tip.

4' Drawings with a bamboo

-

:--. "'- iJ '

·!'.

_1. ,:-.~· ""._~-~-~~~~l: '-r ._ . r

A\

stick. The bamboo stick should

~~

be used with care. With the

J'

e)J:Al

wet-on-wet technique it

: t}i!:f'-·. )/\ -~·..,~ ") f;;._ ,:..,~ ·:-

-4 Philippe Mothe Snow on the Edge of the Marne

An almost abstract view, which shows pigmented brushwork at its best, indicated by the minuscule halos placed at the top of the trees.

]?

f •.

)

~· -· ,, ;

r

L

!

:

, ,_,.•. --

., Philippe Mothe, The Lighthouse Dense and depigmented brushstrokes.

-

-

---

W a LCJ co [ o u r_RaiJLLi..n_g

41. Jean-Louis Morelle, The Dictionary

you must take care not to muddy the pigment of the

This w atercolour demonstrates the use of very

lower layers. The more opaque a pigment is, the

strong densities obtained by opaque pigments

more important it is that it remains still when

applied in successive washes, sometimes on wet

suspended in water, so it can dry without moving.

surfaces, sometimes on dry. This is an arduous task-

70

Tr (' h a i qu e s

How to test your

~·

Fabriano artistico paper - Medium depigmentation of first wash after the second has been laid. Sensitive to rubbing with brush. Clean removal of pigment.

to the list provided. ,.

enable colour blends to be sup-erimposed on to the surface. Therefore, choose a paper that does not lose pigmentation following. a ?Uccessiori of washes.

100

.

S t ep by s t e p

-

..- Soak the s urface completely. Wet through, the paper should have a moist but matt surface. Do not be afraid to release drops of dense pigment: a mixture of blue and red oxide for the dark blue colour, and a mixture of aureolin, permanent rose and a touch of red oxide for the yellow lighting. Do not load too much water on to your brush as the paper is already saturated. Very quickly indicate the layout of the whole composition, avoiding blue tones which are too distinctive.

-

.f. Sketch the composition

.f. (Detail) By reproducing

in pencil to im med iately indicate the location of the s haded areas and lights. The preliminary sketch lends struc ture to yo ur vision , although this will change in the course of pain ting, sometimes because of deliberate simplifications, and sometimes due to the water's own energy and the fusions that this will create.

halos, remove the pigment at the points where the cars, house windows, pavements and electricity pole would be. Highlights will thus be included in th e picture before the subjects are even painted. To depict the lighting from the street lamps, release some drops of pure water. Immediately lift out any excess water to preven t feathering.

_1_0c..o. 1 _ _ __

Waterco l our

Painting

-

T If need be, dry the surface with a hair dryer. Apply a very liquid

mixture of blue and red oxide to the roof of the house. With the help of a second brush that is full of water, sweep across the surface above the roof until you come into contact wi th the blue and red oxide mixture whilst it is still wet. This blend of colours should be extensive and the pigment will bleed upwards. Draw in the softer lights above the house, producing two halos on the surface whilst it is still damp . Hint at the buildings in the background and the left pavement. Paint in the cars. Keep a firm eye on the elements that are meant to remain distinct and those that are meant to be blurred.

A (Detail) Use the wet-on-wet technique for the work on the roadway and the right-hand pavement, which are, in part, reproduced by applying pu re water to the area. When the surface becomes matt, add a little more pigment and paint to the horizontal lights on the roadway by adding halos. Once the paper is dry, draw out the dark electrical cables with a very fine squirrel hair brush.

102

St.e p by s • e p

1' (Detail) Once again, accentuate the contrast between both the tree and the roof of the house to the left with the light-coloured wall. Recreate a wet area above the house. Work from the top down, making sure that you do not apply water beyond the lines of the roof, and reserve the chimneys. Strengthen the pigment in this area using a mixture of red oxide, magenta and a touch of blue. Take care to ensure that the rooftops merge smoothly into the sky. Once the roof is dry, wet the left side of the pain ling using clear water, taking care to include the light wall of the house, spreading your pool towards the bottom. Now strengthen the pigment in the vicinity of the tree with a gentle mix of blue and red oxide.

A Using the same method, strengthen the pigment on the right-hand side. Work around the contour of the roof and reserve the electricity post and cables. Complete the drawing of the pole and the right pavement using two brushes together to retain sharp edges and to instantaneously fuse colour in the desired

areas. Darken the colour of the cars with a mixture of magenta, Blockx blue and trans parent red oxide. Accentuate the light at the end of the road by rubbing the paper gently with a small hog hair brush and then spreading an orangey mixture made of aureolin and permanent rose on to the lightened surface. 103

Wa

t

c r co I o u r

P a i..u..Li.n..g

Butterfly Nude

Materials:

Precision is essential when depiCting the movement of

Fabriano paper HB pencil Brushes: small, medium and

the arms, shoulders and pelvis of this prone body. In

large squirrel hair brushes Colours: Winsor's permanent rose, aureolin

actual fact it is pofritless to continue if the drawing

& Newton's ultramarine

blue, perylene maroon,

.,

. I.": ' .

yellow, Blockx blue, Winsor

.

lacks balance at the, start. The strokes were designed

gamboge yellow, Rembrandt's transparent red oxide

'

'

as a series of thin, ghtzes in coloured greys which are intended to intersperse the flesh tints with brief snatches of light.

104

S t e p b y st c

-

.. . .. . . . ,..

._ Draw the layout in a very fine pencil line. Begin by shaping each section of the body with a mixture of aureolin yellow and permanent rose, darkened with a touch of perylene maroon and ultramarine blue. Remember to reserve snatches of light. Starting from the centre of the head, outline the roots of the hair. Draw the line of the body in the background using a very gentle wash made from ultramarine blue, Blockx blue and a touch of perylene maroon. Do not be afraid to cover the pelvis again, to accentuate the contrast with the shoulders.

.

....'

.~·

~

.,.·

~-~··

~~.:~]:._...:.

... ' .· . -.··,

' !'. :

...

/'

~

-

By using two brushes together (one for the colour and the other for pure water), reinforce the shape of the model's buttocks and arms and the hollow of the shoulders. Darken the blue area above the left shoulder.

,.... ... _ _

..\,

W

a 1e r c o

lo

11

r

I? a i n l i_n_g

-

_... Using a glaze of Blockx blue and transparent red oxide, separate the outline of the body from the background. Deepen the blue spot above the shoulder and darken the right side of the hair using a shade made with transparent red

oxide and ultramarine blue. Remember to retain the blurred edges between the hair and the bottom of the picture. To preserve the undulating movemen t of the shoulders, do not place too much emphasis on the forearms .

Paint the background with another very light glaze, this time covering the pelvis, and again emphasizing the contrast with the shoulders. On dry paper, using two brushes together, draw the arms and shoulders with a mixture of warm strokes made of perylene maroon, a touch of gamboge yellow and permanent rose, and cold strokes mixed with Blockx blue, ultramarine blue and a touch of perylene maroon. Take care to reserve the patches of ligh t on the limbs and the area beneath the right armpit. Arrange the sheets on the bed, once again paying particular attention to the light effects. -411

-

_... Dampen the surface of the paper and draw the shape of the hair. Mix gamboge yellow with a little perylene maroon and permanent rose for the warm colours and Blockx blue _

_

_ _.....J1u..06...._:

and ultramarine blue for the cold colours. Use a relatively dense, virtually undiluted pigment. Lighten a few strands by removing some of the substance before it is dry.

S 1ep b y s 1ep

A Once again, cover the background of the composition, some areas of the body and the foot of the bed with another glaze made of Blockx blue and a touch of perylene maroon. Spread this glaze, ensuring that it remains cohesive, taking care to reserve the brief bursts oflight on the shoulders, forearms, around the

right armpit and on the hair. To tone down the density on some areas of the body, lift ou t the fluid using the tip of the brush whilst the wash is still damp . The success of this watercolour is dependent on the thin tr ansparen t layers overlaid on to one another, as well as the su btle variation between warm and cold colours.

107

Watercolonr

Painting

. Young Girl Sleeping ·\.)~'

.

. :"::--· ··~ .· ·' ': . ..•

::,,. :,, squir_rel hair. bro~hes and · 0 ?~: i.',:;t;at's tongue synthetic brush o.:· ., no. 2'~

. ·~

~

'

.. Colours: aureolin yellow,

: