CURIOUS ABOUT WATERCOLOUR PAPER?

I thought today I'd write about a rather complex subject - Watercolour Paper. It's taken me years to sort out what I know, and I know there's still a lot for me to learn on the subject. I won't get into the various ways Watercolour Paper is made, or the various things it is made of. Instead, I will stick with the surface and weight, and the with the brand of paper I use . . . Arches.

As you know, Watercolour Paper comes in a variety of weights, and that is based on how much a set number of sheets of paper (a ream) weigh. The paper is numbered according to how much that lot of paper weighs. The very light paper will weigh 90lb or less, while the heavy paper will be 300lb or more. That said, the usual range we see is 90lb, 140lb, and 300lb.

Someone told me recently that he had read that the 140 paper is for beginners, so why was I, an established, award winning artist who has countless shows under my belt and various gallery representation over the years, still using it? * * * * Well, there are shades to that statement.

It's true that the art school or watercolour teacher you go to will probably suggest that you get a 10 x 14 or 12 x 16 BLOCK of 140 watercolour paper. A BLOCK is a collection of 20 sheets of cold pressed paper that are lightly gummed together at the edges, attached to a hard board, and have a coloured paper cover distinctive to the brand. There is a tiny slit in the gummed edge, and the nervous art student is supposed to wield an X-acto knife with a sure hand and slice off one sheet of paper at a time. (STRESS!! ) The paper is quite thin and crisp, and needs to be taped down on a board, as it buckles like a star bucking horse the moment you put water on it.

The SHEETS of watercolour paper are, however, very different. Each sheet is 22 x 30 inches, and they come in 90lb*, 140lb, 300lb, and heavier. I've never used anything heavier than 300 as I don't have a need for anything heavier.
The 140 is a heavier and more pliable paper than that in the BLOCK , even though they wear the same number. (At a guess, I would wonder if the blocks are weighed while attached to the cardboard backing?) The 140lb Sheets of Arches watercolour paper are happily and successfully used by many professional artists, including myself. I like the way the brush feels on the paper and the way the paint goes on. The difference between the 140 and the 300 (aside from the obvious thickness) is that of how much water the paper can hold, not a difference in quality. If you are using relatively light washes and lots of dry brush, the 140 does not need to be taped, but it you want to use a generous hand with the water, you must tape it down, as it will buckle to some degree. The 300lb can take much more water. I never stretch or tape any more because I've found that the way I paint does not call for it, but this is a personal choice. I use layers of washes, but not soakers, and I don't mind a little bit of buckle. It's easy to flatten again. When I'm doing a smaller painting, I use 140, but when I do something larger than 11 x 14, I use the 300.

* The 90lb has it uses in sketches and such, but not for a full painting using lots of washes. It's just too light. I use it mostly for prints.

The other thing I've been asked about is my delight in Hot Press paper, when it seems to get "bad press" from time to time. Arches Watercolor paper comes in three finishes - Hot Press, Cold Press, and Rough. The ROUGH is very textured, and not something that is suitable to my style of painting.
The COLD PRESS is the most popular by far. It is relatively easy for an experienced artist to get interesting water colour results on this paper. It's a nice, polite paper that wants to produce a lovely painting, whether you are using 140 or 300lb. I used to use it until I discovered the Hot Press, which is more suited to my detailed style.

I've heard HOT PRESS described as slippery and slick. Not so! While some makes of paper do make a harder, "shinier" Hot Press, which I have tried and rejected, the Arches is smooth and velvety. The surface is hard enough to take a masquing fluid, and that can prevent tears when it's time to remove the masque. That's tears in both ways of pronouncing it! I've used masque with a softer paper. The results when it was removed weren't pretty! The Arches HOT PRESS takes a little more practice and some skill to use this paper to its best advantage, and I've been using it long enough to feel completely at home with it, either as a 140lb or a 300lb. It's a great paper for those who enjoy its challenges.

The painting at the top is DAWN RUNNERS, and it is an 11x14 watercolour on Arches 140 Hot Press.

HI THERE, IT'S ME

I LOVE the whole beautiful procession of Spring. The world seems to get a little better when the fields start to green up, and soon there are snowdrops and crocuses in the garden. A little later, the daffodils arrive and then the tulips, and about that time, the trees start to look like they are wearing pale green, lacey shawls over their heads. It's that time, too, that the foals start to appear in the fields with their big curious eyes and long spindly legs. At first, they stay pretty close to Mum, but after a few weeks, the curiosity wins and they start exploring their world. No matter how many times I see them, it's still always an "Ahh!" moment for me.
Some years ago, I used to watch this little guy because he was so totally charming. Every time we'd drive past the horse farm where he lived, my eyes would find him immediately. One of the things he loved to do was to hang out by the farm house, and I've painted him having one of his impromtu visits.
"HI THERE. IT'S ME" is an 11 x 14 watercolor on Arches 300 lb paper. This little fellow is looking for a good home. Asking price, matted, $400.

PHOENIX

This is PHOENIX. I wanted to express my belief that beauty is something strong, and that even though ideas of what is beautiful change over time, and there are even dark times when it seems to vanish, the essence of beauty is a constant. I've chosen an Andalusian as my symbol of strong beauty, and the classical pillars to represent beauty past. The poppies are the future. Anyone who has planted corn poppies in their garden, and then decided to change their location, knows that they will always renew themselves where they decide to bloom.
PHOENIX is a 12 x 16 watercolor on Arches 140 paper. This painting is sold, but note cards are available.

PATCHES OF SPRING

* Note. This is part 3 of a set, so you may want to scroll down 3 posts and work you way back up.

PATCHES OF SPRING Watercolor on Arches Hot Press 16 x 20

Here we are, done. Well, almost. I am pleased with the painting, I like the way the horses' patches echo the snow patches and flow together. I like the fairly low key colors, the sense of ease in the horses, and I like the composition, so I removed the masking tape that I put around the image area (sorry, forgot to tell you that, didn't I!) I like a clean border, so now I always use low tack tape to keep it that way.
Now is the time to set the painting up where I can see it during the evening and look for any areas that I want to fiddle with. Does something need highlighting, does something need knocking back, has anything got lost?
Once I am sure I am satisfied, I will take the painting out and photograph it in natural light and it will go on my website. Then I will catalogue it by noting the date, title and medium on the bottom of the border and put that information, along with a photo and notes about the painting in a book I keep for that purpose. Now the the painting is ready to go out in the world and hopefully find an appreciative home.

Patches of Spring - the process - 2

Here we are with the sky done. I like to put clouds in most paintings to give a sense of movement and interest. I also blocked in the forest in the background, leaving the trees along the ridge. In the hilly ridge, I tried to echo some of the shapes of the horses' backs and necks to keep the design strong and to keep the eye moving through the whole painting.
I decided to start with the buckskins for no other reason than that I wanted to. Here, they are about 90 % done, and I've moved on to block in the other horses and some of the grassy patches so the legs don't get lost. To this point, I'd spent 5 days drawing and 2 days painting. This image,by the way, is 16 x 20.
During the next week, I worked on each horse, went back to polish the buckskins, and finally worked on the background. Sometimes I block in all the grass and trees before I do the main subject, but in this case, I felt all those legs needed to be done before I started laying in much background colour.
For me, doing a painting is about going back, and back, and back until I feel satisfied with my work.

Patches of Spring - the process - 1

I've just finished my most ambitious painting so far, and I thought that, for those of you who may be interested in how I put a painting together, this would be a good one to use so I can share my process with you.
Sometimes my paintings are IMAGE driven, and by that I mean that I take a photo that I JUST HAVE to paint. That's when I noodle around, looking for ideas in which to set this image, or ways in which I can change and enrich the photo so the finished painting is an original, not just a copy of the photo.
Sometimes, as in this case, the painting is IDEA driven. I love those first days of spring when the snow is melting back and the earth and grass is just starting to peer though. I remember the horses loved it too. Forget their breakfast of hay, they wanted those first blades of grass! I've always thought that horses seem so content in their environment - they have a sense of harmony about them, and a number of years ago, I did a painting called "HARMONY" that depicted Paint horses against a background of patchy snow and hillside. Last year at this time, I had planned to do a second one on this theme, but life got in the way. It seemed appropriate to do it now, a year later when things are almost calm and peaceful again,
My first step is to gather my photos, and that means looking through my albums to find what is going to work with my idea. There were 3 photos of horses invovled in this painting, and each one was a different size. I had to resize them so they would be in proportion to each other.
I'd like to say here that it is point of honour with me that I never trace or project. I do use a grid, and that takes skill, knowledge of the subject, and a good ability to draw. There are no lines there to follow, I am the one who has to decide exactly where the lines are going to go within the little boxes. Mistakes are easy to make.
I decide how large I want the finished painting to be, then see how many squares each horse is in the photo, and how big each square will have to be so I can size up and draw the image in the desired space . In this painting, the buckskins, the black, and the chestnut paints each required their own hand drawn grid, and each one had to fit with the next one. The black paint was not co-operating, so I ended up doing him by hand, without the grid.
Once the horses (or other subject) are in place, I put in the background, and in this sort of painting, it is almost as important as the main subject. I do my positioning sketches and the initial drawing on large sheets of newsprint, and when the drawing is the way I want it, I trace it onto tracing paper, rub the back of it with graphite, and then transfer my drawing to the watercolor paper. (Note please, I am only tracing my own original drawing here!)
The paper I most like to use for watercolor work is Arches Hot Press. The 140 lb is very smooth and lovely to work on. The 300 lb is lovely too, but a little rougher and you have to insist a bit more with it, but I am enjoying using it again for these larger paintings.
I usually use a masking fluid to outline some areas so I can put on a free-flowing wash of sky, as you see in the photo above. When the sky is done, I remove the mask and get on with the painting.

Stepping Lightly

I've started the new year in a slightly new way. My usual comfort zone with a painting is on the smaller side. That said, I have done a couple of 3 x 4 foot wall murals (acrylic) in a local school and had fun with them. So to make a break with the past few years of mostly little paintings, the first one of the new year is bigger. This is a 14 x 18 inch watercolor on Arches Hot Press 300lb paper (or 'board', as I think of it), and I've called it STEPPING LIGHTLY.

This painting came out of something I saw one lovely spring morning a couple of years ago. I was watching this mare and her new foal, and snapping photos, when the foal lay down, sprawled all around his Mum's hind hooves. I was sure she was going to step on the little guy - how could she help it? But with enormous care, she picked her way out of the tangle without brushing a hair of the little fellow's body. I knew then, that sooner or later, I would have to paint this scene.

I'm really pleased with the way it has turned out. I feel that I captured that fresh, spring morning in the sweep of the clouds and with the clear, bright meadow. I also like the contrast I achieved between the power of the mare and delicacy of her movement, and I think I showed the utter trust her baby has in her.

STEPPING LIGHTLY will soon be on my website, and it is available for purchase.

HORSE!!!

The Canadian Museum of Civilization has a wonderful exhibit on now about THE HORSE. Naturally we went as soon as were able. This exhibit opens with the tiny, dog-sized creature that eventually became the large, noble horse. As we stepped into further the hall, there was a wonderful diorama of three stages of the horse's development. Did you know that they were once leaf browsers and had longer necks and short teeth? When they moved to a plains environment, their necks grew a little shorter and their teeth elongated to cope with the coarse grass. Short teeth would have worn out fast on the grasses they now ate. The whole "horse experience" was heightened by the sound of whinnies and hoofbeats all around you.
The Horse subject is so vast that it is only natural that not everything could possibly be covered. What was done, was presented with respect and a depth of knowledge, and although we were somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more of the exhibit, we thoroughly enjoyed what there was. At the very end, like a breath of West wind, the wonderful band of Joe Fafard horses (metal sculpture) galloped across the end of the hall, colourfully lit so that the herd doubled in size against the backdrop. Great stuff!!
Naturally, I now feel the need to return to horses for a couple of paintings before I get back to my dog art. This little 5 x 7 coloured pencil Friesian is called EVENING STAR. I love to do the Baroque horses in a fantasy medieval setting. It is available matted, for $98.00, shipping and tax included. Inquiries may come to me at anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

Horses In My Life

A few weeks ago, our City newspaper, The Ottawa Citizen, asked readers to send in their (short)stories about how horses impacted their lives. This was to help publicize the opening of a major exhibit, THE HORSE at the Museum of Civilization, and several of the stories would be chosen for publication in the Saturday paper.
Well, I was thrilled to discover last Saturday, that my story had made the cut, and there it was, in the Ottawa Citizen. I'd like to share it with you.
"Being a horse crazy child, I often played at being a horse, pretending to have the freedom and power of these gorgeous animals. I read about them, wrote stories about them, drew them all over my school books, the walls, or on any available paper, and dreamed of having a horse of my own. That dream was realized as an adult when I bought a wonderful, middle-aged Morgan whom I named Ceilidh (Kaylee). Together, we made life-long friends and had marvelous adventures. We were together until his death at age 33.
Horses have made a huge difference in my life. Ceilidh and the other horses at the barn, expanded my understanding of kindness, patience, and the quietness of the soul. They gave me confidence in myself. They inspired me to a career path of painting and writing about horses and dogs, and that has taken me places I never even dreamed of. They have enriched my life in every way, and even on a bad day, just seeing a horse can make me smile."
Although I did not send in the above image, I think it is an appropriate one to use here to illustrate this blog, as it is about the Horse in legend and story, and is the panel I did for the Horse Gift Mural, a truly amazing project that I was privileged to be part of.

Puddling Around . . .Adventures in Watercolour

It's been a while since I have been able to post to my blog. Life just sort of got in the way for a while, but things have settled down now, and I would like to talk about my favourite medium for a while. I just LOVE to be "Puddling Around" with watercolours! I love the way they can be delicate and fresh, or rich and lush. From the first English watercolour illustrations in my childhood books to the wonderful watercolours I see today, the medium has always ensorcelled.

At art school, I was priviledged to be taught by the legendary Canadian watercolourist, Morton Baslaw, and he gently encouraged us to be neat, clean, and precise without sacrificing the lovely flow and freedom of the medium. I always try to live up to the standards he taught.

There is always something new to learn, but it gives me satisfaction to understand my medium and to be able to call myself a Watercolourist.

Moving Forward

The title says it all. Sometimes you just know it is time to pick up the reins and move forward, and for me, the time has come. I have an idea where I'm headed, but I know there will be lots of wonderful, serendipitous surprises along the path. It's not such a different path from the one I have been on . . . still painting dogs and horses and cats, still using watercolour, a little graphite now and then, and some coloured pencil, but the approach needs to be different. My approach to painting and my life in art needs to be a bit different too.

When new things are being gathered in, some old things have to go, and I'm doing some closet cleaning, so to speak. Things that haven't been working are on the way out, and new ideas and ways of doing things are being implemented. It's also time to houseclean the people who treat me in a negative way. After all, I have a wonderful cheering section (and I cheer for them right back) of friends who enrich my life, and I hope I enrich theirs. In this fast paced world, they are the ones with whom I want to spend time (real and cyber).

So as the New Year unfolds, I am moving forward with optimism and confidence. We'll see where this new trail leads.

This 8 x 10 quick graphite of a Morgan Horse is already sold, but small matted prints are available.

Visions of SugarMice

About now, most children (and some adults) are going to sleep to dream about presents under the tree and sugar-plums in their stockings. (Does anyone know what a "sugar-plum actually is?) Cats, being super intelligent little creatures, are no exception. I caught our cat happily snoozing near the fireplace, where his stocking is hanging with care, and dreaming of SugarMice. This 11 x 14 watercolour hangs in our house every Christmas season, but small prints are available.

Fresh Snow

Finally, we have snow. At the moment, there is just enough to dust the ground, like the snowfall we had last week, but this time, we are told that it will stay. This week is supposed to bring a proper drop, so it will really look like Christmas.
This is a little watercolour sketch I did called FRESH SNOW. I really like it so it may end up as a full size painting one of these days. I wanted to get the idea down before it drifted out of my mind. Can't you just imagine the cold, crisp air, and a glorious Friesian thundering across a snowy field, sending the Cardinals, (or Red Birds, as I like to call them) flying out of the bushes? This is a Winter scene I could look at all year long.

PROCESS 3 - Mediums - Watercolour

My very favourite art medium is Watercolour. I love the flow, the brightness of the colours, and the challenge. Watercolour has a way of doing what it wants, just at the wrong moment, and part of the challenge with this exciting, exacting medium is knowing how to coax it back to doing what you had intended. Sometimes, you have to insist, and sometimes, you just start over. Watercolour can be etherial, moody, or bold, and I have chosen an older painting of mine to show that a rich depth of colour can be achieved.
With this medium, perhaps more than any other, the quality of your tools is of paramount importance. For the best results, you must use the best. That best will differ, depending on what you want to achieve. For example, for loose watercolours, a Cold Press (textured) or a Rough paper is often found to give the best results, and for detailed work, although a Cold Press will work, Hot Press (very smooth) is what I like best. The paper (heavy enough to be called a board) comes in several weights or thicknesses, and that can affect the outcome of your painting too. Paper or Board is actually a misnomer, as the best "papers" are made of 100% acid-free cotton or linen rag . Various companies produce papers that have slightly different textures and behave in different ways, and it is up to the artist to discover what works best for them. My favourite is Arches 140 or 300 pound Hot Press, but I usually have some Lanaquarelle and some Fabriano Artistico (both Hot Press) on hand too.
My brushes of choice range from the king of brushes, the Winsor & Newton Series 7 Number 7 kolinsky sable brush, to some 000 fine point acrylic brushes for the smallest details. If I could only have one brush, it would be the Series 7 Number 7, it is so versatile and reliable. I've had mine for 30 years and it is still great.
The paints I use are mostly Winsor & Newton Artist's professional quality tube paints, because they are of the very best quality, with a wide range of reliable, brilliant colours. I also use some Daniel Smith and some Holbien, all top quality and reliable.
I start a watercolour painting the same way I begin any other painting - with a pencil drawing that has been thoroughly worked out on newsprint before my pencil touches the watercolour board. The image is intially hand drawn, then transferred to the board using a very light touch, as the pencil lines should not show through the finished painting. Once the graphite gets wet, it is on the paper forever, so it is important that the drawing be barely visible at the time I start to paint. Then I lay in washes, wait for them to dry, and lay in more. With watercolour, I have to work from light to dark, because many of the colours are translucent. The details come last. A watercolour takes a long time to acomplish - there really are no shortcuts, and while it is forgiving of mistakes, they had better be small ones.
I hope this little series on my Process has given you a glimpse of how I do my paintings. If anyone has any questions, please email me and I will try to answer them for you.
anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

PROCESS 2 - Medium -Coloured Pencil & Graphite

Today I want to tell you about some of the Mediums I use. When I do Portraits, I start with a watercolour wash on either Stonehenge paper or Arches hot press 140 lb. paper and then work over it in Coloured Pencil. The paper is top quality and acid free, and I love the smooth, but not plate finish of both papers because I am a detail person.
I start with the initial drawing on newsprint, (not traced or projected), transfer it to my good paper, and then do a very light watercolour wash to establish the colour pattern and to lay a bit of a grip on the paper. You can see in this image of a commission I did last year where the watercolour is, and that over it, I have started layering the Coloured Pencil. This is a long process, and there is no hurrying it. I was far from finished any part of the portrait when I took this photo. The green you see is the low tack masking tape I use to mask off my painting area because I have a personal preference for a neat, clean, white border around my paintings, even though it will be covered by a mat. Naturally, it comes off as soon as the outline area of the piece is done.
For the most part, I use Prismcolor Pencils because of their quality, availability, and colour range. Added to them, are selected colours from Derwent and Faber Castell. All these brands are professional quality. Coloured pencil is a relatively new Fine Art medium, so there are still things we need to learn about some of the colours, but by using the best quality and the most lightfast colours, I have confidence that these portraits will long outlive the people who commissioned them.
I enjoy using Graphite too, and I have always used Faber Castell Graphite pencils in a range from 8B (very soft and dark) to 5H (very hard and light). It is of paramount importance to use graphite pencils from the same brand because each brand uses a different scale to measure light through dark. When using Graphite, I use Stonehenge paper, as already mentioned, an acid free paper which means it will stand the test of time.
Next time, I will talk about watercolours.

Traveller -Gypsy Vanner Horse

The Gyspy Vanner seems like such a lovely natured horse. There is one that comes to our local Fair each fall, and it is such a delight to give the quiet, beautiful Vanner stallion a hug. He is so gentle with everyone.
I've had this image in my mind for a long time, and when I set out to finally put it on paper, I hit a bit of a dilemma. I felt I needed to do some more work in acrylic, but the thought of preparing the board and then fighting with the paint was keeping me from starting the painting. Then it dawned on me that while I want to introduce more acrylics to my portraiture work, I didn't need to use it for my scenes. Watercolour is my first love as far as mediums go, so my decision was made. I was able to leap into this painting at once, and have enjoyed every moment of painting this Vanner who so obviously loves life and enjoys his free time. The painting "Traveller" is 11 x 15.5 inches on heavy Arches hot press paper.

Advance To The Light

There are times in life when shadows gather and it feels as though the gloom will never end. This is the time when one has to gather inner strength and find a fragil path of light to follow, and as you do, the light will grow stronger until you are standing in sunshine again.
In this 8 x 10 watercolour painting "Advance To The Light", I have chosen a Friesian horse to portray the strength we need, and in the midst of boiling cloud, the moonlight spills a path towards a place where the sun will eventually rise.
"Advance To The Light is available for purchase.

Heather Anderson
www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com
anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

Either You Get It - Or You Don't

Playoff Season is upon us, and Biff and Jo-Jo are hockey fans, but they like different teams. Even though Jo-J0's team didn't make it this year, he enjoys the game enough to sit and cheer on Biff's team. Oh the intensity, the fascination of watching the action unfold. Some people just don't understand, so I guess when it comes to Sports, either you get it, or you don't.

Heather Anderson

Enigma

Cats are such a mystery - and perhaps a paradox. They seldom let you know what they are thinking, but have no trouble letting you know what they want. They are aloof, yet loving, and somewhat self-serving, but deeply loyal to those they love. This little 5 x 7 watercolour painting mirrors my thoughts on Cat personality - hidden and highlighted, dark and bright, and a sweet nature waiting for a snuggle. All in all, an intriguing and wonderful little creature.

Heather Anderson

Brittany Autumn

I know I'm juggling seasons here, but this image has been in my mind for a long time. I even did a miniature of this a while ago, but I kept wanting to enjoy more of the details of it, so here is
BRITTANY AUTUMN, an 8 x 10 inch watercolour painting of a Brittany Spaniel I saw a couple of years ago at an Agility Trial. This fellow was done for the day, and was just enjoying himself, larking about in the bushes that lined the practice field. I caught him in the moment when he had his attention fixed on something, and an instant later, he leaped out of the bushes and ran off to follow his owner.
BRITTANY AUTUMN is available on my website.