Hercules
Posted: April 2, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized 10 CommentsThere’s no great secret to mixing interesting dark colours in watercolour, just one good piece of advice. Don’t use black paint! I usually mix up some combination of a dark blue (usually ultramarine), a dark red like alizarin and then throw in some burnt sienna or a dark green for warmth. Any combination of those will make a dark that is more interesting than tones of neutral grey and black. If you want a dark that is more on the blueish side, you just throw in more blue. Or if you want a warmer dark, add more of the brownish tones. I will admit that I do have some Payne’s grey in my palette (a deep, dark blue-black that contains ultramarine) and I did use a bit of it here to paint the hull of Hercules, the tugboat.
I love the way that you have cropped this composition. Does this mean you will be going back to paint the stern as well? I imagine it would make an interesting painting too.
By the way, I really like the boating subjects… I’m happy to see as many as you can paint.
The stern was just as interesting but I ran out of paper. I will definitely be going back to paint the rest and more boats are in the plans for the summer.
I’m with Ross, I love boats of any sort, but tugboats are way high on the list.
Thanks for the mixing recipe. I’m starting to think that one of the advantages of using tubes is learning the names of he colours. I have a nice little kit of pans, with no record of what is what.
heres’s a question – what size is this ?
John, you really need to get some tube colours! They are so much more creamy and saturated.
This was done in a Moleskine sketchbook, 5 x 8 inches, approx.
I love paynes grey as well – but I have this huge tube of it in an off brand – that dries significantly lighter than it looks at first. Driving me crazy – does yours ever do that? Is Gould prob just get a Windsor Newton tube.
I have a Windsor Newton tube so it is very dark and gorgeous. I can only just touch the tip of my brush into it otherwise it will overwhelm everything. I love the mix it makes with burnt sienna.
The first watercolor instructor I had said,”Never use black!”
That was good advice I have never forgotten.
Thanks for telling us about your color mixes–not all artists share!
I love tugs,too.
I guess I should save some of my tricks for Portland and not give it all away on the site : )
Good cut out, beautifully painted.
Thank you René!