WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP: Negative Painting of Aspen Leaves

In this negative painting project, you'll be painting layers of transparent color to create depth and dimension.

You will be adding one layer of leaves and branches behind another layer.  Each layer of negative painting will take you further into the background, behind the first foreground leaves and branches.  

In negative painting, you do not paint the subject itself -- at least, not directly.  The positive shapes are drawn -- in stages.  You will paint the negative shapes, which are the shapes around, between, and behind the leaves, stems, and branches.

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If you'd rather download a PDF of this Tutorial, for $6, click here.  

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For this project, you'll need a piece of watercolor paper (about 7" x 9"), mounted on a board; a pencil for drawing; various sizes of round brushes (#2, #4, #6), and a flat brush for wetting your paper.  You'll start with a secondary triad of colors -- Sap Green, Quinacridone Gold, and Quinacridone Magenta.  And, you'll be adding some blue (French Ultramarine) later in the project.

1.  Begin your painting with a wet-in-wet underpainting.  Prep the 3 colors first on your palette -- bring each of the colors into the middle and add a little water to it.  Then, wet the entire paper with clear water.  Make sure that it is evenly wet.  Add the three colors to the paper, so that they mingle a little on the paper.  Add the magenta to the bottom left, the gold to the top and diagonally down the middle, and the green to the right side.  Let this settle for a few minutes, and then spatter those same three colors onto the underpainting.  Let this dry completely, while lying flat. . . 

2.  In pencil, draw a few skinny branches, with stems and heart-shaped aspen leaves attached.  This will be your foreground . . . 

3.  Paint the negative shapes with transparent color.  Use the same colors, but mix with a little more water, because you'll be painting the negative shapes, wet-on-dry.  And, use the underpainting color to guide you, as to what color to paint on top.  Paint a gold wash on top of the gold shapes . . . 

When you come to a shape that is two colors, like gold and green -- Start painting the gold, and then transition to the green. . . 

Then, finish painting the shape with the green wash. . . 

On some of the negative shapes, you'll start with the gold and then transition into the magenta wash . . . 

No need to go very dark with this layer -- it just needs to be a little darker value than the first layer.  And, stay transparent (by having enough water).  You want to alter the color below it, not totally cover it up.  This will be true for each subsequent layer.  Continue this way until all the negative shapes are painted with the appropriate washes of color . . . 

4.  Draw more skinny branches, stems, and leaves behind the 1st layer.  Start by drawing three meandering lines, to indicate branches.  Then add a few stems coming off the branches, and draw heart-shaped leaves at the end of the stems, underlapping the foreground shapes.

5.  Mix up two new colors, using the three colors that are in the middle of your palette now.  Mix the Sap Green + Quinacridone Gold, to get a warmer, darker green.  Mix the Quinacridone Magenta (or Permanent Magenta) + Quinacridone Gold to get an orange mixture.

6.  Paint the negative shapes with these two colors.  With the green wash, paint a transparent layer on the shapes that are already green, and on half the gold shapes. . . 

On those shapes that are part green and part magenta, start with one color and transition to the other.  . . 

Continue painting the negative shapes.  Paint the orange wash over the magenta shapes, as well as over the other half of the gold shapes.  

Continue in this way until all the negative shapes have been painted . . . 

7.  Draw some more branches, stems, and leaves.  Once again, I find it helpful to draw the skinny branches first, behind the existing ones.  Then, draw the stems in various places; and then, draw the leaves at the end of the stems.  Make sure to underlap these shapes, rather than try to squeeze the leaf shapes within the negative shapes.

8.  Mix two new "cooler" colors.  Clean off the middle of the palette.  Now mix two new colors, using the green and the magenta, but cooling them down a bit with a little blue.  Mix Sap Green + French Ultramarine, to get a cool green.  Mix Quinacridone Magenta + French Ultramarine, to get a red-violet.  

9.  Paint the negative shapes with these two colors.  Be sure to switch to a little brush, like a #2 round, to paint the smallest negative shapes.  You're not painting any detail at all, inside the leaves, but with each layer, the negative shapes will get smaller, so you need to adjust the size of the brush you use, accordingly.  

Use the red-violet mixture to paint half the negative shapes.  Paint the other half with the blue-green mixture.  Remember to paint only the NEGATIVE SHAPES around the leaves and branches, not the leaves themselves.  That's how you achieve the feeling of depth.

10.  Draw your last layer of branches, stems, and leaves.  If it's hard to see what you're drawing, you can use a colored pencil.

11.  Mix up a blue wash for the final layer.  Clean off the middle of your palette, and then mix up a wash of French Ultramarine.  

12.  Paint the negative shapes that you've just created, using this blue wash.  To finish this painting, this blue wash is painted over all the new negative shapes -- which darkens this last layer and creates even more depth in your painting.  Be sure to use a small round brush, that comes to a nice point, in order to better paint these little shapes.

If you'd rather print out this tutorial, you can download the pdf, for $6, by clicking here.  

That way, you will have one step and one image on each page, so it's easier to paint along with.

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You can also get three tutorials, for $15, HERE.

The three Negative Painting Tutorials are:  1) Trees, 2) Aspen Leaves, & 3) Zinnia.

COLOR PROJECT: Painting a Sunset Using a Primary Triad

In this watercolor exercise, we will be using a Primary Triad as a color scheme.  We'll paint a simple sunset with just 3 watercolor pigments and minimal drawing . . . 

I chose a version of the Primary Triad -- Magenta/Yellow/Blue.  I used Quinacridone Magenta, Aureolin Yellow, and Cobalt Blue.  This bold and energetic color scheme should work well for painting a sunset.  

So, prep your watercolor paper (approx 6" x 8"), and your three pigments.  These are the only three pigments you will use for this exercise.

After wetting the paper with clear water, apply each of the colors using horizontal strokes.  Start with the blue across the top, then brush on the magenta (overlapping the blue a little), then the yellow (overlapping some of the magenta), then the blue again (overlapping some of the yellow).  Carry the blue all the way to the bottom.

If you have puddles of paint/water, set the paper/board on its side, so that the paint will run off.  Then, lay it flat to dry.  

When it is totally dry, use a pencil and a template to draw a small circle for the sun.  This should be in the bottom third of your painting.

You will also need some masking fluid and some way to apply it.  (I use a quill pen, which is super easy to clean and works great for small shapes and delicate lines.)  I pour a little masking into another small container and add a little bit of water, just to thin it.  It still resists the paint, but it makes it easier to apply.

Apply a thin layer of the masking fluid to the moon shape, using a quill pen.  Try to get an even line around the edge of the shape.  Rinse off the nib of the pen, and then clean it off with your fingers, so it's ready for the next time.  

Make sure the masking fluid is dry before you start painting again.  

Prep some more of those same three colors.  Wet your paper again, and this time, starting with the yellow,  brush on your paint in a circular motion.  Paint right over the "moon" and continue beyond that, then paint the magenta in a circle, overlapping the yellow a little.  Then, finish with the blue, overlapping the magenta and then taking the blue out to the corners and edges.  Let this dry flat.

After the paint is completely dry, remove/rub off the masking from the moon shape.

Using those same 3 colors again, paint the horizontal stripes again.  (Wet the paper first.)  Paint in this order:  Blue, Magenta, Yellow, and Magenta.  (No blue at the bottom.)

While this dries, clean off the blue from your palette.  Then, mix the yellow and magenta together, with some water, to make an "orange-y" wash.

Using this wash, paint the bottom third of your paper, forming the ground.  Overlap the bottom of the moon.  It doesn't have to be an even edge, and you can draw it in pencil first, if you want.  When this just starts to dry, make one or two horizontal passes with a damp brush.

Clean off the orange mixture from your palette, and mix up a purple mixture, using the magenta and the blue.

Use this purple mixture to paint over the orange shape, leaving just a sliver of orange at the horizon.  When this just starts to dry, make a few horizontal strokes with a damp brush, to give it a little texture and let some of the orange color show through.

Exploring the interaction between colors is a never-ending process -- there's always something new to learn!