WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP: Painting Pumpkins

Here's a step-by-step project for fall.  In this painting of pumpkins, we'll be doing wet-in-wet minglings, negative painting for depth, and transparent layering -- as well as using warm colors in the foreground and cool colors in the background.

Prep the following paints for your underpainting:  New Gamboge, Quinacridone Rose, and French Ultramarine.  

For your underpainting, first wet your paper with clear water.  Then, paint the yellow in the bottom third, the rose in the middle third, and the blue in the top third, letting them mingle together.  Spatter some of these colors, too, and lay it flat to dry.  When there is just a sheen on the paper, sprinkle some salt all over. . . 

When the paper is totally dry, brush off the salt.  Use your fingernail or a credit card if you need to -- just make sure all the salt is off. . . 

Draw two big pumpkins in the foreground -- one slightly below and overlapping the other one.  Indicate a shadow under the back pumpkin . . . 

Now, paint the negative shapes -- the area around the pumpkins -- with the Quin Rose and the French Ultramarine.  (Hint:  Turn your painting upside down to paint the negative space.  Start painting the rose wash around the pumpkins, gradually changing to a blue wash) . . . 

After this is dry, draw about three more pumpkins (or partial pumpkins) behind the foreground pumpkins.  Then, paint a pale blue wash over the negative shapes . . . 

                                                     

When this is dry, draw a pile of pumpkins and gourds in the background -- a variety of shapes.  Also, draw a simple rectangle shape, to indicate a box or bin . . . 

Using a pale wash of Quinacridone Magenta, paint the background negative shapes.  Paint the shadows under the foreground pumpkins with this magenta wash, too . . . 

Now that we've established the depth with the negative painting, we can start developing the pumpkins, with transparent layering.  Working one shape at a time, paint the foreground pumpkins with transparent washes, mingling yellow, red, and burnt orange (or burnt sienna).  Paint every other shape, so the adjacent shape isn't still wet.  On the background gourds, use burnt orange on some and sap green on others. . . 

Continue painting shape by shape, until you've painted all the pumpkins and gourds -- staying transparent, so that the underpainting and texture can still be seen.

Mix up two different darks -- magenta + blue + burnt orange, and magenta + burnt orange.  Paint the stems and the part of the shadow directly under the pumpkin.  Add some darks to the foreground pumpkins. . . 

Finish the painting with some blue glazing on the background gourds, more darks on the stems, and a dark blue glaze on the background shape (French Ultramarine + Magenta + Burnt Orange). . . 

VEGETABLES: 10 Sketchbook & Color Exercises to Try

THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS (according to something I just read on the Internet) -- IS VEGETABLES!  I guess you have to actually eat them in order to truly be happy, but we're going to draw and paint them, too.

For these exercises, work "from life", if possible.  Visit your local market, grocery store, or farmer's market, and fill your cart or basket with lots of interesting colors and shapes.

Now, try a few, or all, of these exercises/studies -- either in your sketchbook, or on scrap pieces of watercolor paper:



1)  PUMPKIN with SCARF -- Set up a pumpkin, with a patterned scarf draped around the base of it.  Start with a wet-in-wet underpainting (use warm colors).  When that's dry, draw the pumpkin and scarf.
Draw a "frame" behind the pumpkin, and paint a transparent wash over this background shape.  Paint the pumpkin and the scarf, adding some darks in the stem, and some cobalt blue washes for the shadows. . .

2)  A BUNCH OF CELERY -- In your sketchbook, draw a bunch of celery, in pencil -- add shading.  Draw two different views of the celery, on the same page. . . 

  

3)  BELL PEPPERS with DARK BACKGROUND -- Draw and paint 1 or 2 colorful bell peppers.  Add a horizontal line for a tabletop, and paint the background dark. . . not black, but dark. . . 

4)  PEPPERS ON A PLATE -- Put several different kinds of peppers on a plate.  Draw a bird's-eye-view of the peppers -- a contour drawing in ink.  Do a wet-in-wet painting for the color.  (You can either do the painting first, and then add the ink contour drawing; or draw it in ink first, and then add the color.)

5)  CARROTS -- Set a bunch of carrots, with the greens still attached, on a piece of white paper on a table.  Draw and paint the carrots, adding light blue shadows . . . 

6)  EAR OF CORN -- Do a contour drawing, in pencil, of an ear of corn -- either fresh, or use Indian corn. . . 

7)  WARM PEPPERS/COOL BACKGROUND -- Set up 2 or 3 colorful peppers on a tabletop, with or without a tablecloth.  Draw and paint the peppers with bright, warm colors.  Paint the background with cool colors. . . 

8)  STILL LIFE IN KITCHEN -- Set up a simple still life in your kitchen, with salad ingredients.  Do a contour drawing in pencil, and then paint a value study, with Burnt Sienna (or Quin Burnt Orange). . .

9)  PATTERNED GOURDS -- Are gourds considered vegetables?  Probably not, unless they're squashes?  Well, for our purposes, they are vegetables.  Find some gourds or squashes, with interesting patterns or stripes.  Draw and paint a few small color studies. . . 

10)  STILL LIFE WITH PEPPER -- Set up a simple still life that includes one bell pepper in the foreground.  Draw the still life with pencil -- adding shading to the pepper, only. . . 

Are you happy yet?  If not, you may just have to cut up those veggies, throw them into a pot, with a little broth, herbs & spices, and salt & pepper, and turn them into soup. . .