Mandarin Duck

Having joined the small group on Facebook headed by Gerard Hendriks and Robin Berry, the latest subject is a Mandarin Duck.  This is a really colourful bird and makes for a very colour conscious painting. I would have liked it to be a little looser!

12" x 9" Fontenay 140lb (300gsm) Not

The Mandarin Duck is such a striking bird that my colourist instincts were given full reign. The orange colours are mainly Schminke Translucent Orange (PO71). The blues are Cerulean, Ultramarine and Cobalt. There is both Raw and Burnt Umber, some Raw Sienna and Ivory Black (Maimeri).. I first masked parts of the bird where it appeared white - mostly just narrow lines - using Pebeo Drawing Gum applied with an SAA ruling pen.

The initial drawing with masking fluid applied.

The next subject - one a week - is the Caribbean Flamingo. This will be a test as they are mostly pink and white.

The great thing is that we are painting - about eight at the moment - the same subject, although not with the same reference. One of the things that constantly vexes me  is to wonder how artists like Charles Reid and Gerard Hendriks would tackle the painting I happen to be working on? In the case of Gerard and Robin I can now see. This is great.

Fishers Lovebirds

On Facebook the well-known artists Gerard Hendriks and Robin Berry have instituted a modest painting competition where each posts paintings of the same subject - various small birds. There have been several so far and anyone who was interested was invited to join in. I don't know if they were serious but I've had a shot at one. The most recent  was of `Fishers Lovebirds' and here is my take on it, although my reference is a different one. Gerard calls this series something like `splashes, sploshes and scribbles'. It's a fun thing and mine was completed in about 30 - 40 minutes.

`Fishers Lovebirds' 10" x 9" Fontenay 140lb (300gsm) Not

I used two brushes, both Isabey. The No.8 Kolinsky and the No 6 retractable. Colours are Transparent Orange (Schminke PO71), Cadmium Orange (Maimeri PO20), Indian Yellow (Rowney PY153), Sap Green (Graham), Quinacridone Rose (Graham PV19), some Raw Umber, Ivory Black for the eyes,. The background is Cobalt Teal Blue (Daniel Smith PG50). There may have been slight touches of  Cerulean and Burnt Umber. 

Two books on watercolour techniques

Recently I saw something about two new books on watercolour techniques, or rather one an updated edition, by Hazel Harrison (with Diana Craig). One of the very first books I purchased was `Watercolour- step-by-step' written by Hazel, first published in 1993 and reprinted several times and she is the author of several other books with a similar theme.  

Search Press 2011 143 pages Approx. 81/2" by 83/4" rpp £12.99p

This is an updated version of `The Encyclopedia of Watercolour Techniques', published in 2004. As readers of the post on my recent trip to Devon will know I already have it, bought at £5.99 from Trago Mills. At that price it is a steal but you will generally have to pay around £9.49, which was the price of all other copies at Trago. Actually the current Amazon price for both books is £9.09p and used copies are listed at £6.21p, again for both, but the used copies are no doubt from Amazon partners who add a carriage (hefty?) charge. I still have another copy on loan from the library and was in process of reviewing it when the chance to buy a cheap one arose. 

The book is broken up into three main chapters, (1) Tools and Materials, (2) Techniques and finally (3) Picture Making. As usual with Hazel  many of the illustrations are of paintings by a variety of different artists. Chapter one covering tools and materials is something which is partially covered in many other books  but here is comprehensive and all options are clearly outlined. To my mind the most useful is that on techniques which details everything in a way that even the newest beginner can understand. It is a very useful primer and even the more experienced could usefully dip into it from time to time. I certainly shall. The final chapter, picture making, is also good starting with palettes then tone, light and shadow, perspective, spatial depth(!) and more. Everything is there. All in all a very good book, especially for beginners and intermediate painters in watercolour.

Search Press 2011 176 pages approx. 71/2" x 91/2" rpp £12.99p

The second book, also borrowed from the library, is another from Search Press called `The Compedium of Watercolour Techniques', by Robin Berry, also published in 2011. Two similar books on watercolour techniques by the same publisher in the same year? This is what intrigued me in the first place, and after discovering a while ago that it is possible to borrow a surprisingly wide variety of art books from the local library consortium, I ordered both titles thinking I would review them, satisfying my curiosity at the same time. Robin Berry is a new name to me and although we are friends on Facebook I know no more about her than she about me. Some details are on the back cover, in such faint small print that it is very difficult to read but I did gather she is a recognized artist with over 35 years experience. This book is slightly larger and with more pages than the Harrison book although carrying the same retail price. It has four chapters (1) Getting Started, (2) Painting (3) Choosing a Subject and (4) Techniques. Including Robin Berry the extensive number of artists featured include Gerard Hendriks and Stephie Butler, both of whom I like very much. I have a feeling it is slightly less well-organized than the other book and goes into greater detail. There is a very good section on selecting pigments and palettes and there is much else of interest. One part that made me smile is the one on `Arranging your equipment'. I presume the book is mainly aimed at amateur artists and I doubt many have such a setup as that depicted. Professionals maybe but most amateurs? To be fair she does say you can paint with minimum equipment in the kitchen, as many do.  Robin Berry has written other books including one with  a similar theme to this published almost at the same time by Readers Digest. The sub title is identical so are they one and the same in a slightly different guise?

Let me be clear though. This is an excellent book, especially at the price. I think it  better suited to the intermediate or more advanced amateur rather than the beginner. For the absolute beginner the Harrison book is the better buy. As said earlier I have this book and shall probably buy the Berry one. It is different in many ways and contains a great deal of interesting and informative material.