Copyright © 2024 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Painting waves help students become familiar with distemper paint (dry pigment paste and diluted hide glue) process. Seascapes they are very forgiving, and allow a student to focus on viscosity of the paint, blending of colors, and economy of brushstroke. This is also one of those projects where the first step (basing in the water) can be slapped on, or overworked, without later consequences.
For the second day of distemper painting workshop, the students selected one of five compositions. I am a firm believer in allowing students to select a subject that speaks to them. I hate forcing any class to paint the same picture. My rationale is that learning should never be about competition. When we all paint the same scene, a “best” painter will immediately emerge, and often steal inspiration from those around them/her/him. Most importantly, art should remain an individual journey. I believe that we learn something new, about both the painting process and ourselves, at each step of the process. Distemper painting classes should fuel a students enthusiasm for future projects.
On the first day of the workshop, we analyzed examples of distemper seascape – both historic and contemporary. I explained that there are three basic steps to painting water.
The first step is alternating warm and cool colors for the base coat; it should never be a solid color. This should depict a significant contrast in color and value. The second step is identifying water movement (waves) with a shadow glaze, and the third step is defining each wave with highlights, lowlights, and shadows. I used three process shots to show what I meant from my process for painting the wave rows for the Tyne Theatre & Opera House.
I explained that at the end of the day, the goal was not to simply copy the source, but to understand the shapes and movement in the source.
I typically recommend mixing the distemper paint for this step as thin as possible; stretching the colors so that it almost becomes an exercise in dye work.
This is often the perfect project to explore translucent effects. However, the transparency of the workshop fabric prohibited this aspect, and we went for creating a sea scrim.
For both the seascape project and the drapery project, I provided a color source and a grayscale version (to help identify value). As I was taught (by Prof. Emeritus Lance Brockman at the University of Minnesota), it is more important to match the value in a composition, than color. This frees the student to focus on technique and not copywork. I also gave the students an option to solely use the grayscale version and create their own color palette.
This option meant that everyone could chose their own path towards the finish line. Here were the three steps employed by the class the second day.
1. Alternate warm and cool colors for the base – keep a strong contrast so that it is easier to define the waves.
2. Identify waves – using a deep shadow wash, start to draw the shape of cresting water.
3. Define the waves with highlights, lowlights, and deeper shadows – keep the movement organic without creating a pattern.
Although it is human nature to make order out of chaos – to organize elements– creating patterns that are equidistant destroys painted illusion on stage. When creating scenic art landscapes, vary color and placement; this is paramount in the process.
Here are a few photos from the workshop on July 31, 2024.
To be continued…
