Painting Winter Scenes in Watercolor

Consider the snow-covered landscape. Envision the bright light reflected from the surface of the snow and the softness of shadows over the surface. See the dark contrasts of tree trunks, the vertical edges of buildings or the rigid surfaces of partially submerged boulders. These are all elements in the joy of painting winter scenes. One thing that is for sure, snow is not white, but a reflective surface that echoes pastel tones of all colors. The old adage about white being the presence of all color is certainly true when painting snow. Shadows are not dark masses, but are, at the most, soft middle tones. Soft pastels are also valuable in depicting the sky's reflections on the surface of fresh snow.

Consider another possibility. You can paint a perfect wintry snow scene by painting what isn't physically there just as well as what is there. Examine the shadows and any darks in the scene. Since the subjects are blanketed in snow, paint any shadows rather than the subject from which the shadow is being created. It is a positive/negative style that is challenging to do. Try to ignore the reasons for shadows and paint only the resulting shadows. It sounds insane, but the result can be very appealing.

When painting snow, there are many ways to achieve the crispness of a freshly fallen surface, but most watercolorists use a masking liquid to preserve the paper surface and to control the amount of colorant that is allowed to penetrate that area of the paper. This liquid can be applied with a brush for wide swatches of white/light paper preservation or with thin brushes, cotton swabs, or even quill/dip-style pen points for fine detail. Two rules to remember when working with liquid frisk: After application, allow the surface to dry completely before over-painting. Second, remove the liquid mask material as soon after the painting is dry as is possible. The longer it stays on the paper, the harder it will be to remove. Best results are achieved by using a ball of old masking fluid collected and saved from a previous use. It will adhere to the somewhat sticky surface of the mask and help to pick it up without damage to nearby painted areas. Note: A light application of soap lather in your brush or other application tool immediately after application will aid in the removal of the mask liquid.

Other masks include torn paper "stencil"-type blocks used primarily for the control of broadcast droplets as in the depiction of heavy snowfall. Areas covered with the paper mask will be protected from the random spray of paint as it is discharged from the brush tip. While this mask style is limited in application, it is one of the easiest ways to "protect" areas adjacent to paint speckling procedures.

There are a number of ways to capture winter scenes where the snow is just beginning and where no strong buildup or total coverage has taken place. Using an absorbent material over freshly painted, still-wet areas can reclaim whites. There will be no "hard edge" look to this light-recapturing method, but for some winterscapes, it is ideal. Cloth, chamois, a clean paintbrush, or even small clumps of fresh bread (squeezed into a tight knot) can be used to absorb liquid colorants.

Another way to create highlights is by scraping through totally dry painted areas with the edge of a sharp blade, such as a stencil knife blade or safety razor blade. Both of these tools will yield a skip-and-scratch look not unlike blowing snowflakes. Care should be exercised in the scraping technique so that narrow scratches are used, creating those most like single flakes of snow. Too wide and the scrape will portray damage rather than a controlled subtractive method. Too deep and actual cuts rather than surface scratches might result. Just a little practice will render you an expert. This technique is also widely used to create the look and feel of grasses in foreground, to catch sharp highlights on the surfaces of objects or to offer tiny nips of contrasting, pure white for any reason.

Another method for helping to create a snow scene is the use of an opaque white paint in tandem with your watercolor palette. This could be white gouache or even white acrylic. They are used primarily as topical colorants after the final watercolor work is nearly finished. This is primarily because they alter the surface, and watercolor does not perform the same over them as on the surface of unaltered paper. When using acrylic over watercolor, eliminate brush strokes by smoothing over the painted area with a cotton ball or cotton swab. This will bond the opaque tone over the surface without leaving any telltale evidence.

Pastels can also be used over the surface to soften and lighten areas. Apply the pastel where the highlight is wanted, and then smooth the surface to gently work the powder into the paper. This is a fragile surface and should not be subjected to abrasion, but pastels can yield small, controlled areas of light tone that are strategically placed within a watercolor painting.

Whether you use a large area liquid mask, a paper mask, experiment with wet pigment removal with a cloth or cotton swab, scrape with a blade, use pastel or opaque paint in light areas or paint only the shadows of objects to create a winterscape, you will have a delightful experience in the process.

Artist's Magazine Call for Entries

The Artist's Magazine has issued a Call for Entries for its 2003 Art Competition. It will recognize more than 250 finalists and award 45 major prizes totaling more than $20,000 in cash.

Open to both amateurs and professionals, artists may enter work in five categories: Portrait, Landscape, Still Life, Experimental and Animal Art. Top award winners and honorable mentions will be showcased in the December 2003 issue of the magazine's 2004 Calendar.

Entries are also being accepted in the Student/Beginner division, which is open to artists who have been painting for two years or less. In addition to receiving prizes, winners will be featured in the January 2004 issue.

Entries must be 35mm slides of original, unpublished art conceived and created by the entrant and will be judged on concept, composition, draftsmanship and adroit medium handling. Entries must be postmarked by May 1, 2003. For rules and entry form, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: The Artist's Magazine's 20th Annual Art Competition, Attn: Terri Boes, 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. Email: competitions@fwpubs.com.

Interactive Design Competition

Communication Arts Magazine has announced the deadline for their Ninth Interactive Design Competition: January 15, 2003. Any interactive project created for digital distribution on the World Wide Web, CD-ROM, interactive kiosk or handheld device is eligible. Winning entries will be published in the September/October Interactive Annual of Communication Arts and on their Web site. Seventy-five thousand copies will be distributed worldwide, assuring important exposure to the creators of these outstanding projects. For submission guidelines, FAQ's, and entry form, go to www.commarts.com/CA/magazine/comp/.

Art of the Plate Contest

The Dixie Art of the Plate Design Competition is open to artists, designers, illustrators and students of art who would like to take the ordinary paper plate and make it extraordinary. Entrants must be at least 21 or submit their age and written permission from a parent or legal guardian. Contestants are asked to create a work of art on the inside of a 9" diameter plate. Entries will be judged on uniqueness, creativity, originality, aesthetic quality, good taste and suitability for commercial use.

One Grand Prize of $10,000 will be awarded, along with eight First Place cash prizes of $5,000 each. In addition, up to 100 entrants may be selected for inclusion in a Museum of Contemporary Arts and Design exhibition, "The Art of the Paper Plate," and other exhibitions. Artwork may also be selected to appear on Dixie paper products for which you will earn a design fee of $2,500 in addition to any possible prizes. Distinguished judges include personnel from the Museum, Society of Illustrators, and High Museum of Art. Deadline: February 15, 2003. For more information, see www.gp.com/artoftheplate/rules.html.

Graphic Chemical & Ink Co. Printmaking, etching, blockprinting litho supplies. Silkscreen Trade Names: Perfection, Easy Wipe, Graphic, Sureset, Universal, Graphinx.

The Art of Tapestry

Tapestries have been woven for thousands of years. Nearly every culture has some woven clothing, adornment or fabric, even the ancient Egyptians and Incas. Burial clothes from both of these cultures have been discovered as have Greek hand-woven tapestry art believed to be an important means of decorating affluent homes and important buildings. Only the very rich and influential could afford them. Tapestry art was even thought to have covered the walls of the Parthenon.

As one of the most effective forms of literary expression the world has ever known, woven tapestry art used its unique form to tell stories, record history and idealize any form of life from any period of time. Throughout history, tapestries have been created and help to form historically significant records of the lives of other times. Vivid stories of the Greeks, Romans, and the Renaissance periods as well as the Old and New Testaments are documented through tapestry imagery.

Nearly from the beginning of time, some type of woven item was used to record the passing of time or events of merit. Early in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth centuries, Gothic art appeared in woven tapestry art with its unique form of religious mystery and romance to fascinate the viewer. These hand-woven tapestries were personal, human and most often spiritual. Most all tapestries of this time centered on religious consciousness, the artist's comprehension of God and man's relationship with him.

Renaissance tapestry in the sixteenth century, on the other hand, evolved later with completely opposite views. Gothic pictorial art in hand-woven form was created to tell a story of beauty and to tell a story at any expense. The woven stories created illusions of what reality should be in the eye of the artist. Early works were usually adapted from manuscripts and weavers were free to create images as they perceived them. It was far more intellectual or perfect in form, method and grandeur than what was real at the time.

Tapestries became status symbols with the aristocracy in the Middle Ages. They also had much practical use, providing insulation for castle walls, covering openings and giving privacy around beds. Some of these tapestries were joined together to form continuous scenes of more than 450 feet in length. When traveling, kings and noblemen took them on their travels from castle to castle for reasons of comfort and prestige. Tapestries even became part of the spoils of battle, when the victorious claimed the defeated's possessions as their own. These

captured tapestries were often cut or joined together with other pieces very unceremoniously and in a way to destroy the crests, scenes and history of the defeated.

Medieval weavers extracted their dyes from plants and insects in a range of less than twenty colors. Some of those same dye sources are used today: madder roots to get strong reds and oranges and flowers and leaves for subtle shades of green and yellow. Natural dye sources were expanded. Today there is a near limitless palette of colors possible from natural materials and colors from commercial manufacturers to complete any spectrum.

As in the Middle Ages, handmade tapestry weavers of today use two basic types of looms (a high warp and a low warp). Warp yarns are stretched between two rollers and the artist delivers bobbins of different colored yarns between two layers of warp. The enclosed colors (called the weft) are beaten to tighten the "lock" of the design, and then opposite warp threads are raised and the process is repeated. Low warp is worked horizontally and the weaver sits over the tapestry piece. As the work is completed, the tapestry is rolled toward the weaver. Very long pieces can be created with this method. Widths are dictated by the width of the looms. Newer computer controlled jacquard weaving machines produce their high quality tapestry reproduction products on a large volume. Belgium, the Netherlands, England, France and Italy are well known for this type of tapestry. Perfect in detail and workmanship, these looms have brought very high tapestry within the reach of any and all.

Fortunately, contemporary tapestry can be practiced and enjoyed without the cost of a loom or other specialized equipment. A simple frame loom in a moderate size can be warped and a tapestry woven in a small size, or small segments may be joined together to form a large work. This sectioned method is especially good for the artisan who has limited space or whose needs grow past his equipment. Many tapestry artists begin with pillow front-sized examples and progress into large, wall-sized works by joining together sections done from a "cartoon." This cartoon is a detailed drawing of the finished design, divided into the sections that will be created as individual tapestries. Joining is usually done by stitching the segments together using the same thread as was used for the warp. Once joined, the tapestry looks as though it was done in one large piece.

A frame loom can be handmade from strips of wood joined into a secure rectangle shape, with thread wrapped in tight passes, top to bottom. The weft can be any wool or cotton yarns, fabric strips, grasses, reeds, etc., and can have the added textures of found objects incorporated within. So, whether your interest is in the tapestries of early civilization, the finished loom work of Europe or the contemporary looks of today's artisans (perhaps those created by yourself), tapestry can be an exciting creative media.

Creating Designer Mats

When you choose to mat and frame artworks, your own originals or pieces of your collection of art, you are afforded the unique opportunity to create an original statement. By choosing colors and textures that complement and enhance the art, you can directly tie the art to the room in which it will be displayed. If you are matting the work as part of your presentation for sale, exhibition, competition, etc., the right choices can make all the difference.

Textures, especially fabrics, are a valued part of interior design today. And it is very easy to use fabrics in your artwork presentations to both enliven the art and to unite it with its surroundings. Fabric mats often utilize the actual fabrics used to decorate a room and are easy to make. They add a dimension to your art display that is very personal and unique. The easiest fabrics to work with are those of medium weight with a light texture. However, any fabric can be used, even thick, richly textured surfaces.

The supplies needed are really quite simple. They include a single mat with a window cut to fit around the art, your chosen fabric (about 2" larger than the mat - all around) and white glue (with a brush) or spray adhesive. The mat should have the window already cut out. If a light color of fabric is used, select a mat color that will not interfere or show through the fabric.

To attach the fabric, use either spray adhesive or an even, light coating of liquid adhesive on the front of the mat. Work quickly so that the adhesive does not dry before the fabric is in position. Align the grain or weave of the fabric so that the straight sides of the window are parallel with the weave. This will give you a very professional, straight and even appearance. If the weave is not straight, it will not look pleasing. Once the grain is straight, use your hand to press over the entire surface of the fabric. Place the fabric over the opening. We'll trim it away later. Allow the fabric/mat package to dry under even weight for several hours. Books make a great weight when set atop an extra piece of mat board.

For the window opening, trim the center fabric away, leaving 1" to turn under. Fold the fabric to the back side of the mat and glue into place. Double-sided tape (ATG Tape - available in the tape or framing sections of most art retailers) works very well. Either trim the outer overlap to the edge of the mat or wrap and glue in place.

You can create striking, professional designer mats to match your decor or to add interest to any piece of art. Most portraits, landscapes and still life images do well with fabric-covered mats.

Artograph Tracer Receives Seal of Approval

Artograph's top-selling Tracer projector has recently received the Creative Home Arts Member Tested Seal of Approval. Creative Home Arts Club members gave the Tracer high marks across the board of test criteria, including quality, design, performance, appearance, ease of use, innovative features and uniqueness. A perfect basic projector for artists and crafters, the Tracer enlarges designs or patterns onto a wall or easel from 2 to 14 times. The projected image can be easily traced and colored as desired. No set-up is necessary and it is simple to operate, using a standard 100-watt bulb that is included. A dark room is required. See www.artograph.com for Artograph's full line of opaque art projectors, light boxes and spray booths.

New Book on Tapestry

Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence by Thomas P. Campbell, et al, is the catalogue for the popular exhibition held last year at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first major survey of tapestry production between 1460 and 1560, the book presents 45 surviving tapestries along with some 20 preparatory drawings and cartoon fragments. Featured are examples designed by Italian masters, as well as works by Netherlandish designers. Yale University Press/Metropolitan Museum. 550pp., 126 b/w + 250 color plates.

Book/CD-Rom Available

The Betty Rymer Gallery/School of the Art Institute of Chicago is currently in the process of preparing for an exhibition titled "The Consistency of Shadows -- Exhibition Catalogs as Autonomous Works of Art," which will open in February 2003. The exhibition will bring together approximately 120 exhibition catalogs dating from the 1960's to the present, which are designed to function as a work of art. A catalog consisting of seven offset printed booklets and accompanied by a CD-ROM are housed together in a special custom-designed and vacuformed acrylic box that is available for purchase now. For details and images, go to www.artic.edu/saic/art/flasch/flasch_exhibit.html.

An Easy Cardboard Loom

As early as the Neanderthal period, when humans were still wearing animal skins rather than woven fabric garments, reeds and grasses were intertwined to form mats and vessels. Found with the earliest of human remains, grass and other natural woven fibers have played a part in our historical "fabric."

Simple contemporary weaving can be done on a very simple loom, created with a sheet of cardboard threaded with strong twine or string. The loom is designed for small projects or pieced designs where several smaller items or shapes can be joined to create a larger, more involved item. The loom is actually a piece of corrugated cardboard about 11 inches x 14 inches, with short slits cut at 1/4-inch intervals across the top and bottom.

The thread that is the vertical basis for the weaving is called the "warp." Create a warp with a sturdy linen or cotton string. (Heavy crochet thread works great for sturdy projects.) Thread the warp through each of the slits, wrapping around the board as you go. Start the warp with a thick knot at the lower left slit. Bring the warp up to the top of the board and over. Circle around the board to the front. At this point, it is a good idea to anchor the tail of the warp with tape against the back of the "loom." Moving one slit to the right each time you encircle the board, continue to wrap the warp around and around the loom until you fill each of the slits. Knot and tape the end of the warp. You are now ready to start weaving the horizontal threads, called the weft.

Weft threads are usually softer, fluffier and more fragile than the warp threads. This is where lovely wools, mohairs or shimmery synthetics and fabric strips play an important role in weaving. Weft threads are passed under and over the vertical threads of the warp and are worked into place with a "beater" device. A wide toothed hair comb does a great job of packing (beating). Beating is necessary for the integrity of any woven piece. To maintain straight edges, be careful to keep the warp vertical by monitoring the pressure when you start another row of weft.

When the length is complete, firmly packed and ready to go, carefully cut the center of the back warp threads and knot at the top and bottom to hold the tension and shape of the item. After knotting, trim long ends or braid.

Cardboard looms are ideal for small decorative pieces and are a breeze to make and use. Scraps of yarn or fabric make great weft elements. For added interest, consider hanging stones, amulets or trinkets from loops within the weaving.

Painting Wood with Grain

The airbrush is an indispensable tool when the artist wishes to create objects that are rendered in a realistic manner. To make an object appear real, you must allude to the subject's texture, shape, and color. The airbrush, in conjunction with other painting methods, is employed to make this happen.

There are many different types of wood and grains, from the fine grains of soft wood to the heavy grains of hard wood. The artist must first study the subject to become familiar with the grain and its pattern before he can achieve a true likeness in a painting. The airbrush is renowned for its ability to, alone, replicate shiny and glossy surfaces such as chrome, plastic and glass, among others. But when it comes to painting wood, the airbrush must be used in a different manner, incorporating much more freehand work using a paintbrush, sponges, and other tools, as well.

If you are interested in rendering wood as an object, then what follows are some helpful hints:

1. When applying a base coat to the object being rendered, use an airbrush, which is ideal whether the base coat is solid or gradated. The spray is consistent not only in appearance, but also in thickness, and there are no brush strokes.

2. To achieve tiny grain lines in your rendering of wood, the airbrush can be used to spray random large droplets of paint, which is called stippling. While the stippled paint is still wet, you can lightly drag a piece of cotton over the wet paint to develop hairline grains in the wood.

3. Spraying a light base coat of color and then painting in the grains with a fine-tipped paintbrush can develop clear-grained wood, such as ash. Or create the look of pine by spraying paint along the edge of a torn piece of paper. The coarser the paper, the coarser the grain will appear.

4. To develop white highlights, use a hard rubber eraser to rub through the paint layer and expose the white of the ground beneath. This intense white is difficult to achieve any other way. This method is particularly effective when working on Ampersand's Claybord or Gessobord.

5. The look of a wooden object, e.g., the stock of a rifle, can be developed by spraying a base coat of dark brown paint. Let it dry and then spray over it a coat of light brown paint (or vice versa). Then carefully scratch grain lines through the top layer to allow the bottom color to show through. These lines can be scratched with the edge of a razor, a frisket knife, metal comb, or a stylus.

These are but a few suggestions to try in your never-ending quest through experimentation on how to paint a picture. Each artist employs different methods to paint a given subject; these may be unique to the artist or something that everyone can utilize. Only through trial and error will you be able to find the best techniques for you.

Record Price Realized--Christie's auction house recently sold a leaded glass lamp designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for a record price: $1,989,500. The lamp was created circa 1903 for the Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, IL, and was one of a pair.

Gift with a Caveat--Peter Lewis, chairman of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, recently gave the museum a gift of $12 million--but only after director Thomas Krens cut the budget, as directed, under threat of losing his position. The funds will be used to pay off debt.

Artworks Taken--Two paintings were recently stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The paintings were painted early in the artist's career and were the second theft from the museum in 10 years.

New Museums Planned--Despite the economy, two new museums are being planned for NYC. The Rubin Museum of Art, which will house Himalayan and Tibetan paintings, is being developed in Chelsea and is scheduled to open in 2004; and The New Museum of Contemporary Art will build a new 60,000 sq. ft. home at Prince Street to open by 2005.

Prize Awarded--Painter and sculptor Keith Tyson has won Britain's prestigious Turner Prize. Administered by the Tate Museum, this annual award of $31,000 goes to a British artist under the age of 50.

Remains "Moove" On--New York City's famous CowParade of 2000 ended with most of the hand-painted fiberglass cows sold at auction. However, those left behind were recently sold at a "cattle auction" in Union Square. Winning bids were considerably lower than the first auction and benefited the Historic House Trust of NYC.

Exhibitions

Dallas, TX -- Dallas Museum of Art -- "The Voyage of the Icebergs: Frederic Church's Arctic Masterpiece" focuses on the monumental landscape painted by Church in 1861. Also included is a suite of oil sketches that Church made while sailing in the North Atlantic around Labrador. Through Jan. 19.Greenwich, CT -- Bruce Museum of Arts and Science -- "Stairway to Nowhere: the Art of M. C. Escher" features more than 40 of the most classic and memorable examples of Escher's graphic art, including Reptiles, Drawing Hands, and Day and Night. Of particular interest is an extensive set of working drawings and proof prints, and a spectacular highlight is the inclusion of his original lithographic stone for Flatworms and the complex set of carved color woodblocks for Depth. Through Feb. 2.

San Francisco, CA - Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Legion of Honor -- "Casting a Spell: Winslow Homer, Artist and Angler" includes 65 paintings, mostly watercolors, and is the first exhibition to look closely at the other life-long passion of this major American artist--fly-fishing. Through Feb. 9.

Brooklyn, NY -- Brooklyn Museum of Art -- "Judy Chicago: The Dinner Party" is a symbolic history of women of achievement in Western civilization and employs numerous mediums--including ceramics, china painting, and needlework--to honor women's accomplishments. An immense open table is covered with fine white cloth and set with 39 place settings, each commemorating a goddess, historic personage or other important woman. This exhibition will be permanently installed in the Museum in Fall 2004. Through Feb. 9.

Bronx, NY - New York Botanical Garden -- "Fruits and Flowers of Winter" highlights images of wintertime plants from rare books and original artwork, dating from the 17th century to modern times. Among the nearly 65 works are representations of orangeries and indoor gardens, a glimpse of winter horticulture in early New York, a walk through the garden in winter, and nursery and floral offerings of the season. Through Feb. 16.New York City - Whitney Museum of American Art -- "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" features approximately 70 quilts made from the 1920's to the 1990's by more than 40 African-American women from the small rural community of Gee's Bend, AL. Originally created for practical use in the home, the quilts are outstanding examples of a great American art form. Historical photographs and a documentary video are also presented. Through March 9.

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 13 No. 3 -- January 2003