Portrait in mixed media

MASTERCLASS

FOR THIS INSTALMENT, my plan is to build up layers of washes. These are a light mixture of skin tones that will continue to increase in saturation as I carry on the painting process. The next stage is where I get to a point of painting with watercolours, just like I would if I were using oils. During this phase, I completely forget that I’m using watercolours and just paint boldly and directly with very little diluting of the paint from the tube with water.

I learnt this technique from the great American representational painter, Burton Silverman. I don’t actually go about my watercolours exactly as he does, but the knowledge I gained from his world-class book, Breaking the Rules of Watercolour, has been instrumental in helping me develop a different mentality when using watercolour and gouache.

MATERIALS

The surface I use for this demo is the Hahnemühle Bamboo mixed media sketchbook. I like it because it’s very thick and can take a really good battering! It’s a paper made from 90% bamboo fibre and 10% cotton rag, whilst it is natural white and acid-free.

For the painting, I use mostly Winsor & Newton watercolours. I like to break the rules when I use this medium. Most books say you shouldn’t mix opaque white with them and that you should try to retain the white of the paper, but I do the complete opposite. I like the medium to work for me, so I want to be in complete control of things right from the start. I take charge and use it as I feel would work best for me. ▸

The sketch process

First of all, I make sure I create a strong grid with an HB Pencil. The main goal here is to get a solid drawing, a sketch which gives me all the information I need and makes me feel like painting. My style has always been to have a solid foundation before painting and that’s why the sketch stage is the most important thing in the whole process. Once I’m satisfied with the sketch, I thoroughly fix the surface with Winsor & Newton Fixative. The reason I do this is so that the sketch can be secured and also so that the paper will create a kind of resistance to the watercolour washes. It will also help to soften edges because the colour won’t sink deep into the paper but just sit on the surface, making it easier to manipulate the paint whether dry or not.

MY MATERIALS FOR THE