"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday, July 20, 2009

Another Old Crow- Poured Truck Painting Demonstration

This is the final painting. I added a crow for interest and also for composition in order to direct the eye into the painting to facilitate eye-movement. I like to put crows somewhere in my vintage truck paintings. The finished size of this painting is 22" x 30, and the paints used were Golden fluid acrylics. White gouache was used in the area next to the hood for contrast.
This is my painting after a couple hours of painting. I continued to use the fluid acrylics in the small cups.
The painting was placed on a large, old towel to stop drips from going onto the floor or table. After thoroughly wetting the watercolor paper, I dropped the paint onto the paper by pouring from the cups and also, for smaller areas, I dropped color in with the eye droppers. I used the spray bottle to move the paint around, allowing the paint to accumulate on the edges of the paper. I blotted this paint up with a paper towel to prevent back flows. Then more paint was added the the process repeated while the paper was wet.


The truck picture is of a truck in Bay Village, Ohio. The supplies for pouring are a spray bottle, eye droppers, a sponge, brush, water and the prepared paint, in this case I used fluid acrylics from Golden paints diluted with water.



This is the pencil line drawing on a full sheet of Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. I used a pencil grid to do the drawing. I divided the paper into 16 squares. The source photo was placed into a clear plastic envelope and it was also divided in 16 squares. I tried to reproduce each square on the large paper - typical grid drawing.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Barb, I love the looks of this technique. You have explained it well and I will try it your way.
Norena

Watercolors by Susan Roper said...

You go girl! Thanks for this tutorial on your pouring techniques. I will study in great detail...wonderful old truck!

Angela said...

Nice work!

Nancy Eaton said...

Incredible! Wish you were here to guide me in this pouring technique!

Autumn Leaves said...

Wow! I am just in awe, Barb. Yes, you have explained it well. I just cannot figure out how you keep that color where you want it using pouring and spray bottles. I also didn't know you could get this watercolor effect using acrylics. I love how the little water spots on the fenders add to the age of the vehicle and look so right.

Ginny Stiles said...

Okay. That does it. I have to try this! What a wonderful job of breaking it into good learning sections! Thank you SO much. I am now looking for THE reference photo. I don't have any fluid acrylics and they are pricey. (Although I know they go a long way). So mine will be watercolor (and maybe gouache). I have an old truck photo too...I wonder if I could find it. My husband has a restored 58 Chevy truck...no rust on that baby, but he'd LOVE a painting of it. So that would fit with my theme of "painting what matters". Such an inspiration you are. AND a full sheet! Wow.

Barb Sailor said...

Norena...I am glad you like it and hope that you try the process soon.

Susan...Thanks for your encouragement and comments - always welcome.

Angela...Thanks for visiting my blog - i hope you return and I am happy you like the painting.

Nancy...I wish I were there to guide you too - You would love it and I love Florida!

AutumnLeaves...responding to your comment about controlling the colors - you don't really control them and I do a lot of praying that they won't enter certain areas. I try to use the spray bottle to direct them away from those spots.Also, while the acrylics are still wet, they can be lifted with a wet brush and I was able to sort of control the light areas in the back of the truck this way. I like to use the fluid acrylics for pouring, because when they are dry, they are permanent and I can paint on top of them without them lifting. I like the blossoms you get when pouring - sometimes it doesn't happen, but when it does, I think it adds to the textural interest.

Ginny - it sounds like you have just the right subject for your pouring. I use both watercolor and fluid acrylics - watercolors work fine. I am glad you like this painting and now go "paint what matters!" Hope it has warmed up, up there in the north woods!

Autumn Leaves said...

Thank you for the hints, Barb. One of these days when I can find a little patience, I may try this with watercolors, just to experiment and see what develops. I have so very much to learn.

jgr said...

How beautiful this is. I love the step by step explanation too. I want to try this some time.
I'm too scared to do a whole sheet though LOL
I'll start off with a 7" x 10" my "comfort zone"

Barb Sailor said...

jgr...Thanks for your comments. I visited your blog - it is lovely and I really like the effect the stenciling has on the paintings - makes me want to try some stencils now.

Barb Sailor said...

For some reason the "followers" gadget on my blog isn't working - are any of you bloggers having the same problem?
Barb

Christiane Kingsley said...

Barbara, what a nice pour! I love the light and transparency in your painting.

Barb Sailor said...

Thanks Christiane - I try to keep things as transparent as possible and hardly ever use white - only white gouache for things like light in eyes, etc. I guess, for the most part I am a traditionalist.
Thanks for your comments.

Serge said...

If doing truck painting with a paintbrush and a canvass would surely require great amounts of skill and creativity, painting an actual truck would also require months to years of experience so that the quality of work would end up great!