Botanical Painting with Gouache E-Book

Simon Williams

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 101

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

A practical guide to using gouache in botanical painting, by a leading botanical painter. Gouache is an opaque water-based medium, often called body colour, that produces crisp and vibrant paintings, and is becoming increasingly popular in botanical painting. Leading botanical painter, Simon Williams, specializes in painting in gouache and this is his first book. Botanical Painting in Gouache is full of practical advice on all aspects of using the exciting medium of gouache and contains many step-by-step demonstration paintings. In addition to the sumptuous flower paintings there are also sections on painting butterflies, birds and exotic and unusual plants from the rainforest.

Leseprobe

BOTANICAL PAINTING WITH GOUACHE

BOTANICAL PAINTING WITH GOUACHE

Simon Williams

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

Paint

Tools

Papers and board

TECHNIQUES

Brush angles

Handling colour

Highlights

STEP-BY-STEP PROJECTS

Tulipa ‘Groenland’

Iris ‘Andalou’

Rosa ‘Birthday Girl’

Mixed-fruit study: Pink Lady apples, Rocha pear and figs

Paphiopedilum orchid

Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’

Buddleja davidii with peacock butterflies

PAINTING IN SITU: PLANTS FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

Bromeliads

Plant hunting in Borneo

In search of the ant house plant

Suppliers and useful addresses

Further reading

Index

Acknowledgements

Foreword

I have known Simon since 2001, when he first submitted paintings for the London exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists. When these appeared before the selection committee we were highly impressed by the quality of the work offered by this 21-year-old, fresh from art college. When equally stunning paintings appeared the following year we had no hesitation in offering him full membership of the Society and on acceptance he became our youngest-ever member.

Over the years I have watched Simon grow in stature both as an artist and a man. His work has never ceased to delight and he has proved to be an exceptional tutor, not only passing on his knowledge in the rendition of botanical subjects but also other aspects of the natural world ranging from insects to birds and fish. It is fitting that he has already made three trips overseas in pursuit of his art, working in the style of those intrepid artists who accompanied explorers in days gone by and proving that it is still possible to get off the beaten track and leave the studio behind.

For his most recent trip a bursary was made available to him, thanks to Ling Design and the SBA. His use of gouache as the medium of choice, coupled with the modern acrylic gouache, builds on the tradition of centuries of painters before English transparent ‘true’ watercolour became fashionable. Gouache, or body colour, is closely related to tempera and has been in use since the days of ancient Egypt, remaining in fashion in mainland Europe throughout the 20th century. Now there is a resurgence of interest as the medium is seen to provide rich colour perfect for capturing exotic flowers and for commercial, illustrative work where it has never ceased to be the most popular medium. I believe this book will be of immense value for those seeking to learn more about painting with gouache and no one will fail to take pleasure in Simon’s stunning artwork.

Margaret Stevens PSBA 2013

Rainforest Gouache on paper 38 x 20cm (15 x 8in) This picture of a scarlet macaw (Ara macao) and an Oncidium orchid was done to combine both botanical and natural-history illustration. Gouache captured the vivid reds of the macaw and the array of green foliage with rich intense colours while retaining a serenity in the composition.

Introduction

As an artist who prefers to work in gouache, I have long recommended the use of this medium. In recent years it has fallen out of fashion in some quarters, being considered in some way inferior to pure watercolour. This is unfortunate, for when I speak with artists of an earlier generation it is apparent that no such distinction used to be made – certainly not in Continental Europe where gouache originated, as its French name implies.

Cymbidium African Adventure ‘Sahara Gold’ Gouache over acrylic on mountboard 56 x 44cm (22 x 17½in) This orchid was my first to paint on a coloured support. The original drawing was very precise and the acrylic white underpainting had to be carefully done as there are a lot of overlapping petals that can easily get confused if observations are not spot on.

Phalaenopsis grandiflora Gouache over acrylic on mountboard 56 x 44cm (22 x 17½in) Working with white gouache is not an easy task with artwork this size because it can build up very opaquely and look chalky if not applied with meticulous care and attention. Here in some areas there are up to ten thin layers of Permanent White gouache applied to give the brightest white.

Variegated Monstera deliciosa Turner Acryl gouache on illustration board 76 x 56cm (30 x 22in)

Gouache, or body colour, pre-dates the Renaissance, and can be found in work across the centuries from illuminated manuscripts to artists such as Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Henri Matisse, Graham Sutherland, Andy Warhol and now Anish Kapoor, the darling of the contemporary art world. It is made similarly to watercolour but in addition to gum arabic other agents are used to render it opaque and reflective. Thicker than watercolour, it sits on the surface of the paper rather than being absorbed by it in the manner of watercolour. In its application one can work from dark to light in the same way as painting in oils.

Many botanical artists and flower painters found gouache the perfect medium to show off the brilliance of blooms, among them Hercules Brabazon, whose delightfully free but realistic vase of full-blown roses, painted around 1887 and now in the Tate Gallery in London, shows how the medium is the equal of both oil and transparent watercolour. Those botanical artists from the past whom we most admire, such as the Bauer brothers, Ferdinand and Franz, were taught to mix their own paints since they did not have the luxury of buying ready-prepared tubes and pans. Their methods are well documented and clearly they were making gouache with a white base. Johann Christian Jacob Friedrich, a botanical illustrator from Dresden and contemporary of the Bauers, left very specific written instructions for the preparation of both paper and pigment including the following: ‘when you are building up a body of colour – that is when you mix another colour with white – you must apply another colour which has not been mixed with white first’. Good sound advice and the reason students are advised to keep the white pigment well away from the other colours on the palette so that they are not unduly ‘corrupted’.

When one considers how labour-intensive the preparation of paint and the priming of paper was, it is truly amazing that artists such as the Bauers managed to turn out such a huge body of work. It must also be the case that their working days were shorter, for in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries poor light would have brought painting to an early halt during the winter months.

Monstera Flower Turner Acryl gouache on Fabriano Artistico watercolour paper 48 x 35cm (19 x 13¾in)

Coelogyne cristata Gouache on paper 25 x 40cm (10 x 15¾in) This painting took two years to complete. There was only one flower on the plant at the time of drawing so I spent many months working on the leaves and pseudo bulbs, waiting until the following year to paint in the rest of the flowers.

Eventually pans and tubes of paint became readily available, but it was the 1930s before designers’ gouache as we know it today came on the market. This contains a white filler in addition to gum arabic, whereas the more expensive artists’ quality range relies on more pigment to create the opacity and leaves it to the artist to add the white as desired.

One of the strengths of the medium is that it reproduces beautifully and is therefore ideal for illustrators and designers, but this rather implies a throw-away product, not one for which the purchaser would pay as for pure watercolour. This is erroneous, since if you choose your brands with care the paints will be lightfast and durable, having been subjected to rigorous testing in the same way as other mediums.

I greatly envy the botanical artists from the past who were able to accompany explorers on their journeys of discovery, so I consider myself fortunate to have been able to spend time in Australia and Malaya. I also take my orchids seriously, with a glasshouse devoted to their culture.

Encyclia fragrans Gouache on paper 40 x 25cm (15¾ x 10in) This artwork captures a mature orchid, more than 20 years old. The painting was completed with a lot of drawing with the brush, very opaque layering and with overpainting in the darker brown areas of the roots and stems.

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

The old saying ‘A bad workman always blames his tools’ contains an element of truth. However, it is important for artists, whether professional, amateur or student, to purchase the best they can afford because it really will affect the end result. This goes not just for paint but also for surfaces and brushes too.

Paint

There is a wide choice of paints on the market and in the case of gouache the major companies offer ranges to cater for all requirements and purses. Clearly you cannot expect the same result from student-grade paints as from the more expensive artists’ range. The former contain more filler to bulk them out, usually chalk-based, and this results in duller colour. Artists’ quality gouache is finely ground with a higher ratio of pigment, so colours are naturally brighter.

In addition to fillers, binders are added to gouache, which include gum arabic and glycerine. These variables affect the handling of the paint as well as the appearance of the finished work and it is up to each artist to decide which suits them best, both in performance and pocket.

I have favourite brands and, like most artists no matter which medium they use, favourite colours too. I use Winsor & Newton Designers’ Gouache principally for book illustration and advertising jobs where the finished artwork needs to be perfect for reproduction purposes, but once scanned can be kept on file for reference if required. The printed version, be it book illustration or greetings card, becomes the raison d’etre. However, most artists struggle financially and if the choice is between not being able to paint because the more expensive artists’ gouache is not affordable and using Winsor & Newton designers’ quality, I can recommend the latter as an excellent product that will outlive you and any purchasers of your work. It glides across the surface well and getting soft blends of colour between successive coats of paint is a joy. As with watercolour, one has to select colours carefully as not all are permanent, or lightfast, but excellent grading makes it easy to avoid any that are suspect no matter how appealing the colour may be.

My preference when it comes to artists’ quality gouache is Linel, produced by LeFranc & Bourgeois, which is an excellent product that gives a vibrant opaque finish. It has an extremely high level of pigmentation, with no added white, and offers exceptional covering power, which makes it ideal for working on a coloured support. It layers well using a dry-brush technique and does not lift off the underlying coat.

Linel Artists’ Extra-Fine Gouache – a selection of colours frequently used throughout this book and typical of my palette choice.

I also use a relatively new medium called Turner Acryl Gouache which, as the name suggests, is a mixture of acrylic and gouache. Manufactured in Japan to the highest specification, the range offers 219 colours. I find these excellent for finely detailed work as they are fast-drying and do not lift off as I build up colour, in the way that gouache can unless handled carefully. They give a true gouache matt finish, and are permanent due to the acrylic emulsifier. There is a very large range of colours including some iridescent ones, which are a useful addition to the palette for some insects and other wildlife you may wish to show with your plant subjects.

My work table with a selection of my paints and my preferred brushes and board.

Tools

I use Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes, preferring the small sizes of 1, 2 and 3. I am often asked why I rarely use larger than this and the answer is because a larger brush holds more moisture, making it too wet for detailed illustration work in gouache.