Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Indian Canyon.


WaterColour. 18x24. 1998.

5 comments:

Michael said...

Pas môche, hein, M'sieu Luc!
Vous nous gatez!

Luc Desmarchelier said...

Mais mon cher Michael, ne me remerciez pas, tout le plaisir est pour moi.
Cheers.

Mark McDonnell said...

Hey Luc,

I am posting on an old Sargentesque watercolor you did in the Indian Canyon. What are your thoughts on learning watercolor, if you have time. . . .besides doing, which I am in the process of right now. Any places or things that helped you along the way?

All the best,

MAC

Luc Desmarchelier said...

Hi Mac,
I don't know if it can be helpful to anybody else but here are a few things that helped me:
Look closely at your favorite masters in the medium (some of mine are:
Sargent,Melville,Homer,Bonington, Moreau) and not just in books; try to study the originals whenever you have a chance.
Practice outdoor as well as in the studio on a variety of subjects.
Try differents papers, different formats and colours in tubes as well as cakes to find your comfort zone.
Don't forget that you can (contrary to general perception) build several layers of wash on top of one another to get deep rich darks, add white to your mix to better find your colour or to put down opaque finishing touches or highlights, and use the sponge or a brush loaded with water to erase or soften some areas.
Good luck.
Cheers.

Mark McDonnell said...

Thank you for the insight Luc, much appreciated. I'm on my way but having a better heading than just North is nice. I appreciate the time you have taken to jot down these ideas.

Thanks,

MAC