Winsor & Newton Artists’ Water Colour Large Pans

One of the interesting new products I saw at the Learning & Product Expo recently was Winsor & Newton's (W&N) new Artists’ Water Colour Large Pans. They are essentially huge pans of watercolor pigment contained in ceramic pans. I'm not sure if I'll ever buy any of these (I'm not much of a Winsor & Newton person, and I prefer tube paints to pans), but it seems like a very innovative product, especially for those looking for a more convenient way to to work larger.

Each large pan color is contained in a ceramic dish. The sides slope to help you control the quantity of wash held in your brush and these are stackable once the color has dried. They're available in a range of 30 of W&N's most popular selling colors. The pans measure 2.4" x 1.6" (60 x 40mm).

W&N developed the large pans for artists who wish to paint on a larger scale. W&N's website says that, "Painting with water colour on a large scale is a trend that is becoming increasingly popular. More and more artists are experimenting with water colour’s fascinating versatility to create larger, more dramatic water colours. These Large Pans are perfect with larger sized brushes, to create broad, flowing washes. For generous areas of colour, like skies, this gives a real immediacy and speed which has not been possible with the smaller pans."

Also, a wooden pan system is available that allows you to house up to 5 of the large pans. It's made from cherry-colored wood, and the fully varnished 5 pan tray securely holds the pans while you paint. A brush rest is included that's suitable for larger-sized brushes. In the base of each large pan slot is a circular hole that allows any water to drain out of the tray; it also facilitates the removal of the large pans by pushing up from below.

When checking prices on Jerry's Artarama, I found that the large pans sell for $15 to $24 (depending on pigment), and the wooden pan system costs about $12.

I use 3.25" square ceramic dishes from Crate & Barrel when I want to mix large quantities of paint (or accomodate larger brushes); I just add the amound of tube paint I need for the job and add water. The Crate & Barrel dishes are a more inexpensive equivalent to the large pans described above; the dishes only cost about $1.25 each, and if you wanted to make your own pan, you could add an entire 15-ml tube (or larger) of paint.

Art Hill - Forest Park

Forest Park has a great many subjects to sketch and paint. I painted this sketch from some pencil sketches and photo references that I did during my lunch hour a few weeks ago.

The view is of the St. Louis Art Museum on Art Hill and one of the bridges near the Grand Basin. The canal connects to a small lake on which the Boathouse Restaurant rents paddleboats and rowboats; couples are often seen lazily paddling under this bridge into the Grand Basin.

San Marco Cathedral

Watercolor on Strathmore Gemini 300-lb paper, 11" x 15" (27.9 cm x 38.1 cm).

This was the other painting we did as part of David R. Becker's "Don't Get Lost in the Details" workshop. We worked from a photo of the San Marco Cathedral in Venice, and it featured a complex scene of gondolas and crowds of people. Of course, the lesson is to simplify. The background was pretty straightforward; we did a wet-in-wet wash after first doing a detailed pencil sketch.

I had some trouble with a backrun when painting the cathedral; Becker helped me with it, showing me how to introduce more water to fix it, but the extra water left a hard edge that I wasn't satisfied with. However, I like the results overall. The "Bob's Blobs" technique was used for the crowd of people (see previous post).

Don't Get Lost in the Details

Watercolor on Strathmore Gemini 300-lb. paper, 11" x 15" (27.9 cm x 38.1 cm).

I attended David R. Becker's workshop titled, "Don't Get Lost in the Details" on Friday, 7/13/07.


The thing I love about these Learning & Product Expo workshops is that all of the materials you need are supplied to you--you just show up and paint. We were given an 8-well plastic palette filled with Holbein paints. We also received three synthetic nylon brushes: a 1" flat, a #12 round, and a #2 rigger, all of the Stratford & York brand. And finally, two sheets of Strathmore Gemini 300-lb paper.

The classroom was windowless, and the floors were covered with some sort of large "cling wrap" material as an anti-spill measure. About 25 of Becker's paintings were displayed on the wall to my left, several of which I recognized from his books.

We got started with an exercise in painting simplified crowds of people, the result of which you can see above. Becker didn't reveal the goal of what we were painting until we were almost done, I assume to help people avoid preconceived notions and to keep is as abstract as possible. Becker picked up this technique from Bob someone (I didn't catch the last name), so he calls the technique "Bob's Blobs." After we were finished, everyone in the class displayed their work on a chalkboard ledge at the front of the room. All in all a great experience, and it was a pleasure meeting Mr. Becker.

You may wish to view additional photos from the workshop.

The Sketchbook as an Ends, Not Just a Means

My all-day workshop with Joseph Stoddard at the Learning & Product Expo in Chicago was an exhilarating experience. The class was small, so we all received very personalized instruction and help with our watercolor sketching. Mr. Stoddard is impressive in his creative abilities, his humilty, and his patient teaching style. If you haven't checked out Joseph's website, you're missing a visual treat.

The all-day workshop was divided into two parts: an indoor morning session, where we received instructions and demos, and an afternoon outdoor session where we we went out on the conference center grounds and sketched/painted plein aire. You may want to see some photos from the workshop.

I created the sketch pictured above during the outdoor session. This was not my first attempt at the Stoddard style, but was my first one that got close.

You may also be interested in Joseph Stoddard's latest book, "Redlands Sketchbook."

Also, you may want to check out a sketching story by Joe Stoddard over at Moleskine US. Good stuff.

Learning & Product Expo: Art!

This weekend, I'm attending the Learning & Product Expo: Art! in Chicago. One of the really great things about this event is that your supplies are provided--you just show up and paint! I'll be participating in two workshops: a three-hour session titled "Don't Get Lost in the Details" taught by David R. Becker, and an all-day workshop called "The Sketchbook as an Ends, Not Just a Means" taught by Joseph Stoddard.

The course description for Becker's "...Details" workshop says, "Don't be scared of crowds; some of the most beautiful paintings are city scenes containing crowds of people. Many beginning painters steer clear of this type of subject because they feel it is hard to do and too tedious for watercolor. In this hands-on workshop, you will be shown how to simplify elements and turn a hard-looking reference into something that will be surprisingly easy to paint." Sounds great! I first discovered David R. Becker by checking out his book, How to Sketch With Watercolor from my local library, and it quickly grew to be one of my favorites. Somewhere along the line, I realized that becoming competent at watercolor sketching was a key for producing original works, so the book really helped lead me to new confidences in painting. I'm looking forward to meeting Mr. Becker and getting some in-person instruction. Be sure to check out his excellent website.

Also, along the line of sketching, is the "...Sketchbook..." workshop by Joseph Stoddard. The course description says that, "The sketchbook is traditionally thought of as a preparatory tool for the development of larger, more serious work. Stoddard suggests that the sketchbook is an art form in-and-of-itself and can stand alone as legitimate art. This hands-on workshop will explore the use of the sketchbook as a journaling device, a travel companion, a way to increase your painting skill on a daily basis, and a way to explore new avenues of creative expression." Wow! I wasn't aware of Mr. Stoddard until I did a little research before enrolling in this workshop, but I really liked what I saw on his website. In the Thoughts section, Mr. Stoddard offers that he prefers a raw sketch to a finished work of art. "I have always like looking at artist's sketchbooks more than their finished work...I see the sketch as the purist form of artistic expression. It is what I want to see framed beautifully and hanging on the wall in someone's den, loose and sloppy with notes in the margins and the pencil lines showing through."

In addition to the workshops, I'm interested in the art supply expo and the new art-supply products that I hope to find there. I'm going to be taking photos, and I hope to do some blogging while in Chicago. At worst case, I will post some summaries of the event once I get back.

Do something creative this weekend!

Happy Art!

Watercolorsketch.com

The August issue of Watercolor Magic magazine mentions artist, writer and instructor Jim Chapman’s free online watercolor sketching lessons.

Watercolor Magic says, "Designed for the aspiring artist who hasn’t had the opportunity to study art, the site includes printable lessons, a gallery, a streaming video demonstration and a bit of practical advice. A former contributing editor for The Artist’s Magazine, Chapman lives in Gainesville, Georgia."

Chapman's site, Watercolorsketch.com is really great; it's well designed and worth checking out.

Sketchbook - Farmland

This is a sketch of a painting on which I'm getting ready to work. The sketch was done with colored pencil. The painting itself will involve a lot of sky washes.