Move
quickly to the next step.
Lifting Paint
Illustrations 1-5:
While paint is wet, dip the Slanted Flat in
clean water, wipe the brush strands along the edge of the container and
dab on folded paper towels. You want a damp brush; not a wet brush.
If too wet, the water in the brush will disburse into the wet paint
creating blossoms.
Begin lifting paint with your brush and
wiping this lifted paint onto a tissue. Clean the brush often making
sure it's damp when touching the paper.
Continue lifting paint off creating the top
umbrella shape of the jellyfish. Take note in this example that the
paint is not totally lifted off leaving all white paper. There are
areas of lighter blue. This adds substance and interest.
This and the next two jellyfish will be
the focal area so the goal is to lift the most paint exposing the most
white (making them brighter against the dark blue background).
Illustrations 6-12:
Continue lifting jellyfish in this same manner.
As you work, the paper will gradually dry making
lifting a little more difficult. At this point, a slightly wetter
brush will be needed taking care not to be too wet. Gentle scrubbing
will be necessary as well to lift this pigment off as Winsor Blue is a
staining pigment. Much easier to lift any paint while still wet or
damp. A small Bristle Flat can be used in lifting pigment that is
near or totally dry but keep in mind that the bristle brush can easily
damage paper. Keep a tissue ready to dab up the lifted pigment so
the brush does not force this loose pigment back into the paper.
Vary the size and over-lap a few of the jellyfish
to help give the illusion of depth within the painting. For
interest, vary the direction in which they are swimming.
Illustration 11 - Special Note:
Although at this point it is not important (this
can be done in the final stages), notice the center over-lapping
jellyfish. Color was added back in following the shape of the
background jellyfish to denote transparency. The left edge is crisp
or "hard" whereas the right edge fades. Lifted paint already on the
brush was used to paint this area in.
Illustration - Final:
In the final stages, the stingers are painted in
using the Liner brush. Winsor Blue and Paynes Gray mixed together
for a darker value is used.
A flat Bristle was used on its chisel edge to
lift color for a few of the stingers. This gives the illusion of
light bouncing off the stingers and adds interest rather than all being
painted one solid color.
Evaluate the painting making sure there is a
graduation of lighter jellyfish in the focal area becoming darker for
depth. If there are jellyfish that too much pigment was initially
lifted, wait until the painting is bone dry and add color back in.
To do this, pre-wet the area and drop in a little pigment (just touching
or dabbing the brush tip in the wet area. Allow the pigment to move
on its own which creates interesting patterns. Allow this to dry.
If not dark enough, repeat this "glazing" process until the desired effect
is achieved.
If there are jellyfish that might need additional
color lifted, pre-wet the area and gently scrub using the Bristle Flat; dabbing with the tissue
to remove the lifted pigment. A reminder again to take care as
bristle brushes can damage the paper when wet.
As mentioned under Illustration 11 - Special
Note, this is a good time to add a bit of color for over-lapping
jellyfish. It is not important to do this with all that might
over-lap as jellyfish are a combination of opaque and transparent
substance.
