Larry Johnson's

Watercolor Demos 2
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"USING AN OLD CREDIT CARD TO SCRAPE IN TEXTURE".

STEP 1 - MIX TWO COLORS

    Mix up two washes of "rock colors" in about a 60% mixture.  That means about 60% pigment with 40% water.

     The colors of the mix is up to you.  One should be the lightest color that you want on the rocks while the second should be a little over a middle value.  You can use grays or the browns that I have used here.

     On your paper lightly sketch in a rock shape - keep the overall shape interesting.

      Apply the first wash with the lightest color.  Be bold when applying the colors.  I'd rather see a mottled wash than one that is perfect - remember - this is a rock!

     Let the first wash sink into the paper for a minute or so.  We want the color to adhere to the paper.

     Next apply the second wash of the darker color.  Again be bold about applying the colors.

     Note how I left some "funny" shapes at the bottom of the washes.

STEP 2 - SCRAPE IN TEXTURE

     Use an old credit card, a pocket knife or a small palette knife to scrape off colors back to the paper.

     Scrape areas on your rock shape that will be the highlights of where the light is striking the different faces on the rock.

     Don't try to put in too many, keep the numbers to 3 or 5 areas.

 

    When you are scraping make sure to vary the sizes of the scraped areas.  And while scraping apply different pressure on the tool you are using.  This will allow some areas to be lighter than other areas.

     Scrape in the same direction that the light source is pointing towards - in this case the "sun" is in the upper right so I scraped from right to left.  There will be some puddling of colors on the finished side which is desirable.

 

STEP 3 - DROP IN SHADOWS

     After the scraped areas are dry mix up a darker "rock" color that you're using.  We want to define different rock shapes out of the overall shape you sketched.

     It's fair to use a pencil to define the shapes if you want or just go-for-it!

     I began to add some darker color to help define three different rock shapes.

   

      Note too that I quickly brushed in some "strokes" at the bottom of the rocks in those "funny" shapes at the bottom.  My intention is to seat the rocks into the ground using other rock shapes and grass.

     You don't have to paint each individual rock - just suggest that something is there with a few brush strokes

STEP 4 - ADD SOME TEXTURE

     Now comes the fun part!  Protect the background area with towels, pieces of mat board or waxed paper.  Spatter some darker colors over the top of the rock shape and let the droplets dry.

     Next spatter clear water over the rock shape and wait 10 to 15 seconds for the water to soften the colors

     Remove the protective material and blot 3 or 4 times with an old towel.  Blot straight up and down - not side to side.

      Rub the area with a small portion of the towel wrapped around two fingers.  The harder you rub the more color that will come off.

     Add a few cracks with a small brush or a rigger brush.  Paint in some positive ground colors in a calligraphy technique.  Then paint in some positive grass shapes very loosely.

     Add a simple background color.  Leave some areas on the rocks that are the white paper to exaggerate the light hitting the top of the rock face

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