Watercolor
Watercolor Drybrush – Two Masters
Ottorino De Lucchi
Paul McCormack
No, these aren’t oil paintings, amazingly enough! These are examples of a very exciting and satisfying watercolor drybrush and glazing technique (though it can be a bit meticulous). The two artists represented here are two of the premier masters of this technique and for a fuller enjoyment of their work check out their websites.
The technique is simple to describe but takes practice as does any mastery of watercolor. Thin glazes of pure watercolor pigment in an almost dry application are laid down layer upon layer until the desired value and color is attained. The brilliance and luminosity that can be achieved through this technique I never thought possible with watercolor. Glazing with oils has long been known to achieve this brand of jewel-like luminosity. Oil painting masters going back centuries have used it as their staple. Watercolor, on the other hand, has the reputation of being easy to overwork and muddy in repeated layers of application. A reputation that’s well earned and I can testify to first hand. But with the right approach this is not always the case. I’ve tested and pushed the drybrush technique myself on a few occasions and it works. I am having to relearn almost everything I know about watercolor painting and layering. My previous paradigm dictated that simple one, two, or three layer applications at most achieved the best results and kept the watercolor painting fresh, unmuddied and watercolor-like. There are, of course, many notable masters that excel at this traditional watercolor approach, which, in its own right, is beautiful to behold and can be very exciting. But apparently watercolor has more to give as a medium than I ever knew. I’m anxious to learn more.
Rock Study
A detailed watercolor study of some river boulders and rocks inspired by some reference photographs I took. The streams and rivers in the foothills and mountains of Upstate SC are full of these and they make great subjects. The tree was masked before painting. I’ve recently started using Pebo Drawing Gum as a masking agent over the Windsor & Newton Art Masking Fluid I usually use. Pebo has been recommended by a number of other professionals that I admire so I decided to try it. I’ve not noticed a lot of difference yet so we’ll see over the next few watercolors.
Impromptu Painting
These are technique studies with no preconceived idea, composition or direction. I started each with a splash of color or a wet in wet wash to test and experiment with techniques like salt or lifting or bottle squirting etc. The fun part comes when I see what sort of painting I can make out of it part way through. The final image comes from the paint itself so to speak. I just coax it out a little.
