A little fishing with Paul Talbot-G

	Bockingford paper 425gsm (200lb) NOT
	SAA Blue Masking fluid
	SAA Watercolour paints: Cobalt Blue, Sap Green, Burnt Sienna, Payne's Grey, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Opaque White.

Draw the boat carefully because this is the focus of the picture. If it helps, get the drawing correct on cartridge paper then trace this onto your watercolour paper. Apply a 1cm (approx) band of blue masking fluid around the outline of the boat in order to protect the shape from the washes you are about to paint. Mix some Cobalt Blue with a small amount of Sap Green and plenty of water! Wash this over the whole picture but around the boat make it slightly stronger at the bottom. When the big wash has dried, mix Sap Green and Burnt Sienna to create a green-brown colour. This wash must be mid to dark in tonal strength so use plenty of paint and less water to get the density and the volume required. A big brush works well here as it allows you to apply the colour quickly whilst easily suggesting the rounded shapes of the wavy water. Apply the colour evenly then add Payne's Grey into the colour mix (very dark) and brush some zigzag reflections into the green-brown area wet-into-wet. Use the same colours to create the wavy reflection of the boat.

When the washes are dry you can apply some more dark zigzags as wet-on-dry in the upper area like I have done, but see how you feel at this stage. They’re not absolutely necessary if the top wash is interesting enough. Work on the reflections of the boat by over layering the first wash with the colours of the hull. Use Burnt Sienna for the stripe across the stern then Burnt Sienna, Sap Green and Payne's Grey for the darker shapes of the reflected underside. I would normally paint reflections last but in this case it is convenient whilst the masking fluid is still in place. When the washes are bone dry remove the masking.

Now you can relax into the painting with some careful washes using smaller brushes allowing each differently coloured section to dry before moving on to the next. Use Cobalt Blue for the inner part of the boat, then Cobalt Blue mixed with Alizarin Crimson (or Permanent Rose) for the thwarts (plank seats) and box. Use a very pale version of this colour for the shadows on the white floats. Paint the wooden parts of the hull in Burnt Sienna and mix this with Payne's Grey for the darker, shadowed areas. Use Cadmium Red for the buoys (Payne's Grey for the fastening), Alizarin Crimson at the base of the stern and finally Cobalt Blue mixed with a tiny amount of Sap Green for the shadowed parts on the white sections of the boat.

Add the details to finish the picture. Use Cobalt Blue to paint the inner ribs of the vessel. Apply the edges of the thwarts with a darker mix of their original colour and suggest some of the planking lines on the outside using Burnt Sienna and Payne's Grey. You can continue to make the boat as detailed as you want. Whether you paint the bits and pieces loosely or intricately is entirely down to your own style and approach. With a damp brush gently remove some highlights on the sides of the boat and the round buoy. Finally add the ropes with my ‘rope trick’. Apply Opaque White to the edge of an off-cut of watercolour paper then gently bend it to the appropriate line and stamp the paint onto the paper. Apply a few dabs of white on the darker water then add a couple of rope reflections using the Burnt Sienna, Sap Green and Payne's Grey mix.

If you try your hand at this exercise and would like your painting to be one of a small selection to be considered for inclusion in Paint with a brief critique by Paul, please send your work as a good quality photo, copy or digital image (300dpi, minimum 8cm x 8cm) by e-mail (paint@saa.co.uk) or on disc to Head Office. We are sorry but we are unable to return your paintings so please do not send originals if you need them to be returned.

 

Signed copies of Paul’s new book, 30-Minute Landscapes, published by Walter Foster (USA) are available from his website along with a full programme of events; www.talbot-greaves.co.uk or e-mail him at information@talbot-greaves.co.uk.