Russell Black
Tin Pan Painter

My goal with this site is to promote outdoor sketching and watercolor painting. I love to paint using Big brushes, Bright color, and with Bold strokes. My hope is that I will inspire you to pack up your painting gear, go outside, and have an adventure exploring the world we live in.

Photos by permission of Woody Hansen - Thank you.

I am sad to report the loss of one of this country's greatest watercolor painters, Henry Fukuhara. My condolences go out to his friends and family. He will be missed.

To pay tribute, this month's workshop will be dedicated to Henry.

On February 9th, I will be conducting a workshop on Watercolor and Collage (click here). This is not the typical Holly-Hobbie, crafty kind of painting. This workshop will be an exploration of combining watercolor and collage using a variety of rice papers in a fine arts manner.

You might be wondering why? Why mess up a perfectly good watercolor with collage? Well, there are certain effects that can be obtained when mixing mediums together. The one thing we lack in watercolor is a textured ground. Watercolor paper, even rough pressed, has very little texture as compared with the gessoed ground of an oil painting. Well, so what of it? By altering the surface that we paint on, we alter the results. We get a different kind of painting, and that is a good thing. Sure, it is no longer a pure watercolor (it is called mixed media), and there is nothing wrong with that.

By using collage we can also exercise several options that are not available to us when we paint purely in watercolors. One of these is the issue of reserved whites. Normally, we would have to keep our whites clean by painting around them or masking them out in some manner. With collage, we can reintroduce our whites after we tone the entire sheet (in my case I use hot pressed illustration board as a base). Collage allows us the freedom to get expressive, and drippy, without having to worry about losing the white of the paper. During the collage process, I can place in a more opaque piece of paper (typically Maza) and get my white shape back and place it where I want it.

I can also introduce papers that add additional textural qualities (embedded bits of fibers or natural materials) or colors (tinted papers), all of which alter the effect and the results.

You have to think of this as a creative act, and not just something that a child does in arts and crafts class in 3rd grade. You have to approach the materials as a way to express a certain point of view. Besides, we are in good company. Picasso's works in collage are more than a mere craft project, and we can aspire to the same level. I will leave you with two of my own collage pieces, and I will post the new painting when it is finished.

                             "Upper Pools"                                              "Mesa Verde #7 - Cliff Palace"

As a painter of watercolors, I feel that there are three things that contribute to the success of a painting. They are the three B's of watercolor:

Use a BIG brush. I begin painting with a large flat brush. This keeps the work loose and fresh. You can't piddle around with a large brush in your hand. Stay with that brush for as long as possible.

Use BRIGHT color. I use fresh, moist, bright color for every painting. You can't make a great painting by using dried up bits of old paint. If your palette looks like a mud flat, all cracked and dry, then squeeze out some fresh paint. Use pure, transparent colors and keep the earth colors to a minimum. I have nothing against using neutrals, but it's easier to quiet down a bright painting than it is to liven up a dull one.

Use BOLD strokes. Take that large brush and pull or push it across the paper with feeling. Show the paper who's boss. Painting in watercolor takes a certain amount of bravado. You can't make a great painting by tickling the paper to death. Paint a watercolor like you mean it. Be bold!

Remember the three B's - BIG, BRIGHT, and BOLD.

To find out how to convert a camera tripod or traditional French easel into a more practical watercolor easel, click here.

For a brief bio, please click here.

If you would like to contact me, please click here.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC

The Artwork Contained On The Pages Of This Web Site Are For Screen Viewing Only. They Remain The Property Of The Artist And May Not Be Reproduced Without Written Permission.