NIC Session #1:

Session #1 TEXTURE

Plastic wrap – Mix ultramarine and cadmium red on the paper, place plastic wrap into the wet paint, encourage any air bubbles to go away, without “poking”. Leave it for a long time, then remove.

Plastic wrap - Mix alizarin crimson and prussian on the paper, place plastic wrap into the wet paint, encourage any air bubbles to go away, without “poking”. Leave it for a long time, then remove.

Waxed paper - Using granular paints (ultramarine blue and burnt sienna), and blending the paints together on the paper, create a field wash, then place a flat sheet of wax paper on the wet paint. Hints – cover it completely, the paint needs to be juicy-wet still, light pressure using the flat pads of the fingers encourage the wax paper to “grab” the wetness.

Waxed paper - Using granular paints (ultramarine blue and burnt sienna), and blending the paints together on the paper, create a field wash, then tear chunks of wax paper and place in the wet paint, leaving gaps between them. Using contrasting colours, poke into the top of the wax paper pieces and encourage (by adding more and more liquid) to run down under the wax paper. Once dry enough (a quiet “ticking” sound can be heard when the wax paper is tugged on), the wax paper can be removed to reveal amazing texture.

Plastic Wrap - working with the paper vertical, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue were painted on the dry paper to fill, then plastic wrap was pulled and placed into the wet paint. It was allowed to sit for a long time to make the most texture. After it dried, a piece of masking tape was torn vertically (to produce a random, natural edge) then rebuilt on the painting, leaving a gap in the middle. More tape was added to each side, then a damp sponge was used to scrub off the paint, then the tape(s) removed to reveal the white vertical form.

Waxed paper - Using granular paints (ultramarine blue and burnt sienna), begin with clear water at the top, then introduce a field wash to the bottom of the page, placing a sheet of wax paper into the wet paint. After taking off the wax paper, before the paint had fully dried, the handle of a brush was used to scrape off some colour to create white shapes. Later, the top portion was rewet with clear water, and a soft grey shape was painted into the damp paper at the top.

Plastic wrap – Using granular paints (ultramarine blue and burnt sienna), begin with clear water at the top, then introduce a field wash to the bottom of the page. Stretch a piece of plastic wrap and place on the paper, pressing lightly. After removing the wrap, use a wet brush to scrub out some of the colour to create “logs”.

A burnt sienna and ultramarine blue field wash was used to cover the paper, then a sheet of waxed paper was placed over the wet surface. Waiting just a few moments, the waxed paper was removed and the paper allowed to dry. Using wax paper cut into shapes with scissors, the paint was scrubbed out from inside the shape (used as a mask), or paint was swept across the shape to create a negative mask.

NIC Session #2

Session #2: TEXTURE & SALT

Salt – Burnt sienna and ultramarine blue were mixed to make a soft grey that covered the paper, then a few light sprinkles of fine table salt across the top, then more across the middle, then LOTS of salt along the bottom to determine how much salt is enough salt and how much is too much.

Salt - cadmium yellow and ultramarine blue were mixed on the page, then a few crystals of coarse salt were sprinkled into the wet paint. Eventually, white “flowers” were formed which a few short strokes with a small brush connected.

Salt – using a grey mixed from cadmium red and ultramarine blue, paint a field wash from the top about ½ way down, then water it out. Wait a few moments (until it looks less shiny) then sprinkle fine salt and a little coarse salt into the damp paint. Lift the board on a dramatic diagonal tilt to make the salt drag. The idea is to create the look of rain or blowing snow, but, this didn’t work very well, so a wet brush was dragged across diagonally.

Scratching – Mix cadmium red and ultramarine blue, fill the page with colour, then – working quickly – paint from side to side top to bottom. With a tongue depressor, flat to the surface, scrape heavy trunks (bottom up), then turn it on its thin edge and pull branches from the trunks. If the paint has sat for a bit, and you press the T/D flat, you can drag the paint off – creating a white shape.

Working with the paper vertical,  paint a coloured shape, water the edges all around, scratch into it then wipe from top to bottom with a clean sponge. Make the scratches as interesting as possible. Drop a little more colour here and there.

Paint a coloured shape, water the edges all around, scratch into it then wipe from top to bottom with a clean sponge. Drop a little more colour here and there.

Place a price sticker (circle) on the dry paper, then starting from the top, paint a field wash that begins ultramarine blue, sgifts to water, then shifts to cadmium red and yellow ochre mixture. Scratch foreground grasses then remove sticker.

Combining techniques: drop mixture of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue in shape towards top, ending in a line at the base, then soften the edges with clear water. Scratch with brush handle to create tree mass, then wipe away with clean sponge. Take more colour and drop it back into the scratched mass, then bring ultramarine blue into corners and up to the mass, dragging down into the mass here and there.

Session #3 NIC

Session #3 DRYBRUSH & SPLATTER

Drybrush – Pick up paint on a flat wash brush, press it into paper towel to dry some, then drag it quickly across dry white paper to make speckles. Hints – practice on a scrap to see how “wet” your brush is, use good colour contrast so it shows up, let one layer dry completely before you repeat or change colours, try not to overlap.

Drybrush – this time, using a small round brush dragged quickly to create broken lines.

Splatter – using a toothbrush dipped in dark colour, hold it upside down then drag your finger across the bristles while aiming at the paper. Fill a big wash brush with all the paint it will hold, turn it so the paint pools in one corner, then tap the brush handle firmly to create blobs of colour.

Building on what you have learned - to begin:

Wet the paper, then mix burnt sienna and ultramarine blue and paint a swath across the top of the page (about ¼ of the way down) and soften the bottom edge with clear water if it forms a line. Immediately, using the tongue depressor, scratch tree trunks (bottom up, in a line, randomly spaced).

Step 2:

Wet the foreground, then paint sweep of burnt sienna with a touch of ultramarine blue –fill the bottom of the page with colour. Using your slant tip brush handle (or credit card, or tongue depressor) scratch in grasses – all in one direction, from off the bottom of the page in. Mix more blue into the mixture and drag streaks of this colour through and between the grasses.

Step #3:

Mix burnt sienna and Prussian blue to make very dark brown. Using a small round brush, place a ball of liquid at the base of the tree (start a little lower than the first line of trees), then using the tongue depressor, drag the narrow line off the top to form a thin trunk. Carefully put more liquid then drag out and up to form branches. Keep it random but begin all shapes along the same horizontal line.

Step #4:

In open area at the back (left side here), paint dark brown wash down to lower tree line, soften edges with clear water, scratch in several tree forms (hint – bottom up, right off the page at the top), then wipe carefully from bottom using a clean sponge.

Mix burnt sienna and prussian blue to create a very dark brown, then direct paint fence – hints: start at the widest part, move diagonally, taper shapes smaller and smaller. Try not to be too “literal”.

Using a rich mixture of cadmium red and Prussian blue, paint a wash that attaches to the base of the fence line, about halfway across, then soften and pull edges with clear water and a flat brush. Turn the brush on edge then “drag” water into foreground grasses.

Final Step:

Using flat brush and deep  colour (burnt sienna + Prussian blue) from base up to create tree trunk, then drag liquid outwards to make branches. Using a small brush or rigger, sweep dark grasses across the trunk (to anchor tree in ground).