Channel Title: Gary Tucker Channel Description: Gary Tucker - Boston based Watercolor artist shares his videos related to class projects for current students attending his weekly watercolor classes in Boston. Please contact Gary if you wish to use these videos commercially. <video> demo 2 youtube Knobska light Description: About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist Free Pdf https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/23943.pdf Description Dawn is such a beautiful time of day no matter the location or the season. In this lesson we use a view of the Nobska Light as a location during the early morning In our exercise we played with the evocative nature of color and the slow changing aspect of a graded wash. This style of wash is very practical in painting skies. We can capture the flow change of this transitional time in nature with the graded wash in our painting we will make use of this graded wash to create the illusion of depth and the subtle changes we see at early morning light - A benefit of this gradual wash is yhat is evokes a sense of calm or stillness - perfect for representing the calm of morning. The center of interest is the light house and the attached buildings with a secondary interest in the surf below. As such our washes are directed at this and we do our best to announce the lighthouse in a quiet voice. What does our subject look like in its simplest terms? This is a good question for the artist to ponder as they are selecting an image and putting it onto the paper - in todays image the light is helping us to see the joined sahpe of light house and the bluff as one shape Lighting We are using a shape that in direct light would contain a lot of detail and so trust - but today our scene is backlit and so our first impression is the big simple shape and the slope to the sea - this simplicity also evokes a calm or tranquil feeling Looking for a dominant hue The dominant hue in this painting is yellow sometimes we use the term mother color to describe the color that permeates the painting. The compliment to yellow is violet but we use the components of violet, red and blue or make the yellow more exciting Compartmentalization Look at the breakdown of the stages in this watercolor to see how we compartmentalizations the paper to manage the wet into wet technique of a graded wash. Possibilities At the end of this tutorial i placed some other photos to show variations of graded washes Also the paintings of 2 contemporary artists Alvaro Castagnet and Thomas Shaller who make us of the graded wash in their paintings </video> <video> ADVANCING WITH WATERCOLOR: MOONRISE OVER THE SALT MARSH - PART 1 Description: About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist SUPPORT Help me in continuing to provide free content and instruction through YouTube with at least like and subscribe - beyond this consider buying me a cup of coffee as a thank you and definitely share with your friends… PDF https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/24092.pdf Description Today I will give you a couple of new terms. Low Key and High Key, the Mid key exists also but is not used with the frequancy of the other 2. These terms describe the general tonality of a painting or scene. A high key painting is made up of values on the higherer end of the value scale and a low key painting of values primarily on the low end. Understanding the value arrangement before starting the painting can alert you to the need for more lights or more darks Brighter color or subtle color and this will also help you to create the mood your looking for. As you can see the higher key has more potential with brighter/ purer color where as the low key painting is more evocative using grays and subtle mixed darks In the drill today we start by creating a value scale together using a single color black. The goal in doing the scale is to better understand the lights and darks and how to acheive them in the media of watercolor. Technically we lighten a color by adding water to it affecting the consistency of the paint and so we often paint by feel as much as we do by sight. To further the exercise I continue by squirting out a bit of pure pigment onto the paper - lining up lighter hues with the scale equivalent. The point in this exercise is to understand which colors we need to do a low key painting effectively. The drill has got me thinking about an approach to the moonlight over the salt marsh and I envision creating a dark moody painting with blue as a mother color. Last week our mother color was yellow orange and so this will figure into all of my mixtures. But before I hate into the color work I want to begin with a single color study using one of my favorites Sepia. </video> <video> vignette Kenmore Square Description: The Vignette PDF Link https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/23800.pdf About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist SOME REASONS TO TRY A VIGNETTE Painting with the thought of making a vignette encourages the artist to think of the overall design of the painting. Typically the artist starts with the main subject - and it can quite engaging placing the subject in the rectangle without painting edge to edge as we normally do. I find that I am instantly engaged in making and interesting shape out of my subject and so for me it is an important exercise. Typically a good amount of white paper remains and the shape of the subject occupies most of the rectangle. Instead of painting edge to edge the subject at hand the first one consideration seems to be the placement of the subject and adjoining elements and how that interacts with the white of the page. The stress on design continues in connecting the main subject to the sides of the paper sometimes in an obvious manner such as in an adjoining tree sometimes in a less obvious a reflection or shadow. A lot of creativity comes out when executing a vignette and this will extend into our more formal painting as well. The is form is more suited to the sketching as they tend to be more graphic and less about atmosphere or mood. </video> <video> HD Video MELANCHOLY Description: Learning to See It sounds like a very strange thing to say "learning to See" but it is very much a part of the skill that a visual artist cultivates throughout their career. Of course we see things around us. We are primarily visual creatures. We can perceive a star in one second and a firefly in the next. Yet most of the time our vision is based in practicality, in other words if what we see is not going to have a bearing on our survival or pleasure we quickly pass over it, and we continue to scan the surroundings for the next predator or threat or treat , that is the way we are designed. When we sit down to draw something for the first time we realize that there is another world that we did not see before. This is because our intent now is different - we are actively looking at the subject - admiring it simply for its visual beauty. It is a very satisfying moment. That satisfying moment is quickly followed by a terrifying moment. How to we go about capturing all that we see? Where do we begin.! One of the fundamentals in the visual arts is seeing objects as shapes. For example instead of a plate we see a circle of an eclipse, instead of a vase we see a cylinder. We do this internall or by squinting and so eliminate the details of the object so we can see it and render it in simple terms. We do return to detail and nuance later in the drawing. Shape of the paper One of the first considerations is how does the subject present itself? Is it horizontal in nature, vertical... this determines the shape of the paper we use. A simple decision but one that is often neglected. Placement of major shapes Where do we start.? The safest place to start is in the placement of the largest shapes. In working with still life this would be the largest object on the table. In landscape work this would probably be the horizon which divides sky and land. Then we continue to relate smaller shapes to the larger. Angles and invisible Many of the objects we see - natural and mane made - have an axis or center line running through them. The artist creates this and uses it to relate other objects - we also use the angles of edges and other invisible lines to help us with relationships and proportions Foreshortening Foreshortening occurs when we see an object at an angle - todays still life exercise is designed around foreshortening of several slices of melon Repeated shapes Repeated shapes that are turned or places further away help us to express depth this is also true for overlapping shapes About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist </video> <video> Advancing with Watercolor - Color and Transparency Description: About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist Roses are Red... Everyone has a slightly different palette - different colors, brands, and qualities. I feel one of our objectives is to get to know a few colors well - through playful immersion.. In this way we can eventually predict an outcome to a degree. This makes us more fluent and positive in our approach and at the same time fosters spontaneity. Conversely trying to match color as you paint can lead to in the opposite direction. If you are chasing the exact color your painting session often ends in frustration and disappointment. Understanding the properties of our colors - how they harmonize - or compliment, and how they can be used through washes to create a “glow” in our watercolors, are the practical properties of color that we can apply directly in our work. This is why we practice color through drills... COLOR IS RELATIVE There is no one “right” color - this is contrary to what the paint manufacturers want you to believe…Any colors strength is determined by the surrounding colors - its why so many varieties of paintings are possible each has its own truth and that truth resides in the relationships - waxing philosophical </video> <video> Advancing with Watercolor: Gloucester Harbor - High Key Study Description: Your support goes a long way in helping me to continue to publish on YouTube and other venues. Each like and subscribe and share boosts the channel . When you enroll in a class you support me and help me to contribute to Youtube on a regular basis FREE PDF https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/24014.pdf About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and an extensive catalogue of Free watercolor videos on technique and design on Youtube at https://www.Youtube.com/garytuckerartist My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist Description High Key Study Todays image suggests a high key value structure - The light shape I see as the combined shape of the village and the boats - the darks are the small areas of shadows under the pier and rooftops The big mid value is made up of the sky, the trees, and the water. I am perhaps over simplifying - but the simple base is what I need to get started - there are a lot of traps in this painting - easy to fall into them if you do not identify the simple structure first. The traps are the details of architecture and water surface After sketching in the shapes I identify these 3 values on the right side of the painting The Tonal Study I feel that my painting benefits more and more by doing tonal studies. In working things out through a tonal study I gain some confidence with the image that I express through directly through technique and brushwork. I prefer to spend my time now with a tonal study over drawing because I stay in touch with the brush and the paper. I find working with a single color has several benefits. 1 - I can measure the lights and darks - or the tonal arrangement directly and then play with that for effect. 2 - I also feel corrections and adjustments to be easier and more directly applied. 3 - I am more likely to take chances with technique and design and gain useful insight into the image and the media by dong this </video> <video> AWW Rocks and Waves Description: About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist PDF https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/23900.pdf The composition is the foundation and the root of our painting. All the technique in the world can hide a thoughtless composition. So what are some of the things we look for in our subject to help us with the composition Large interesting shapes Of course the question follows what makes a shape interesting? The shapes that interest me are asymmetrical shapes - I find them more interesting than symmetrical shapes A shape that has movement to it - an oblique quality is more interesting than shapes with horizontal of vertical sides, shapes with irregular edges that move in and out are also more interesting than smooth sided shapes - these are qualities that I look for or fashion when I am creating an image - The large interesting shape is what grabs our attention - no mater what it is… The artist uses this principle in traditional painting and modern painting, in western art, and eastern art Shapes that overlap Shapes that over lap each other create a certain visual tension, this sort of tension is preferable to shapes that isolated or simply meet each other - another big benefit is that we are able to express depth when we overlap shapes Repeating shapes Repeating shapes also help us create depth and by repeating shapes we create a theme or harmony in painting </video> <video> HD Video Vignette Description: The Vignette Link https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/23800.pdf About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist Reasons to try the Vignette Painting with the thought of making a vignette encourages the artist to think of the overall design of the painting. Typically the artist starts with the main subject - and it can quite engaging placing the subject in the rectangle without painting edge to edge as we normally do. I find that I am instantly engaged in making and interesting shape out of my subject and so for me it is an important exercise. Typically a good amount of white paper remains and the shape of the subject occupies most of the rectangle. Instead of painting edge to edge the subject at hand the first one consideration seems to be the placement of the subject and adjoining elements and how that interacts with the white of the page. The stress on design continues in connecting the main subject to the sides of the paper sometimes in an obvious manner such as in an adjoining tree sometimes in a less obvious a reflection or shadow. A lot of creativity comes out when executing a vignette and this will extend into our more formal painting as well. The is form is more suited to the sketching as they tend to be more graphic and less about atmosphere or mood. Lets embrace this idea for a short term and have some fun with a vignette approach to a subject </video> <video> Advancing with Watercolor: Rocky Neck Early Morning - Watercolor in a High Key Description: Color High Key Your support goes a long way in helping me to continue to publish on YouTube and other venues. Each like and subscribe and share boosts the channel . When you enroll in a class you support me and help me to contribute to Youtube on a regular basis/ About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and an extensive catalogue of Free watercolor videos on technique and design on Youtube at https://www.Youtube.com/garytuckerartist My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist PDF https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/24015.pdf Description The warm low light hits the rocking boats in the early morning - flattening the forms and glowing with warm hues. A calm in the air and a calm water creates beautiful reflections Patterns In thinking about the design of the painting I would like to introduce the idea of a Pattern. We see a lot of repeating elements in the image today - boats, roof tops, windows, piers and some are reflected also. This abundance of detail can be overwhelming and one stately to over come this is to find the pattern or repeated shapes. Once this is done isolate a few of these shapes as examples and imply the rest. Our eyes will make sense of it.When spread over the page they create a musical aspect to the design. This aspect can be used as a major element, exaggerated, even abstracted. Keep in mind the principle of variation and look for variety in length angle and position of these repeated shapes Tonal Pattern Let’s also touch on our previous exploration into tonal values. One of our first questions should be what are the tonal relationships in this subject There is a larger light value that has a warm quality - I am casually joining the lighter elements by squatting at my subjecting seeing the whole village as one light shape. This shape is peppered with small darks that define narrow cast shadows - especially along the waters edge. All of this in a mid tone of trees, sky and water. - even the mid tone is on the lighter side of the value scale, making his a high key painting CHAPTERS ——— 0:00 Intro 1:48 The Drawing 12:04 Color Strategy 16:33 First Washes 22:32 The Sky 28:22 Tress Wet into Wet 36:23 A Few Darks 50:35 Painting Wet into Wet Reflections 1:02:38 Finishing Touches 1:22:07 Seaguls </video> <video> Advancing with Watercolor: Seeking Shelter - Building a Watercolor Description: Free Download PDF - https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/23775.pdf About the Author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist Description A winter storm for those who live in rural areas can present extra challenges - they survive because they know what to do to ride out the sometime harsh conditions that prevail. In our scene today we consider a narrative of a farmer leading his horses to shelter In the tradition of the great illustrators we start with a concept - above - and collect resources to help us in building the picture. We collect resources - In our case photos, and then we begin to sketch our subject to understand the nature of horses and the figure bent forward into the wind. We consider the composition next. The arrangement and proportio of the figures. Then the tonal structure. Lights and darks. All of these elements work to tell a story - a visual story about a moment of intensity and drama. “The farm hand takes care of his horses as the winds start to pick up and the snow starts to fall…” Challenge To fashion a composition from multiple sources evoking a winter storm is difficult and demanding. When resources are few and not ideal we have to engage our imagination. How did painters of the past conjure such amazing scenes some with out the luxury of photography…m. The sketched, they made models, they asked friends to pose for them… They compiled subjects based on what they could see and from sketches and other references. Today we have an abundance of images to draw upon - in our project we touch on this by building a painting from a couple of sources. As we assemble the parts we have to consider many things - but the most important is implied - the feeling of the moment... </video> <video> Advancing with Watercolor "Skater on the Pond " Part 2 Description: About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist Free PDF - (though donations help me produce this content) https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/23726.pdf Description Putting some figures into our painting invokes a special type of anxiety - This can be mastered with practice and the result will allow you to communicate with more feeling depth and humor. The difficulty arises because we are humans and we have a keen eye when it comes to understanding the human body in motion. To drive home the point if you make a mistake in painting your tree you will know but chances are nobody else will know, they will still see it as a tree. Maybe and arborist will know that the canopy you painted on your elm tree is more like a cottonwood but everyone else will see it as a tree. The same scenario is different when painting figures - if you make a mistake when painting a person everyone sees it right away. Is that person a contortionist or what? No it is just a person bending over to lift something. So let's not waste another moment lets practice making figure. I find it helpful to start with the large masses first. Torso, just a block. Legs 2 , arms one swinging one close to the body, head not to big...on you scrap paper start to play with figures with practice you will find that you learn to reduce the figures to a few calligraphic marks. When thinking of figures for you paintings ask yourself what kind of poses would be common in this setting, then do some research. For example in today's painting the figures are working men lifting and moving stuff over the pier. Let's practice some of those pose </video> <video> AWW Tea Time Description: Like a shadow, I am and I am not.” — Rumi      Shadows Shadows are very useful in the artists portrayal of light and we communicate a lot of information through the rendering of our shadows. We establish the direction and intensity of the light by the shape and darkness of the shadow. We also can convey the qualities of the surface- today a folded cloth through the shape and edges of the shadows Also shadows give us an extension of the object that we may use as a compositional tool. For example we can use shadows to bridge spaces between objects and make our compositions stronger Challenges We face a similar schallenge in creating symmetry as last week - this week our complex shape of the teapot presents certain challenges also Another challenge is to see the the still life as a single shape - at least in the beginning and not a series of independent shapes. I think that the thumbnail sketches help in this respect. Organize a composition Rendering these thumbnails will also stimulate thoughts of composition and for this reason it is a good idea to do several. Render these shapes in relation to the light source As in the previous week we consider the position of the light source and develop the shadows and shading of our subject based on the light Measure the contrast Comparing the light and dark aspect of your objects will give you a tool for creating drama and subtlety - we will explore this in further sessions About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist </video> <video> Advancing with Watercolor: Skaters Frog Pond a Drill Description: DIf you gained something from this video I hope you will visit my Free PDF more tips on working with Figures https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/23725.pdf About me My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist DESCRIPTION We at some point need to embrace the figure. I do mean embrace it as a subject - of course, an embrace when we are feeling stressed by drawing figures is always welcome :) If you want to paint parks, or cities, interiors, or sailboats - all require some basic knowledge of the figure… Though I have seen quite a few sailboats without figures..How is that possible. :) Working with figures and being fluent with them requires patience and persistence… For any ability I have I must give credit to art school - where we were required to work from the figure 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, for 4 years … That kind of immersion was key to understanding and being able to create figures on the fly. HEAD ALIGNMENT A common mistake that painters new to figures share is to place the figure higher and higher in the picture while getting smaller This give the feeling to the audience that they are looking down on the scene from a high vantage - there are times we want this but those are much less common HEAD SIZE Another common error in being to render figures is to make the head too large. The figures to the left all have the same body but as I placed the head I got progressively larger. This makes the figure appear to become a youth, then a child, and finally an infant . Ha ha - I guess we grow into our heads. By the way the same is true of animals. ADVANCING WITH WATERCOLOR - COPYRIGHT © GARY TUCKER 2020 2 ADVANCING WITH WATERCOLOR - COPYRIGHT © GARY TUCKER 2020 3 Some key lines to look for and practice with figures. When sketching Figures in the field or in life drawing class for that matter there are a few major lines to look for and establish to create just about any pos. The lines are the spine, the shoulders , and the hips. Of course there are other important lines but for the purpose of hierarchy the major ones are spine, shoulders </video> <video> Advancing with Watercolor - Twilight in the City Description: Description This week we will look at the city - during the twilight time . We will build on last weeks work with color and layering to take advantage of watercolors transparency and create colors that are glowing - even though we are in the depths of winter. The focal area is a path of light that breaks through the shadows and illuminates a few figures walking through - we populate the lower section with small figures and a few distinct trees Our focus We return to our focus on the path of light and the details of figure, lamp posts and fencing .The snow filled streets echo the fading light in Bostons public gardens during the twilight hour. While walking through the public gardens the day after the big storm my eyes become accustomed to the subtle color in the shadows - mostly deep shades of blue with the glow of fading light reflected here and there. In the drill we will practice brush strokes and creating winter trees. Thinking with our brush creating the movement of trees that express not only the tree but a joy in moving the paint with our brush to create a tree In the drill this week we practice with our colors and use the media wet into wet as well as dry technique One of the challenges we face in this painting and one that we wrestle with often in our painting is how to handle the background. I think it makes sense to think of the back grounds as a minimalist - the problem is this is usually the firsts thing we painted and so we are naturally trying to put some “Finish” to it when it will serve us better to keep it as a simple shape In our drill today we will practice our back ground and foreground to understand what makes an interesting and functional background Some details worth noting - The glowing - warm hues in the buildings and snow The way in which the tress start and also how the branches divide and form patterns in the sky The background plays an important role and and helps to create the profile of buildings that surround the park, The Foreground with creates an easy entrance into the painting About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist </video> <video> Advancing with Watercolor - MOONRISE OVER SALT MARSH - PART 2 Description: Help me in continuing to provide FREE content and instruction through YouTube with a like and subscribe - beyond this consider buying me a cup of coffee as a thankyou and sharing with your artistic circle... About the author Gary Tucker is a watercolor artist/ instructor living in the Boston area. He offers online workshops , in person workshops, and a catalogue of watercolor videos on technique and design My on-line store https://www.gumroad.com/garytuckerartist My web site https://www.garytuckerartist.com instagram page https://www.instagram.com/garytuckerartist Here is a free PDF that provides insight and details for this video Pdf https://userfiles.faso.us/98794/24091.pdf Descrition Todays painting is going to be set in the low key - which for a nocturne is the right choice. I am a big fan of the tonalists and also the romantic painters of the Barbizon school. Most of these artists work in oil which is more conducive to working in a low key. For many Watercolorist’s working with darks is challenging, and so we will embrace the dark side this week. The colors I use for roadways painting are Quinacradone Gold(yellow), Burnt Sienna( red), and Ultramarine Blue, these colors represent the primaries and also sit on the dark side of the tonal scale. You can use other colors if you like but I would choose a limited palette. </video>

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Gary Tucker - Boston based Watercolor artist shares his videos related to class projects for current students attending his weekly watercolor classes in Boston. Please contact Gary if you wish to use these videos commercially.

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