David Curtis Light and Mood in Watercolour by David Curtis

Author:David Curtis
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781849943239
Publisher: Pavilion Books
Published: 2015-07-21T16:00:00+00:00

An Orkney Dawn

28.5 × 39cm (11¼ × 15¼in)

Early morning light is often incredibly exciting, creating transient scenes such as this, which make perfect subjects for a watercolour painting.

Harbour Moorings

39 × 57cm (15¼ × 22½in)

Another wonderful subject seen in the morning light – this time bright sunlight – which encouraged a loose brushwork approach.

Contre-jour

With contre-jour the viewpoint is directly into the light, so the main elements of the subject are seen in silhouette or partial silhouette. Usually the colour is low-key with high-key accents and details. For me, contre-jour is all about crispness and softness, using strong shapes but contrasting them with little nuances of light and detail here and there. Where light meets dark, the edges will subtly blend together, and for this effect I normally use a wet-into-wet technique. In areas that have more insistent darks, I generally find that a dry-brush technique works best.

Because the significant features of a contre-jour subject are simplified by the effect of light, it is even more important to consider the composition carefully and ensure that the idea works as a whole when using this technique. Note how in High Spring Tide, Staithes, for example, there is a balance of darks formed essentially by two large blocks, left and right, interrupted in places by the various small light shapes that are repeated across the subject, adding further unity to the design.

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