Demonstration: Transfer your photo with a computer

Scan the original photograph

Scan your photo and enlarge it in Adobe Photoshop or a similar imaging software to the size you decide the painting should be.

Divide the enlarged image



Divide the image by cropping it into different sections, making them into separate printable files. You can have as many as four to eight different files, depending on how large you want the painting.

Put the files together


Print out the enlarged files and tape them together to match the original photograph.

Trace the image



Tape a piece of tracing paper over the enlarged image and use a 3B drawing pencil to trace the entire image. This step will also allow you to make changes to your composition if you so desire.

Apply graphite



Flip the traced drawing and apply graphite to the back of the image lines only. This will save time as opposed to spreading graphite on the entire surface of the tracing paper.

Transfer the image



Flip the tracing paper over to the original drawing side, tape it over your watercolour paper and trace over the lines of the image with a red ballpoint pen. A pen is harder, rolls smoothly and will not tear the tracing paper as easily as a pencil. The red colour shows where you’ve already traced. Do not press too hard. Once the transfer is complete, you can add areas where you want more shadows, etc. Now you can start painting.

Demonstration: Apples in a barrel

You will need…

SURFACE

• 300-lb. (640gsm) cold-pressed paper

BRUSHES

• Nos. 6 and 8 sable rounds
• No. 6 synthetic round

PIGMENTS

• Alizarin crimson
• Burnt sienna
• Burnt umber
• Cadmium red
• Cadmium yellow
• Cobalt blue
• Ivory black
• Olive green
• Payne’s grey
• Raw sienna
• Viridian
• Yellow ochre

OTHER SUPPLIES

• 3B or 4B pencil
• Craft knife with no. 616 blade
• Masking fluid

STAGE 1

Use a 3B or 4B pencil to complete a drawing of the still life, placing the highlights accurately. When highlights are in rounded forms like on these apples, their shape is vitally important. You will eventually lighten these lines and they will be absorbed into the painting.

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

STAGE 4

Mix cadmium red and alizarin crimson and use a No. 6 sable round to paint the apples in strategic areas, achieving local colour and form. Notice how the area of the olive green wash you laid in Step 3 now represents reflected light and gives the pile of apples depth.

STAGE 5

STAGE 6

STAGE 7

Add the initial wash to the basket with a medium-value mix of cadmium red, yellow ochre, raw sienna and a small amount of Payne’s grey. Wash this over the entire surface of the basket with a No. 8 sable round, including the three rings of the basket, and allow to dry. For the green rings, apply a medium-value mix of viridian, olive green and cobalt blue. For the red ring, apply a medium-value blend of cadmium red and alizarin crimson.

STAGE 8

STAGE 9
Adding the background establishes the subjects within a specific space relationship. Paint the brown boards in front of the basket with a mixture of burnt umber, alizarin crimson and Payne’s grey. Notice the addition of the dark wall that is not present in the resource photo. This will further establish a mood and helps show off the strong light source that’s penetrating the basket. Also, because the light source is suggested and not shown, the mood suggests an air of mystery