Steve Fleming

Artist Studio

In The Studio: Using White Paper

In the following 3 demonstrations you can see how I have left white paper or created white shapes to make the focus in the painting.  Although we don’t always see whites in nature it is an important aspect of picture making to think of your lights as white paper and use them.  Remember also that you don’t have to leave the white where it is you can move it around to create a better composition.  Think related white shapes not isolated white shapes.

Watercolors

In every demonstration I do I talk about the unique power of white paper in a watercolor painting and how important it is to use this tool to direct the viewer around the painting.  In the following 3 demonstrations you can see how I have left white paper or created white shapes to make the focus in the painting.  Although we don’t always see whites in nature it is an important aspect of picture making to think of your lights as white paper and use them.  Remember also that you don’t have to leave the white where it is you can move it around to create a better composition.  Think related white shapes not isolated white shapes.12×16 watercolor on 300 lb paper12×16 watercolor on 300 lb paper12×16 watercolor on 300 lb paper

1 Comments on “In The Studio: Using White Paper”

  1. A good lesson about the existence of the whites left on paper and those created by us, and their purpose to suggest light and to direct the gaze through the painting. And also how we can move them to our will to the place where it suits us to create a better composition. Thanks Steve for sharing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.