David Poxon demonstrates how to pick out a feature in a landscape to focus on, and how he captures its light and texture in watercolour.
This French window reflects the beautiful Provence countryside it inhabits. Set in an old cottage wall with crumbling masonry, it was an irresistible challenge. Its rich ochre colours and resonant blue shadows twisting and turning through all that rugged texture would provide me with all the ingredients I look for in a subject. This window was perfect for a quick creative session, as the drawing required very little preparation.
Using a 2B pencil and a ruler I quickly outlined the basic window shape on my pre-stretched paper. If you are unsure about the drawing process, then it is best to practise first before you commit to the watercolour paper. Although the walls are crumbling and ancient it is important to start off with true vertical and horizontal lines. You can always deviate from these later in the painting if you like. There is a bowl on the windowsill which is there for the village cat. At this early stage, I was not sure if I would include the bowl in the finished painting.
Using SAA blue masking fluid, I started to preserve areas of the white paper in a fairly random manner, particularly in the masonry sections. When applying the mask be aware of the perspective lines in the drawing. Even at this stage these scraped masked areas will provide visual 3D clues to the viewer who looks at the final painting. I used an old paintbrush handle to apply the fluid and worked quickly. To protect the central window area from paint splashes, I cut a piece of old paper and taped it into position. Wait for the masking fluid to dry thoroughly before starting to paint.
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