Influences

Studying the masters is very useful in  making progress in your chosen medium.  Here in Maine, the presence of Winslow Homer is especially unavoidable when painting sailboats.  During the past few rainy days, I studied the paintings he did of sailboats and surf.  I was really struck by his use of dark values to help define the beauty of the white hulls and sails of the sailboats he depicted.  The challenge for me was getting the sea water dark enough to cause the hull to stand out.  

First, I painted the sky and clouds.  Putting down the clouds and hints of blue sky on totally white paper always feels like the values are too dark.  But then when you paint the water, you must make it much darker than the sky which, placed against the hull, punches up the feeling of light.  Since the sky is the source of all light, it naturally becomes much lighter looking than when I put the first washes down.  

I've said it many times.  Painting dark values is one of the hardest things to judge in watercolor.  Students tend to be too timid and end up having to go back in again and again, resulting in muddy washes.  Be brave in the darks!  And study the master painter that speaks most strongly to you.