This is exercises 4.21-4.22 from Rick Surowicz�s Podia Rocks and Water.

It strikes me as I type this up that I might need to get Rick�s permission to post these. I�m going to post this, and then ask him-he�s responsive on Facebook.

My concern about that is that someone might stumble on these and decide not to purchase the Podia, thinking they can just go from the pictures I have posted of the exercises. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I recommend purchasing it. The things I�m saying here are just things I thought about as I went through the classes, but in order to really absorb the information, I think it�s imperative to listen to his explanations, and watch him paint. If it weren�t for actually watching him do these techniques, I wouldn�t have realized some of the mistakes I�ve been making, like stabbing pigment on the paper. That�s not something he even mentions, I only learned that lesson because I could compare my motions to his.

Anyway, this exercise is all about texture. Here are the things I learned:

I�m Probably Wrong About Color Theory

My last post talked about what defines a warm and a cool color. I argued that warm colors were closer to green, cooler colors are closer to black. As I painted these rocks, I explored that a little. I used yellows and greens at the parts that I wanted to be in sunlight, and reds and blues in the shadows. I noticed that the blues definitely did read as if they were in shadow, but the reds not so much. I don�t know if that�s because the reds were close to the blues, but if I were correct, that wouldn�t matter. Red would look like a rock in shadow just as blue would. Maybe, it�s more that a green object can turn red or blue in shadow, but a yellow object will lean more toward becoming red in shadow. I�m really not sure.

Is Salt Safe?

I have seen this technique before of adding salt to wet pigment to get the textures here, and I LOVE the textures I get this way. But, there is so much focus on acid free archival paper and lightfast pigment – I wonder if salt has a deleterious effect on the archival properties of a painting. I want to use the technique because I like the results, but I want to research this more first.

Dry Spritz vs Damp Spritz

I have never dried the dry spritzing method Rick describes, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked. However, the results I got were different from the results Rick got. When he does this technique there was a much more dramatic change than I saw. I think this is due to pigment choice. I�m using all Daniel Smith pigments, except for my Quin Gold which is M. Graham. I don�t know what Rick is using, but they don�t appear to stain as easily as the pigments I�m using, which might account for the ease with which he can lift textures. That, or using a cloth makes a big difference as opposed to using a napkin. Or, I�m letting the spritzed water sit too long, or not long enough. Or, there is something about the way I�m striking the paper that�s different.

Regardless, the damp spritzing had similar differences for me. His pigments seemed to move more easily.

I know DS Indie Blue is a super heavy stained, so maybe that�s part of it. He calls his Blue �Royal Blue� and mentions somewhere that it�s PB60. I wonder if it�s Holbein? Anyway, there is something different that makes my results different from his. My DS pigments seem to stay put a little more than the ones he uses.

Pet the Paper

I avoided stabbing the pigment entirely on these exercises, and it helped a lot. Not only does it give more graceful washes, but it takes a bit of the anxiety away from painting. I find myself feeling more relaxed and enjoyed this more when I tried to not stab pigments. Weird. But, it�s true.

Don�t be Afraid of Quick Value Changes

I tried to get gradual value changes up until I painted that rock in the bottom right corner. Man-I love that rock. It goes from a light yellow-Gold to an intensely dark blue very quickly, and the abrupt change adds a ton of action and interest. I can�t over do this, or it�ll spoil my paintings-but I shouldn�t be afraid to use it here and there.