The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook Landscapes

265 Pages·2006·12.533 MB·English

by  Gordon MacKenzie

SPRING MEDLEY
11" × 14" (28cm × 36cm)
The
Watercolorist’s
Essential
Notebook
Landscapes
Gordon MacKenzie
www.artistsnetwork.com
The Watercolorist’s Essential Notebook: Landscapes. Copyright © 2006 by Gordon MacKenzie.
Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in
writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by North Light Books, an
imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. [phone]. First edition.
Other fine North Light Books are available from your local bookstore, art supply store or direct from the publisher.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
MacKenzie, Gordon.
The watercolorist’s essential notebook, landscapes / Gordon MacKenzie.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58180-660-1
ISBN-10: 1-58180-660-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-575-7 (EPUB)
1. Landscape in art. 2. Watercolor painting—Technique. I. Title: Landscapes. II. Title.
ND2240.M155 2006
751.42'2436—dc22
2005025171
Production edited by Stefanie Laufersweiler
Designed by Lisa Holstein
Production art by Lisa Holstein
Production coordinated by Mark Griffin
Acknowledgments
The best way to learn something is to teach it, and the best way to teach is to learn from your
students. With this in mind, I acknowledge all that I have learned over the years, both directly
and indirectly, from my students. I also wish to recognize the many dear friends and colleagues
whose real and spiritual support over the past five years has made this book possible. And a
special thanks to Pam Wissman, acquisitions editor, who made the opportunity happen.
Metric Conversion Chart
To convert to multiply by
Inches Centimeters 2.54
Centimeters Inches 0.4
Feet Centimeters 30.5
Centimeters Feet 0.03
Yards Meters 0.9
Meters Yards 1.1
Sq. Inches Sq. Centimeters 6.45
Sq. Centimeters Sq. Inches 0.16
Sq. Feet Sq. Meters 0.09
Sq. Meters Sq. Feet 10.8
Sq. Yards Sq. Meters 0.8
Sq. Meters Sq. Yards 1.2
Pounds Kilograms 0.45
Kilograms Pounds 2.2
Ounces Grams 28.3
Grams Ounces 0.035
About the Author
Gordon MacKenzie is a native of New Liskeard in northern Ontario. He now lives in Sault Ste.
Marie, Ontario, where he maintains his painting and closeness to the outdoors. Even though it
precluded any formal art instruction, the remoteness of northern Ontario became the inspiration
behind Gordon’s work. His paintings reflect his emotional bond with the natural world.
“An artist’s work is a reflection of their personal aesthetics; the ordinary things that have
extraordinary and hidden beauty, meaning and significance just for them. These perceptions are
set at an early age, and for me it was the spirit of remote Northern lakes and forests speaking in
breathtaking images for the eye and timeless silence for the soul.”
Gordon received his first formal art training at the Ontario College of Art and Design while
certifying as a visual arts specialist in education. Work in a variety of media followed, but none
captured the transient and ethereal nature of the land as he saw it until the early 1970s when he
switched to watercolors. He has been a devoted watercolorist ever since.
Gordon has now retired after thirty-three years as a teacher and art consultant for the Sault
Ste. Marie Board of Education. As a graduate of Laurentian University and a specialist in art
education, he has taught ministry of education and university-level art education courses for
teachers for many years. With over twenty-five years of teaching private adult watercolor
workshops as well, Gordon has earned a reputation as a first-class artist and instructor. Gordon
has had twenty-six solo watercolor shows in Canada and the U.S., and his work appears in
many private and corporate collections throughout Canada, the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Far
East. He has received honors in several American shows, including that of the Detroit Institute
of Art and the American Artist annual competition. He is a member of the Canadian Society of
Painters in Watercolour and author of the very successful The Watercolorist’s Essential
Notebook (North Light Books, 1999).
Dedication
For Jane,
who taught us all how to live this life, and now guides our hearts from afar.
DEPARTURE
11" × 19" (28cm × 48cm)
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 The Medium, Tools and Techniques
Before We Start
Pigment Characteristics
Paint Quality Chart
Brush Types
Brush Techniques
Water
Fading Out
Graded Washes
Palette and Paper
Negative Painting
Masking
Combining Masking Materials
Painting With Palette Knives
Painting With a Sponge
A Treasury of Techniques
2 Composing a Landscape Painting
How Do I Go From Painter to Artist?
Color Characteristics
Color Wheel
Color Schemes
The Quality of Sunlight
Light Effects
Creating Atmosphere/Mood
Perspective
Surface Patterns That Lead the Eye
Using a Model for Perspective
Dynamics: Are There Any Signs of Life?
Contrast
Priming the Imagination
3 Landscape Elements
Painting Water
Making Waves
Wave Direction and Surface Patterns
Interrupted Flow
Sparkling Waters
Masking Ripple Marks
The Laws of Reflection
Calm Reflections
Techniques for Dynamic Water
Sea Spray
Rapids
Big Water