Painting a Bobwhite Quail in mixed media(1)

Expanding Your Artistic Horizons Series

Painting Session 1
Date: 11/29/207
Subject: Bobwhite Quail
Medium: Mixed Media (Watercolor, Gouache, Ink)
Paper: Canson: 90lb traditional surface watercolor paper
Watercolors used: French Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Pthalo Blue, New Camboge (yellow), French Ochre, Vermillion Hue
Gouache: none
Ink: none

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I decided to do another Expanding Your Artistic Horizons Series, and as before I wanted to try a medium I have little experience using. After reading an article about James Audubon by Reba Fishman Snyder titled "Complexity in Creation: A Detailed Look at the Watercolors for the Birds of America" I was inspired to try a mixed media painting. The study of the Audubon paintings was performed by the New York Historical Society, and Reba writes how James Audubon used different techniques and methods creating the paintings for the Birds of America.



According to Reba "Over 300 drawings for The Birds of America have been examined. Each was studied as consistently as possible, using a Nikon stereo-binocular microscope, ultraviolet illumination and raking light sources. Few, if any chemical analyses were performed as it was not critical to the current conservation treatments, and future analysis will be done as required. Audubon's works are not merely watercolors in the traditional sense but are complex works made of a wide variety of media, glazes, papers, and adhesives. Over 30 years, Audubon and his assistants made and reworked the drawings which were handled by many people over nearly two centuries."

She goes on to say "All of Audubon's drawings were executed in several media. The simplest pieces are pastel and graphite or watercolor and graphite. Most of the others contain any combination of watercolor, graphite, pastel, oil paint, gouache, chalk, ink, overglazing, and collage. Mostly self-taught, Audubon developed a wide range of drawing techniques and used a broad range of media to achieve his ends." Being a self-taught artist and scientist, you wonder how he turned out such high-quality, beautiful work.

As mentioned in other posts I am not an experienced watercolor painter and have only painted one gouache painting. You can read about that in my posts "Painting A Wren in Gouache."  In this painting, I want to use watercolor, gouache, and ink. The challenge will be not only be using watercolor but figuring out where and how to incorporate the gouache and ink.

I decided to try my hand at stretching watercolor paper on board using gum tape. My first attempt failed, the paper buckled and pulled away from the tape. I think I did not overlap the tape and paper enough and got the gum tape to wet. The second attempt worked fine and stretched tight on the board. I lightly sketched in the quail, barn, background and roughed in the painting with light washes of watercolor.

In the next session I will continue to refine the painting and  have an idea where I want to add some of the Gouache and maybe some ink.


Sources

Snyder, Reba Fishman, "Complexity in Creation: A Detailed Look at the Watercolors for The Birds of America." The Book and Paper Group Annual Volume Twelve 1993, The American Institute for Conservation.