Using Gradated Washes to Paint Skies

     This entry was originally posted on Friday, April 6, 2012 

Cattle Point Sunrise

7x10"

 Layering (also called glazing) your gradated washes make a fabulous sky.

Start with your lightest color first (usually yellow).

Then layer other colors on top of that color.

Allow each color to dry before layering the next color.

 

In Cattle Point Sunrise, I first did a gradated wash of yellow from the lower third portion of the painting and gradated it out to the top. Next I added my red just above the yellow, allowing it to gradate out the top.

Last, I added my blue at the top and washed it out toward the bottom.

Gradated Wet Paper Wash

    This entry was originally posted on Thursday, April 5, 2012 

A gradated wet paper wash is similar to the flat wet paper wash.

Only you don't put the color over the whole paper.

Start off by wetting the area with water.

Then add your mix of color only half way down the area.

 

Rinse out your brush.

Dry it off.

Then pull the wash down into the rest of the wet area using a crisscross motion.

Continue to rinse and dry off your brush until you reach the bottom of the paper.
You may need to tilt your paper and let the water spread evenly throughout, wiping off the edges.
Just make sure the paint doesn't spread too far down into the area you want left lighter. 

I use this technique when creating skies and sunsets.

Rebecca Spit

7 x10"

 

Gradated Beaded Wash

   This entry was originally posted on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 

A gradated wash is a wash that gets progressively lighter in value.

It starts out with a desired color and value and gets lighter as more water is added to the wash.

 This type of wash can be done as a beaded wash

The only difference is that water is added to your mixture of color as you progress down the board.

 I have an eye or medicine dropper that I use to drop clean water into my mix of paint.

It is best to give your paint mix a little stir with your brush every time you add more water to it before you apply it to your bead.

This is so the water and paint mixes evenly.

The blue stripes in the lower left hand corner of Crashing are done as a gradated beaded wash.