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MJBivouac — Two Trees
Published: 2010-04-19 02:49:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 1774; Favourites: 16; Downloads: 103
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Description
Watercolor on stretched bristol board. Just felt like doing something sweet and nice. This is the view of an onion field I see most everyday on my way to work. I love the two little trees in the distance. I did this from memory, and am NOT all that happy with the results, but would still like to go out and photograph it for better reference sometime. I never have a camera when I need one.Related content
Comments: 71
I've done that with watercolor paper. Never thought to try it with Bristol. It must be a thick ply.
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No, plain old Strathmore 300 student grade. It works. College professor showed me the technique.
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Oh, maybe you'll post a tutorial for us dopes who can't do anything with trad techniques...
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You just have to DO it! But maybe I'll shoot some photos and do a watercolor paper stretching tute'...that might be fun.
When I learned the technique in college, the professor did it VERY traditionally which is very elegant and beautiful...when it works right! You need a large drawing board and wide gummed packing tape, which you use to tape down the damp watercolor paper. You have to wet the tape just right and then using the heel of your hand, burnish down the tape over the edge of the dampened paper and out onto the surface of the board. The paper has to be just the right dampness, and the tape has to be wetted just right too. If either the paper or tape is TOO wet, it won't dry properly and the paper will pull away from the tape as it dries.
If you have done it right, the paper will be stuck to the tape and the tape will be stuck to the board, and as the paper dries it will be pulled taut and be beautiful to either draw or paint upon! And it wont wrinkle when you use watercolors on it! My professor told us that when he was in college he LOVED to work on stretched paper and he would stretch a dozen boards in an evening and then lay in bed listening to them "POP"(fail!) before he fell asleep. In the morning he'd find out how many sheets had stretched properly. My technique is a lot more down and dirty BUT it works every time.
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Oh, yeah, that brought back childhood memories of watching my mother stretch paper with tape onto a board. Hmm... So that's what it was all about. I've done watercolors on the "block" paper that's sealed on 4 sides, but it always seems to still wrinkle... Ah, well, but I'm not an artist. Anyway, I like your picture here, and hope you do more.
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Yeah those watercolor blocks simply do not work. A lot of people think they do, but since the paper is NOT stretched into the block it will wrinkle as soon as you touch water to it. Also some people think you can use regular adhesive tape to tape it down, but again, the paper is NOT stretched, so that also does NOT work! But I see it all the time! It's like the biggest art myth in history.
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Ooh, thanks for the tips. I'll remember this if I ever do any trad work! 
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No problem...I started reading you fairy tale book!
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Hey, thanks! I don't think it's ever been read before.
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Really? That's a shame! so much goes into writing a book. I really respect you for doing it and taking the time to publish it yourself and making the books look as good as you did. I'm enjoying it so far. Read the first story about the armadillos...I'm also going to ask my wife to give one of your Venus books a go as she reads really fast.
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Huh... I will give that a spin. I like the idea.
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Let me know how it works out.
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I'll show whatever I end up with, granted my skillz are probably not as good as I'd like to believe with WC.
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nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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It's quite serene. Definitely achieved the sweet and nice feel.
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Thanks! But I still want to get a photo of the field and re-paint this soemtime. I just need to remember to bring a camera whne I go to work! I always think of it once I see the field, and Oh Damn! Too late to run home for it.
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You should go right now and tuck your camera in your glove box.
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Yes, I should at least put it near the front door. I will... thanks...now watch it be miserable and overcast tomorrow.
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