John Byram watercolor demonstration - January 2019
by Angela Alvarenga
John Bryam gave a remarkable demonstration on his watercolor technique, beginning with a blank piece of watercolor paper and completing a finished, vibrant painting within 2 brief hours. John’s Masters in Architecture and Urban Design has given him a keen eye for structure and composition. To begin, John explained what he liked about his black and white reference photos of old lobster houses and boats on the coast of Maine. He lightly sketched out his drawing, determining where to put white spaces around the boats. It was important to layout the composition so the viewer’s eye moves across the paper. He prefers to use a soft pencil for the sketch so it does not dent the paper and the line work will disappear once its painted over. He paints on a slope and tries to maintain the same angle with every painting.
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John prefers his paintings to be cool or warm dominant. He feels it’s important to have the right values and then the color will not matter. Since his reference photos were black and white he was not confined to matching his color scheme to the photos. He confidently used raw sienna and Van Dyke brown in the sky and reflected the same colors into the water. Aware that certain colors will dry very light, he was attentive to apply more pigment and less water. He likes to blend his colors on the paper.
During his demo, he switched to a round brush and added water to soften some edges; he enjoys pushing the balance between tight and loose brush work, and hard edge and soft edged brush work. He feels that an art piece is not that interesting if the viewer could recognize a common shape, for example an obvious triangle or circle. “Pure shapes lock the viewer’s eye,” he said, and encouraged us to create interlocking shapes or “lost and found edges.” He also shared a tip to always paint with tepid water because it causes the paint to dissolve better.
During his demonstration, John turned his painting upside down to paint sections or adjust shapes. He used a spray bottle to help blend colors, or get them to move. He shared that he sometimes adds extra paint at edges so when he sprays the paint it will run downward. He use a few non-traditional tools to finish his painting: a stenciling tool to scratch out lines or move paint, or a box razor to create sharp lines, dragging it sideways along the paper.
He created more contrast in his painting by adding sharp lines to soft washes, and added finishing touches with a dry brush. He suggested that these marks help the viewer’s eye move where the artist wants them to look.
John shared great tips and gave a memorable demonstration. His talents were brought to life through his vibrant colors and strategic technique. At times, the audience would ask, what is he doing o what is he thinking. However, John was in control of his painting the whole time and has mastered a beautiful technique. It was a pleasure to watch him paint from beginning to end.
During his demo, he switched to a round brush and added water to soften some edges; he enjoys pushing the balance between tight and loose brush work, and hard edge and soft edged brush work. He feels that an art piece is not that interesting if the viewer could recognize a common shape, for example an obvious triangle or circle. “Pure shapes lock the viewer’s eye,” he said, and encouraged us to create interlocking shapes or “lost and found edges.” He also shared a tip to always paint with tepid water because it causes the paint to dissolve better.
During his demonstration, John turned his painting upside down to paint sections or adjust shapes. He used a spray bottle to help blend colors, or get them to move. He shared that he sometimes adds extra paint at edges so when he sprays the paint it will run downward. He use a few non-traditional tools to finish his painting: a stenciling tool to scratch out lines or move paint, or a box razor to create sharp lines, dragging it sideways along the paper.
He created more contrast in his painting by adding sharp lines to soft washes, and added finishing touches with a dry brush. He suggested that these marks help the viewer’s eye move where the artist wants them to look.
John shared great tips and gave a memorable demonstration. His talents were brought to life through his vibrant colors and strategic technique. At times, the audience would ask, what is he doing o what is he thinking. However, John was in control of his painting the whole time and has mastered a beautiful technique. It was a pleasure to watch him paint from beginning to end.