Appreciating Watercolor with Tony Segale

Watercolor is the oldest medium to exist, no other method can match its brilliance of whites and transparency, and yet it is often misunderstood as the hardest to paint.

 In this one day workshop, from 9am to 4pm, Tony will cover the basic supplies, washes and effects, colors and mixing, and planning a painting. Tony will demo and then you will paint the five basic washes. After a one hour lunch break, he will lead you in to planning and producing a simple painting from a single image provided. 

The goal of this workshop is to learn or refresh your knowledge of the basics of watercolor practice, and alleviate the fear of the medium. At the end of the class, you will be ready for any future watercolor workshop with Tony or any other watercolor instructor, or to practice at home.

 Tony has attached his supply list, but this is for information only, you are not required to purchase everything on the list, what you have should suffice. If you are not sure about the type of paper, he will have extra paper available to purchase. Tony has also provided a brief note on how he goes about designing and creating a painting. His thought is to provide a bit of understanding of how he works, after several years of exploration. You can see his work and follow his efforts by visiting his website 

www.tonysegale.com

Tony Segale's Watercolor Supply List

• Paper: 22” x 30”, 140lb Arches Cold Press will work best for this workshop Arches 300 lb Cold Press is my favorite for abstract works. Thickness of this paper does not lend to wet-into-wet because it is hard to really soak the paper. However, the paper’s sturdiness allows it to stand up to abusive techniques including taping areas. 
• Paints: Mostly I use Windsor Newton Watercolors, nice consistent body. WN colors in my palette are Cadmium Scarlet, Cadmium Orange, Lemon, Aureolin, New Gamboge, Quinacrodine Gold, Viridian, Windsor Blue (Green Shade), Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine Blue, Windsor Violet (Dioxazine), Alizaron Crimson, Permanent Rose, Paynes Gray and Burnt Sienna. 
• Palette: My favorite is the Frank Webb palette. 
• Brushes: Most of my brushes are synthetics, they retain their shapes, take abuse and are great tools. Included in my arsenal are the following flats: 3” Fibonacci, 1” and ¾” Jack Richeson 9010 Signature Series. Adding rounds, I use Robert Simmons series 785 White Sables #4, #8, #12 and a Goliath #36 series 789. For line work I use Webb Liners #8 and #12, and for a tiny fine touch I add Cheap Joe’s Golden Fleece Round #6. I have spent too much money on real hair brushes only to be disappointed with the shape retention and durability. 
• Sundries: Masonite or Gatorboard cut to size an inch bigger than your paper. (If you need this backing type of board, let me know the paper size of your painting,and I will let you know if I have any available to use or purchase.) You can use plywood, also, but you need to seal it with 4 or 5 coats of sanding or lacquer sealer. Additional supplies to have are bulldog clips, a large cellulose sponge, pan for water, pan for sponge, spray bottle, cloth towel, paper towels, pocket knife or razor blades, and a plastic tablecloth. 
• Sketch Supplies: Intense knowledge and understanding of any subject is best achieved by the artist’s sketch. Photography of a subject immediately flattens the image and we lose our five, even sixth senses, of “what it is” within us. Always carry a sketchbook with pen or pencil, minimum size of 7” x 10”. For value plans, I use Canson recycled Universal Sketch book, 5.5” x 8.5” and General Woodless Graphite. 
• Any supply questions, email tony@tonysegale.com

The Way I Paint - Tony Segale

 The works I feel the best about during the process, originate from a sketch. The drawing is my teacher. On location, I have a preference for an 18” x 24” sketch pad, and use a peel & sketch pencil in charcoal or blue. Locking the wrist and working from the elbow, I make quick contour lines creating a gesture of the parts of the scene that move me. I don’t spend any time fussing here, I’m not concerned with exact scale or detail. In this type of drawing I draw the essence of the form and shapes, what I feel from my first impression. It’s that first split-second reaction, the visual image that speaks to me, is what I try to capture in my mind and project on the paper. In this manner, I avoid the very literal and painstaking eyeful of everything I see. This is very difficult to do when working from a photograph. When drawing on location, with a live model or a still life, all senses are turned on. I can recall the air quality, a breeze, scents, background noise, temperature and more, and this is reflected in what I decide to compose to paint. Whether painting on site or back in the studio, I will design a new concept from my contour drawing, a composition of what I feel ‘ought to be’. I try to never begin a painting until I finish this drawing, the new composition and a value plan of what I want to create. I quote Frank Webb, “It doesn’t matter how you apply your paint, it matters what you ask your paint to say.”