by Tissa Hewavitarane

The difference between a photograph and a painting is that a painting expresses more than just appearance. With each stroke of the brush, the artist expresses his own personality and feelings about the subject. This applies particularly in a watercolour painting, in which every brush stroke remains visible and therefore becomes an integral part of the finished image.

Beginners, though, have a tendency to be rigid and inflexible in their brushwork because they lack confidence to adapt to the spontaneous qualities of watercolour. Every painter is confounded by certain subjects that seem to cause particular difficulty. When painting skies, for instance, we encounter most of the technical problems associated with controlling large areas of wet paint.

This painting gives a dramatic impression of the sheer scale and grandeur of the natural world

Subtle colours

Flowers are another popular painting subject, yet capturing their delicate forms and subtle colours is not an easy matter. The student tries hard to make a photographic copy of the subject and ends up with a dull, routine picture.

Try to condense and revise the photographic images into simple forms. In short, think of them more as a creative stimulus us than something to be rigidly followed. You will see then the photograph, however good, can only really provide the basic matter - a sort of launching pad for the artist's own creative skills.

Don't be a slave to your subject - break loose from it and let your enjoyment come through in your painting. To make a painting, vibrant and to get more expressive power into your painting the brush strokes should be sweeping and fluid. Put more energy to your brush strokes.

Achieving this energy and spontaneity, without losing control of the medium, requires, skill and this can only be gained through practice. Learning to paint is a bit like learning to drive a car. The ride may be a bit bumpy and jolting at first, but the more you do it, the smoother it becomes.

Expressive brush strokes

Expressive brush strokes can only be achieved if your hand and arm are released. Hold the brush loosely and apply the paint to the paper lightly but confidently. Try to convey the movement and energy inherent in living forms by varying the speed, thrust and direction of your brush strokes.

Looking through my own painting done here, I used quite a strong paint to get the dark trees on the left while the distant hill was still damp, showing the use of strong thick paint on a damp surface. The contrasting bank on the left corner and the bank on the background is given a light wash.

The stream was then painted over with clear water and the dark reflections dropped in. You will observe a small hut on one corner to give depth to the whole picture. Notice the sky a uniform blue is applied all over, showing how clouds too, obey the laws of perspective. The brushes used are sable hair soft brush No. 6, 12 and 2 for finishing touches and 180 grms Kent drawing paper for wash.