Dry Weed Nest and Line in Watercolor

 Dry Weed Nest

6x6in  watercolor on aquabord 

waxed. NFS

Artist Note

I was asked to explain about 

line in watercolor

and how it is used.

This one is for you, Edith!

Traditionally, water-colorists have used a pencil

to draw their subject. Often they will go over

the pencil line with a stronger paint line

where they want to describe the form

with more emphasis. Line can change from 

thin to thick, straight to round, 

over or under a mass of color.

In my nest above I used line

with opaque paint over a dark base.

It is called "form line" because it 

follows the direction of the form

A curve is a curve or  

straight is straight...etc.

I mixed different values

 to create the weaving of the grasses.

In the painting below,

Winslow Homer used the form 

line around parts of the boat
creating an outline, and 

even lightly around the sail 

at the back.
This was to create a separation
between boat and water.
So form line and outline are the same
thing, but used for different reasons.

If you look at the clouds

you will see the edges

are formed from the 

mass of the sky color.

No line. But the weeds

and lines on water are 

line. The way he painted

the dark shadow under the 

right end of the boat

could be a lyrical line...

it is expressive and 

yummy as it dissolves into an area of shadow

Andrew Wyeth, below, has obvious lines which

emphasizes the flow and direction of the water.

They merge into an area of color. No longer a line.

Sargent, below, has the lady on the right 

with lines to describe the folds of her

clothes, but on the lady on the left 

he used a softer line and

gently massed in with color.

Ask why one and not the other?

Most likely to direct the eye to her

first, but he did add a sharp line on the 

bonnet to bring some focus 

back to the other one..

 Line can be an important way to 

add some direction and emphasis.

Sargent used lyrical or expressive lines to 

describe the flounces in the one below.
And left it "as is". 

Many of the popular artists of today

like to use the line all the way through

their painting as a style -instead of using them for 

direction or emphasis. 

See Stefan Duncan below

My personal fav is

Shirley Trevena who is

 brilliant 

at mixing all types of line and mass.

Explore all the lines in this one.

It is fun to look through art

magazines trying to find the 

different types of LINE.

If you stuck all the way through this - I thank you!

Edith - hope you enjoyed it.