I first heard about the artist Terry Harrison when I was given a useful book about acrylic painting techniques a few Christmases ago. (Despite its modest cost, the book was my favourite gift that year, if I had to chose one.) I subsequently learnt that Terry was an accomplished painter, and did much to promote painting through tutorials, classes and even his own range of brushes and paints. And a number of books, of course. It was therefore with some dismay and sadness that I learnt that Terry had succumbed to cancer two and a half years ago, while still in his 60s. He seemed like a gentle and kind person.More recently, I was tempted into buying a pad of all-cotton watercolour paper from Ken Bromley Art Supplies, and the book Painting Water in Watercolour by Terry Harrison also caught my eye. The price was under a tenner, and as I appear to have included water in a number of my (few) paintings, I thought it might help me in the future if the inclination continues. Perhaps there would be a technique I could try after a number of months of painting inactivity?
My package arrived from Ken Bromley well-packed and in no time at all -- the usual excellent levels of service. The watercolour pad was squirreled-away for a time when I feel I will be able to do the paper justice. The book was a little smaller than I expected, at 96 pages. I was hoping it might have been hardcover with a spiral binding like my acrylic book, but it was a standard softcover and glued binding. However, the content itself did not disappoint.
Inside were sections on materials, colours, techniques and projects. (Apart from the projects, not unlike my earlier acrylic book really.) As the book's subtitle suggests, the idea is that any of the projects can be completed in 30 minutes if you follow Terry's instructions -- and are as adept and proficient as Terry was, of course! I think this is a good idea in principle, as many people have full and busy lives, and taking more than an hour out to paint can be a big ask.
Suitably inspired and wanting to try out a WHSmith Watercolour Paper pad that I had received for Christmas, I thought that there might be an exercise I could do. Sure enough, the Sky reflections technique on page 54 seemed to fit the bill, as it seemed reasonably simple and mostly within my capabilities; also, it looked effective as a painting in its own right.
The book shows an image for each step with text underneath: the text says what you need to do for that step, including suggestions as to which brush(es) to use and which colour(s). I tried to match the brush selections from my collection. The recommended colour palette was Raw Sienna, Ultramarine and Burnt Umber. I used Cotman colours throughout, but substituted Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue (with a touch of Cadmium Red Pale Hue in places) for the Raw Sienna. Otherwise, I followed the instructions as closely as I could.
The (uncorrected) result is shown here, warts and all! It took me around 45 minutes in total, allowing time for the paper to dry between two of the steps. (I imagine that Terry would have been able to do this comfortably in about ten minutes using a hairdryer.) As I suspected, the paper did not really lend itself to wet-in-wet painting, but nor did it cockle too badly either. I am pleased with how it turned out, given the unfamiliar paper and lack of prior practice. But clearly I need to work on my technique (and my observations!) if I am to achieve more convincing reflections in water... (Can I say Axis of Symmetry?)Terry Harrison's book is definitely worth having if you are learning to paint in watercolour and expect to depict some sort of water (lake, stream, sea, puddle, waterfall) in at least one of your pictures. Fortunately, being a 30 minute artist is optional.
