Eight Enlightening Priciples of Design
Edgar Whitney was a a brilliant artist, writer and watercolor instructor.
His Eight Principles Of Design revolutionized my own art along with
many other contemporary artist's approach to painting and design.
Three Generations Of Edgar A Whitney
"Once students had passed through his hands, they were never the same again, and seemed to become completely indoctrinated with his ideas and convictions."
~ Ron Ranson
See a week of Edgar Whitney quotes starting June 8, 2008 on my
Inspiration for Your Day Blog.
A Little History on Ed
Edgar Whitney Produced Prodigies
Edgar A. Whitney spent twenty-five years in commercial art before devoting himself full time to painting and teaching. He taught at Pratt Institute in NYC and lectured at New York University. Twenty years after his death, his book,"Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting"
continues to be one of the foremost and extensive manuals on philosophy, design, and watercolor technique. In his golden years, Ed demonstrated and taught workshops from Maine to Florida, producing many extraordinary modern day watercolor masters while establishing himself as
a legend in the Art World Hall of Fame.
Quotes On Ed Whitney:
"I wish Edgar Whitney was around today. He was so much more than
a teacher of watercolor technique." ~ Monte Guynes
"His critiques were always good theater. He would use any device,
a gesture, description or word to drive home a point." ~ Frank Webb
"On finishing a workshop, Ed would conclude by ending on a philosophical
note. Remember you're the elite who have chosen to spend your time and
money on esthetics he'd say. Others can cheat you, a craft cannot. It's the
only area in life where you get back what you put in." ~ Joan Rudman

Edgar Whitney's Book
Frank Webb
"The King of the CREATIVE CONCEPT"

Frank Webb, A Star Pupil
Tony Couch
"Watercolor, You Can Do It!"

Tony Couch, Another Whitney Star
Former Ed Whitney Student, Tony van Hasselt
2000 Maine Watercolor Workshop
August 2000 Maine Watercolor Workshop

From my online workshop review - Day 2
"On Tuesday, Tony chose a dry docked fishing boat that was being refurbished at a local boatyard for our subject."
This is a photo of the craft and Tony's demo painting for the day.
I can really see the Whitney influence here.
Tony van Hasselt's Website
Edgar A Whitney books from Amazon
BOOKS BY ED, ABOUT HIM AND BY HIS DISCIPLES
The Momma Poppa Baby Formula
From My Spirit Art Blog ~ June 16th, 2008 ~
====<<>>====

The Photo Below Shows Ed Whitney Dicussing the Three Bears
(Momma, Poppa, Baby Formula), Kennebunkport, Maine - 1979
Photo by Shirley Landgraf, Charlotte, N.C, from
The Edgar Whitney Watercolor Site.

Edgar Whitney ~ 1979
ED'S SEVEN ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
THESE ARE THE PARTS OF A PAINTING
* Curved
* Angular
* Rectangular
* SIZE - The relationship of objects to each other
* Small
* Medium
* Large
* LINE - There are two types
* Curved
* Angular
* DIRECTION - The overall dominant direction can be
* Horizontal
* Vertical
* Oblique
* TEXTURE - Three basic textures
* Soft
* Hard
* Rough
* COLOR - Warm or cool, one should dominate
* VALUE - The lightness or darkness of a color
* Light
* Medium
* Dark
THE EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
These are the building blocks OF ALL ART!
* UNITY - The painting must be consistent throughout. Each part must look like it belongs to the rest.
* CONFLICT - (or Contrast) Must be present in all of the elements.
* DOMINANCE - The most important principle because without it, there will be too much variation and no unity of the elements. In each of the listed elements, one should dominate in a painting.
* REPETITION - elements should repeat
* ALTERNATION - Repition with variation
* GRADATION - Gradual change from one element to another
* HARMONY - Similar elements
* BALANCE - Most noticeable with shapes and should generally be informal (asymmetrical) vs. formal (symmetrical)
CHECK BACK OFTEN!
I'LL BE ADDING MORE INFORMATION AND EXPLANATIONS SOON!
My Watercolor Palette
This is the Robert Wood Palette.

My Colors from top left clockwise
Burnt Sienna
Yellow Ochre or Raw Sienna
Naples Yellow * - love this color, use it often, has white in it.
Lemon Yellow
Gamboge - the bright color in the middle, nice - not necessary.
Cadmium Yellow
Olive Green - Lukas brand - love this - not necessary - can mix it.
Cobalt Blue * - I use it occasionally, not necessary, has white in it.
Viridian, Prussian or Phthalo Green - not necessary but handy.
Prussian or Phthalo Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Cerulean Blue * - not pictured - use occasionally - not necessary.
Turquoise * - not pictured - love this color, use it often - not necessary.
Cadmium Orange - not necessary - can be mixed.
Cadmium Red
Alizarin Crimson
Permanent Rose, Rose Madder - not pictured - can be used instead of Alizarin.
Ivory Black - not pictured - Sometimes useful - not necessary, can be mixed.

*In transparent Watercolor, you should stay away from colors with white in them. If you must, use *these colors in moderation. Pure colors with no white added will give you a cleaner, more transparent, luminescent hue.
Quick, what do you think of Edgar A Whitney?
Shout Out For Edgar A Whitney!
LET ME KNOW YOU WERE HERE!
Share your stories, sightings, thoughts, rants, raves ABOUT ED WHITNEY...
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RinchenChodron
I like the way you honor your teacher. Great lens. Five big ones. Posted August 26, 2008 |
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lovemybob
Very enlightening and interesting lens! Welcome to The Painting Group! Posted August 01, 2008 |
Another Whitney Disciple
Monte Guynes ~ Gone But Not Forgotten
VALUE PATTERNS
Ed Developed a Simple System of Value Patterns
A tool I use frequently in drawing and painting is a value scale. See photos of the ones I use on my Sketching Everyday lens.
This is an example of the value pattern I use most frequently. It is a large light, small dark, in an overall mid value.

Check back often, more about Ed's Value Patterns coming soon!


