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Watercolour : what is negative painting ?

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All you ever wanted to know about negative painting !

Most painters work using the positive painting.
Discover how an alternative painting-process, named negative painting, can help you to improve your art works.
This lens explains what is negative space, what are the advantages of this technique, how to use it and combine it to positive painting (the most classical method).
Here are a lot of information and videos, written by myself or collected on the web, as well as reference to artist who master this technique and other useful links.

About ...

Negative painting (or negative space, or sculpted whites) means that rather than painting the object itself, the painter creates its shape by painting around it. Using this innovative method, artists can create striking and alluring works of art.

Here are a lot of articles, written by myself or collected on the web, as well as some useful links, about this technique.
I will soon add step-by-step demonstrations to help you to learn how to master this alternative approach, to focus on shapes and colours in order to give more dynamism and intensity to your watercolour paintings. So, please, keep in touch !

Any questions ? Do not hesitate to contact me.

1. Articles about negative painting written by myself

Each article is written in French or English. Please scroll up/down the page to find your own language.
Negative painting
Here is a definition of positive and negative painting in watercolour.
Discover the advantages of this technique, see examples about how to combine positive and negative spaces.
The Harp Player (WIP 4/5)
In this step-by-step demonstration of one of my watercolour paintings, "The Harp Player", the foliage of the bushes and trees was painted in negative. I give you a short, but I hope interesting, introduction about sculpted whites.

2. Practical examples

Here is an overview of art works painted using the negative technique. Each painting-process is written in French or English. Please scroll up/down the page to find your own language.
Narcissus Jonquilla (watercolour)
For this watercolour, I combined both positive and negative techniques to create more depth, to accentuate the shape and detail of the flowers.
Tutti Coloria & Snow (watercolour)
The snow area was painted using the negative technique. We firstly painted around it, applying colours to depict the rocks. Each tree was painted in positive, with several colours from different families of paints : staining, mineral and sedimentary pigments.
An Evening in Venice (watercolour)
In this case, the central scene was painted using a combination of positive and negative spaces.
The Harp Player (WIP 4/5, watercolour)
In this step-by-step demonstration of one of my watercolour paintings, "The Harp Player", the foliage of the bushes and trees was painted in negative.

3. Step-by-step demonstration

How to use negative space to paint flowers ?

I wish to share with you the work-in-progress of my latest watercolour, "Narcissus Jonquillas". Here, you will find the two first steps of my work.

1. I protect key whites with Schmincke's liquid frisket, then I saturate the front of the paper with water. I lay a foundation of soft tints, using a combination of Blockx watercolours : Lemon Yellow, Row Sienna and Cerulean Blue.

2. I establish the first layers of colour using the existing hues of the underpainting and Ultramarine Violet. I work from the foreground to the background and let each layer dry before applying the next glaze. I paint in negative all around the flowers and, as you see, the first shapes begin to appear.

To learn more about this work-in-progress, please visit my art blog at http://walkonwater.canalblog.com/ (category : The Watercolourist's Notes).

4. Video

Painting outside the lines with Linda Kemp
From ArtistsNetwork.TV : This extraordinary video is a fully-comprehensive guide to negative painting.
Negative painting is an alternative approach to traditional painting styles. Working in the negative isnt hard to master, its a simple shift in the way you see! Whether you are a beginner or an accomplished artist wanting to learn something new, youll enjoy trying Linda's negative painting techniques.
See the whole video at http://www.ArtistsNetwork.TV.
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5. Reference books

Are you looking for a book about negative painting ?
I hope that my reviews will help you to make the good choice, for a good investment.
For each book, you will find an objective review as well as a summary of its contents.

Each review is written in French or English. Please scroll up/down the page to find your own language.
Watercolor ... Painting Outside the Lines (by Linda Kemp)
A review of Linda Kemp's book : "Watercolor Painting Outside the Lines : A Positive Approach to Negative Painting". 128 pages, North Light Books. English (US).

6. Great Stuff about negative painting on Amazon

Books, DVD's, ...

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7. Other useful links

Linda Kemp's website
Linda Kemp is internationally recognized for her unique contemporary watercolours and innovative use of negative painting and glazing. Her paintings and articles have been featured in American Artist, International Artist, Watercolor Magic, Watermedia Focus, Palette Magazine and The Watercolor Gazette. She frequently instructs and lectures at national symposiums and watercolour workshops throughout Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Negative Space in a Painting
Marion Body Evans explores this technique, providing interesting definitons, illustrations and links :
- What is negative space ?
- Why bother with negative space ?
- Using negative space to improve composition.
- A simple exercise in seeing negative space.
Reference to negative painting on Wikipedia
However the content of this article seems incomplete , the definition of negative space is well explained for beginners.

8. My art blog

Please, come to visit my art blog.
There, you will find useful information about art, colour, watercolour, oil painting, pastel,mixed media, great masters, ... and you will also discover my works.
Do not hesitate to leave a comment, it will be appreciated !

Note : this art blog is written in French and English, you will have to scroll up/down to find the information in your own language.
Any (total or partial) reproduction of its content is strictly forbidden.
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  • clode May 18, 2009 @ 6:47 am | delete
    Je suis fan de la peinture en négatif et en recherche permanente sur le sujet .. le plus difficile pour moi c'est le démarrage .. les premiers lavis à poser en laissant les lumières .. après la construction avance peu à peu .. c'est dur de ne pas gouacher .. il faut une bonne connaissance des pigments.. là j'ai encore des manques ..je suis sûre qu'en explorant encore mieux les posts de ton site ,tu as du mettre des sujets la-dessus ..je te remercie pour tout ce travail .. de synthèse ..
  • catherine_de_ryck Apr 19, 2009 @ 8:43 am | in reply to EverythingMouse | delete
    Thank you very much EverythingMouse !
    You can see more of my works on this lens : http://www.squidoo.com/CatherineDeRyck .
    Disney's characters were the ones I loved to draw when I was a child !
  • catherine_de_ryck Apr 19, 2009 @ 8:37 am | in reply to manila | delete
    Thank you Manila. I think that the more we paint, the more we are looking for useful tips and techniques in order to improve our works.
    I began to paint with watercolors in 2003 and, at first, I had no knowledge of pigments classification, how to put them on paper and when to create the best effects, ... I did a lot of experimentations, read numerous books and I am still looking for new techniques to test.
    I would like to see your watercolors !
  • EverythingMouse Apr 19, 2009 @ 6:41 am | delete
    Welcome to Squidoo. I look forward to seeing you create many more lenses showcasing your work and expertise.
  • manila Apr 19, 2009 @ 5:33 am | delete
    Excellent lens. Honestly I didn't know the difference between positive and negative painting until now. I am not too much into technical painting. Although I do enjoy painting occasionally with water colors. 5* for your lens.
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catherine_de_ryck

Catherine De Ryck is a Belgian artist born in 1981.
For many years, she has explored different techniques and mediums but more recently has concentr... more »

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