Mic Rees

Fast and Loose, Watercolor at the Beach

Cathie Morning

BY MICREES

Artist, Graphic Designer

Lake Cathie, Australia

Artist Mic Rees paints in quick stabs of color. Using the eyedropper to sample color, and varied brushes to wash and detail, he shares his technique of watercolor on mobile devices.

Step 1

I approach the painting the same way I would a traditional painting. First, establish the overall color scheme and block it in to fill the canvas. Try to capture the feel of the subject quickly in its basic form to keep the painting fresh and active.

Step 2

Next I block in the foreground using quick gestures and the basic rich colors of the subject. Sometimes I will take several swipes at getting the brush gestures just right (that’s when the undo option is great in “Brushes”); it’s like a electronic turps rag to wipe off the last brush stroke.

Step 3

I start painting in some details, not a lot but just enough to give the feeling and suggestions of detail. The undo feature is great if brush strokes don’t work out. Just back the painting up a few steps, and try again. Sometimes I duplicate the painting in progress and try a different direction.

Step 4

Using the sample tool and brushes with transparent colors, I just grab and wash areas with color forward and back. (Use transparency as tints, as you would a wash traditionally, only with a undo!)

Step 5

Still grabbing colors and using them as a light wash, I finish with the greens to add contrast and then some 1 px strokes to add a visual focus to the piece. Finally, my signature is added. As soon as a painting is finished it can be uploaded to Flickr or Twitter, or emailed to someone, so you have instant feedback, good or bad. The file can be imported using “Brushes Viewer” on the desktop as a high-resolution file. From that file I make 8 x 10 prints using ultra chrome pigment inks and archival paper in editions of twenty-five.