Friday Night Workshop - June 20, 2014

[@goilo888]

As I mentioned in a reply to someone here, if you are struggling with your art or simply want to learn more then don't be put off by this three hour video. It is very much worth watching. And isn't that the beauty of the Internet - you don't have watch it in one sitting?!

[@KimCyunHi]

Absolutely. I can listen to Jeff Watts for hours on end. It's an education in itself.

[@jmmacb03]

The beauty is that it is FREE and you can pause and replay and you have the best view in the world-it is priceless! I think that information like this and tutorials and demos are so often taken for granted. Just like not paying artists for their music...

[@hectorotis1291]

Pro tip: watch series on Flixzone. Been using them for watching all kinds of movies during the lockdown.

[@lianbenton9174]

@Hector Otis Yup, been watching on flixzone} for months myself :)

[@rhettnash7287]

@Hector Otis Definitely, have been watching on Flixzone} for since december myself :D

[@digitalsketchguy]

I love that in the hands of a talented artist like Jeff, gouache can be so versatile & expressive. I like the slightly blurred out--of-focus regions he creates to counter detail. Frank Frazetta's roughs were like this - and you can go back to the golden age of Illustration & see that too in the work of Arthur Rackham & Edmund Dulac.

[@kristineyeung3091]

I just recently dived into gouache and really happy to stumble across your channel. As you said there isn’t a lot of resources, which is bad but good at the same time as we are freer to explore how we want to use the medium. This is pure gold. Thank you so much for putting this together and generously sharing your process Jeff

[@2Chonky2Furious]

This deserves so many more views than it has. This has assisted me so much as I strive to build my skills. Thank you!

[@anima6035]

Can't wait for my current online art course subscription to expire 🙈 I do love it but am so excited to sign up to Watts Atelier which feels much more like a community (from an outsider's perspective) and Jeff's passion is just contagious. Thank you so much for sharing these videos, they are absolutely golden!!

[@seoulsimon]

Wonderful. I've spent my whole life drawing, animation, but also for pleasure. Now I want to paint and Illustrate. This is a priceless and very generous sharing of methods and skills. Thank you.

[@jmmacb03]

Jeff, you are one in a million that can talk while demonstrating! Thanks for sharing your time and your experience so freely. If you don't have the patience/attention span to sit through this demo-you probably won't enjoy doing a 2-3 hr head study, hand study or, drapery study. (Do you want to be a painter?) Great to see how you can get your highlights back after spray painting. (1:08) Cheers, from Toronto ☮

[@mkloep]

Hey Jeff, thanks SO much for the demo. Seeing the studies as you progress, along with listening to your thought processes, and hearing you talk about art in general is/was incredibly informative and inspirational. I have been working on studies in gouache, and this made all the difference in the world for me. I am saving up the money to enroll online, and gouache is one of the areas of focus I would like to pursue.

[@improvementTime10.3.17]

1:04:20 air spray 1:05:55 after can use clean brush to pick out some of darker glaze to get that smooth bright gradient 1:56:25 1:07:11 if make mistake then wanna do lighter color over, do this If wanna do dark color then it’s fine 1:58:11 can get same gradation by hand just longer to do

[@rottenpizza8800]

This is lovely. Gonna watch this vid and follow along!

[@rossmcleod7983]

Had no idea gouache could do all that. Many thanks.

[@ricardosealey2676]

thanks a whole lot jeff for who you are and for sharing your gift.....Awesome

[@ap_po]

when the youtube search option doesnt show your stuff up when you look out for gouache videos just to stumble upon it on accident. always thought you are just into oil but finding your gouache stuff here will be very helpfull for me. thx in advance for all the videos which i am going to watch!

[@PaoloRivera]

Thanks for the demo! Tons of great info. Just wanted to mention that I've been using Strathmore Wet Media Board and it's great for gouache and watercolor.

[@PaoloRivera]

Colton Gunning Thanks! I've been eating up these tutorials as I paint.

[@PaoloRivera]

Colton Gunning I use mostly Holbein, but I'm trying out M. Graham since Watts recommended it.

[@eliminator7ful]

That J. C. Leyendecker head looks like a fun subject to ink or guache. Great choice!

[@NeroDeamon]

OMG im loving these streams ....THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@AltereggoLol1]

I really wish you'd done more of these.

[@jass99ful]

Thanks for the great video Jeff about a rare media that's not a lot of artists use now a days. However, I think Japanese artists use it a lot especially for background and landscape design.

[@jackiemaheras2860]

Any chance at more Frazetta themed Gouache paintings? I'd really like to see more on how you're able to capture his style with gouache. It's unfortunate there's no videos of him working to see his process, but your skill with gouache is amazing.

[@The72challenger]

Awesome to hear praise about Anders...one of my all-time faves!

[@altar7885]

Frazetta! Mind blowing skills

[@allluckyseven]

That Conan, man... It just looks so awesome.

[@MONEYVAL9]

+allluckyseven Man the life of an artist is truly inspiring .To get paid doing what you love is the goal in life man .

[@dougg1075]

That IS Conan

[@skwidvishus1188]

I thought I was the only one who tore off those Edgar Rice Burroughs book covers. My parents also thought I was "Different" (with mental imbalance) because I always painted Frazetta-esque stuff. Sadly, I let them (and Catholic School faculty) talk me out of the "Dark, evil" stuff and focus on flowers and animals...yeesh. Now I'm 52 and regret ever giving in to them.

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

That's Frank Frazetta not ERB.

[@skwidvishus1188]

Did you honestly think I thought ERB painted those covers???... Yeesh again...

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

John F Willis Yeah because you said so, Re-read what YOU wrote. Yeesh.

[@skwidvishus1188]

***** If I had said "...those Conan book covers." ,would you also assume that I believed that a fictional barbarian had painted the cover art? As per your recommendation, I have re-read my statement. I can see how that line would confuse a non-English major. (Mind you that's that think you are a confused, non-English speaking, military's Major) The statement was not directed at YOU, but at the author of the video, who mentioned himself ripping the covers off of ERB books. (Which I, likewise did) The cover art for one of the books by Cutter's Guild Games, could be referred to as, "one of those Mike Whitehead book covers" (Remember your English classes here; We're talking about the cover art on the book covers, not the book or the Artist who did the cover art.) So, when we talk about one of Mike Whitehead's book covers, we are referring to the cover art painted by John F Willis. Thusly, it is correctly assumed that when someone mentions "Edgar Rice Burroughs book covers" they are indeed referring to the cover art painted by Frank Frazetta. Of course, there is the rest of the statement which speaks to the fact that I am indeed, talking about Frank Frazetta's art. Further, I've known Frazetta's work since the mid seventies and am very aware of the extent of his prolific, commercial work. He was a tremendous influence on, and remains an inspiration to, me as he was one of this country's finest artists. I am in fact, a published Artist/Illustrator and I grew up with ERB's book covers secretly hidden in my sock drawer so my teachers would think I was the obedient boy they thought I should be. (which is not a bad thing) I've also grown up with many classical painters as well. All that being said, it is honorable that you would feel the need to "Voice-up" and give credit to the "Great Frazetta" who painted the Edgar Rice Burroughs Book covers when you believed it was being attributed to someone else. Hat's off to you.

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

John F Willis Geeez that was one long post. We both love Frazetta and that is all that really matters.

[@SuperXrunner]

This is great...I also love your advice pretty much... it's very nice of you. I wish I could do your course but I can't so I'll settle with inspiration

[@miguelcruz9812]

Hi Jeff, I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time effort and compassion to give your knowledge and expertise on these Gouache Demos! I truly think they're wonderful, amazing and extra ordinary. When I was in art school I wish this was around at the time because It was a very difficult to understand and use both gouache and watercolor. I was mostly a pencil sketch guy, so a lot of my final pieces would suffer because they couldn't stand up next to my draft. Thus I use to also get heavy critics on trying to find solutions that could mimic the styling of my sketch work. So again, amazing job, very humble person you are doing this. I hope to send you question that I would like to get some pointers on!

[@GraemeNeilReid]

That was great, finding my feet with painting again and I'm totally going to grab a Frazetta book off the shelf and start doing some fun studies.

[@Tat2TankT]

About time for some more of this live gouache stuff lol

[@winnaing]

very knowledgeable, thanks for sharing

[@jbeihl1]

Comic artist are some of the most technically proficient artists out there. I come out of a comics background. Worked for Glasshouse for two years and then moved into teaching and doing quarterly work, low profile but it pays. My buddy works for DC Comics on Silencer and a lot of the guys he knows are moving into movies and gaming bc the money is good and the skill sets of solid drawing and drafting translate directly to painting and concept art

[@mkloep]

One very important - and very encouraging - thing I learned from this session at the get-go was that Jeff starts with a rock solid drawing! The good news is, I feel that drawing is my strong suit, and I am working to build my painting skills up to a comparable level (eventually improving my drawing skills, and so on...) Starting with a well-thought-out and executed drawing; moving into staining, and building up to more opaque layers; this is a very smart process for someone like me who is making the transition from "being a good draw-person" to becoming a strong and confident painter. Like Jeff was saying, once I get more experience, I can have more flexibility to jump around from opaque paint to stains, as I listen to what the painting is telling me. But for now, this is a process I can totally wrap my head and my skills around, and I think will help me transition from drawing to painting with more forethought, skill, and ultimately more success. Thanks again, Jeff! P.S. Looking at the drawing of the Frazetta before you began painting, I had the thought that I can always learn from the really good comic book artists. The ability of artists like Frazetta to describe form in terms of strong shadow shapes can be a great lesson.

[@CraigWhiteIllustration]

incredible! Thanks for doing this

[@Gh0stBunni]

This is absolutely amazing, I thought it was a digital artwork at first.

[@cvgurau]

1:28:14 I wonder if "I can hear you over there, Pavel" is Pavel Sokov....? weird bit of coincidence that the one time jeff mentions a student by name it's one of the like half-dozen WA alumni i recognize....

[@robertmartino7548]

Epic. Thank you.

[@mmcomicart9203]

Thank you Master

[@alvarodesouzaneto6035]

Obrigado .

[@MrFuNKyToW]

Wow!!! super nice

[@rickrandom4185]

In the early 1980s, for practical reasons, I used gouache to execute Frazetta-like effects for clients. Unfortunately, due to the printing quality in those days and the stinginess of the clients to cut costs, the printed version looked patchy and smudgey. I found that a transparent watercolour approach was more effective for low -quality printing. Them were the bad ole days when everything depended on whether the colour-separator gave a shit about his job, no matter what the artist's input. Then again, the sort of starvation wages they paid me, I just used it as an opportunity to train myself to gain experience and confidence in rendering. Salad days. No computers. When if you couldn't draw with a brush, you were finished. And if you cheated, it showed.

[@DavidBreauxJr]

The moment you realize what "Paint by Numbers" was trying to teach.... ;)

[@victoralosi1461]

Mr Bridgmans paintings are on line

[@victoralosi1461]

Cornwell very solid

[@razorback7828]

This is minblowing!

[@dougg1075]

Just subscribed! Holy Pictish Moses!

[@dontshowmynameffs6014]

At around the 50 - 57 minute mark they speak about the "riley method" and what caught my attention is the answer that "not many teaches it correctly" could someone point me in a direction where it is thought correctly? Also they also say something about it being more about learning to abstract, could any one point me in a direction more on that or perhaps tell me what this means? I'm really in to loomis and george bridgman but they don't really seem to take the abstraction as far a riley does.

[@Farf420]

jeff sounds exactly like scott roberston

[@burpo]

Jeff sounds just like Bob Newhart.

[@wendyherubin2381]

Thank you for another informative instruction session. Do you freehand the pencil drawings or use a light box or projector?

[@elactordeloops8286]

you mention an artist and wonder who he is. FEtcham? Feetchem ? Fatcem? thanks and wonderful artist and open teacher!

[@alphonsine931]

jose luis rodriguez. At 1:30:42 he mentions Nicolai Fechin "was a Russian-American painter known for his portraits".

[@elactordeloops8286]

Thanks!

[@cirovallone889]

Usa il fissativo per il disegno prima di dipingere a gouache ? Thank.

[@Stillillest]

Ive been trying so hard to draw that illustration of Conan for a while now and I can not do it!

[@renatocorreia3887]

great

[@conradsmith9332]

What did frezeta use for his paintings? Thanks, great vidio very I'm formative.

[@DavidBaldo]

Doing these studies is actually a painting hack

[@nafikhatib5863]

many thanks for suggesting gouache, I was suffering with watercolor now with gouache it is much better , I also noticed that there is acrylic gouache is it also good as gouache ?what the main difference?

[@swarner3470]

acrylic gouache i think dries glossy. It is also waterproof when it dries and you can you acrylic goauche on anything not just canvas or watercolor paper. It is also not reusable or rewettable so if you are a beginner or are on a tight budget acylic gouache isnt best because you cant reuse it once it dries on the palette or anywhere else and is harder to blend.

[@swarner3470]

acrylic gouache i think dries glossy. It is also waterproof when it dries and you can you acrylic goauche on anything not just canvas or watercolor paper. It is also not reusable or rewettable so if you are a beginner or are on a tight budget acylic gouache isnt best because you cant reuse it once it dries on the palette or anywhere else and is harder to blend.

[@swarner3470]

gouache is definitely much better than acrylic gouache. I use it alot myself and have done many commisions. I think ive done about 10 commissions and multiple personal pieces of varying sizes and i still use my 6 color gouache set for all of them. gouache is very versatile and you can definitely get your moneys worth out of using them if your doing commisions. It's also very cheap to get. I recommend it to every artist to give it a try!

[@inkedjao9488]

THIS IS IT FOUND IT

[@Socrates...]

What is the difference between tiling and layering?

[@jsanmiguel4425]

Hi Jeff Watts,What brand of Gouache are you using for this demo? Thanks!

[@sraingrid]

He said he uses the Winsor & Newton brand as his father did it and recently changed to Graham because Graham's binder is honey and not gum arabic and he also said that Holbein is good too.

[@teodorayaneva323]

Is this watercolor paper??? Which paper is best for gouache?

[@TheCrimsonCat89]

What is the particular Iwata airbrush he was using?

[@eehhh3791]

hey guys what is Jeff spraying on to the canvas ?

[@JuanCarlosVicentejcv]

Hello, could you activate the automatic subtitles? thank you

[@bacuss2112]

this is awesome but, who is talking in the background?

[@dougg1075]

Would you have come up with that Frazetta cover?

[@dougg1075]

Not can you duplicate it.. could you have done it in your kitchen on plywood

[@Hadoken.]

OK Frazetta painted very thinnly in "stains", washes or whatever you call them, but how would he do this in oil, fast and without losing control? Soupy thin oil paint is a pain for solid drawing on one hand, and on the other the damn thing can't be covered with a new layer of thin paint without killing any work you've done underneath unless the first layer's dry...and Frank was supposed to have done much of his work pretty fast and wet on wet...so what gives?

[@RobertShyanNorwalt]

Hadoken The same wet technique as Bob Ross.

[@Hadoken.]

Robert Shyan-Norwalt I doubt it, Bob Ross usually painted thick, no underpainting there. Frazetta almost always has an underpainting which is either in the browns or immediately in the hue he needs. The weird thing is that he seems to be covering this with more washes and builds up much like Jeff is in this gouache video or like a watercolor piece, but used oils instead. That's not possible without letting the layer underneath dry, at least to my knowledge, but in many cases Frank didn't, he'd paint washes over wet paint, at least that's the legend.

[@danielboyle9688]

although not dry, during the drying process oils tend to go tacky, its the timing of the next layer that allowed him to work fast, and the medium he used to thin his paints. These kind of techniques were well renowned in classical art textbooks, but obtaining them are a pain. The point of tackiness allows the under painting to retain its form while creating the milky gradation that newer mediums make easy. At-least this is my understanding of the medium. He was a artistic genius so maybe there are many possibilities I have missed

[@Hadoken.]

+daniel boyle I wouldn't have a problem if it was easy getting the paint tacky at any time. Then again if this is a matter of medium plus a strategic planning of pigment, thus taking advantage of more faster drying pigments going first, I'd understand. If you could direct me to any info you have I'd be grateful. However there's quite a few things in the Frazetta story that are weird, one of them being that by looking at his art you can see many paintings started with pigments that just generally don't dry fast, yet he's gone in with the same method as with others that do. And the mystery here is that he's not painting ultra thinned out washes all the time, he's got thin passes that have plenty of paint, that won't get tacky in say 30 minutes and this goes in succession of layers. Of course there is no doubt that much was done in many sessions but there are many pieces, some of the famous ones too, which were done over "a cup of coffee" in the presence of close friends of his like Roy Krenkel or David Winiewicz, people who swore that this guy just took a panel and went at it and by the end of 8 hours BOOM, Conan. That's why I'm looking for the paint laying method, it's good to keep it interesting on one hand and also it's good business on the other. Taking a week to produce a fantasy illo that'll pays $100 isn't good business. I don't purpose to know what the surface of these paintings looks like nor that there's not plenty of B.S. in some of Frank's myth (like the I don't use reference thing) but on the other hand you can just tell that lot of this is done in one or two settings just by the fervor of the painting. His genius I'll attribute to his design, aesthetic choices and the visceral level which they hit you, but not the fact that this guy could supposedly control a razor sharp line of paint, thrown over a wet layer of paint that's like greased olive oil and control for edges on the top layer without affecting the still sleazy wet lower one, that's defying physics.

[@danielboyle9688]

Believe I read somewhere he used to scuff heavily with other brown hues to speed drying time, the slower drying hues is an interesting one, ill go digging through my books to see if i can pull anything of relevance out for you. as far as mediums, im not sure what he used, unrefined turp is pretty traditional for classic oils but again ill take a gander for you, always happy to help a fellow artist. EDIT: I know for a fact he got through a lot of liquin from documentaries. In my technical books it describes the use of drying salts for speeding up drying. In modern day this would be a cobalt drier, which rapidly decreases drying times. This kind of additive would line up with the time at which he was learning art. He would also work on un-primed poster board due to his time in comic books, this kind of medium is extremely porous The best thing i can recommend is to explore these yourself, you may find the answer you are looking for.

[@kenjiwong9072]

it was using water color or gouache?

[@HajraMeeks]

It's gouache, which is opaque watercolor (not the more widespread transparent watercolor).

[@kenjiwong9072]

thanks 'cause i am using watercolour to paint portrait

[@HajraMeeks]

Kenji Wong No problem. Mainstream watercolor can also be used for realistic portraits, especially if you use many transparent glazes. See an example here: hajrameeks.com/gallery/elijah.html

[@fredrossetter1182]

What kind of gray illustration board did he use 4:24?

[@cirovallone6485]

Che tipi di carta usa e la grammatura , e cosa ci spruzza sopra con l'aerografo ? La ringrazio e la saluto ( e complimenti per i suoi lavori)

[@HajraMeeks]

I believe he said he was using hot press paper in at least 140 lb, and he was mixing gouache into the airbrush cup and spraying that over the gouache painting on the paper.

[@cirovallone6485]

Hajra Meeks Thanks

[@wolf7379]

Hajra Meeks Because gouache is similar to watercolour, does it have to go through all the issues that watercolour has where watercolour paper has to be wet and stretched? Can gouache be painted straight onto canvas as in acrylics and oils so as to avoid the stretching of paper, if that is the case? Thanks.

[@HajraMeeks]

wolf727 In my experience, gouache does not require stretching of paper as it is typically used drier than watercolor. (even with watercolor, paper doesn't have to be stretched if you use paper glued to a block or thick illustration board, or if you flatten your painting afterward via dry press.) You can use gouache straight onto a gessoed canvas or plain paper or illustration board. However, keep in mind that the 'binder' in gouache is gum arabic (like in watercolor), and this is weaker than the binders in oil (linseed oil) or acrylic (plastic polymer). Therefore, you can't really paint too large or impasto (thickly) with gouache, it will crack off the page. But you can still do decent sized paintings with it used thin to medium thickness and it does not require paper to be stretched. Hope that helps.

[@wolf7379]

Hajra Meeks Thank you kindly for responding and replying in detail. You wrote that with gouache, "you can't really paint too large..." What did you mean by that? Did you meant that literally one cannot paint gouache for large paintings of sizes around 40" or beyond? I started off in acrylics but I wanted to go into oils. However, sadly, I decided not to go into oils due to the fact I discovered that linseed oil and walnut oil are highly flammable and combustible - not needing a flame to set it off. I did not like acrylics due to the fast drying speed and the difficulty in "blending". Hence, I was looking at watercolours and then gouache - gouache being slightly closer to acrylics and oils. Here is a link to my first "completed" painting and you can perhaps see the style I was doing at the time and why I wanted to go into oils but sadly cannot: denniswrowntree.deviantart.com/art/Coffe-Pot-and-Cup-542217971 I have just purchased two cheap watercolour and gouache sets so that I can try the two different styles before I make some major purchases for best quality paints. I looked at some of your work and I was quite impressed with your style - beautiful art. Once again "Hajara Meeka", thank you for you detailed reply and in taking time to share your experience with others. Peace to you.

[@ETCDfilms]

3:53 what artist is that?

[@yanur88]

***** girls? gil elvgren

[@ETCDfilms]

Who s the Gibson guy?

[@evantomlinson]

***** I believe it's Charles Dana Gibson and he created the colors on his own

[@mrsnoop1820]

are the folks in the background students? what's with all the talking and noise

[@sraingrid]

Thanks, Jeff :) I've been watching your videos for several weeks. They are little jewels of knowledge! I also like your conversations but, even though it is an Atelier, it would be better if people could be more understanding and keep their chatting voices at a reasonable level compared to yours. I know it doesn't bother you but for me, listening to you and them, it was a little bit challenging at some moments. Just saying... Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience in this unselfish manner.

[@seoulsimon]

...Not to mention the chatter, which is interesting.

[@Dejawolfs]

no mickey mouse watercolours? impostor!

[@mikenino9670]

You took for ever to long in the same areas and why is the portrait so tiny.

[@ononearts]

One minute and 24 seconds of black before video begins. Please be tidier with your editing.

[@moola9755]

+Brian Kilpatrick i think it was originally a live stream

[@harty5485]

sorry mate, but i am not watching a three hour video

[@goilo888]

+UnicornsPoop Rainbows Then you really, really missed out. If you have any real interest in learning as an artist then you need to watch this...

[@josenieves5323]

Too much talk.