Out of this second project, this was the best exercise for me. As I previously said with the tonally graded washes, the transparent gradients were difficult to create at first, but once I began to mix the white in with the colour, the paint had a more firm and tight grip on the page, and as I applied the gradual change in colour, I found it easier to blend a thicker, sturdier substance and due to the consistency of the acrylic that I used, the brush work did not leave any noticeable streaks.
I chose to replicate two of my wet on wet washes and a gradient for cerulean and ultramarine blue, and after having painting them on a white surface, I gave an acrylic sheet a wash of brown and applied the paint once again. With a background colour to work with, the colours appeared stronger and had more stance and pigment on the page from the complementary background.
Comparing the opaque gradients to that of the transparent, they remind me of solid and watery substances as one appears quite harsh, depending on its colour, and the next, a gentle yet weak pigment that could easily be distorted if disturbed whilst wet. I believe these techniques would combine well to make a landscape, with a mixture of weak and thick layers, creating aerial perspective, but also particular features such as streams, trees and clouds.
SOPHIE FAWCETT'S OCA LEARNING LOG 