GRADIENTS: COLOR, FORM, ILLUSION

By James Gurney

LEARNING SUPPLEMENT
Total runtime 1:18 minutes.

In this video workshop, which is part 3 of the Color in Practice series, we’ll learn how
to create and apply color gradients. In this learning supplement you’ll find more
information about the set of exercises and field experiments demonstrated in the
video.

The teaching approach is to encourage you to try a controlled experiment in the studio
and then apply what you’ve learned in the field.

I’ll be using watercolor, gouache, casein, and acrylic, but the painting insights are universal and will
benefit oil painters as well.

TRACK LIST
1. Intro, Watercolor 0:00
2. Brushed Gradient 3:22
3. Stippling with a Blender 9:03
4. Sensitive Ferns 13:35
5. Banded Cylinder 18:48
6. Light in Landscape 25:30
7. In-brush Gradient 39:48
8. Brayer Gradient 47:13
9. Rainy Cloudscape 48:37
10. Kingston Alley 52:15
11. Checkerboard Cylinder 62:43

EXERCISES AND MATERIALS

Watercolor Gradient

● Use heavy watercolor paper, soft brush

● Dampen the entire surface without pooling. Tilt it to even it out.
 ● Load the brush and start at the top. Pigment should travel.
● Add water to dilute the mixture while removing excess liquid from the brush with a rag
● Tilt the board to get pigment to flow in the direction you want
● Remove excess buildup of water on the paper with a thirsty brush to avoid backruns
● Try it with various pigments to see what they do
● Materials (see below for links): Heavyweight watercolor paper, rag, large round watercolor brush,
pencil, palette or mixing surface, water cup, and pigment. I’m using Scarlet lake in this example.

Brushed Gradient and Stippled Gradient

● Using ruler, or freehand, create two horizontal rectangles separated by a white margin.
● Create two leaf shapes freehand or using a compass or a plate, to make the shape.
● Each leaf shape gradually transitions from light on the left to dark on the right, but they’re
produced very differently.
● The top one is a brushed gradient, starting with the background and painting the “leaf’ second.
● Lightly dampen the paper to make it receptive. Change the mixture of paint as you move across
an area.
● Remember what’s in the brush at a given time.
● Use a clean brush if you need pure white or pure black.
● The bottom one starts with a stippled leaf shape painted first, with the background painted
second, cutting the edge of the shape from the outside in.
● Materials: pencil, compass or dinner plate, brush, ivory black and titanium white gouache, water
vessel, rag, ruler, 10.5 inches in diameter

Stippling with a Blender

● Use at least two brushes: badger blender and a soft round brush
● Dampen surface first.
● Loosely and thickly brush in the stripes of colors
 ● Rapidly tap the surface with a badger hair blender or other flat tipped soft brush
● The brush will carry little dots randomly around to blend the areas.
● For large, smooth gradients, use a separate blender brush for each transition
● A stipple gradient is easier in oil than it is in gouache, acrylic or casein because oil dries so much
more gradually, allowing more working time.
● Materials: mixing tray, Badger blender, two colors, etc.

Sensitive Ferns

● Pigments (watercolor and gouache): Lemon yellow, Sap green, Titanium white, Cobalt blue, Light
red, Quinacridone violet, Permanent green pale over a variegated priming in casein.

These densely crowded fern fronds on an overcast day appealed to me for studying soft gradations of
light and shadow. The local color was fairly uniform on the ferns. As a result, the changes in value were
the result of changes in the angle of the forms in relation to the sky and also the degree to which they
were overshadowed or occluded by fronds above them. Look for a similar grouping of leaves or ferns, and
as you analyze the changes in tone, paint it with brushed or stippled opaque gradients or transparent
gradients.

Banded Cylinder

● Draw the cylinder on watercolor paper freehand or using a large 15 degree ellipse template (6.5
inches on the top and 6 inches on the bottom ellipses).
● The cylinder should slope slightly inward on the bottom.
● Draw the edges of the bands going around the cylinder.
● Paint the base tone of the cylinder quickly, blending the gradient from light to shadow.
● Then paint the red band and the blue band, changing the color from light to shadow in the same
way that you did for the “white” base color.
Light in Landscape

● The intention is to suggest a bird’s eye view of clouds moving over a landscape, casting soft
edged shadows on the ground below.
● Inside the patches of light, everything is a little warmer and higher in value.
● That shift happens both to the green grass and the lighter gray road.
● Try to paint the transitional gradients as simply as possible, using large brushes and moving
quickly.

On a cloudy day the patches of light transition smoothly into shadow. Those transitions can be handled
informally with a loosely brushed gradient that suggests the roughness of grass..

In-Brush Gradient

● An in-brush gradient takes place within the width of a single brush.

● Use a 1” soft, flat brush for this exercise or thereabouts..
 ● Use two additional brushes, one for each of the colors you’ll be blending.
● Mix the two colors you want to blend and place them adjacent on the palette
● Using the large brush, pick up one color with one side and the other color with the other side of
the brush.
● Pull the stroke slowly, letting the gradient happen between the two colors.
● Turn the brush in your fingertips as needed.
● Always remember which color was on which side of the brush.

Brayer Gradient

● Use water-based block printing ink for the right sticky consistency, but mix in some acrylic paint to
get the paint layer to seal when it dries.
● The purpose is to prime a page of a sketchbook or a smooth panel with an underpainting for
gouache.
● To get good coverage, blend the paint with the brayer on a piece of glass.
● Be sure to use fairly smooth paper. If the paper is too rough there will be white spots not covered
by the paint.

Rainy Cloudscape

This landscape study uses a brayer gradient for the sky color as the basis for gouache overpainting.
Kingston Alley

This plein-air study uses a brayer gradient as the priming color under everything. After carefully
measuring my drawing, I block in the big shapes with a long, flat brush and gradually refine the details.

Checkerboard Cylinder

● As with the banded cylinder exercise, draw it first with pencil on watercolor paper.
● Paint the gradients for the light tones first.
● While painting the cylinder, paint the background tones and cast shadow, too.
● When those passages are dry, paint the darker squares.
● The cylinder appears to be lit from the left with warm light and cool shadows.
● The light yellow squares become darker and cooler as they transition to the shadow side,
becoming a neutral gray.
● The dark squares in that shadow side get warmer and lighter as they transition to the light side.
● Colors used: Cobalt blue, Ultramarine blue, Cadmium yellow medium, Raw sienna, Red oxide,
Quinacridone red, Ivory black, Titanium white, Neutral gray (about equal to Pantone 424C)

GOUACHE AND WATERCOLOR SETS

Choose the ones that suit you based on price and availability
• M. Graham gouache primary set: https://amzn.to/2Zwd6rt
• Winsor & Newton gouache primary set: https://amzn.to/2JiDMbo
• Holbein gouache set: https://amzn.to/2KW4s1j
• Royal Talens gouache set (8 colors): https://amzn.to/2MGftGf
• Shinhan Pass watercolor/gouache hybrid set: https://amzn.to/2xw7EvV
• Holbein Acryla Gouache (matte acrylic): https://amzn.to/2L0g3MT
• Richeson casein set: https://amzn.to/2Huk4u3
• Schmincke watercolor pan set: https://amzn.to/2IN7zJe
• M. Graham watercolor landscape set: https://amzn.to/2JpBAyy

ACRYLICS
I used Tri-Arts liquid acrylic, but you can use other brands and types.
Golden fluid acrylic set: https://amzn.to/3yZQYHR
Acrylic gesso: https://amzn.to/3jZIkVt
Richeson casein paint set: https://amzn.to/2L02U6R

INDIVIDUAL WATERCOLORS
You don’t need all of these, but choose a set of 10 - 12 at least, plus white and black.
Lemon yellow: https://amzn.to/34gV6UN
Cadmium yellow: https://amzn.to/3bHbwdQ
Cadmium yellow light: https://amzn.to/2CuUtig
Alizarin crimson (watercolor): https://amzn.to/31YSOZa
Raw sienna: https://amzn.to/2PycXm8
Yellow ochre (watercolor): https://amzn.to/2XYzvSB
Terra rosa (watercolor): https://amzn.to/2qRjCNN
Transparent red oxide(watercolor): https://amzn.to/2Y6NhxD
Scarlet lake: https://amzn.to/3nmDYKi
Scarlet pyrrol: https://amzn.to/2WBHi68
Cadmium red: https://amzn.to/2NrXEZA
Transparent red oxide: https://amzn.to/2Y6NhxD
Anthraquinone blue: https://amzn.to/2WrK1h8
Ultramarine blue: https://amzn.to/2Sm4FyB
Viridian: https://amzn.to/2SD3Xfw
Permanent green light: https://amzn.to/2UN9nr0
Perylene maroon: https://amzn.to/32KsIeo
Scarlet Pyrrol (watercolor): https://amzn.to/3s04NDt
Cobalt Teal: https://amzn.to/2OJbqI
Cerulean blue deep (watercolor): https://amzn.to/2IBRtAc
Sepia (watercolor): https://amzn.to/2X7Ulgs

INDIVIDUAL GOUACHE COLORS

Titanium white (gouache): https://amzn.to/2XSOld4
Lemon yellow: https://amzn.to/38lNy5R
Cadmium yellow light (gouache): https://amzn.to/2qIw7LQ
Yellow ochre: https://amzn.to/2SfXc2O
Raw umber (gouache): https://amzn.to/2pgvHMg
Venetian red: https://amzn.to/2OmRwTL
Pyrrole red (gouache): https://amzn.to/2KX4TZn
Quinacridone violet: https://amzn.to/3k02sXJ
Burnt sienna (gouache): https://amzn.to/2TEoC4D
Ultramarine blue (gouache): https://amzn.to/2X9GZ1k
Cerulean blue (gouache): https://amzn.to/2NtFH0E
Prussian blue (gouache): https://amzn.to/2JVbVwb
Hooker’s green: https://amzn.to/2ufLtcy
Permanent green light: https://amzn.to/37kTaf5
Dioxazine purple: https://amzn.to/2z9WdLQ
Ivory black: https://amzn.to/2Ta46s7

BLOCK PRINTING INK

Speedball water-soluble block printing ink, Black: https://amzn.to/3yZW3Qt
Speedball water-soluble block printing ink, White: https://amzn.to/3le32jH
Speedball water-soluble block printing ink, Starter set with 6 colors: https://amzn.to/3E8sHD0
Acrylic medium (to seal the mixtures): https://amzn.to/3A2Mkdx
White acrylic paint (to seal the mixtures): https://amzn.to/3tCZGL1

BRUSHES AND OTHER PAINT TOOLS

Richeson travel brush set: https://amzn.to/2xwq1R
Richeson “Grey Matters” brush set: https://amzn.to/2YeNO0P
Connoisseur "cat's tongue" brush: https://amzn.to/2UaBJJj
Badger hair blender (genuine): https://amzn.to/2YB5KIq
Blender brush (Bob Ross type): https://amzn.to/3AdmL9q
Escoda Reserva #6 https://amzn.to/34ssAzo
4-inch soft brayer: https://amzn.to/3hkNvNW
6-inch soft brayer: https://amzn.to/3k1Pngy
Piece of tempered glass for mixing surface: https://amzn.to/3nkdgBS
Ellipse templates: https://amzn.to/3tvW5OJ

OTHER MATERIALS
Pentalic watercolor sketchbook: https://amzn.to/2L989y2
Water cup: https://amzn.to/2soTw2L
Homemade sketch easel: https://gurneyjourney.gumroad.com/l/sketcheasel
Tripod: https://amzn.to/2xrRaFc
Krylon aerosol gloss finish: https://amzn.to/2zstSNA
Workable fixative (matte): https://amzn.to/2VDSKPc
Water-soluble colored pencils set: https://amzn.to/2DKmT5o

VIDEO TUTORIALS:
"Gouache in the Wild" (Download on Gumroad): https://gumroad.com/l/gouache
“Casein Painting in the Wild” (Download on Gumroad): https://gumroad.com/l/casein
“Watercolor in the Wild” (Download) https://gumroad.com/l/watercolor
“Animal Painting from Life” https://gumroad.com/l/paintinganimals
“Casein in the Wild” https://gumroad.com/l/casein
“Flower Painting in the Wild” https://gumroad.com/l/flowerpainting
“How to Make a Sketch Easel”: https://gurneyjourney.gumroad.com/l/sketcheasel

BLOG POSTS WITH MORE GEAR INFO:

Gouache Materials List: http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2016/07/gouache-materials-list.html
Watercolor Materials: http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2014/08/watercolor-in-wild-materials.html

BOOKS BY JAMES GURNEY:

Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time: https://amzn.to/3qPzMRt
Dinotopia: The World Beneath: https://amzn.to/3oiuIUo
Dinotopia: First Flight: https://amzn.to/3sR6KmE
Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara: https://amzn.to/2KFGeLy
Color and Light: https://amzn.to/3od6R8v
Imaginative Realism: https://amzn.to/3sTeap8

OTHER OFFICIAL SITES

Gurney's official website: http://jamesgurney.com/site/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesgurneyart/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GurneyJourney/
GurneyJourney Blog: http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/
JamesGurney Website: http://jamesgurney.com/site/shop
Facebook group "Sketch Easel Builders":
https://www.facebook.com/groups/403006076777641/?source_id=121255121263267
Facebook group: “Color in Practice”: https://www.facebook.com/groups/160510955315435/