Gunslinger Workbook

SPECIALTY PROGRAM
Painting Mood and Atmosphere

in Gouache
Gunslinger
OVERVIEW
In this assignment we have an invented Old West scene that is “keyed” to yellow, which means that all
colors used have yellow in them. The picture is also a vignette. This approach requires decisions to be
made as to how we will end objects in a relaxed, logical way. This is far from an exact science, but we
look for edge boundaries and where possible let the background field color “leak” into our composition.
On the extreme right you can see this; on the left it happens in a slightly different way. The only edge
where things run off is at the bottom. These assignments were all done in 1 to 2 hours, so sophisticated
actions such as posing a costumed figure to get highly accurate lighting and folds and other entourage
details have been dispensed with. We are instead working on the big picture in all cases–one could
consider them studies, not finish commercial pieces.
We have a low, dramatic camera angle with the foreground figure clearly dominant over both opponent
and structures. Simple decisions like lighting from the left put shadow values behind the light areas
of the main figure, and his cast shadow adds interest to the right side while attaching him firmly to the
ground. Note also that things get lighter as they recede.
Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 1
SPECIALTY PROGRAM
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1
SPECIALTY PROGRAM
in Gouache
Gunslinger
Wet the board and using long strokes

of a very light yellow wash, cover the
surface. Add a bit more orange and
yellow to the right side and smoothly
transition into the bright left side. Let
dry. Mix yellow with a touch of Alizarin
Crimson and a bit of Phthalo Green
(makes ochre) and fill in the areas you
see to the right. This light coat of paint
should get a bit lighter as it recedes
into the scene. In subsequent steps we
will darken certain parts of this zone
for deeper shadows and emphasis.
Mix a thin light (water added) bit of
Alizarin Crimson and orange and paint
the flesh areas.
Mix a deeper ochre using orange and Ultramarine Blue with a bit of yellow. Use more Ultramarine Blue
with bits of orange and yellow to darken it as needed, and paint in the shadows at the windows, on the
street, under the sidewalk and under canopies on the right. Darken the indicated hat/hair and dark to
lighter pants plus their cast shadows. Use the image below for all these areas. Note that the shadow on the
street gets lighter in the distance. Mix a touch of Ultramarine Blue with a bit of white and water, and paint
the shadow area of the shirts. This color is to look transparent and just cool the shirt. It might look spotty,
but don’t fuss with it. Next, mix mostly white
with a little yellow, and paint in the sunlit
portions of the buildings and lit roofs. Just the
right amount of yellow is needed to look bright
and sunny. If it doesn’t look bright enough, let
it dry and try a new mixture–either more white
or more yellow–and test in on a small area. Let
dry and assess. Use this final mixture on the
lighted potions of the shirts and the bright side
of the near canopy edge and first column. With
just a bit more yellow, paint the light striking
the pants and hat. Lastly, paint the steps on the
near left and the right side of the street.

SPECIALTY PROGRAM
in Gouache
Gunslinger
Use orange and Ultramarine Blue in the

doors and windows up and down the
street as shown. Start adding more of
this mixture (a bit darker) to the holster
strap on the leg and all other accents
you see appearing in the image. A series
of reflections in the glass should also be
added plus some even darker shadows
under the sidewalk decks. Here and in
step 4 we are constantly adding con-
trast and cleaning up less-than-perfect
earlier strokes. Add a darker flesh tone
to the shadow zones of the flesh using
Alizarin Crimson plus orange and a
tiny touch of blue if too bright. Add
more shirt detail with warm white as in
the image.
In this stage we are continuing to add contrast...additional warm highlights in the window reflections,
adding posts under the sidewalks, a smoke jack on the roof and added detail with a bit of oranger brown
into the holster/belt. The shadow side of the street buildings are receiving opaque strokes of light ochre
starting at street end and getting slightly darker as it approaches us. The sunlit side is receiving light
yellow strokes and much lighter strokes up high as seen in the image. A bit of light pink/orange where
the sunlight hits the hand and a red orange
stroke on the ear.
Use the final image as a guide and try to match
the colors and, perhaps more important, the
value (lightness or darkness) of the colors.
Color mixing is largely an acquired skill from
repetition. In this particular piece there is
some yellow in virtually every color and this
forces the painting to hang together. Notice
that some gentle dry outlining with a rusty
ochre is used to emphasize some edges in the
scene. They are somewhat broken (dry paint
or touched with a damp brush at random spots
along the edge).


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SPECIALTY PROGRAM

Painting Mood and Atmosphere

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

Wet the board and using long strokes

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

Use orange and Ultramarine Blue in the

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

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