Making Whites in Watercolor

Friends, thank you for patience for my long absence! The picture book illustration is right on a track. So, I can find time for blogging and sketching. I enjoyed sketching this wedding dress in a shop from a street. Let's have fun to create white in watercolour on spot. Technically, the white bridal dress was challenging in watercolour (A4, Arches, 300gsm). 

White is not always a breached white in paintings like you soon realise. 
My main methods : 
1) leave white on paper, 
2) wax / crayon,   
3) use different colours to show white.  

Let's have fun in creating "white" in watercolour painting. 

Take the wedding dress for an example. I used all methods 1), 2) and 3). 
1) leave white on paper
In my eyes, the wedding dress had a bit vintage image = old. 
Arches 300 mgs does not have a breached white, as you know. It just suited to my colour image of the dress.   
2) wax / crayon
Wax worked to create laces. The point was to show the mood of the dress, I felt, not the detailed or exact information. 
3) use different colours to show white
I chose a very soft raw sienna for a first wash to create a slightly sepia image. Then, I played with colours. 

Do you often use masking fluid or a tape? I hardly use them. Embarrassing though, a masking fluid bin often gets "out of order" on my working desk (= I do not use it for years! and gets bad). Another problem, masking fluid and a tape leave a clearly edged white that annoys me. In my experience, it's wise to choose a technique or combine them to match a painting's need and its texture. 
However, I'm not a skillful technician! If you can teach me how to do it or a more effective way and share it, it would be wonderful. 

Also, I'd add my belief that technical things will follow a person pursuing it. So, don't get disappointed, if some trials did not work well. My admiring illustrators and great artists have simple techniques and create amazing and touching work. Think about Michelangelo or Turner. Did they have masking liquid or a tape? I believe if a person wants to find a way to create an effect to describe something in a subject, an individual will find a way. If I made it upside down(= if I chased up only techniques first), I make empty work, I feel. Where there's a will, there's a way. Friends, just have fun! You'll find a way to go!    

Back to the first topic, the picture book illustration. I've been working hard on a storyboard and roughs. Already many blog Friends have read the record of my drawing process. If any Friends and blog visitors want to know the process, you can browse the labels related to picture book on the right side of this blog. 
I hope I will update this "Monday" blog as much as I can. *Honestly, it's hard while I'm working on projects. But your cheers and support encourage me to go on. Thank you so much! I'm sure many blog Friends striving for dreams in their lives and art industry. I'd send you my best wishes!! 
Friends, Happy Painting!     

Making Whites in Watercolor

ASA Contract Assessment Service

When you successfully get a contract, how do you handle a contract without a literary agent? A publishing contract has many technical jargon that we are unfamiliar with. Author and Illustrator advocacy body, Australian Society of Authors has a wonderful service, "Contract Assessment Service". It's available to ASA members. I'd like to express my sincere thanks to ASA for their kindness, patience and a wonderful support for me to understand the contracts. 

Btw, this painting has two people : an editor/publisher Helen Chamberlin and Matt Zurbo, an author of Moon that I illustrated. We’ve become lovely friends in a publishing team. In my eyes, they looked like a mom and a son. It was our launching day and we enjoyed dinner together last year. It’s very sweet that we can help each other and build friendship. I'm now getting to know a new publishing team at Ford Street Publishing. I hope we will create a good picture book for "My Dog Socks"!   

ASA has rich and very varied services. Many helpful workshops and events on their calendar. It’s worth following up and schedule.  https://www.asauthors.org/events/calendar
When I studied "Children's Picture Book Illustration Course" at Sydney Uni, lecturer Donna Rawlins recommended us, students to join ASA at the end of the course. 

I deeply thank for ASA and highly recommend to join ASA and use their services! ASA is a sweet mom or a wise granny and a strong dad or a reliable granpa for us.

Friends, happy painting and a happy Illustrator life!

ASA Contract Assessment Service