A painter and illustrator, Andrew Wyeth is best known for his painting "Christina's World," which portrays a crippled woman crawling over the ground toward her house in rural Maine. Wyeth's use of emotionally charged subjects and his ability to create powerful, two-dimensional compositions makes him a famous figure in 20th century art.
Instructions
1. Choose a subject. Wyeth often chose people, human habitats and objects as a stand-in for humans themselves as his subjects. Wyeth's portraits balanced simple and emotional portrayals of his subjects with the mystery of their more intimate and private selves. When Wyeth portrayed people, they were usually alone, and often their faces were obscured or turned away. Wyeth was also drawn to the views inside and outside of windows and through doorways.
Wyeth clearly enjoyed portraying people through their objects--for example, he implied a strong human presence by painting beds, clothes, teapots and other careworn items.
The subject you choose may be a person or something that directly relates to a person. It may be the path the person walks every day, or the hairbrush and book that person left lying on a table, or the person's hands washing dishes.
Do not include more items in this painting than what you essentially need to portray that person and make an effort to portray something raw and essential about that person, something personal and simple that the person loves or needs.
2. With a paper and a pencil, plan your composition. Wyeth had a strong sense of two-dimensional design. Often his paintings displayed great space and emptiness and a sense of the world in and around the paintings.
Wyeth's paintings could often be divided into clear and obvious sections: wall, window, bed. Or ground, sky, man. As you plan your composition, keep the elements in your painting simple and straightforward. Do not incorporate more than a few variables into the painting.
When you are done planning the composition, copy this drawing to watercolor paper. Draw it lightly, so that the paint will cover it up later.
3. With a medium-sized watercolor brush, begin to paint. Wyeth frequently used watercolor and often used the dry-brush technique (a method in which the painter squeezes much of the water out of the brush). Start by laying down a thin, light wash of the basic colors onto the painting. Allow this layer to dry before proceeding.
4. With a thinner brush, begin to add details to the painting. Build color slowly.
Watch for chances to add texture to your painting. Wyeth's paintings were usually rich with repetitive, complex textures, such as grass, lace, leaves and wood grain.
5. Continue to build layers of color slowly and deliberately. Each layer of the painting should be built upon the previous layer carefully. Each layer of color should be thin and barely visible by itself. Allow the layers to dry completely before proceeding to the next.
6. Spend some time away from your painting. Come back to it after a day or two when you can look at it with fresh eyes. Check for errors and places where the painting can be improved. If you are uncertain where the painting can be improved, try turning it upside down. Look at it critically. Continue to paint until you are completely satisfied with the results.
