Have you seen the latest watercolour project? This one is part of the Artist Master Class looking at the work of Arthur K Kronengold who illustrated many covers for the iconic The New Yorker magazine. This image 'Fifth Avenue at Night' was the cover on the 29th October 1932 edition. Unfortunately there appears to be very little written about this artist, but from looking at his array of illustrations for the New Yorker magazine we can see that his first cover was published in 1932 and his last 1n 1948. On occasion he seems to be credited under Adolph K Kronengold too as the signature on the covers appears to be the same. He has a strong graphic style and often uses bold flat colour. Many of the covers are described as 'painting' so perhaps he used gouache to achieve the flat colour as it has a feel of screen printing about it.
Until about 5 years ago I hadn't heard of this fantastic publication, but thanks to the Pinterest app ~ a front cover illustration popped up on my feed and I was instantly hooked! The New Yorker magazine was launched back in 1925 and was a real hit. It continues to be published today containing a mixture of journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. The illustrated front covers are renowned and have been created over the years by an array of well known artists.
I selected this particular image to study as it offers lots of new techniques to discover. This stylization of New York has an Art Deco feel, which epitomises the era in which it was created. As you can see, it is mainly monochrome, which in itself will bring new challenges. This is a great learning opportunity as we can discover how to use a single hue to create a whole range of values from light to dark. You also have the chance to work very dark ~ so, dust off that black watercolour (that seems to come with every pan set) and embrace the dark side ~ as on this occasion I'm actually going to allow you to use it!
Once the painting is complete, why not try out a new technique and use chalk pastel over the top to create those fantastic rainy reflections.
Don't forget ~ if you give this one a try ~ celebrate your achievements and share it on the forum.
Happy Painting!