Fractured Watercolors
Art III
By: Megan Doherty
About the Artist
Tiffany Budd, a fine artist residing in England, is well known
for her acrylic paintings, colored pencil and pastel drawings.
An award winning artist, Budd was formally trained at
Wimbledon School of Art, receiving a degree in Textile
Design before becoming a full time artist. Some of her clients
include Derwent Pencil Company, who used one of her
artworks on a tin cover for their chalk pastels, and Bentley
Publishing, who features her works as prints for sale.
However, Budd’s fractured style of painting, inspired by
Cubism and Russian Constructivism, did not develop until
recently. She often uses line, value, and color to create a semi
abstract painting
Objective of the Lesson
Design and create a fractured 18” x 24” watercolor painting depicting a subject matter of choice.
Requirements of the Lesson
 At least 3 preliminary sketches of various designs and compositions.
 1 watercolor painting, size 18”x24”, that fractures your design into at least 20 different
sections.
 Thoughtful use of line, value, and color to create a semi abstract watercolor painting.
Vocabulary
1. Abstract: Art that does not attempt to represent reality.
2. Color: An element of art made up of three properties: hue, value, and intensity.
• Intensity: quality of brightness and purity (high intensity= color is strong
and bright; low intensity=color is faint and dull)
3. Composition: The placement, or arrangement, of visual elements in a work of art.
4. Contrast: Contrast is a principle of art that refers to the arrangement of opposite
components in a work of art to help create visual interest, drama, and excitement. Ex:
light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.
5. Harmony: In visual design, harmony means all parts of the visual image relate to, and
complement, each other. Harmony pulls the pieces of a visual image together, and can be
achieved through repetition and rhythm.
6. Hue: Name of a color.
7. Line: An element of art defined by a point moving in space. Line may be two-or threedimensional, descriptive, implied, or abstract.
8. Movement: Created by using elements under the rules of the principles in a picture to
give the feeling of motion and to guide the viewer's eyes throughout the artwork.
9. Non-Representation: Refers to images that are not of recognizable subject matter, or
cannot be recognized as a representational subject.
10. Organic Shape: A mark that forms an irregular shape, or one that may be found in nature.
11. Representational: Refers to images that are clearly recognizable.
12. Shade: A mixing result of an original color by adding black.
13. Shape: An element of art that pertains to the use of areas in two-dimensional space that
can be defined by edges. Shapes can be geometric or organic.
14. Tint: A mixing result of an original color to which has been added white.
15. Value: The lightness or darkness of tones or colors. White is the lightest value; black is
the darkest. The value halfway between these extremes is called middle gray.
Directions
Creating Your Thumbnails
1. Create at least 3 preliminary drawings exploring various compositions, and subjects, for
your 18” x 24” fractured watercolor painting.
2. Choose one of your 3 preliminary drawings to work from for your final watercolor
painting.
3. Fracture your chosen drawing into at least 20 different sections, using organic lines. This
will be your final preliminary drawing that will be used as a reference when fracturing
your 18” x 24” watercolor painting.
Starting Your Final Painting
1. Lightly draw your chosen subject onto 18” x 24” watercolor paper.
2. With just a little more pressure, fracture your drawing once again, using your final
preliminary drawing for reference.
3. Begin painting your design. Make sure to create contrast between your fractures by
changing the value or color. Don’t randomize your colors though! If you’re working with
a blue sky, then use various shades, tints, and hues of blue.
Please view images below to get a better idea of what is being asked.
The drawing on watercolor paper.
The fractured drawing.
Beginning of the fractured
watercolor painting.
The end result.