I have picked up watercolor on a serious level, along with drawing and sketching. I have neglected that side of myself for a long time, but have attempted to reconnect with that part of myself off and on. Truthfully, it has been more off than on, but when I do delve into painting, it is such a pleasure. Over the years, I have purchased video classes or viewed videos from a variety of people. Today, I sat down and went through some of my notebooks and watercolor pads, and decided to scan what I have done to see if there is anything of value.
One person I have admired and enjoyed for a long time is Charles Reid. I love his loose, wet, messiness in watercolor. It works. I have watched his videos and read his books, attempting to catch what he does – learning from the teacher by doing. I have had some success, but I still tend to overwork and create muddy colors.
Another artist I have learned from is Birgit O’Connor. Her approach is very different than Reid’s – not splashy, but controlled, thought out, and very disciplined. The results are completely different, but valuable in that self-discipline and forethought are necessary to achieve results. Reid’s discipline is from years of knowledge, such as how to paint negative spaces and create contrast. O’Connor uses masking in varying forms, such as with contact paper and frisket to help preserve white space and create texture.
From both Reid and O’Connor, I have learned a lot . . . but without daily practice, it all is forgotten. Besides needing to remember how to paint, how to manage color, I have also forgotten how to sketch. Craftsy classes have proven to be helpful, with ones from Shari Blaukopf, Mark Taro Holmes, David Brody, and Kateri Ewing. These classes range from urban sketching to an extensive, classical drawing class. Each of these has proved, and is proving, to be very valuable. Videos are some of the best learning tools when it comes to finding time to do and to learn. Books with encyclopedic samples on how to do things are also great, such as Claudia Nice’s books on ink, pen, and watercolor, as seen below.
On YouTube, I have subscribed to multiple channels. These range from using dip pens to lessons from extremely talented watercolorists and sketchers. Of late, I have been working on negative painting – painting around things, rather than directly painting things. This is in the hopes of learning to manage white space better.
It’s easy to use lines to compensate for a lack of contrast to define light areas in negative space. The flowers are rather disastrous, but a lesson on YouTube (sorry, I don’t recall the video the trees are from, but it was fantastic!) was very helpful. The key to that video was to paint from the foreground back, unlike in traditional watercolor, you paint from the sky down for the most part.
In addition to videos, books are an excellent resource. I have a lot of books. The ugly truth is that art books are damned attractive, but how many of them have I actually sat down with and gone through, step by step? Not many. In fact, none at all . . . until I came across a book by Jenna Rainey: Everyday Watercolor: Learn to Paint Watercolor in 30 Days. Rainey’s painting style is not what I see myself doing, but what I do like is the “daily” approach and the short, structured lessons. Thus far, I am up to Day 11, and have been really enjoying myself. I’ve let go that nasty inner critic that expects perfection out of the gate, and have been loosening up, and doing some things that I like.
More than anything, I am happy to see I am not lacking ability – only self-discipline to work on painting and drawing when I have time. Looking at what I have done is inspiring me to continue, despite frustrations and time. Nothing like a retrospective to see what and where I have been, what I am doing now, and looking forward to what I might yet do.
Journey by Paper 