Tag: patience

Chatter Watercolor

Morning Sketch 8 – Shapes & Shadows

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Negative painting can only go so far as other things in watercolor need attention. Shapes and shadows are very important for both realistic and more abstract things if you want to make them somewhat recognizable! Consequently, I have been painting fruit and vegetables all morning, to the point I am feeling crazy. Some subjects are more successful, others not, but the lesson is to paint shapes directly and with some finesse, as well as to create shadows while the subject is either dry or wet. Click through at your convenience for a trip to the market.

One thing I have realized from painting all these things is that patience, once more, and mindfulness, is necessary to get anywhere with these things! What looks spontaneous often is not. Instead, it is made up of experience and thought and so on. Persistence is my only hope . . .

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Chatter Watercolor

Summer Path

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I was going through some of my Instax photos taken earlier this summer. Here, a path nearby overgrown with mustard. Depending on how much water is available, mustard plants can be very short – or very tall.

I thought this could make a good study with a limited palette, and dryer brushes. Lots of things went through my head, actually. For example, plain batches of color. No pencil lines. Shadows using the underlying color of the ground or plants – i.e. burnt umber and ochre mixed with a bit of blue. Details in dry brush. Patience and wait to let things dry, or add blobs of color to enrich the damp paint. Dry brush over colors already laid in as a wash (like the tree and bush in midground and background).

Maybe I’ll take my Instax out for a walk today. And a dog.

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Chatter

Pear

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One of the absolute best things about having a blog, on any subject, is that the world comes to you and, if you look, those who read and look at what you write often provide support and care and concern.  Even if you haven’t met, relationships develop.  There are a lot of people who inspire me, and who send me off in other directions.  Reading others’ blogs, too, even if they don’t read mine, are still forms of connection in areas of common interest.

Today, I want to thank Breathing Deeply because she has said some very encouraging things – but, more – she has mentioned on her blog that she is taking classes online from Anna Mason who is a botanical watercolorist.  Well, I have seen Anna Mason’s work.  She is a self-taught botanical artist.  Botanical art is detailed and realistic, and in some ways, not really what I aim for.  Anna’s work is refreshing and beautiful.  And, she has online courses.  A free one to show you her teaching style, one in which she walks you through how she approaches a simple D’Anjou pear.  Clearly stated, simply done, I decided “what the hell!” and dived in.

I think I might sign up!  I really enjoyed what I learned, and to my way of thinking, perhaps a realistic approach will slow me down when it comes to painting.  I am hasty and careless, don’t think ahead as much as I would like to when painting.  My impatience leads to frustration.

So, thank you Breathing Deeply for your kind words and for your own bloggy inspiration, and to Anna Mason for providing a very nice approach to painting.

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