Watercolor Painting; Sketchbook Work

Hello Everyone;
Here is another page from my sketchbook I have been working on.  I have been battling a bout of food poisoning and have not really had much energy.  It is so nice that sketching in watercolors does not require a lot of physical energy.  If you can hold your brush and a thought, you're in business.  If you noticed, I have been practicing people a lot more then in the past.  Most of you probably remember my post on my desires to start to do story telling with my paintings.  For me, it begins and ends with painting convincing figures.  Once again, I have no desires to make them photo realistic, but I do want them to be painterly and believable.  As I sketch these figures, my mind starts to wander about what types of situations these people are in.  Where are they going?  What are their intentions and so forth.  I am not sure, but once I get good enough and consistent enough with figures in my paintings, I believe I will add them to most of my future works.  I have always been drawn to art work with people in them and I think many people may feel the same as I do.  Like believe that paintings are not just about the aesthetic beauty of the piece, but of combination of the beauty coupled with the story of the painting as well.

Watercolor Painting Video; Sketching Simple Figures

Watercolor Painting Video; Watercolor Doodling

Watercolor Painting; Thumbnail Studies

So, you have a particular scene running through your mind, but you are just not sure how to begin.  You could guess, use your artistic license and just apply paint to paper and hope for the best.  There are times where this is actually an acceptable strategy.  Spontaneous painting can result in some beautiful work.  This time, however, I want to plan it out a bit.  Take a piece of inexpensive watercolor paper and divide it up into fourths.  Make sure it is watercolor paper.  You want the paint to act the same on these studies as it will on your finished work.  Now, paint four different versions of what is running through your brain.  Unlike sketches that are quick and expressive, take your time a bit on these studies.  I don't want you to labor on each one for hours, but put some thought into each one.  Next, paint each element on each study before moving onto the next.  paint four skies, then four mountain or hills and so on.  The trick is to basically finish all four at the same time.  That way, you do not declare a favorite too soon.  Once all are completed, then make your decision, but wait until all four are done.  If you are still undecided, get a small matt that will fit each study and see what each looks like matted.  Once you do this, your original question will be answered in full.  Use this method with any painting dilemma you find yourself in.  Sketching works well for this too, but I find the longer study versions help me make up my mind a little easier.  Use them both and decide for yourself.  Sometimes, you will find, both sketches and studies will have the desired affect.  It is all a matter of your own preference.  Never be afraid to test new techniques that will assist you in creating beautiful art.

Watercolor Sketching; Sketching Flowers

Yes, I am fully aware that it is almost December and all of the flowers in the Midwest are gone until spring.  I also listen to Jimmy Buffet music in the cold weather as well.  Why would I do this you may ask, well, I will tell you.  I HATE THE COLD WEATHER.  Yes, I do.  I listen to tropical summer music and paint flowers to get my mind into a place where I want to be.  I have mentioned before about using your art as a way of story telling for the viewer.  Well, as it happens, you can also make up stories yourself.  Whenever I paint, my mind does a little wandering.  Oh yes, I am still concentrating on my work, but I still drift off now and then to a place, time or situation that makes me feel good.  For instance, in January when it's five degrees outside and the wind is blowing and your face hurts three seconds after you go out, I may imagine myself someplace warm, maybe sitting on a beach painting a seascape.  I might be thinking about the great Fourth of July Holiday I had last year in Baileys Harbor, WI and painting on the wharf.  It may sound juvenile, but to a degree, the emotions you have while you are painting can come out in your work.  Yes, I am telling you the truth.  Always put yourself in a mind set of peace when you paint.  If you feel happy, your work will reflect it.  If your stressed out and angry, your work will also reflect that as well.  Remember, your inner artist is actually painting, make sure they are happy.  If you can get past the laughter you are doing at this moment and try it, you may be pleasantly surprised.  Your paintings can reflect you, and often times, you are not even aware.

Watercolor Sketching; Hello You Fine People

My brief dive into our political climate.  Wouldn't it be great if we treated each other the way we treat watercolor sketches of people?  We look at this sketch book page and we see people.  We do not define or identify them in any other way, just people.  Oh well, I can dream, can't I? 
In a previous post, I was talking about storytelling with your art and how adding people helps make storytelling not only possible, but something that really can not be avoided.  Once a viewer sees a person in a painting, they automatically start trying to figure out what they are doing there.  It may not even be something the viewer is conscious of, but it does happen.  For the purpose of this post and the fact that my main medium is watercolors, we will discuss people in that realm.  Watercolor people do not have to be defined.  Facial features are not necessary unless you want to add them. Skin tones are irrelevant and clothing choices never have to agree with the latest fashion styles.  The only thing necessary in order to put people into your paintings is to practice.  You really don't have to practice intensely either.  Take thirty minutes and one sketch book page.  Do not use pencil sketches first for your figures at all.  Make sure they are spontaneous strokes, have fun, make up stuff as you go along and NEVER EVER worry about what they look like.  Your goal is to create a believable person, not an identical likeness to Joe or Nancy.  Put on some Jimmy Buffet music, get your brush, paint and sketchbook out and enjoy.  In all seriousness, the more fun you have painting, the better you will become.  Learn to take what you do serious and try your best, but never obsess over your work and never get anxious about it.  When you start to stress, stop, do something else and go at it again later.  Maybe turn the music up a bit louder.  Remember, you are creating a world within your art.  You are the only one you have to please.

Watercolor Sketching: Thumbnails Anyone????

Have you ever been in front of a blank canvas or paper and not have a clue what to put on it?  Have you ever had creative block?  Have you ever wondered, what now when creating art?  If you are like most of us, you answered yes to all the above.  Well my friends, I have a solution.  I would like to tell you it was my idea from the beginning and no one had ever thought of it until I did, but that would be stretching it a bit. 
Do small, quick thumbnail watercolor sketches in your sketchbook.  Make sure they are quick, and you do not draw anything first.  Paint to paper immediately.  The reason for quick and for no drawing is to allow your inner artist a chance to create.  When we do things in a spontaneous manner, we usually get a very creative effort.  As artists (all professions and parts of everyday life really) we tend to over think things.  If we do quick sketches with paint and no pre conceived pencil marks, we get a real sense of what our inner artist wants to create.
Just for clarity, our inner artist that I refer to here and forever as long as I create art is that part of us inside our soul where the real creative genius lives.  Yes, everyone has a certain amount of genius living deep within ourselves.  The only difference between us and lets say people that are at the highest level of their profession is their ability to quiet their minds and listen to their inner artist.  Quick, small, spontaneous sketches are but one of many ways to get our brains out of the way and allow for real creativity.  I do realize this sounds a bit absurd, but I tell you, your inner artist is real.  Your inner artist is alive and well and waiting for you to allow them to do their work.  In art, like many other things in life, we learn the basic skills needed.  Once we learn those skills, we then practice them.  We practice until we can not practice any longer.  As we get our skills to the point where we do not have to think through a painting, that is when our inner artist takes over.  You will find that there will be times where the painting almost paints itself.  When you feel your hands moving and making marks on the support without much thought if any, then you know who is painting.  Allow your inner artist to thrive.  It is difficult since we as humans do not like to relinquish control, but think of it this way.  You are still the one creating the beautiful art, your just allowing a part of you to create that most people never realize is there to begin with.

Watercolor Sketching; Ideas, Ideas and More Ideas

So, your a landscape artist, but your not really in the right frame of mind to do a finished studio painting.  Your mind is wandering with all sorts of ideas and it is making you a bit Van Gogh ish.  Fear not for I have the solution to your dilemma.  Instead of cutting your ear off, sketch a few of your ideas in your sketch book.  Regardless of how much experience we have as artists, paintings always look different painted on paper as they do in our minds.  Empty your brain by transferring your ideas from your brain to your sketch book.  Once your ideas are on paper, you can make subtle tweeks to get the composition where you want it.  Once that happens, use it as your reference for your studio piece.  Here is the best part.  Not only have you saved your ear from a bloody painful mess, but you also have additional reference material for future paintings.  Your sketch book is your idea place.  No one has to ever see it but yourself, unless you want to share it.  There is no right or wrong way to do it.  Use your sketch book to make your artist life better.  I keep  sketch book on my table as I paint a studio piece.  If I reach a point in the composition I am not sure of, I immediately do a sketch to see if my idea works.  Better to mess up a sketch book page then to ruin a studio piece you have already spent significant time on.  In art school, I to was reluctant to use a sketch book.  For some reason, I saw no value it it.  I was so wrong.  I wish sometime I could go back and talk to my younger self and explain how ridiculous that was.  Oh well, we can not go back.  We must keep moving forward and most importantly, learn from our mistakes.  Open your sketch book and get to work.  It really is a lot of fun.

Watercolor Sketching People and Greens

Hello Everyone;
I hope you don't mind, but watercolor sketching will play a big part in this blog.  When I was in art school, I resisted sketching something fierce.  I, for some stupid reason thought sketching was a waste of time.  Thank God we get smarter as we get older.  I have found sketching to be an invaluable asset to my work.  Sketching is allows us to practice without reservations since no one sees our sketch book unless we allow it.  Sketching is a perfect place to try new ideas to help us loosen up and think out of the box.  Sketching is a perfect way to take fears of trying new, and possible crazy things with our art.  Lastly, I have found sketching to be a whole lot of fun.
Take this page from my sketch book.  I was tired on day after work and really did not have it in me to paint a studio piece.  I grabbed my sketchbook and began to doodle some people.  A couple of different hair styles, a couple of different sizes, nothing technical, just loose, fun sketching.  Before I finished up, I thought, maybe I can try and create a few more greens for me to use in my studio pieces.  I am a landscape artist, so greens are a major part of my pallet.  So I played with a few colors to see what kind of greens I could make.  I found a couple I can use in paintings.  Wow, no energy to paint, but in twenty minutes, I found a couple of new greens to use and I am getting better at painting people.  Sketching is a really valuable practice.