I started this painting several years ago, and finally got up the nerve to finish it. I was attempting to be loose like Charles Reid, expressive like Robert Burridge, and I'm not sure what I ended up with :-) I do know that my cast shadow is WAY too dark - I wanted the white to pop, but the cast shadow should be much lighter and should reflect the white from the pitcher. The washes to the right of the pitcher got very murky and muddied. Too much water, then too many layers while the paint was still wet. Does anyone else have this problem?! I just can't seem to lay down the brushstroke and then LEAVE it. I just keep noodling and mushing into the wash which is of course against all known rules of watercolor. Then I get uptight and tired and make an even bigger mess.
Okay, so this is practice - not a failure really - I do like it, but I've got far, far to go and many improvements to make.
I just bought Charles Reid's Watercolor Solutions and I'm also reading through his Pulling Paintings Together, Flowers in Watercolor, and Watercolor Secrets. I'm very interested in learning and practicing the continuous line contour drawings he does. I love the expressiveness of his paintings.I've come to the conclusion that the top three artists I most admire are Cezanne, Charles Reid, and Robert Burridge. I've also decided that what I most need is more practice with watercolor - sketching and painting.
Right now I want to concentrate more on finished painting. Using the sketchbook to gather ideas and for day-to-day recording what I see and feel and then going to the easel or my large Aquabee and painting in watercolor...and then painting some more...with no anticipated goal except for improvement and enjoyment. I've always had a tendency - a bad habit - of producing a painting I was satisfied with and immediately putting it in a show or selling it. I want to have a stack of paintings completed and be able to go back and see my progress, then maybe choose a few to have in a show or to display for sale. But I want to live with them for a while and just absorb the process and the progress and assess where I'm going next. After tomorrow's efforts I hope I will have more to show you... Maybe I should do the 100 paintings project that some are doing...no...that's too overwhelming - I'll just paint and then paint some more and see what happens. I hate rules. LOL
9 comments:
This all sounds good Deborah although I like how you paint in your own way already. Have you been to Jennifer Edwards blog Drawn2Life? She does a lot of continuous line drawings.
Go ahead and "live" with your paintings for a while or scan and/or photograph them and put them on a slideshow on your computer or in a photoframe where they can be seen as much as you want. Then you can still give or sell your pieces. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too!
Looking forward to seeing where you go with your newest path.
Deborah; I am a devoted fan of your blog. Your posts are a pleasure to read - filled with so much info about your thoughts. I love it!
Beautiful drawing!
Great reflections. Please share your secrets of not painting into wet washes, when you figure that out. I need help!
I really like your painting - those gorgeous colors and it does have a Cezanne quality. I look forward to seeing more! You know, for me a 100 painting project is actually turning out to be very freeing. Something to do with fewer decisions to make, a clear direction, has helped me focus on my work more clearly, if that makes sense.
I think your painting turned out great! I'm not quite sure how you would put white into the shadow.
I also like John Lovett and he has some free tutorials online: http://www.johnlovett.com/class.htm
I know exactly what you mean about fussing, as that is the exact same problem I've been having, shown by the post I made today!! Keep in mind that I wanted it to look more like Charles Reid's style and this is what I ended up with!!
I see no mud here, so to me it is not overworked. Still, when I looked at this, I thought it was acrylic. Don't know what that means, except I have acrylic on the brain - I tried it the other day after doing watercolor for so long, and oh is it different. Stay with it - you are definitely on the right track. And, by the way, I never quite accomplish what I want either. Never. I think that's part of the game.
Practice, practice, practice is definitely the rule with watercolour! Try the 100 paintings on your own terms, just count them and see the numbers piling up. Goals are good! I love that continuous line drawing too, I love that he gets little dark dots and squiggles in places that he pauses, not actually taking his pencil off at all! Can't wait to watch your progress!!
I dont see it as mud either, but I think you need to leave it as is now or you can run the risk of getting it all muddy. I like the colours in the painting, very nice
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