Don’t Ask “How Can I Paint ___ in Watercolor?” Instead, Flip the Question
Instead, explore different watercolor effects and “textures” and ask “What does this watercolor effect remind me of? What could I use it to suggest?”
Similar Posts
Empty Your Backpack
A couple of weekends ago, we had a beautiful 70-degree day with this year’s glorious fall colors just hitting their peak. On the spur of the moment, I grabbed my backpack and headed out to paint with a friend. I had forgotten to bring masking tape, so I couldn’t tape down my paper to keep…
Planning a watercolor, part 1: Why I stopped doing thumbnails, value studies and color studies
Why I stopped doing traditional thumbnails, value studies and color studies to plan my watercolors.
Exercise, Exploration, Experiment or Artwork?
In planning an artwork, you often need to conduct related exercises, explorations and experiments. But it’s usually a bad idea to let them slowly morph into unplanned attempts at the artwork.
Dealing with “Problem Paintings”—Part 1: Too Boring for Words
If you’ve painted in watercolor for more than a day or so, I know you’ve been here: after hours of hard work, you’re struggling with a blotchy, overworked section that you know isn’t going to be right, no matter how much more effort you put into it. It’s tempting to conclude that you just don’t have what it takes . . . maybe it’s time to take up something easier to master, say, golf.
How do you deal with “problem paintings” like this? (click the picture to read more)
How to Use Reference Photos More Creatively
Here are some ideas for breaking free from “the tyranny of the photo” so you can use your photo references more creatively
Plein Air Painting for Everyone
For those who aren’t familiar with the phrase, painting en plein air is just a fancy way of referring to painting on location, usually outdoors. It’s a challenge! In addition to all the usual problems a painter has to solve (composition, color mixing, brush handling, etc.), there is the constantly changing light, the sun, rain and wind,…