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I want to break free - painting my own work
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Message
Posted
Hi all
I started watercolour painting a little over two years ago. I bought a cheap and nasty starter kit Christmas 2014 and it took a few months of fits and starts to get going.
I had seen a couple of books on watercolour books in the art section of the library. When I read and saw instructions for such things such as wet-in-wet, adn when I saw these same techniques demonstrated on YouTube, I thought to myself "I could do that!". Oh, dear :) I have often thought to myself that only I could have picked such a hard medium and I have nothing to compare it to.
Anyhow, over time I have followed projects from various artists such as Geoff Kersey, Terry Harrison, Paul Talbot-Greaves and one or two others. I am still very much a rookie, with a lot to learn. I take comfort from following projects and being told exactly what to do though sometimes having to interpret what I am supposed to do since instructions are often unclear and the accompanying pictures are so small they require a level of eye sight of a hawk.
And that is what is starting to gnaw at me. I know I should probably be having a go at painting something original, learn to judge what techniques are required, what mix of colours I need, and so on and so forth. I suppose I still lack the confidence in my abilities and need that reassurance I get from following step-by-step instructions.
I thought it would be an interesting topic to find out from fellow forum members how you gradually moved into creating your own original work.
Regards, Ian.
Posted
Well Ian The first thing i want to say is that I hope that long ago you have binned your cheap and nasty watercolours and anything else of that nature including brushes and paper. You wil have a big enough job painting without struggling with substandard materials. lf you have been painting for two years you will have a knowledge of colour mixing using brushes etc. so there is nothing to stop you from attempting a painting of a subject. My first paintings were still lifes or flowers so you could try painting these. Follow your own steps that you plan for painting anytthing, if you make a big mistake you can start again on the back of the paper. as everyone has done at some time.You have picked up knowledge from these books etc. but if there is something you dont understand just ask and we will do our best to answer and we cant give you all the answers at one go . learning watercolour is not instant satifaction and is not easy and requires a great lot of practice but you will get there if you persevere
Posted
Words of wisdom from Syd.
I started by painting in oils, long, long ago, then moved on to acrylic, and only in recent years have I touched watercolour - and I think I probably had the easier introduction to painting by going at it that way. Watercolour isn't easy at all - and of course Syd's right to urge you to get the best paint and equipment (and paper) you can - some papers suit people more than others, which is a bit of a nuisance when your budget is limited and you can't try them all (and whose budget isn't?). As you'll have discovered, too, tutors contradict each other - just looking at the painting and drawing channel a few years ago, I've not gone back lately, there were demonstrations by the late Terry Harrison, Geoff Kersey, Keith Fenwick, Matthew Palmer, and several others - all very different; some offering advice I thought not much of; some offering their own paint brands; some apparently unable to move without a generous dose of masking fluid; you can't very well follow all of them - you have to choose; and how are you to do that?
Then there's the books..... I suggest two things; one, find an artist whose work you actually like, and follow his/her advice; and two, recognize you have a confidence problem which is only going to be resolved by taking a deep breath, jumping in, and doing it: in your case, working from your own sketches, going out and about, looking for a good subject, and painting it your way. Aided by your probably absent mentor, but not binding yourself too firmly to their method. And go to YouTube and watch the demos by Alan Owen, Dave Usher, Steve Cronin - all different; all with something to teach you.
Posted
Even my "ear-worms" have ear-worms! Good advice from everyone here Ian. I tried watercolour but couldn't get on with it and then used traditional oils which I love. As Sylvia says, the progression just happens gradually. First you study the steps and then you say to yourself "what happens if I add this bit" and before you know it you are on your own unique journey.
As said, it is important to get the best materials you can afford because if they are too cheap, you will not get good results and will think it is your fault.
Posted
Thanks all for your replies. Lots of good advice which I will take on board.
Perhaps I should have mentioned that I have progressed to better quality materials. I have some nice SAA brushes and artists quality tube paint, and worked my way up to using Saunders Waterford paper. I would not have achieved the painting I have put up in my gallery with those early brushes and paints.
I remember buying some SAA practise paper within the first week of starting out. When I applied paint to paper I just knew that, even as a very rank beginner, from everything I read and had seen that this was not how it was supposed to be. Now when I paint on my Saunders Waterford paper, and I see the water and pigment softly diffuse into the fibres it is a joy to behold. Honestly, if there was any one piece of advice I could pass on to anyone starting out it would be to choose good quality paper as it has made a significant difference for me.
But I digress. It is about how I move onto painting my own subjects that I need to find time to focus on. I'll have the camera out this coming weekend and will try and take some interesting landscape photos and see what I can come up with. That is my challenge :)
Posted
ArtAttack (9/11/2017)Watercolours are very difficult to do well. Oils, although messier, are easier to control and you can scrape areas of paint off and start again. I occasionally paint from photos, The problems are that photos encourage the artist to paint in great detail, and the result can look fussy. Also, objects in deep shade tend to appear grey or black on the photo because the camera can't represent the shades accurately. You'll improve your drawing skills and composition if you start doing small quick sketches of things you see - cars, objects in the kitchen, plants and animals, people walking in the street etc. I use small black bound sketchbooks by Daler Rowney, A6 or A5 in size. They are inconspicuous when you're drawing in public . A 2B pencil or a black fibre tip pen is all you need to draw. I did drawings almost daily for a few years, and I've kept all the sketchbooks. Looking back at these little sketches, they are often more interesting than some of the paintings I've done. https://www.jacksonsart.com/daler-rowney-ebony-hardback-sketchbook-portrait-150gsm-62-sheets-a6/
Hi all I started watercolour painting a little over two years ago. I bought a cheap and nasty starter kit Christmas 2014 and it took a few months of fits and starts to get going. I had seen a couple of books on watercolour books in the art section of the library. When I read and saw instructions for such things such as wet-in-wet, adn when I saw these same techniques demonstrated on YouTube, I thought to myself "I could do that!". Oh, dear :) I have often thought to myself that only I could have picked such a hard medium and I have nothing to compare it to. Anyhow, over time I have followed projects from various artists such as Geoff Kersey, Terry Harrison, Paul Talbot-Greaves and one or two others. I am still very much a rookie, with a lot to learn. I take comfort from following projects and being told exactly what to do though sometimes having to interpret what I am supposed to do since instructions are often unclear and the accompanying pictures are so small they require a level of eye sight of a hawk. And that is what is starting to gnaw at me. I know I should probably be having a go at painting something original, learn to judge what techniques are required, what mix of colours I need, and so on and so forth. I suppose I still lack the confidence in my abilities and need that reassurance I get from following step-by-step instructions. I thought it would be an interesting topic to find out from fellow forum members how you gradually moved into creating your own original work. Regards, Ian.
Edited
by keora