March Contents - Other months are at the bottom of this page.
March 4 - Continuing Color Exploration Cool & Warm (Cory Wright - Simplifying a Complex Scene in Watercolor)
March 11 - Painting the Same Scene in Different Value Patterns (2 Videos Gary Tucker) Gary Tucker - values, glazing, complimentary colors, Gary Tucker - mixing colors on paper
March 18 - Free Time Playground ... Paint What You Want (2 PDF's Sarah Yoeman Crows, Greg Albert -Pleasing the Eye) Notanizer App - Mark McDermott https://markmcdermottart.com/
March 25 - More Free Time (Artist Alice Neel, People Come First Virtual Opening Virtual Art Opening Alice Neel Sign-Up )
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Leonardo da Vinci
“Value does the work and color takes the credit.” - Marie Wilkes
"A value study will save more time than it takes."
In painting, as in life, you can get away with a great deal as long as you have your values right. (Harley Brown)
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” - Picasso
Think pattern first, then drawing, then color. The character of your painting is resolved in the pattern scheme. (Edgar A. Whitney)
Plan like a turtle; paint like a rabbit. (Edgar A. Whitney)
We find beauty not in the thing itself, but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates. Junichiro Tanizaki
If, when facing the paper, you say to yourself, 'I'm an artist,' you haven't a clue as to what to do! If, however, you say, 'I am an entertainer, a shape maker and an expressive symbol collector,' you know the task ahead and how to proceed. (Edgar A. Whitney)
"You can't be at the pole and the equator at the same time. You must choose your own lie, as I hope to do, and it will probably be color." Vincent Van Gogh
"Seeing abstract value patterns, not just the literal subject, is one of the first and most difficult things for a growing artist to learn." Jane R. Hofstetter
"With this painting, I learned that when I simplify and spend more time editing, the message comes across more clearly." Francis Marte, first time award winner: Honorable Mention, Watercolor Artist magazine Showcase competition
"With watercolor, the cure is usually more harmful than the ailment." "Make your color choices consciously, not by default. Color is mood. Such a powerful tool should not be wasted." Elizabeth Kincaid, "Paint Watercolors that Dance with Light"
Today: What fun having play time in the playground...! Loving the synergies in this group...Inspired by Berrell's "Shoes", Ginny Schuster sent around a painting she did several years ago of her boots, and Berrell gave them a new portrait! Explorations of "what is my style of painting? Is it bad or good that I have one?"
Next week April 1: Another week of...free time in the playground...paint what you want!
Interactive workshop! Share and ask each other for advice... or fun with Masking tape Birches?
Next week April 1st (!)...Continuing our paint what you want!
Interactive workshop! Choices, choices...Share and ask each other for advice...OR
If you want to try something fun and new...check out Birch Trees attached...we'll play with this technique. Take masking tape (wide easier than 1", but use what you have), rip vertically so one edge is ragged. That's one birch tree! Place it on your paper, add a few more, varying sizes, different horizon lines. We'll paint loose backgrounds right over the tape...when the painting is dry, you'll pull the tape off and embellish the bark...voila!
Other News/hints:
See "Getting in Shapes" attached, a lesson in drawing artistic shapes..
Other News/hints:
Linda had told us about the upcoming Alice Neel exhibit at the Met Museum, here is a link to a free curator guided zoom tour of the exhibi next Friday March 26th, 7 pm. Sign up at: https://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/alice-neel
I attached my "Far Mountain", as well as how I placed the trees...this clear "wet media film" is made to lay over your painting and practice without painting on your work. I also ended up using my Silver Black Velvet #12 round instead of the sword brush (very watery lovely brush...highly recommended)... And yes, Cheap Joe's Scroggy Loose Goose is a sword brush...
Art quotes of the week: "With watercolor, the cure is usually more harmful than the ailment." "Make your color choices consciously, not by default. Color is mood. Such a powerful tool should not be wasted."
Elizabeth Kincaid, "Paint Watercolors that Dance with Light"
Giny - Far Mountain
Today: What great color, painting, sharing and synergies...! Screen shots - group - closeup of Berrell's Fletcher's paint box and imitating Ginny Schu... Linda's still life setup and painting...sketching to get back into the swing...birds of paradise, veggies veggies, Mexico street scene, orchids, mountains...my oh my!
Berrell - Fletcher's Paint Box
Berrell - Alice Neel Poster
Berrell - Channeling Ginny Schu's Boots
Linda's Still Life Set Up
Linda
Linda
Today: Excellent compositions in value ranges: hi key, lo key, all values...wonderful paintings!
March 18 and 25: Free time in the playground...paint what you want!
Interactive workshops! Great ideas today from the group on how to share each other's journeys and techniques... You'll choose your individual projects, and we'll spend time checking in with the group, asking questions, sharing our progress, sharing your painting techniques with the class..."almost like being in the arts center"... well, we'll try!
In planning your works, remember this One Rule of Composition: "Never make any two intervals the same"...intervals of distance, shape, tonal value, color and just about every other element in your painting. [Source:The Simple Secret to Better Painting" Greg Albert] See attached pdf below, "Pleasing the Eyes" from this book.
A handy composition tool: An value analyzing app called Notanizer for your phone. Might be a $4.99 app. Take a photo of your paintings, convert to 3 (or more) levels of darkness and check for contrast and compositional elements. I've attached my Hi/Low/All studies from today, and notanized them as well. As you can see, I got my low key one VERY low! (See Three-Value Notan Studies below).
Also attached below, wonderful article on Sarah Yeoman's crow series...lots of watercolor technique and wisdom in the article!
Art quote of the week:
"With this painting, I learned that when I simplify and spend more time editing, the message comes across more clearly." Francis Marte, first time award winner: Honorable Mention, Watercolor Artist magazine Showcase competition
Using the Notanizer App for Value Studies
Today: Spring...the time of WARM and COOL for sure! And you did it!
For March 11th: Painting the same scene in different value patterns. Use today's setup, or make an even simpler one...perhaps ONE object on a drape or tablecloth... Section your paper and draw it 2 or 3 times. See "Value Patterns" attached.
What we are actually learning: You control the message in the painting. No matter what the ACTUAL colors, lighting etc might be, you can manipulate it to tell the story your way, and again differently...
March 18 and 25: Free time in the playground...paint what you want!
Finish past paintings? Play with colors? Ask for feedback from the group? Do that image thats been rolling around in your head...sure! We are still building on composition/design skills, so remember your planning skills - drawing, value sketch - AND remember the One Rule of Composition: "Never make any two intervals the same"...intervals of distance, shape, tonal value, color and just about every other element in your painting. [Source:The Simple Secret to Better Painting" Greg Albert]
A favorite YouTube teacher: Advancing with Watercolor, with Gary Tucker. Gentle teaching, some are short ones on different techniques, others full narrated paintings, but each with a particular skill emphasis.
Short one on values, and glazing and mixing complementary colors
Gary Tucker - values, glazing, complimentary colors
This one is great for mixing your colors on the paper:
Gary Tucker - mixing colors on paper
Art quote of the week:
Seeing abstract value patterns, not just the literal subject, is one of the first and most difficult things for a growing artist to learn.
Different Value Patterns Same Subject - Normal, Low and High
Giny - Normal, High and Low Value Patterns
Giny - Using the Notanizer App to Check Her Value Patterns - Normal, High and Low
Carrie - High and Low Value Patterns
Linda High Value Pattern
Linda Low Value Pattern
Linda Normal Value Pattern
Darcie Normal Value Pattern
Darcie Low Value Pattern
Darcie High Value Pattern
Today: WOW! Great colorists, abstraction, compositions.... just so many fun paintings!
For March 4th: Continuing our color exploration, next week we'll paint one composition twice, once in a COOL and again in a WARM color scheme. Set up a simple still life of 2 objects and a drape, divide your paper and draw it twice. Refer to composition hints from last week. Choose objects with contrasting shapes or sizes (one tall, one short; one angular, one round; one large, one small, etc). Look at the shapes between the shapes and ask "is that a good shape?"...
See samples attached...
March 11th Continuing color as value...Once again we will divide our paper, and paint one simple scene twice, using two different value schemes. You can use next week's setup or another image with 2-3 shapes on a surface.
What you are actually learning: Color temperature...color as value...principles of composition... Check out my notes and photos from a workshop I took this week with Cory Wright, "Simplifying Complex Scenes in watercolor". Look at how she modified the photo for better composition...
Art quote of the week:
"You can't be at the pole and the equator at the same time. You must choose your own lie, as I hope to do, and it will probably be color." Vincent Van Gogh
CORY WRIGHT – AGAMI – SIMPLIFYING COMPLEX SCENE IN WATERCOLOR
90% of a good painting is drawing. The other 10% is drawing.
Drawing takes time to learn
Lessons from her career painting Tromp L’oeil: all about lights and darks
To paint loose: hold brush further up the handle! Most of the painting! Wet in wet: work piecemeal to give time to dry between sections. See as shapes, not objects
Simplifying: Makes a better painting not to include every little thing Paintings need variety: of color, of brushstrokes, of texture
“When you change plane, change the value”
horizontal= catches light. Vertical=doesn’t (generally)
If in 1st 15 minutes not liking, excited…start over!
Remembers learning of a renaissance Bologna artist obsessed with little bottles, bowls, 15-20 objects, who arranged the same objects as figures, whole career was same objects, over and over again, intimate,
Save the fine details for LAST – watch holding brush like pencil too early on – may make a detail you’re afraid to ruin –
Give yourself artistic pause: look across room, take photo with phone,
Limited palette = harmony b/c colors all related
Started with only a warm and cool of each primary, plus (brown?) Only uses black for example, for eye of any animal= focal point
Greens are the hardest color in every medium
Analogies for constructing a painting:
1. Building a house: lay a good foundation before the details – texture etc. 2. Sandwich:
Beginning=bread: dry, thoughtful, composition, layout, big shapes. Then: filling: fun: playful part, experiment, add variety
End: 2nd bread: slow down, more in your head, back away, see what’s working
Stop when you think you are about 80% done! Ask: have I said what I wanted to say? Evaluate…walk away…proceed slowly, deliberately, stroke by stroke
Best teaching tool for yourself: Do a small painting every day, say 5x7. Much better then working on a big thing over days…
Examples from Watercolor Day by Day - Michael Crespo
For Class - Examples - Still Life with Minimal Objects and a Drape
Giny Warm
Giny Cool
Lauren Warm
Lauren Cool
Marie Warm
Marie Cool
Linda Warm
Linda Cool
Berrel Shoes Cool/Warm
Darcie Warm
Darcie Cool
January 7 - Let's Paint Snow (Birches)
January 14 - Brrr.... More Snow (Office and Lake)
January 21 - Exploration of Legs
January 29 - Exploration of Legs ... Continued (Video Michael Reardon High Speed Demo Amazing)
February 5 - Exploration of Legs Continues ... to Landscapes
February 11- Value Studies of Landscapes
February 18 - Colorful Still Life Composition - You Design
February 25 - Colorful Still Life Composition - Patterns Continues
March 4 - Continuing Color Exploration Cool & Warm (Cory Wright - Simplifying a Complex Scene in Watercolor)
March 11 - Painting the Same Scene in Different Value Patterns (2 Videos Gary Tucker)
March 18 - Free Time Playground ... Paint What You Want (2 PDF's Sarah Yoeman Crows, Greg Albert -Pleasing the Eye) Notanizer App - Mark McDermott https://markmcdermottart.com/
March 25 - More Free Time (Artist Alice Neel, People Come First Virtual Opening Virtual Art Opening Alice Neel Sign-Up )