Some Watercolor Tips

GERI M. DAVIS

Many times I have heard people say,” Watercolor is such a difficult medium”. Watercolor is only difficult if you try to “micro-manage” it. In other words, control its every move. Watercolor is a free-flowing medium that has a mind of its own...this is one of its wonderful characteristics. We, as artists should embrace that quality of watercolor and not try to be its master. What we need to do is to learn about these qualities of watercolor with lots and lots of practice.

Practice is essential in anything in which you would like to excel. Dancers, musicians, singers, writers, etc. all have to practice in order to maintain and improve their talent. I practice every day, be it a doodle, a sketch, a study, or I just throw paint on a piece of paper and see what happens. I never begin a painting without “loosening” up. It builds my confidence, helps me relax, guides me to concentrate and puts me in the “mood” or the “zone”...whatever you would like to call it. I use inexpensive paper to “practice” on. This alleviates the fear of messing up an expensive sheet of paper. I also use both sides of the paper for practice. This keeps “practice” more economic.

Paint is another factor in keeping artists insecure and inhibited. You MUST become more liberal with your paint. Being stingy with paint adds to insecurity AND weak paintings. Paintings that “whisper” with weak color are usually overlooked. Listening and observing is one way of learning, but doing it yourself empowers you as an artist with confidence, knowledge and fearlessness. Practice makes perfect!!!!!

DESIGN: The first step I take in beginning a painting is to understand my subject matter. Nothing is more evident to a viewer than when an artist is not familiar with the subject matter they have chosen to paint. There always seems to be a disconnect between the artist and the subject. So, know your subject matter well. Secondly, you must know how to put your picture together. This is the DESIGN or COMPOSITION of your picture. Decisions have to be made as to what to accentuate/emphasize, what to take out, what to leave in, what to change/rearrange.Then there are the types of marks you make on your paper: Lines, Shapes, Size, Value, Color, Texture and Shapes. Next is the arrangement of those above mentioned “marks”. There is Unity, Contrast, Dominance,Repetition, Alternation, Harmony, Balance/formal & informal and Gradation. Hopefully, these tips will help you create glorious artwork!

Artfully yours,

Geri