Well, I shouldn't even show you this one but I will. Why? You can learn from my mistakes! And when I "finished" this one (oh, yes, it was completely finished!!!), I wrote at the bottom of the paper what I didn't do right, including going back in again and again trying to "fix" the color with...what...water! A no-no, according to Mr. Reid and from this pitiful example, I'd say he's right. So I guess I just stopped thinking on this one - something I tend to do at times and the outcome is always a bad, muddy painting like this one. Is there anything I like about this one? Well...I like that I did get a good dark color in the bottle and the light grey background is nice. So...on to the next one - try, try again.
I realized while watching his DVD again this morning, that I was shaping the shadows beside the objects instead of just underneath them (like he did). I'm not painting along with him but watching a section/assignment and then doing it later so forgot some areas and how he made them look.
So...what is wrong with the second one? Those "shadows" that are horrid and not the right shape or color, the timid green look of the lime (was afraid of making it look like the first try so was timid on this one).
Do I like anything? Yes. I like the green of the apple and the light shapes in it, and the nice blue-green color of the bottle.
I stopped before doing the background but you can see how it's supposed to look here, with CR's exercise...
He didn't like how blue he made the lime but "had to stop" at that point. Knowing when to stop, even when you're not happy with something, is such a huge part of watercolor painting. I like the colors of my bottle more than the colors in his (and he did go in over and over with colors in it - but only when it was still wet and juicy).
He created negative shapes beside/behind the white labels of the bottle that were nice, and his shadows were just a line of color underneath the object while it was still very wet so it bled a bit. His signature style, of course, is letting the drawing show, as he did with the shadow shapes he drew and didn't even try to fill in. He's not filling in shapes but letting things happen as he paints...allowing for happy accidents and changes as he goes along. Me, I kind of like that blue lime :)
No overlapping shapes on this one but another to come that does overlap more. Again, the focus is on contour drawing and then contour "painting" by working from the inside out and moving in and out of an object; blending colors to get what you want but blending them on the paper while the paper and pigment are good and wet; making connections between the objects on your paper using shadow shapes, backgrounds, etc.
6 comments:
You're having fun, I see. I think you're achieving that fluidity of style that is so characteristic of CR - so well done. Maybe one day we'll both be famous impressionist watercolourers! (Don't hold your breath for me though. ^_~)
I really enjoy watching you jump in and give things a try and I really like that nice dark bottle.
Rhonda, I enjoy living vicariously through all your experiments and painting exercises. I always feel that I learn something from your postings...all without moving a finger...well, except for typing my comments.
Thank you again for sharing.
I think your green bottle is very well done.
Ta, Gillian (I just remembered how often I heard the Welsh say, "Ta" instead of "Thanks" so I'm sending you a Welsh thanks today :) Ah, we can both cross our fingers and toes and hope - and work at it, of course = we'll both get there someday!
Vicki, thanks...you know what they say about fools jumping in? ha ha
Christiane, I'm glad you're picking up something with my ramblings. I'm trying to show what I'm learning (or not) so hope it helps someone else, too.
As always, I admire your love of learning and sharing your experience. He's a bit too loosy/juicy for me, but I love the great colors he gets. Just keep watching and trying - any time you attempt to learn a new process it's hard, just hang in there!
Thanks, Deb. I know what you mean - too messy for me to be sure it would turn out right if it looked that bad while working on it and I'd never be able to stop myself from mopping up - it works for him. For me, the DVD is just to help me get less tight, more loose, more wet and juicy than I am right now. I really like wet-in-wet painting and he calls his style wet-in-wet but, to me, that means prewetting areas and letting the paint merge into the wet area. To him it means wet pigment/water ratio and going back in to darken while it's still wet.
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