How Can Learning To Paint Good Basic Watercolors Avoid Heartache?
I have to admit that a critic could have been right to say that my simple 2 stage learn how to paint watercolors course was too simple…
It was aimed at artist beginners who wanted to learn to paint without having to learn to draw first. This meant that although they may not be too good at drawing, they could still get started painting. Painting landscapes, still-life painting, portraits and mechanical objects can come later.
There are 2 reasons to go right back beyond the basics of painting watercolors…
1. It is a great idea to learn to paint before you try to paint a picture
2. When your painting is going wrong it is good to return to first principles
Some people are lucky. They never struggle to learn to paint watercolor. It is easy for some to pick up a paint box and brushes and paint a good watercolor landscape without difficulty. They are a fortunate minority.
On the other hand, most of us aren’t blessed with such talents…
* Learning to paint watercolors is hard
* It can seem almost impossible to paint a good watercolor picture
Each and every brush mark can be a nightmare of colors mixing badly and color washes flooding into areas of your painting that you don’t want.
It doesn’t take long for your great art ideas to turn into muddy chaos. And, when things go wrong you are lost. Unless you know what is happening as the watercolor paint sweeps across your sheet of watercolor paper you will never improve…
* You need to see how the color moves where the water carries it
* You need to understand that a wash that isn’t fully dry will be wrecked when the next color wash is painted
* It is good to know how to paint a range of color intensity and tone from a single color before advancing to adding other colors to the mix
As the old saying goes… “Don’t try to run before you can walk”
Watercolor painting can quickly convince you that you have no artistic talent. It can make you look like you have no painting skills. It is a shame to become disheartened when your watercolors go wrong.
So, given the choice, which option would you choose?
“Disappointment and frustration… or a deep understanding of how simple and easy watercolors work in your painting?”
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Filed under Pictures by Michael Dale
