Watercolor Musings: Going a bit crazy...

Watercolor Musings: Going a bit crazy...: Keeping a sketchbook can be an exercise in drill, practice, and serious endeavor but I'd rather find odd bits of information, record unusual...

Going a bit crazy...

Keeping a sketchbook can be an exercise in drill, practice, and serious endeavor but I'd rather find odd bits of information, record unusual conversations and do sketches that would never find their way into paintings. Doing a watercolor sketch for the sheer fun of it is very entertaining.

Prague Market

The street market in Prague was full of so much subject matter that it was hard to light on one spot. While I drew this we were visited by a small child who chattered happily at our feet and checked up on our work from time to time. This is a pretty close approximation to the scene.

Prague is full of wonderful towers, church steeples and other structures that push their way into the sky. We had seen a local artist's work which exaggerated these tall elements with a good deal of whimsy. One day we declared "Wonky Day." No vertical lines...every one had to be organic and lean and sway.

Wonky Prague in Bright Colors

Now this was fun! The architecture was stretched and bowed and the colors pushed into all sorts of brights. We did get some quizzical stares from the local folks.

I have found since that the multitude of towers is necessary for the most success. I tried it on one of the California Missions and I didn't like the results nearly as much. So...if you find yourself with pinnacles aplenty, go wonky!

Watercolor Musings: Designing within Different Shapes

Watercolor Musings: Designing within Different Shapes: One year ago I was on Monhegan Island, off Maine's coast, with 6 students. It has been a place for artists for more years than I know and th...

Designing within Different Shapes

One year ago I was on Monhegan Island, off Maine's coast, with 6 students. It has been a place for artists for more years than I know and the scenery deserves this attention. We were there for a week and painted in many different places, found the market where fresh, hot, cinnamon sugar donuts were sold at 7am, ate lobster and lobster and lobster. I also ate mussels but didn't have others join me in that meal.

Perhaps my favorite view was of a lobster shack we frequented often for both inspiration and food. The first image is the more traditional rectangle. The focal point is the red umbrella which is the tiny lobster shack and the large building on the right side frames that portion and pushes the viewer into the picture plane. Both paintings were done on location and drawn with a color brush in sepia prior to the addition of watercolor.

Lobster Shack  12"x16"

The second painting from this spot is a long horizontal. It shows much more of the waterline and the many homes along it. Because of that, it is a longer, more distant view. It also looks as if it was a sunny day because of the vibrant color and calmer sky. We had all kinds of weather when we were there - sunny, blustery, rainy, foggy, misty, etc.

Monhegan Panorama  8"x19.5"

I enjoy doing the same subject matter in different ways. By designing in different shapes, you get a chance to solve more compositional problems and avoid doing the same painting over and over. The advantages of working with familiar subject matter is obvious...what you know you can draw more quickly and accurately.

I think I may try this again in a square format and a really blustery, rainy day. That would be fun!