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| Summer Collection 2019 (and 2018 and 2017) Watercolour and Ink Moleskine A4 Watercolour Album 297mm x 210mm (11.69" x 8.27") |
I’ve reached the half way point in Liz Steel’s SketchingNow Watercolor course.
Liz’s premise is that watercolour sketching (particularly on location) requires a different technique to studio painting. Her focus is on a direct approach, trying to get the desired colours and effects first time, rather than the more traditional approach of gradually building up layers of washes.
In common with her other courses. there is lots of well thought out video content and exercises.
The first lesson is about controlling water and focuses on three types of washes:
- Watery - a lot of water for the amount of pigment.
- Juicy - a generous load of pigment for the amount of water.
- Pasty - mainly pigment with a little bit of water.
The second lesson is about
- Colour mixing: how to mix two colours
- Layering: putting one wash over another dried wash
- Working wet: mixing paints on the paper while they are wet
The third week is primarily a review of sketches from Lessons 1 and 2. There are also some additional theory videos, an extra demo, and an exercise to paint some of your wardrobe – the clothes not the cupboard.
I’ve learnt a lot, some of it stuff I already knew, but to which I wasn’t paying sufficient attention. Perhaps the most important lessons for me are: be generous, paint with confidence (regardless of whether this is warranted or not), and paint every day.
Being generous might seem like a strange comment. I'm referencing a French film (probably Leon) in which a character observes that only generous people can make good sandwiches (or something like that). I think the sentiment holds true for many things - including watercolour painting.
