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I have always been intrigued by watercolor and for my 2015 New Year’s resolution I took the plunge and started seriously painting in this challenging medium.  I began with painting a watercolor a day during the month of January.  My first attempts were awkward and frustrating but I diligently continued painting every day.  Towards the end of January I bought a video by Mario Robinson which introduced a method of layering that is similar to oils and helped me feel more comfortable with the medium.

The January challenge was a good introduction but I needed guidance so I took workshops with artists whose work I have admired, Mary Whyte and Frank Eber.    

Mary is known for her beautiful portraits and powerful design.  Her workshop was informative and her demonstrations breathtaking.  The lessons I took away from her workshop had to do with the immediacy of the medium.  She believes strongly in touching the watercolor as little as possible to keep the colors clean. “Get in and get out” is one of her phrases.  She knows the medium so well she can mix exactly what she needs.  Another lesson that stuck with me is “The Big Scary” where she painted the shadow in one wash and then charged it with the complement letting the colors mix on the paper.

The second workshop was with Frank Eber.  I am a big fan of his atmospheric landscapes and his informative blog.  The workshop was five days of plein air bliss in beautiful La Crosse, Wisconsin.  Frank was very helpful with advice, and his many demos were insightful, especially watching his expressive brushwork.  Frank uses a lot of white in his mixtures and his transparent and opaque paints gives a great sense of depth and mood. 

What I Learned in 2015

My biggest hurdle is the changing nature of the values and brilliance of the medium as they dry.  My goal is to become familiar enough with the medium that I can judge the water to pigment ratio and get what I want in the first application.

Pastel experience is helpful for layering.  In pastel I often do not have the stick that I need and have to “glaze” other pastels on top to adjust the color/value.  I use this approach with watercolor adjusting the values and color as each layer dries.  You can layer a surprising amount of watercolors on top of each other.

Knowing the wetness of your paper and the wetness of the brush is crucial to controlling edges.

There is magic in the way the pigments mix themselves on the paper. The secret is to leave them be and let them do their thing.

Gravity is a watercolorist’s best friend and worst enemy.

Overall I am pleased with my 2015 watercolor experiment.  My goal was to become more comfortable with this challenging medium and I achieved it.  I plan to continue and am excited to see where this adventure takes me.