Watercolor thoughts vol. 392
After practicing a bunch last weekend, and sitting back down with MTH's "false start" forest, it occurs to me that even when I see very good watercolors (not mine) next to their originating reference, I still feel a betrayal of reality.
[Useful practical realization 1: Really dark darks, velvety darks, are important to me - and notoriously difficult to achieve in watercolor. (Should I make some indigo?)]
[Practical realization 2: I'm still not waiting long enough for my paper to dry. "Damp, but not glossy." This is a bit tricky when working in artificial light.]
Larger difficulty: I'm still unclear about what I actually want to achieve, aesthetically. I can say "loose, painterly, and evocative" over and over, but it's clear that part of me rebels still against anything that isn't tight and color-accurate; there will always be at least one axis for me to be disappointed by. And this is the same part of me that wonders if I shouldn't move the goalposts and start experimenting with gouache or acrylic.
[A partial solution: Be very clear about my goals for a piece and in what way I want to fulfill them, before I begin. And, of course, do keep getting better at drawing.]
I am getting much better at values and planning. I wonder if I don't need to adjust my expectations with respect to values, though, given that watercolor does in fact have limitations.
[Useful practical realization 1: Really dark darks, velvety darks, are important to me - and notoriously difficult to achieve in watercolor. (Should I make some indigo?)]
[Practical realization 2: I'm still not waiting long enough for my paper to dry. "Damp, but not glossy." This is a bit tricky when working in artificial light.]
Larger difficulty: I'm still unclear about what I actually want to achieve, aesthetically. I can say "loose, painterly, and evocative" over and over, but it's clear that part of me rebels still against anything that isn't tight and color-accurate; there will always be at least one axis for me to be disappointed by. And this is the same part of me that wonders if I shouldn't move the goalposts and start experimenting with gouache or acrylic.
[A partial solution: Be very clear about my goals for a piece and in what way I want to fulfill them, before I begin. And, of course, do keep getting better at drawing.]
I am getting much better at values and planning. I wonder if I don't need to adjust my expectations with respect to values, though, given that watercolor does in fact have limitations.