Tallahassee Watercolor Society March/April 2022 Newsletter

Alexis Lavine, NWS, Online Zoom Workshop

May 23, 24, and 25th

10:00am to 3:00pm

$200.00 members, $250.00 non-members

Workshop Theme: “Design for Success!”

Superb DESIGN is essential in making art that excels. An unremarkable painting can be elevated into one that is powerful and engaging ... with the application of strategic, thoughtful, and dynamic DESIGN. During this workshop, we will focus on designing superior paintings. We will learn the all-important concepts of design and how to integrate them into our paintings to take our paintings to that next level. We’ll explore a variety of subjects together and see how we can turn them into exciting, emotional, fascinating, and unique works of art with the right combination of creative design: solid drawing, effective painting techniques, and imagination.

"My watercolor paintings appear to be realistic ... but they are thoughtfully conceived, strategically designed, and carefully drawn around abstract shapes, values, colors, movement, and positive and negative spaces. I believe that my approach gives my work a more contemporary feel, and results in paintings which convey my personal reaction to my subject, not merely the visual facts.

During my demonstrations, I talk to the students at length while I paint or draw, explaining what I am doing and why, what I am thinking, what I am deciding to do, what colors or techniques I am using, etc., and constantly inviting questions. Critiques are designed to be positive and constructive experiences. During critiques I emphasize the students' strengths and offer suggestions to help them improve their work. During individual work time, I am available the whole time on zoom to receive text or email photos of their work in progress. I will offer help, suggestions, and information as needed. When I am teaching, I am there 100% for the students. I work very hard to give the students help, information, inspiration, and motivation".

In this workshop, we will be working with florals and emphasizing design principles. We're very lucky to have such a widely acclaimed and highly rated instructor. Her workshops have received rave reviews from dozens of students.

Please check Alexis' website and Facebook pages for more info: www.AlexisLavineArtist.com, and: www.facebook.com/AlexisLavineArtist

TaWS members will receive the very special rate of $200.00 for the workshop. Space is limited. Please register early if you're interested.

To register, please email Deborah Morningstar at: morningstardeborah@gmail.com or call Deborah at 850-264-6540.

Textured art; Mystic Woods

The woodland scene started with a 11x14 piece of matte board, glued-on strips of art paper for trees, a coat of 50/50 gesso and acrylic ground medium, then tissue paper, and more gesso juice. After 2 days, it was painted with Prussian blue, the trees lifted with a damp rag, and the tissue “ branches” touched up with titanium white. The creatures are painted shapes of matte board, glued on. The coats of dried gesso juice avoid the need for glass on the frame.

Thanks to Linda Pelc’s art class…

Chip Townsend

How to improve your life drawings with watercolor

By Artists & Illustrators | Mon 28th Feb 2022

Draw Brighton tutor Shelley Morrow shows you how to improve your life drawings by adding a splash of watercolor

How to improve your life drawings with watercolor: The exercise

This short project encourages you to use watercolour to help boost your figurative life drawings.

Next time you go to a class, try using watercolor rather than pencil or charcoal. It is helpful to have a really expressive model who can hold a variety of poses. The poses don’t have to be wild and dramatic; quiet and gentle ones work equally well. When working quickly, it is more important to capture the gesture of the pose, rather than a true likeness of the model.

The duration

Opt for life drawing classes with short sittings. This can be anything from two to 30 minutes. Watercolor lends itself perfectly to spontaneity, movement and vibrancy. Therefore, work quickly for the best results.

What you will learn

Drawing with a brush loaded with watercolor will help you to focus on the figure as a whole. This means you won’t zoom in on the detail too soon. In turn, this will help you gain a sense of proportion.

Working quickly with life drawings can make the task easier. There isn’t time to be indecisive and often our first instincts can be correct. It will teach you spontaneity, how to be selective and leave out everything that is not essential.

Mistakes will be made but learn to accept them. Try to analyze what worked in your life drawing and what didn’t. Experiment and play. It can feel like watercolor has a life of its own or is difficult to control. However, it’s also full of surprises, so take advantage of this and try not to control it too much.

How to improve your life drawings with watercolor: Recommended materials

Watercolor tubes are better than pans for mixing up fresh color quickly for shorter poses. If you are new to life drawing with watercolor, it is best to stick with one color per drawing at first. Choose any color you like. The aim is not to depict flesh tones, but to explore the qualities of the medium.

Chinese and Squirrel mop brushes are very versatile. When using these you can get lovely broad, fluid strokes, as well as very fine ones. Pipettes can be useful for adding more water to your paint. Plus, they will save you from dirtying your water with paint-covered brushes. Porcelain palettes wash well and they don’t tend to stain like plastic ones.

How to prepare

It’s important to be prepared. If you are planning to paint in a life class, it’s a good idea to check your kit and give yourself a good 10 minutes to get your materials ready to go. You want to feel fairly relaxed before you start and not flustered. Use a drawing board and lay it fairly horizontal, as the wet paint will run – sitting is a good option. If you have a lot of standing poses, you may want to sit on a high stool to make yourself roughly the same height as the model. Try different positions to see what suits you best.

Get your paint mixed and ready before the session starts and have two jars of clear water. You will soon dirty your first pot and need a clean one ready. Kitchen roll is useful for mopping up excess liquid from your paper or brush.

Water and brushes

If you are unsure about the correct color and consistency of watercolor to use then have a separate sheet to test on. Your brush needs to be wet before you start – sometimes I start with the faintest of brushstrokes, using the colored water from the water jar, just to trace the subject and get a feel of where things should be. I will then add some stronger color allowing the paint to spread in these wetted areas. Any areas I don’t want to be wet I can either dab off with kitchen roll or a clean, damp brush. The paint will look lighter when dry so bear that in mind and experiment with it beforehand to see how it looks.

How to improve your life drawings with watercolor: Top tips

Be methodical

Life drawing can often be overwhelming so it is a good idea before you start to decide what you would like to achieve. Be methodical and tackle each problem in turn. For example, if you have problems with composition, then make this your only challenge – ignore things like color or line at this stage and instead work on placing the figure and fitting all elements onto the page. Work on small sheets for this and apply blobs of paint to roughly suggest the figure in the space.

Try painting silhouettes

If you find proportion difficult, consider painting silhouettes – they can help you to place one part of the body in relation to another. By filling in the shape of the body without defining any of the internal features, you can avoid getting bogged down in the details. It is surprising how much information can be read from a silhouette too.

It doesn’t matter in which order you tackle each of your problems, the main thing is to focus on one problem at a time and once you have gained the confidence and skill in those problems, you can begin to combine them together.

Gesture and expression

Watercolor works particularly well when it comes to gesture and expression. I use gesture as the main focus of my drawings, and watercolor gives me the spontaneity and freedom I need to express this. The paint can run and spread in unpredictable ways offering an extra dimension to the drawing. Changes take place as the paint dries and can leave unexpected results. It is a practical opportunity to work with color and learn about it as you go.

When using a life model, think of the shorter poses more like brush drawings than actual paintings – the aim is to capture the turns, twists and tensions of the model, rather than an accurate representation of him or her. If you are working on a longer pose, you will have more time to experiment with introducing colors and adding detail, but be careful not to overwork the painting as it can easily become flattened and dull.

Upcoming Workshop

Save the Date! August 12-13, 2022

Maryo Hoffpauir Smith will be teaching a 2 day watercolor workshop at Natalia Andreeva's studio in Tallahassee!

It is limited to 8 students, sign up early to insure your space.

Plein Air Watercolors & Beyond

Presented by LeMoyne Arts at LeMoyne Arts Education Center, Tallahassee FL

Instructor Isabella Parra teaches the basics of watercolors and gouache painting.

In this class, we will go over the basic principles of watercolor and gouache painting, including how to use and care for the materials, what techniques may be implemented in both mediums, and how to work with the medium outside and on the move! The class will take trips around the LeMoyne Arts campus and garden to paint, while instructor Isabella Parra teaches methods for painting while outside. ​ Should weather not permit working outside, the class may work within the building, developing existing artwork, painting from still life, or a still of an art studio. Instructor: ​Isabella Parra Fee: Members $120, Non-members $130

Contact: 850-222-8800

Email: education@lemoyne.org

Mary Whyte: How To Create Your Best Watercolor Paintings Ever

by Mary Whyte

There are two things most artists want: One is for their work to consistently get better, and the other is to have it stand out. You probably know artists whose talents seem to continually grow and evolve over the years, resulting in a body of work that documents a lifetime of creative achievement. However, if you are like the majority of artists, you may be struggling to improve your technique and searching for ways to make your work memorable. Many artists want to know how to create work that people will recognize before they read the signature.

If this is your goal and you have been painting seriously for more than five years, you probably already have most of the technical knowledge you need to make a masterpiece. Consider, for example, the work of Matisse, Chagall, O’Keeffe, Avery, Picasso, or even Grandma Moses. The individual techniques used by these artists were basic, simple, and straightforward, and ones that many artists can duplicate. Yet their work is regarded almost the world over as masterpieces. What sets these artists apart is not only their techniques but also their ideas and how they chose to present them.

So, with this in mind, how can you take what you know, improve on it, and take your work to the next level? Following are five steps to help you achieve this.

1: Have a Full Tool Box

Technique is just the starting point. Having a full range of technical ability is like having a full vocabulary—you can say exactly what you want, how you want. For instance, if you want to paint sailboats in the harbor on a foggy day, it is critical for you to know how to mix neutral, foglike colors and to control soft, murky edges. And if you want to be able to paint portraits of animals or children, certain drawing skills and a basic understanding of anatomy are fundamental. Being familiar with a wide range of tools and supplies will enable you to always select the perfect instrument for the task at hand. It may take awhile to find the correct materials for the work you want to do, but with enough research and experimentation you will eventually find the right tools.

Keep in mind that no technique or tool is better than another, and each has an appropriate use. Continue to experiment with different approaches and materials so that you can add to your artistic vocabulary. Don’t ever let your lack of knowledge or experience prevent you from painting something you desire to capture. If you want to paint something badly enough, you will figure out a way to do it, and you will be your own best teacher. Be mindful that technique is the means to tell the story, but it is not the story itself. The techniques you use should never outshine the substance of your work.

2: Know Yourself

If you don’t feel strongly about what you’re painting, neither will the viewer. A seemingly little idea for a painting can be made into a big idea solely by your emotion. The difficult part for many artists is knowing what it is they truly want to paint, what it is that makes their heart sing more than anything else. Too often artists feel there is a limited list of suitable subjects, so they end up producing work that, although technically competent, lacks feeling and looks like everyone else’s. It’s worth the investment of time to take stock of the world around you and pinpoint the subject matter to which you are most emotionally tied. Don’t ever paint a particular subject just because other artists are. Choose your subject because it is important to you.

Your best work may actually be right in your own backyard. The region of the country you’re from and your neighborhood may be the areas you’re most familiar with, and thus may contain the ingredients for superior pieces. Mary Cassatt spent her career painting her family, and almost all of Vermeer’s paintings were done in the corner of his studio with the light coming from the same window to the left. Forget about which subject matter will win sales. Instead, set your sights on finding what really matters to you. If you feel strongly enough about what you’re painting, your emotions will resonate with the viewer, and that alone will get attention.

3: Persevere

An artist friend of mine once said that the secret to making a living as an artist was simply a matter of hanging in there long enough. In many ways I believe he was right. The journey to making it as an artist isn’t an easy road, especially in the early years, when other less satisfying jobs often have to be pursued to make a living. Remember, however, that learning to do anything well requires sacrifice and perseverance, whether it’s athletics, music, dance, language, cooking, or rocket science.

Tips for Taking Your Work to the Next Level

• Keep a sketchbook or journal with you at all times for jotting down notes and making quick sketches. You never know when the inspiration for your next painting will come along.
• Visit museums and galleries. Look at the work of the masters and analyze what makes them successful. Keeping your eye trained will better able you to recognize merit in the studio.
• Study with the best. Seek excellent instructors in your area and learn as much as you can from them. Stay away from teachers who want you to copy their work or imitate their style.
• Experiment. The best way to discover new techniques and approaches is to try something new. There is no such thing as a bad technique or idea, only one that is in the wrong place.
• Get feedback. Listen to the criticism of others. It may sting at first, but use the input for your growth. If you get rejections, reevaluate your work and keep going.
• Think positively. Your effort and attitude will be the greatest factor in determining your success.

If you’re serious about moving your work to the next level, you must be willing to experience failures. Although failures can be disheartening on the surface, you will find they are the necessary hurdles to success. Sometimes I think discouragement is just nature’s way of weeding out the ones who are lazy and not entirely committed. It simply takes time to master certain techniques, discover who you are, and evolve into a uniquely creative vessel. Fortunately, art is one of the few vocations in which age is an asset. To every new work we bring a lifetime of experiences and personal history.

Even for artists like myself, who have been at it a long time, there are challenges to be met every day. A few years ago I painted significant words on each of the seven steps leading up to my studio. The words are there to remind me of what I need every day to paint. Using acrylic paint, I wrote in Italian: Faith, Imagination, Strength, Vision, Inspiration, Courage, and, of course, Perseverance. The life of an artist may never become easier, but it does become fuller.

4: Paint From Your Heart

Never undervalue your emotions. They are the force behind every good work. As a serious artist you must strive to paint ideas and beauty, not things. Merely copying objects will lead to work that is journalistic rather than poetic, and the results will be paintings that never stand out from the crowd. A painting that is merely being copied is apt to be cast aside after a while, but a work that is driven by one’s emotions will be seen through to its conclusion.

Don’t just copy a landscape; instead, describe how it makes you feel. Envision a Corot landscape: languid, vast, atmospheric, pastoral. Now picture a Van Gogh landscape with its fanciful swirls of thick paint and undulating rhythms. Clearly, each artist felt differently about what he was seeing, but both understood their own emotions well enough to translate those feelings to canvas. Be aware of your emotions and how different subject matter affects you. Make a mental note of what you see around you that surprises and inspires you. When you paint, throw your whole heart into the creation and watch what happens.

5: Keep It Simple

Once you have identified the things you truly want to paint, keep it simple. Keep to the four or five largest masses in your painting format, and let the beauty of form and color happen within them. Don’t try to put too many things into one painting. For instance, if you see a group of children on the shoreline flying kites with a sailboat and beautiful sunset in the distance, be selective about which of these elements gets the most emotional response from you. The other elements may be interesting and lovely too, but may be best reserved for another painting. If you study the work of great artists you will see that often it’s not just the appealing subject matter or individual details that make their work so strong, but the simple concept and composition.

If you are wondering if you should include a specific element or object in a painting, ask yourself if the item will add to the emotional impact of the painting. If not, then it may be better to leave that particular detail out. You will be surprised how few details you actually need to get your story across. After all, it’s not so much what you put in a painting that matters, it’s what you leave out.

About the Artist

Mary Whyte, a well-known watercolorist from South Carolina, is the author of Watercolor for the Serious Beginner (Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York), Alfreda’s World (Wyrick & Company, Charleston, South Carolina), and An Artist’s Way of Seeing (Wyrick & Company, Charleston, South Carolina). Whyte created her own watercolor brushes and sketchbook — which are available through www.artxpress.com — and prefers to work with M. Graham & Co. watercolors. She is represented by Coleman Fine Art, in Charleston, South Carolina.