Watercolor Workshop Day 1 (Plus some doggies)

[Laurelin]

I am exhausted! LOL!

Artist was: Designer, Painter, Calligrapher | Jim Bray

I feel like I learned a lot! I have absolutely ZERO instruction in watercolor so that was new... I got some really great feedback on my work. He was very encouraging and thought I had a good eye for it. He told me not to fret the technical stuff now, that it would come with experience and more time working with the medium. And also to remember that he and a couple other people in the workshop have been painting 30+ years instead of my measly couple. I may have been convinced to try doing some 'real' pieces to try to enter in some shows. I haven't been in an art show in 6? years. Kind of a scary prospect. I don't think I'm ready. I just keep coming back to something my high school art teacher said to me which was: "Okay, so you can draw. Now what are you going to do with it?"

My answer is still, I don't know! But I want to do something worthwhile...

I gathered up all my work to bring tomorrow to show the lady running the workshop. I'll be gone from 7 am to 10 pm tomorrow.

Anyways, just 2 today, most was demos.

I've never done a landscape before... I had no reference. No freaking clue what to do. lol I guess it could have gone worse. I really needed another color to fade between the one grey and blue but I didn't have it. So I bought it today LOL.



I thought about not posting this one because it sucks lol. I'm not done so it could be salvageable maybe. Right now his left ear is obnoxiously long and he looks crosseyed because I didn't get to finish the eyes. I do like the color though, trying to use less colors because I tend to go crazy. There's only 3 colors here. I think I can fix it. I know what to do, just got to work on it.



Tomorrow I am bringing reference pictures. Btw.

While I'm here...

I'll probably post these in the sketch a day thread too later. (Once I get better cropped pictures) All these are inked pretty much directly with very minimal sketch (some have no sketching done). So that was different for me. I think drawing without being able to erase is good practice for me to just go with it.

Not done yet:




I love this one: (the green on the left is NOT that green in RL)





Just ink



Oh and those are actually watercolor pencils and I did them a few days ago before the workshop.

[Baxter'smybaby]

Laur--you have phenomenal talent--seriously. (and I see my Wilson boy! )

[Dekka]

Izzy is amazing and SQUEEE Dekka! That is so her, you have captured her smug satisfaction perfectly!

Thats pretty awesome. I have never had the skills for water colour.

[Laurelin]

Thanks! It really helps to get good feedback.

I don't know if it's that we look at our own work more critically than others but I feel like my stuff is either overworked and too tedious or too messy. I still don't think I've quite found the exact right balance. I dunno. I am starting to feel like I'm finally 'getting' colors so they're not so flat anymore. Finally brave enough to try some different combinations instead of the same old same old.

Wilson was actually the hardest drawing on the whole page! I don't know why but he really was. I'm going to color him like the others eventually.

[Laurelin]

Originally Posted by Dekka

Izzy is amazing and SQUEEE Dekka! That is so her, you have captured her smug satisfaction perfectly!

Thats pretty awesome. I have never had the skills for water colour.

I like watercolors a lot, but they're kind of a rough medium. They're so hard to do just right. So easy to overwork them and turn them opaque (which is the biggest problem I've had and people were having today). And SO easy for them to run and muddy up. Not nearly as forgiving as acrylics or oils. But I really like the feel they have. Watercolor pencils though are GREAT!

Izzie was the most fun to draw. Not gonna lie.

[MandyPug]

Izzie!!!!! Omg Laur you're awesome!

[CharlieDog]

OMG. PLEASE try Ozzy in watercolor! That would be AMAZING to see. You are so freaking talented it hurts.

[sassafras]

Those are amazing! You should totally do commissions.

[Laurelin]

I'm definitely going to be borrowing some more dogs later on! The little watercolor pencil ones only take a few minutes each. (The Izzie one was a bit longer). After this weekend's over I'll have a lot to practice with!

I have three more workshops in the next month though so it's going to be busy. 2 oil painting ones and one charcoal. Can't wait for the charcoal workshop.

[MericoX]

If you need/want some schnauzers or poodles, lemme know! Your work is just amazing and I LOVE the watercolored landscape.