A Hot Mess

Sometimes I experiment and get great results Other times, my experiments lead to less impressive things. A number of different things sort of converged to make this piece spin out of control: the drawing was a little sloppy, the transfer was a bit off, the background wash warped the paper too much, I hit the black too early and too hard, and I got impatient and frustrated.

Working within the space of a negative mindset ruins watercolor. By its very nature, this type of painting requires you to paint thoughtfully and embrace the flow of the water and pigment on the paper. A bad watercolor painting (in my mind, at least), is one where the artist has visibly struggled with the paint and over-worked the brush and the paper.

I stopped for a bit, then came back to the office to try my hand at some watercolor exercises from Watercolor Essentials. I had a little more success there (and I can share those next time), but by the end of the night I knew it would be best to rest and reflect.

My goal for the week is to try and make the office more inviting and organized.