Asian Pear, Flinching, and Repeating Mistakes

I hesitated before, during and after this painting was done. Before I started, I procrastinated while I tried to figure out how to approach painting this unique fruit. During the painting my brain asked, "are you really going to paint another fruit?". And when it was all done, I wondered if I should even bother posting it.

Look at this thing - it's flat, over-worked, unintentionally splotchy (except the areas where I used salt to create the splotchy effect intentionally), and the colors are completely off. It took me forever to finally just sit down and do it, and I sort of hate it. It looks like I stepped backward somehow.

That's my initial reaction, anyway. If I really felt like that, I don't think I would be able to continue on as an artist. I made some mistakes here and there, and they resulted in something I don't really care for. But I want to step away for a while, mix up some fresh paint, and try it again. Maybe I'll try something different. Maybe I'll fail again in a different way.

This is why art is frustrating. This is why art isn't for everyone. This is why art is something I love.

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Inktober Day 3 - "Bait"

Old school pen and ink. I haven't used a crow quill pen since high school - and, even then, I remember struggling to get it to work. This time, I thought I would try to create something using only cross-hatching. The prompt word today is "bait". This word took me into a lot of different ideas, but the one I ultimately landed on is based on the will-o-wisp. In my head, I imagined glowing orbs in front of a copse of swamp trees all created with layers of cross-hatching. Things had to be scaled back a bit. There are still two trees in the background if you look hard enough. Success? Sort of. It forced me to use a different kind of pen and, in doing so, made me want to keep going and get better with it.

Fundamentals

I've decided to take a step back and practice the fundamentals of watercolor. I jumped into this daily project hoping to learn by doing: stepping out of my comfort zone, experimenting, sitting down, and doing the work. I've never had any formal training in this medium: just youtube videos and a few books. It's surprising to see just how far that little bit of knowledge and passion has taken me. So today is all about focused practice with color and value. I have been following step by step instructions from Watercolor Essentials . The mountains in the above photo were my first attempts. They are pretty sloppy and uneven, but I learned a lot from them. Most notably: it is much easier to lighten watercolor than to darken it. Back to work!

Storm

Attempting to create lightning using masking fluid, glazes, and lifting. White gouache was used for more subtle bolts and rain. When all has been said and done, this was a success in a lot of ways. Watercolor painting is difficult. Learning can be a challenge because it seems like the materials are all working against you. With varied drying times, opacity, flow, etc. I wouldn't blame anyone for turning to other media. I think I stick around because of the perceived challenge - I'm a weirdo like that. This piece was inspired by The Legend of Zelda: A link to the Past comic series by Shotaro Ishinomori . The first chapter of the book featured a lot of lightning, and I wanted to see if I could recreate the effect in watercolor. Little challenges like this keep me thinking all day; they remind me how much I love art. I'll leave you with a preview of my weekend project. Enjoy!

Rainbow Bisque

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