Watercolor Gift

Almost, if not every, artist who teaches or writes books appear to strongly stress how important it is to put all your colors in the same place each time you paint. If you are an organized artist who has no trouble remembering where each goes each time you paint and or use the exact same color palette each time you paint or you plan each color choice in advance of ever picking up a paintbrush - go for it … …. BUT …

For those of us who choose a color on the moment’s impulse and may need two fingers globs of red and yellow each while only needing a bare touch of orange and blue or green perhaps … do not stress over where you are putting your colors. Having colors in the same place each time does make for being able to just grab some paint on auto-pilot to use …. I think.

I tried putting the paint heaps in the same places in the same amounts each the first couple times I painted - the second, third and fourth times I tried, each took much more time for trying to remember where each color was supposed to be - I even tried post-it notes because it was supposed to be so important and of course I put out all the colors I thought I might use just like so many teaching artists advise.

… and I ended up with a palette full of paint I didn’t use …. for weeks … eventually they were all finally used and eliminated from my palette … auto pilot of painting color choosing makes me much less willing to experiment and makes the painting event more about using up the paint off the palette than expressing what I have to say. I have found that it really helps me if I actually look and choose at my colors [and the tube amount of color to squeeze out] as I paint and take the time to decide if I want a touch of this n that or if I need a bit to mix with another color, etc.

Color placement on a palette is not an important big deal in painting - if it comes naturally to you and makes your painting life better to put the colors in the exact same place each time on your palette - awesome - use it.

If it does NOT come naturally and you struggle with trying to get them in the same place and spend more time trying to get the colors located “correctly” on your palette than you do in painting … remember that it is what you have to say that is most important in painting … you’ll get the colors you need on the paper … no one sees your palette except you … ;P … unless you teach or write books and tell people what palette color arrangement works best for you.

Haphazard where-ever every time I paint works quite well for me I may puddle blue in a well one time and red another time and maybe next it might be yellow or green … I usually work only a few colors at a time, not a full spectrum of 20 plus colors so perhaps it is helpful to those who do … but I would have to create a giant map poster listing where each color would be on the palette and hang it on the wall to be able to put the paint in the same places … nope … wouldn’t work for me … your mileage may vary so go with what is comfortable for you.

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This weekend I wrote a seascape painting project - Seascape Layer Cake Recipe to distribute as a free ebook.

(You can read the post at:
http://www.seascapeartist.com/blog/seascape-layer-cake-recipe-free-ebook )

It is a very simple step process that is usually the building blocks of building a seascape painting. Just the words “Seascape Painting”, “Painting Water” can strike terror into the hearts and souls of some artists though.

I’m writing my projects for 4 different types of artists.
1. Artists who have never painted, want to paint and are not sure where to start.
2. Artists who have never painted seascapes and feel intimidated by them because they are “water”.
3. Artists who teach seascape painting and want to give their students painting projects using a variety of painting styles.
4. And last but certainly NOT least, artists who look longingly at paints, brushes and finished artwork and tell the artist, “I could NEVER do that”.

Yes you can if you are brave enough to pick up the brush, dip it into color and put paint on the canvas, paper or digital electrons.

Adapting digital, oil, acrylic, stenciling etc. project steps to painting in watercolors depends a lot on how you paint using watercolors.

1. Read the entire project through completely. If you do not want to write on the original … make a photocopy for your notes (or use post-it note pads).

2. Decide where your process differs adds to or subtracts from the steps … i.e., you use a blow dryer to dry the paint while they are painting on layers that do not touch each other such as my project sheet. Write your notes.

3. Paint a quick sketch project using the steps. [If your sketch project looks great, you have one finished painting from the project right away.]

4. Make sure you have interwoven your process steps into the painting project.

5. Paint the project.

6. Frame / Mat the finished artwork and enjoy it.

No matter what media was used to create a specific painting project … it can be adapted to any other painting medium.