Artist Touch

'Hats Off'' was selected for the new Artist Touch publication...this painting is 22x30 and the photo reference was an outdoor market covered with Guatemalan goods.  All of the colorful belts, bags, shirts, hats and scarves where like a rainbow of hues and shapes...

Attitudes

Coming to your favorite online catalogue soon!!!!

Practice stokes of color and shapes....

Visualize Don’t Copy

Photographs dictate color, values and the unnecessary fluff for those who depend on them for composition.  Local colors are safe choices for most painters, values are perdicitable, and at times to much information.  Stepping out of that familiar comfort zone.....green trees, red barn, blue sky is not life threatening.  Putting all those pieces together for the sake of composition takes time and several sketches to achieve the goal.  Painting what is there doesn't stretch the mind nor take much creativity.  No one has escaped that phrase from a novice 'it doesn't look like that in the photograph'.  My reply....'it did where I was standing'.  In my years of painting and instructing, the lack of understanding good composition is missing.  Photographs are reference...spur of the moment excitement.  I have seen or taken few photographs that are sound painting compositions.  Shapes, color, value, and sometime format needs a refreshing perspective to produce 'a one more look' when framed.  If ask to give a book review, would you rewrite the book....think of using those photographs in the same light....they are only references.   Learn to paint ‘what could be not what is’.  What is....is done...what could be is your interpretation of a familiar subject.  Speaking of the familar....we don't take the time to review any seen changes that may have taken place.....so, the familiar is repeated over and over....
JoBeth

Quote from C.S. Lewis

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring two pence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed.   C.S. Lewis

Suggested Books for Watercolor Painters

I have been painting watercolor for 20 + years and still learn from reading and viewing other artist creative works.  Although techniques are basic, each artist has their own approach for application.   The  goal of each brush stroke is to produce a masterpiece.  Refreshing the basics gives me a new perspective, one of those 'Oh! yeow' moments.  I have listed a few books that I recommend for that moment if you are a veteran painter or a beginner.

Zolton Szabo's 70 Favorite Watercolor Techniques

A good book on techniques, composition, and color.   The use of bristle slanted burshs for washes.  There are demonstrations on simplification of photographs for traditional or an idealized design.  Great for beginners or seasoned painters...

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Daring Color

Rich, rich color with a direct approach in painting.  Mixing colors for just the perfect neutral gray needed to enhance hues. Several demonstrations with additional tips on painting, color, supplies and composition from photographs.

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Charles Reid Watercolor Solutions

Drips, runs, splatters of color with lost and found edges describes figures and landscapes published in this book.  Problem solving solutions that every painter has encountered at least once.  Charles is a master at contour drawing..
  

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Painting Outside the Lines
Negative shapes are difficult for the beginner.  This book includes exercises for painting and understanding the negative shapes for every painting.  Using under paintings to start the process of finding a composition expands the creative mind.

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The Watercolorist's Answer Book
From the basics to tips, techniques and painting demonstrations from several artist.  Creating  interesting compositions with line, shape and textures from photographs or value sketches.

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Luminous Watercolor - Spring Landscape
Sterling Edwards DVD
Mixing and painting landscape greens in a 4 step process seems to be a challenge to most but Sterling's instruction is easy to follow.  Sterling's explanation of the reference photo is most helpful for future paintings.

CLICK HERE TO BUY DVD