Want to Learn Watercolor?
Aquarelle/Watercolor Painting by Joyce Clair
If you want to learn watercolor painting Joyce Clair is one of our talented Artists here at Artworks Gallery who generously shares her knowledge with those who want to learn. She runs a Plein Air painting group here in the North Ga Mountains where she scopes out and procures land owners permission of some of the most beautiful places in our mountain region. The group meets up and shares the joy's of painting in the outdoors. Joyce also teaches watercolor and alcohol ink painting. Be sure to contact ArtWorks if you are interested in a class. The following is the advice Joyce gives students that are just starting out.
Joyce tells her beginner students "These are some things that helped me the most when I was first starting out".
"Forget about perfection. It helps me to remember that my paintings do not have to be perfect. I am not perfect and I will make mistakes. Some of my mistakes will be “happy accidents”, some mistakes will be learning opportunities, and some mistakes can be fixed. Yes, some watercolor mistakes can be fixed! It is my job as an artist to translate what I see, not to copy exactly or perfectly. Imperfections can be interesting!"
"It’s all about water. When painting, I must be conscious of how much water I mix with pigment, how much water is in my brush, and whether my painting surface is wet, damp, or dry. If I want a lighter value, I need more water. If I want a darker value, I use less water. If I want soft edges, the paper should be wet or damp. If I want hard edges, the paper should be dry. The amount of water affects results!"
"Don’t skimp on materials. I learned the hard way, that cheaper paper, paint, and brushes are frustrating. I hate dull paint, paper that shreds, and fallen brush hairs in my paint. Professional grade materials make watercolor painting easier and transparent watercolor pigments are beautiful. Materials really do matter!"
"Plan ahead. In my first attempts at watercolor painting, I would immediately jump in with only a general idea of what I wanted to paint. Often I would get lost and not know what to do next. Successes were infrequent. I learned later that if I take time up front to plan composition, values, colors, and approach; my successes increased. My small preliminary sketch is my map that gets me to my destination."
"Go with the flow. I found that watercolor painting, like life, does not always go according to plan. After all, I am using a medium that flows. So when the unexpected happens, I have to be flexible and perhaps make some changes. The beauty of watercolor is transparency and movement. If I try to control watercolor too much, my painting becomes dull and lifeless. Allow watercolor to move and blend without using a brush to blend. Let it flow!"
"Less is More. I talk to myself (and my students) while painting and it goes like this. Keep it simple, don’t fuss, put down the brush, don’t overdo it, use fewer brush strokes, use a bigger brush, stop before finished, take a break, step back, stop now, STOP! In watercolor, fewer brush strokes make a better painting. That final touch will not make my painting better."
Artworks Artisan Center
243 Big Sky Drive
By mail: P.O. Box 1047
Hiawassee, GA 30546
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