Watercolor bootcamp—part 3

~ MaryG

I got pretty good feedback on my colorful still life, although the drill sergeant didn’t love the white table they were sitting on. She wanted me to have done more with the shadows. (Geez lady, I thought this assignment was about the colorful objects!) She did say that that was an “advanced” concept and that my painting was “very good.”

We then moved on to learning all the different ways you can manipulate watercolor paints to achieve different effects. Everything from rubbing alcohol to wax to salt to Saran Wrap to sandpaper was covered. It was a very long demonstration and the British lady was absolutely driving everyone nuts with her incessant questions and interruptions. I’m shocked that the drill sergeant hasn’t snapped at her yet.

This was our in-class assignment.

There are TWO major homework assignments. I just finished the first one:

She had us create these circles and lines in class and the assignment was to add black ink to certain shapes, and then fill in the rest with mini landscapes and other techniques we learned in class, trying to keep the intensity/values balanced with the pure black.

This took many hours. And I still have another very difficult assignment to do by Tuesday.

The drill sergeant has revealed a distinct bias towards realism. She feels that abstract artists who can’t draw and paint accurately aren’t “real artists.” (She’s OK with abstract art by artists who have proven themselves able to draw and paint realistically.)

Truth be told, I’m enjoying the challenge and it’s keeping my mind off other problems and concerns.

12 thoughts on “Watercolor bootcamp—part 3”

  1. Wow. I really like that wheel.
    Though I have a completely different take on art than your teacher. A good painting should make you feel, not just portray. Realism has its place, but I like to see an artists individuality come through in their work.

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