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revivingKensArt (1 Viewer)

your sketching is getting more free and easy, it hasn't taken that long has it?

the 15 min limit will soon seem like plenty of time, my best ones often took 5 min or less. Giving yourself a limit will lead to great places, wait and see....
 
Hi Colleen,

I've done a few with a loose time limit, i.e. 'almost time to go to work, so you've got to quit in 5 minutes.' But seeing that video of the Australian watercolorist reminded me of the virtues of just working quickly as a specific method of work. Sort of like you and your time limit watercolors? In any case I'll put it to the test soon enough!!
 
Time limits can be good for you. I got interested in the work of the 'daily painters' a while back and decided I'd give it a go. Of course that lasted less than a week but to begin with at least I set myself a time limit of 1 hour with the result that there was no time to fiddle about with details. I produced quite a few paintings and told myself that they were time limited paintings rather than daily paintings. Some of the results were better than others but it was more about the act of painting quick and loose than the resulting pictures anyway. It all helps to inform future work whatever.

Mike
 
Time limits can be good for you. I got interested in the work of the 'daily painters' a while back and decided I'd give it a go. Of course that lasted less than a week but to begin with at least I set myself a time limit of 1 hour with the result that there was no time to fiddle about with details. I produced quite a few paintings and told myself that they were time limited paintings rather than daily paintings. Some of the results were better than others but it was more about the act of painting quick and loose than the resulting pictures anyway. It all helps to inform future work whatever.

Mike

Having just tried a 15 minute painting that quickly expanded to minutes I think that the 60 minute limit seems more reasonable to me. But this painting is based on sketches, photos, and at least 30 minutes sketching in the initial drawing before starting painting. My guess is that if I was in the field it might make more sense to try 15 minutes. In any case here is the first of my time limit watercolors based on the video that Tim showed (sorry I can't remember the artists name).

But that video is an inspiration for working quickly. I do think the unstated part of video though is that such speed, and certainty of brushstroke, comes only with years of practice! Still it seems valuable to at least try to work quickly and just see what happens. As Colleen's work shows you certainly can learn a lot, and improve a lot, in doing so. And it does force you to work a bit differently, always an educational experience.

Two soras from Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin by the way..
 

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Well your choice Ken but IMHO ( and from experience) You'd do well to stick to 15 min for a while, tho you produced an acceptable work, you'll gain far more by getting way out of your comfort zone, and learn more too. Imagine if you'd done the 15 min, you would have 4 paintings experience instead of one. These tight time limits help one get over "making it nice" and make you get to the essence of the thing. But maybe the most important part is forcing you past your habits into a new way of seeing and working

so buck up and keep the 15 min at least for a while. When I did this, I had a lot of partially finished work, but soon got so I could do it in the limit I set, you can always go back and finish them later. To do this you will have to simplify, and go for the big shapes and tones. So do a lot of squinting to get rid of detail.
 
After spending yesterday on a quick watercolor today I felt like just doing some detailed sketching from recent photos I took. I find that I often work this way, switching mediums from day to day. I have found that I really love the sketching. Over time it seems to help me get familiar with the structure of a particular species.

Colleen suggested that I pursue the 15-minute limit on watercolor sketches and I may do so. As I said it was watching Joseph Zbukvic that got me thinking about it. So I wanted to try it while it was fresh in my mind. Oddly I have done some previous 15-minute watercolors and one of them is based on the same photos that I used in the drawings today. I've posted it in the past but am reposting it because it's the same Lesser Yellowlegs and it's done in 15 minutes or so.

I did enjoy painting it. But when I was done I thought: I've really got to learn more about the structure of both Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpipers, the other bird in the watercolor. So eventually I'll probably do another version of this watercolor, hopefully incorporating what I've learned about both Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpipers. I still need to do some studies of the Solitaries. My guess is it won't be a 15-minute one but who knows?! I know that they're in the future somewhere.
 

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There's a rather brilliant drawing here - the first b/w sketch is a composition I'd yearn for. I wonder if it would be worth making a drawing to this standard and then introducing a splash of local colour to selected areas. It seems when you go for the watercolour as an end, it could go either abstract or realism - either would be valid a result. I get the idea that your drawings are leaning very much toward the real end of the spectrum and I think this direction holds much of interest for you (and 'us').
 
There's a rather brilliant drawing here - the first b/w sketch is a composition I'd yearn for. I wonder if it would be worth making a drawing to this standard and then introducing a splash of local colour to selected areas. It seems when you go for the watercolour as an end, it could go either abstract or realism - either would be valid a result. I get the idea that your drawings are leaning very much toward the real end of the spectrum and I think this direction holds much of interest for you (and 'us').

Hi Tim,

It's funny how I've fallen into the realistic end of the spectrum in my drawings. I didn't really intend to but I've always felt that I wanted to be true to the birds regardless of whether I was abstract or realistic. As I've done more sketches over the last few months they've kept heading in the realistic direction. So we'll see where that goes.

I think I'd be happy to do the same with my paintings, but just don't have the skills right now. And I do fear creating lifeless, but realistic, paintings. So I struggle along trying to find what seems right in painting. I think maybe your idea of doing a drawing similar to some of the sketches and then adding a bit of watercolor is a good one.

And, as they say in book acknowledgments, any faults in the finished work are those of the author and the author alone, and not anyone who gave him the idea!;)
 
Perhaps tomorrow I'll have the time to follow up on Tim's suggestion to develop one of my Lesser Yellowlegs drawings into a new watercolor.

In the meantime I've been busy doing more Lesser Yellowlegs pencil sketches as well as 15 minute watercolors of Greater Yellowlegs. It also includes a 60 minute watercolor. All these brief watercolors are done with the intention of getting me more comfortable with the medium.

Eventually I hope I'll be able to combine the two methods into competent watercolors that also include some detail as so much of the best work shown here does.
 

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Don't dare to work on this anymore, both because the light's going and I won't be able to see well and because I've just spent too long on it. I'm bound to do something stupid if I continue.

A week ago or so Tim suggested doing a more developed watercolor based on some sketches I'd done of a Lesser Yellowlegs. Today I finally tried. But once again watercolor made me humble! Only time will tell if I go back into it. It's really amazing how quickly watercolor can humble you!!
 

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now come on! take a step back and see the wonderfulness of those lily pads, full of shapes and interest and positively sundrenched, a very interesting picture with the yellowlegseseses feeding somewhere you may not expect.
 
now come on! take a step back and see the wonderfulness of those lily pads, full of shapes and interest and positively sundrenched, a very interesting picture with the yellowlegseseses feeding somewhere you may not expect.
Got to agree with the young'un here.
 
now come on! take a step back and see the wonderfulness of those lily pads, full of shapes and interest and positively sundrenched, a very interesting picture with the yellowlegseseses feeding somewhere you may not expect.

Thanks Nick and Tim,

Ah, if only I could take a step back! I've just looked at it too long. So I guess that's what you guys do: provide a step back for me.

I did think that the lily pads offered great possibilities. But then as I started painting them I found that I didn't have the slightest confidence as to what to do next with the brush and watercolors in terms of rendering them. Finally I just had to stop before I ruined everything.

Tomorrow will be another day and maybe it will look just fine to me then.

Ken
 
But once again watercolor made me humble!
I know just what you mean, and tho you may tomorrow say, just fine, I'll bet it won't exactly be what you had as your vision of it, from my point of view, and the 100 I did, if you just keep painting paintings that are fine or OK you will get to where your vision is or at least closer now and then. Each one will teach you, staying humble the learning is quicker, I think I got better when I just gave up and let the watercolor have it's way....also less is more with wc.
 
Hi Tim,


I think I'd be happy to do the same with my paintings, but just don't have the skills right now. And I do fear creating lifeless, but realistic, paintings. So I struggle along trying to find what seems right in painting. I think maybe your idea of doing a drawing similar to some of the sketches and then adding a bit of watercolor is a good one.
I was quite amused by this statement. The first thing that struck me when I looked through your thread was how bold and full of life your work is ;)
I have never seen a yellow leg but the nearest one is bouncing off the screen at me. Love it.
 
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