Short on Time? Make a Tiny Painting!

If time is hard to come by during this end of year rush, why not try some quick and tiny watercolor sketches?  Once you get started you’ll have a hard time stopping!  These little art pieces are such fun and there is no pressure to create a masterpiece.  These are great ways to experiment.

1. Cut out a mat board template 4”x3” to keep a consistent size.
2. Lightly draw a pencil line on your paper for the border
3. Paint whatever you like. Experiment with color, texture or composition.  Try inks, gesso or gouache as well.

It’s amazing how fast these little ones will pile up.  The best thing is when it’s a bad painting, you can just toss it, turn it over or collage with it and you haven’t wasted much time.

Have some fun with this little exercise and see how many you can get done in your spare time over the next month.  I’d love for you to share how this works for you.

The Challenge of Working in a Series

One of the many things that helped me personally grow as an artist was the challenge of working in a series.  Disciplining yourself to explore a subject or idea in depth can carry you past the standard “yawn” and “seen-it-all-before” paintings.  Doing a series can provide tons of inspiration and help you to develop your own unique style.

Even using everyday subjects, such as a coffee mug can offer a new world of insight.  For me it was the way through repetition that brought me to new exciting ideas.  Painting this way will also strengthen your paintings skills.  It will improve your visual perspective and understanding of the subject and help your design capabilities.

If you haven’t worked on a series before maybe you’d like to try it?  You can begin with making a list of things that interest you.  Then identify why you are attracted to it… is it the lighting? The shadows? The color? The shape? The location?

If you’re not quite ready to paint 30+ paintings yet, consider a smaller scale – a series of postcards or mini pictures.  Try it and see what happens.  You just might enjoy it!

If you have worked in a series before, what tricks and tips do you have? Please share.

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What’s in a Challenge?

“Fences” watercolor by Katie Turner 2022

Yes, it’s true that 30 day challenges have been all over social media for years now but have you considered how one could help push you quickly into a new wave of creative exploration?

Many of us are heading into a busy season so considering another project right now might not be on your mind but consider exploring a 30 day challenge in the New Year, once things subside.

These can be self-imposed or something you do in a group.  You can choose to share your work or keep it purely for yourself. You can come up with your own structure and rules based on what you want to get out of the short-term challenge.

If you are someone who needs peer pressure then posting on social media or in a group might be a good rule.  If consistency is your goal, then think about setting aside a certain time of day and prepping your supplies prior to the start so you are ready to create.  You could even order some pre-cut mats and sleeves so you are able to see your day-to-day painting progress as finished pieces.

When you are thinking about what rules to apply to yourself consider these:

1. Subject Matter
2. Size
3. Substrate or painting surface
4. Medium
5. Tools & Brushes
6. Time Limits
7. Rules (to break)

The rules are your choice.  You can make it as easy or as challenging as you want.  Remember that if something isn’t working for you, then change it up.  The most important goal is to explore your creativity.

After you’ve completed your 30 day challenge, consider journaling about your experience.  What did you learn about yourself from it?  What was the biggest challenge?  What was something that was a pleasant surprise?

Did you recently complete a 30-day challenge?  Please feel free to share below.

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In The Artist Studio: Where The Magic Happens

Katie Turner, “My Studio & Cat” 2022

David Hockney is not the only artist that painted his living space or studio, but one of many.  Hockney used cubist perspectives to deconstruct his living room for his painting.  He also picked up the idea for composition from Chinese scrolls that show landscapes in different spaces and from different points of view .  Hockney includes a bust of Pablo Picasso above the fireplace.  You can view the painting here: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/485302

Gustave Courbet, ‘The Painter’s Studio: A real allegory summing up seven years of my artistic and moral life‘ (1855) (Photo via Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)

Rembrandt, Gustave Courbet and Monet also gave viewers a glimpse into their workspace.  Some were simple, some elaborate but all tend to draw our interest.  Why so much interest?  This is where the magic happens!  Courbet said his studio is the place “the world comes to be painted.”

Claude Monet, ‘The Studio Boat’ (1876) (Photo: ErgSap via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0)

Where ever the artist sets up to create is where the studio is and where the magic really happens.  Monet would often be in a boat or near the water happily painting his waterlilies.  Van Gogh painted from his hospital room while he was being treated for mental health issues. 

Vincent Van Gogh, ‘Window in the Studio’ (1889) (Photo: Van Gogh Museum Fair Use)

In fact, we are so taken in by creators’ studios there is a popular magazine titled “In Her Studio” which highlights various creative spaces and lives of female artists, designers, writers and makers.  https://stampington.com/in-her-studio/

But is the studio really a magical place?  It’s the place where inspiration meets the tools and ideas that materialize into something fabulous!  The studio could be anywhere, but finding the perfect working space can be the key that opens the door to organization.  Without some kind of organization or system a creative may struggle and end up with a disappointing space full of half-finished masterpieces.  But is this just an excuse?  Only the artist himself would be able to answer!

If you enjoy looking at more studio spaces, go to Google Arts & Culture to see an editorial feature with a LIFE Photo Collection by Gjon Mili, click here: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/take-a-peek-inside-the-studios-of-famous-artists/MAXhJLKkuWbyIg?hl=en

Thanks for reading.  I’d love to hear from you – be sure to share your thoughts! Where is your studio? Does magic happen there?

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When I Blog I Learn

“Snow & Sea”, Watercolor 2020, Katie Turner

I must admit, that when I blog, I learn.  I do a lot of research before I write my blog and in so doing I discover lots I never knew.

I learn so much about other artists when I research.  I learn about new and old techniques.  I learn all kinds of things related to art. 

I am no expert but I enjoy sharing what I learn.   I think I am obsessed with art!  I always want to read about it.  I read about art history and new art discoveries.  I read about creativity and how to increase it.  I read about overcoming difficulties related to art, and on and on.   I can’t help myself.  It seems I am obsessed.

Still, I hope I will always remain a student of art.  It keeps me searching, reading and learning.

With any luck, I hope to keep a curious mind all my life.

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See Like an Artist

“Confined” watercolor on paper by Katie Turner.   The view is from a platform above an enclosed courtyard.

 

After thumbing through one of my old graphic arts books, I was thinking about how artists learn to express themselves visually and learn to see, not just using the sense of sight.  Matisse said that when he ate a tomato he just looked at it, “But,” he said, “When I paint a tomato, I see it differently.”

It’s true that artists see the world differently.  Seeing things differently enable an artist to deliver a message through their art.  Some say artists have heightened awareness.  How is it that an artist can see something different from others?

Some artists learn through life drawing classes.  Sometimes it can be a real struggle but life drawing classes can be a real growth opportunity for an artist.   They look, analyze, translate what they see into marks on paper and along the way acquire visual skills.  Learning how to “see” makes it possible to conceptualize more unique and original designs.

Some art classes don’t teach students to see but give them quick shortcuts to produce life drawings.  Historically, drawing was thought unnecessary and a lot of design students graduated from art school without any drawing at all.  As time continues, the pendulum swings back and forth with what is taught in school.   When representational art is popular, you will see more formal drawing classes available and when it’s not, less formal will rule.

There are many exercises available to hone your drawing skills that will also grow your ability to “see” creatively.

 

Here are my favorites:

1. Turn things upside down before sketching. By placing an object in an unusual position it forces the mind to look more closely at it.  This forces us out of automatic drawing mode and trains us to draw what we see.

 

2. Draw the negative spaces only. Concentrating on drawing these abstract shapes forces your mind away from preconceived ideas.

 

3. Squint or use Red Acetate Film when sketching. Squinting or using this red acetate will quickly simplify any complex subject into simple shapes and values.  Your mind will be less likely to focus on the detail.

 

If you put just a few exercises into your daily practice, you will be “seeing” and drawing better in no time.  When the artist has better visual awareness, the door to creativity is opened.

 

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Chromatic Interaction

Sketchbook – random circles

sketchbook page – wavy lines

sketchbook page – painted circles

There are many methods for organizing colors in the world of art and science.  Having a visual model can help an artist see the relationships colors have with each other. A color wheel, developed by Albert Munsell in 1905, assigned a numbering system to colors and became a useful and common tool artists and designers could use for planning color ideas.  Johannes Itten also developed a three-dimensional model, integrating the color wheel into a globe.

Using a sketchbook to study colors can help an artist examine the relationships between warmer and cooler colors as well as between analogous and complementary colors.  As a watercolorist, I can gain an understanding of how the various watercolors work together, but may find changes as I experiment with different brands.

Testing chromatic interaction doesn’t have to be boring at all – try this exercise for fun:

1. Draw several free-hand circles in various sizes.  Allow them to overlap.  This first step is optional, since you could just create your circles with the brush.
2. Start with the largest circle, painting one color into the circle.
3. Clean the brush with water before adding a second color. Paint the new color into the adjoining circle on the first circle.  Watch the colors bleed, paying attention to how the colors are interacting.
4. Continue painting circles with different colors.
5. This is only one way to paint the circles. You could also wait for each circle to dry before painting the next, so there would be no “bleeding” of colors.

Have fun!

To read more about color theory, click here: https://watercolorpainting.com/color/

https://uxplanet.org/algorithm-for-automatic-harmonious-color-selection-for-the-image-fc26dde69ca1

The Munsell Color System: https://web.archive.org/web/20030813092028/http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/colormodels/munsell.html

Itten Color: https://www.bauhaus100.de/en/past/teaching/classes/preliminary-course-by-johannes-itten/index.html

An art & design duo from Milan have chromatic interaction art:  https://www.carnovsky.com/RGB.htm

Breaking Away From The Brush (Just for a little bit)

 

I’m pretty comfortable around my brush and palette, so when an opportunity to try something new recently came up, I dove right in.  I had to say yes to trying a Pocket Letter swap.  It’s something I have never tried before so I figured it would be a great exercise.  I am familiar with ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) and have been swapping with other artists for years, but what is a Pocket Letter?

A Pocket Letter is an interesting way to communicate with a pen pal or friend.  You fill up a 9 pocket trading card sleeve with ATCs of a theme, then inside the pockets you tuck in little goodies.  These goodies might be washi tape samples, homemade papers, ribbon, stickers, buttons, embellishments, tea bags, sequins, etc.  One of the pockets holds a letter from you to the recipient.  To keep from paying too much in postage make sure you keep the items relatively flat so the sleeve can be folded in thirds and mailed in a business sized envelope.

I found it interesting to design the pocket as a whole larger piece that was still able to break down into individual ATCs.  I was able to use a favorite vintage photo in my piece and it fit the composition well.  It was a fun exercise and I may try it again sometime.

Here are just a few links with various info on the Pocket letter movement and how it’s done.

What Are Pocket Letters Janette Lane

Jane Lane Shows Pocket Letter Sample

Another video of sample Pocket Letter

 

Paint Chip Challenge

Low Moon 20″x 16″ watercolor on paper by Katie Turner

Sassy Lilac #4003-9B

There are two weeks left to view the CNY Art Guild Liverpool Library Show.  “Paint Chip Challenge” will hang until the end of July 2017.  For hours and location click here: www.lpl.org

This challenge was an interesting project and it was fun to see what each artist came up with.  The color was given to me by the show organizer.  It is not a color I would have chosen.  I primarily work with transparent watercolors. This particular color required me to use Chinese white to make it opaque.   After painting several different paintings using this color, I settled on entering the picture above into the show.  It was done on watercolor paper using wet into wet techniques and a palette knife to scratch in some of the texture.

Having parameters can make painting more of a challenge but some rules also fuel creativity.  I enjoyed this challenge and would definitely participate in another one.  I highly recommend a challenge like this for healthy art exercise.