Monday, September 3, 2018

30/30 Challenges!


Day 3, Waiting for Tropical Storm Gorden, 3x3.5" watercolor

30 Tiny Watercolor Sketches in 30 Days

I had already started the Strada Easel Painting from Life Challenge on September 1, and just noticed Leslie Saeta's 30/30 today... so I'll do both at once! 

I'm experimenting with watercolor, a medium I used as an illustrator for many years.  Then it was work, now it's fun!  While working on large studio oil paintings, these tiny watercolors are an enjoyable play-break.  They take less than an hour, most under 30 minutes, filling empty pages of my Moleskine non-watercolor sketchbook.  Will celebrate when that's finished and start in an actual watercolor paper sketchbook waiting on the shelf.

Once had a great teacher that said... "A real artist can draw with a burnt stick on a brick."  He meant that the medium doesn't matter, the skill is all that counts.  It's healthy to work with different materials, one medium informs the other.  My obsession with pastels (which will never end) has influenced my oil paintings by seeing colors in a new way.  These tiny watercolor sketches can be finished quickly... perfect for exploring new compositions, subjects, and ideal for travel and plein air.

Day 1, Local Beach, lingering red tide, burning eyes.

Day 2, Micro Sunflower from picked from my micro-greens planter.
Day 3, Waiting for Tropical Storm Gorden, view from studio window.


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