Pastels and Watercolors (and a few other art media)

[SquarePeg]

Gouache is opaque white. Not sure if it's thicker but maybe... not transparent like watercolors. (I don't know if Dr. Martin's bleed proof is a type of gouache or not.)

I've heard of Fabriano, but not Baohong. Daniel Smith I've always heard was good, and Charlie, you're going to get me buying some! Even though I already have a small size pan of Winsor Newton... And plenty of paper, certainly for drawing, but what a shame if I don't have much for watercolor and have to buy some!!

You people are going to get me doing some watercolors!! lol I've been doing drawing, have at least 5 sets of different type color pencils, one of watercolor pencils which I haven't even used yet!! lol In a class we had to do a drawing using only 3 colors! and Terri - no outlining!! That class challenged me.

I don't quite get the loose term. To me it's more freeflowing, spontaneous. Which isn't really my style but one that can be effective. Reminds me of a recent trend in so called 'big stitch' quilting. Basically bypasses or combines quilting layers together and surface design embroidery. Not my thing, but I suppose quicker which can be appealing to people. I've seen it done well and I've seen it look like an excure for sloppy workmanship. Depends on how it's done.

I hope you’ll share some of your art! This is a safe space thread unless you ask for critique.

 

[SquarePeg]

Practice based on a photo on pixabay. Salt texture. I may add some misty fog to this one. Thoughts?

 

[wobe]

Very nicely done! I like it a lot.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Ooh I like this one! I'm not sure about the reflections of the trees, but that might be the photo used. I liked the previous one too, just wasn't seeing the top of the waterfall and not sure about the light source in the sky. Beautifully done snowy hills, etc.

I'll have to scan something in sometime to post. This site seems reasonably safe/secure, online in general not so much! lol

 

[SquarePeg]

Very nicely done! I like it a lot.

Thank you!

Ooh I like this one! I'm not sure about the reflections of the trees, but that might be the photo used. I liked the previous one too, just wasn't seeing the top of the waterfall and not sure about the light source in the sky. Beautifully done snowy hills, etc.

I'll have to scan something in sometime to post. This site seems reasonably safe/secure, online in general not so much! lol

Thanks. The photo had shoreline in the foreground and I didn’t like how it came out so I added more to the tree reflection to cover it up.

I just take photos of my paintings with my iPhone. No need to scan!

 

[snowbear]

Same here - just phone snaps.

 

[terri]

Practice based on a photo on pixabay. Salt texture. I may add some misty fog to this one. Thoughts?

View attachment 271319

I love it! You really killed this one! Very ethereal look and feel to this scene. Yum!!!

 

[terri]

lol In a class we had to do a drawing using only 3 colors! and Terri - no outlining!!

But, but....I like outlines.

I hear ya, though - I've been scolded many times for my love of the outline! It seems my style with oil pastels is about as far from the lovely delicacy of watercolors as you can get.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Love this Terri!! Part of it at first struck me as being cyanotype! I used small blocks, different shapes, and got something similar to your background.

I did learn in a drawing class how to make edges of a subject without lines. Kind of eye opening, but as I said, it challenged me.

 

[terri]

Love this Terri!! Part of it at first struck me as being cyanotype! I used small blocks, different shapes, and got something similar to your background.

I did learn in a drawing class how to make edges of a subject without lines. Kind of eye opening, but as I said, it challenged me.

Thanks! This one's a couple of years old, but it's a good example of my use of outlines.

I agree it's challenging to sketch/paint without them - a real technique. Sounds like a fun class!

Would love to see some of your work! Like @SquarePeg and @snowbear were saying, cell phone shots are fine. We're pretty casual here.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Cool.

There are phones that take photos?? lol

I just got a new phone and still need to get SIM cards for it. Don't need internet on it so just got a stupid phone, not a smart one! I'll have to try taking a photo with it but don't know if I'll be able to post it...?? I just don't really need a smart phone to pay for the service.

 

[snowbear]

If you have a USB cable to charge the phone, you should be able to use that to transfer to your computer.

 

[SquarePeg]

Help. I’ve decided this one is finished 3x already and can’t seem to stop “fixing” it. It is now much worse than the first time I finished As usual started out loose and then ruined it by adding details so tried to get it back to loose and here we are. Should never have added the mountain or the burnt sienna next to the falls. But now it’s there so any suggestions to save this? I’m ignoring the lack of depth issue at the moment. I feel like it needs darker values in the mountain but then when I put them in I end up washing them out because they don’t look right. I really like how the trees and cliff came out. Why is painting loose so much harder than it looks? It’s not fully dry yet so maybe this is just the ugly stage and I can save it?

 

[terri]

Help. I’ve decided this one is finished 3x already and can’t seem to stop “fixing” it. It is now much worse than the first time I finished As usual started out loose and then ruined it by adding details so tried to get it back to loose and here we are. Should never have added the mountain or the burnt sienna next to the falls. But now it’s there so any suggestions to save this? I’m ignoring the lack of depth issue at the moment. I feel like it needs darker values in the mountain but then when I put them in I end up washing them out because they don’t look right. I really like how the trees and cliff came out. Why is painting loose so much harder than it looks? It’s not fully dry yet so maybe this is just the ugly stage and I can save it?

View attachment 271511

Charlie! Over here!

I'm useless with watercolors. @snowbear is your best bet.

I have heard of just letting layers dry fully before tinkering with them, and terms like "lift" but that's about it. I'm admiring the blue and green washes behind the line of trees. It's a fun composition.

 

[terri]

@snowbear : could she sketch something in with ink? What that something might be, I don't know. Definition of the hill below the treeline, maybe? The burnt sienna looks like it could be massaged into rough terrain, maybe.

Do you have a vision for how you want the scene to look, Sharon?