Basic Principles
Watercolour painting is an immersive activity; when things are going right, it’s easy to lose all sense of time. When we are enthusiastically throwing paint at the paper, though, it’s also easy to forget some of the more basic principles that make watercolour what it is. So this is just a perennial reminder of a couple of those principles.
[1] If in doubt, keep it light
In watercolour, we work from light to dark. With that in mind, it’s also worth remembering that all the light within our painting comes from the white of the paper, and not from anywhere else. Think of it as a backlight; if you apply your paint too heavily, then you run the risk of preventing that backlight from showing through – result; muddy paintings!
[2] Less is more – keep it simple
What the painter paints and how the viewer interprets it are not as far removed as one might at first think. When someone looks at our painting, they only have whatever visual information we provide for them in order to try and understand the message that we’re trying to convey. Allowing space for the viewer to process and interpret our paintings in their own way is an important aspect of the deal, however. When the brain has to work a little harder to process what it sees, it makes for a more attractive piece of work; if you provide every tiny piece of that visual puzzle, then the brain has nothing to do, and isn’t as aroused by, or engaged in, the process. In other words; keep it simple!
[3] Take lots of breaks – monitor your work
I often see students happily beavering away at a painting, without taking any time to stand back from it. Occasionally, I’ll insist that someone puts down their brush and takes a break for a few moments; if you stand a few feet back, it enables you to see your painting with a fresh eye. Monitoring it, and wherever necessary, re-evaluating a work-in-progress is as important as the time spent putting paint to paper.
Most importantly; enjoy your painting! I know that watercolour can be a frustrating medium to work in, and there are times when we all ask ourselves why on earth we do it. The truth is (I hope); we love it! I can’t think of any better reason for doing it. In whatever capacity we do the activity, the best underlying reason for doing it is because of the immense satisfaction it gives us.
