Top Ten New Year Resolution Suggestions
It’s that time of year again, when we make promises to ourselves (or others) that rarely make it beyond the end of January. Resolutions involving joining a gym, losing weight, drinking less, giving up something unhealthy, are all common ones, but when it comes to the field of art, how often do we blindly stick to the same old practices without thinking of their possible consequences? With this in mind, I have a few suggestions…
[1] Don’t put brushes in your mouth… ever!
Anyone who still finishes off a cleaning of their brushes by putting them in their mouth to restore their point, should perhaps consider this: Cadmium is not noted for its health-giving properties.
If you need further proof, READ THIS ARTICLE from a medical website, entitled ‘Cadmium and its adverse effects on human health’, in which it begins by describing Cadmium as ‘one of the most toxic elements to which man can be exposed at work or in the environment‘.
I rest my case.
[2] Sketch more
Sketching is a great way to flex many of the artistic muscles we tend to take for granted, and encourages us to observe and understand what we see, more closely. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be strong in the drawing department, it’s a practice that will almost certainly, over time, help to improve your painting skills.
[3] Abandon unnecessary outlines
Generally speaking, most of the time – in watercolour – outlines are not necessary. If you’re outlining an element to make it more visible within your composition, then maybe you should first be considering why it isn’t visible enough. If it’s blending into its surroundings because the tonal values of adjacent areas are too similar, then you should be increasing the intensity of one of those elements in order to create a greater contrast – not outlining it.
[4] Stop buying rubbish paper just because it’s cheap
Paper is probably one of the most taken-for-granted materials we use in watercolour. If you’re a beginner, then it’s a given fact that you will get through large amounts of paper, and if cost is a factor, then it’s natural to gravitate towards cheaper paper. My advice is; don’t do it! Good paper is designed to make your life easier and help you create smooth, beautiful washes, properly sized in order to allow you to push the paint around and create extraordinary images before it dries, or soaks in. In my opinion, the baseline should be Bockingford 140lb, with the surface of your choice (although for landscapes, I would always recommend using Rough), nothing less (and certainly not ‘practice paper’).
[5] Push the envelope and do something scary
We all have our demons; subjects that we avoid because they scare us. Maybe we’ve tried them, and struggled, probably failed miserably and vouched never to try them again.
Don’t be deterred – remind yourself it’s just a bit of paint on a piece of paper – brush yourself down and try it again… you owe it to yourself!
[6] Stop before you overwork it
How often have you continued working on a painting and reached a point where you’ve stood back from it, and cursed yourself for not having stopped sooner? My advice is to take more breaks and stand back from it more often – have a cup of tea and distance yourself from it – that way, you’re more likely to spot errors before they happen. Enable yourself to see things with a ‘fresh eye’, and overworking will hopefully soon become a thing of the past.
[7] Prune your palette
Do you still have colours in your paint box that you’ve never used? If so, throw them out (or at least stash them out of sight, in a dark, locked cupboard somewhere).
Not only does a limited palette help to promote harmony and cohesion, but if you’ve used a particular colour in your painting, it’s a good idea to try and reuse (recycle) it somewhere else within the composition. This can help to create visual ‘links’ between disparate elements, and may help to hold the scene together.
[8] Support home-grown manufacturers
The art materials business is a global, and highly competitive, one. As such, it’s easy to overlook the wealth of high-quality art materials being manufactured, often by hand, in your very own country, and probably local to where you live. In these uncertain times, maybe its time to start giving more business to manufacturers who we can buy from directly, and have conversations with real people about what it is that art material consumers really need.
[9] Experiment with a different medium
Working with an unfamiliar medium can occasionally help you to see new ways in which you might use techniques more familiar to you.
[10] Try something new
We should all resolve to push a few boundaries and try something that we’ve never done before.
Of course it’s a gamble, but stepping into the unknown can be exciting, and who knows where it might lead? The Comfort Zone is warm and fuzzy, and mostly predictable; go on… do it… you may discover untapped skills that you didn’t know you had…
Happy 2019!
