Frustration

[watercarving]

I felt like I was learning pretty well and seem to have hit a wall. I have a grand vision for what I want a project to look like and can't seem to get close.

I want to paint nice, loose landscapes. I have a few books and videos and they have helped but I can't seem to push through.

What would you recommend? What's your favorite landscape book/DVD?

I'm not in a good area for quality classes. Not sure what to do.

[virgil carter]

Water, just keep painting, that's what to do! All of us have the same challenges to our work. When we keep painting, we keep learning!

Is/are there any specific issues that are a problem? Would you consider posting a painting or two for comments and critique. There's some pretty good painters here that strive to be helpful when needed.

Sling paint!
Virgil

[noge]

Having some good books doesnt work - Lerning by doing is the only way

Painting once a week or more and you will see what happend

[Yorky]

Loose is not as easy as it looks. Many watercolourists attempt loose painting but find it difficult.

Doug

[AmyLC]

I agree with Virgil! Keep going! But also go ahead and post something for us to see. Everyone here is very supportive and everyone was a beginner at some point. Sometimes you need a fresh pair of eyes to point out exactly what isn't working...and what IS working! You may be closer than you think.

And FWIW, I find loose landscapes to be the absolute hardest subject to paint! I wish I could do them well, but I need much more practice!

[janinco]

I find videos best because you need to see things like the amount of water, the dilution of the paint, the brush, and the overall technique of a teacher. Books are just snapshots that can't really do justice to a medium like watercolor since it's so fluid!

My two favorite online resources are http://www.artistsnetwork.tv and http://www.artclick.tv. These are both subscription based and you can find the style that you like and try to paint along.

I experiment constantly and take notes when I try to imitate various styles. It's better to do this on practice paper and not on your actual painting. Maybe just pick a small section from the painting you want to do and try various techniques until you get it to look the way you want...wet on wet, wet on dry, dropping in color vs mixing on the palette, etc.

To get a loose style you have to overcome the ingrained tendency (from childhood) to "color in the lines." As is noted, it takes a tremendous amount of practice to learn the characteristics of the three main variables (paper, paint and water).

Jan

[watercarving]

I understand that the loose style is difficult but it is what I want to learn to do. So much going on with a painting...how wet should the paper be, how wet the wash, brush, etc.

Some of this can only be learned by experience but it would be nice to have a resource that discusses and shows these in depth.

For examples...the first one I'm pretty happy with overall. Need my focal point to stand out some more and the background trees aren't great but it's ok.

The second is just boring. The paint is dull, the background trees are not convincing at all....

I'm really just venting. I'm not a natural artist and have had to really study and practice to do anything. It doesn't come easy for me and then you add in the technical parts of watercolor and it gets frustrating.

Thanks for the help.

[Cyntada]

Originally Posted by watercarving

I'm not a natural artist and have had to really study and practice to do anything. It doesn't come easy for me and then you add in the technical parts of watercolor and it gets frustrating.

You're not alone. I am convinced that there are very few artists who are born with some sort of skill that others don't posess, I think most of us are just born with the passion that keeps us trying again. So, by that definition you are indeed a natural artist

For the record, I like both of your paintings. Maybe you need to just set them aside and practice something else, come back with fresh eyes and let the frustration abate for a while. There's not really a sharp line between "loose" and "mess" and it take some time (and "wasted" paper) to get satisfied with your position on that continuum. As has been said just keep painting... trust me the results will come. One day you'll look and go "wow" and then you're there.

[brusher]

John:
Watercolor is an endless series of adjustments, and yes, the balance between paper + water + paint seems endless. I have been trying to get very loose the last few years, and now I'm in a class where the instructor feels my "looseness" is "carelessness"! And that is right, it seems. Back to the drawing board!
That said, I think your paintings look fine! And the second one I like very much, it looks like a rural illustration we might have seen in Life Magazine in the 1940's. A lot of charm. Maybe you are frustrated by the "wood texture", which is difficult, always. I think there is a WC member who posts in this forum and he does a lot of buildings and wooden barns. Very detailed. Sorry don't remember his name. But you could check out some other artists' work and see how they render the distressed wooden structures. Your work looks great, don't be discouraged or frustrated! Just keep learning!
Cathy

[CharM]

I understand how you feel.

Rome wasn't built in a day and you can't eat an elephant in one bite... Definitely set goals for yourself, but make them small and achievable. Your skills will build with each new goal you work through.

If you wish to improve your skills, then you'll need to practice them... if loose landscape painting is your goal, then seek out those artists you admire. If they have written books or published DVD's, then borrow them from your library or buy them if you can afford it. Do the exercises. Do them.

Participate in the Challenges here on WetCanvas. There's always something interesting happening in the Learning Zone and/or Studio. It gives you an opportunity to have a dialogue with others while learning something new. And the bonus is that it's fun!

If you don't like your colour mixes, then learn to mix colour. I benefitted from Michael Wilcox's book Blue and Yellow don't make Green and Jeanne Dobie's Making Color Sing. If you don't like the way you've rendered your trees, then practice them... do studies. If you don't understand how your water reacts with your paper and/or your pigment, Ewa Karpinska's book is a fantastic resource.

Paint as often as you can... preferably every day. Post and ASK for feedback...

[noge]

Dont complain - everything need time - what do you expect
I painted this 2003 after painting ~ 200 pictures

[Dragoon]

Hello
I just wanted to chime in about another resource I have found...its called Art Tutor and its a subscription based web service. The main founder is Bob Davies, who made those "Watercolor Secrets" DVDs. It launched a month ago.

What I like about it is that is $14.95 a month, and you can cancel at any time. No contracts, plans, or limitations. Full access to all the vids they have. They are adding more every week. Right now its watercolor-heavy, but the other media are slowly filling up.

For 15 bucks, its worth a look. That's cheaper than buying one art DVD.
Cheers,
D.

[baeserj]

One of the hardest things for me is patience. I want the painting to be ‘done’ NOW. I have to remember that there is a different effect when the paint dries. It looks so different. Also I have to step back and look at the forest, not the tree leaves. Another issue I have is remembering what I did in a painting that has the ‘look’ I want, and what I did to get it.
I have found watching videos and working from books do not substitute for just doing it. Having a class with an instructor does wonders, you can ask your question when the issue comes up.
It all seems like a lot of hard work, but like anything you enjoy; it will happen if you keep at it.
Now if I only would listen to my advice and practice what I say!!

[ErnstG]

John, Sie machen den großen Fehler, einen Stil zu fordern,
der nicht Ihr eigener ist. "Locker" malen kann man nur, wenn
man vorher realistisch gemalt hat. (Ohne das ABC kann man
nicht schreiben und nicht lesen). Wenn Sie das beherrschen,
stehen Ihnen die Türen offen für alle anderen Stile oder Techniken.
Ernst

[Chris Robinson]

OOOO, nice loose landscapes, sounds like music to my ears! The problem you have though, watercarving, is that you are taking the subject quite too literally. A professional watercolour artist can stand in front of a landscape and produce an image, resembling a landscape. Dont attempt this at all! You will fail. Paint from the heart, let the water flow and learn this amazing technique before you paint a tree or a hill. Listen to the painting and go with the flow! Takes a few years, lots of wastage, but eventually you ll learn. Then you can start a landscape, maybe a hill, a shadow, a reflection in the water. If you've got it and it will come naturally, but then you are among the few. But all great watercolourists have served their apprenticeship first. You've only just begun!

Its a fantastic journey and a wonderful medium that requires the skill of surgeon and the vision of a poet

Chris