- This topic has 48 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 11 months ago by
.
-
Yesterday I attended a one day watercolor workshop in Pasadena with artist and graphic designer Joseph Stoddard, https://www.josephstoddard.com/.
It was excellent!
His focus is not so much on different techniques for applying watercolor paint to paper but more on drawing, composition, value planning and design. He is an avid sketcher and has been sketching and painting with watercolors for over 30 years. He favors architectural subjects so the demos and lessons yesterday were all about those. That is an area I particularly need help with so I found it all extremely useful.
And he is the nicest, most patient and encouraging teacher you could ever hope for. Very inspiring.
I also learned so much from my fellow workshop participants. There were some super skilled painters there. I felt like a total newbie/hack (which I am and seem to be destined to be forever). I was sitting next to a lady who was such a good draw-er. It was like everything she touched turned to beautiful. I was torn between watching her and trying to figure out how she did all the magic and trying find some of my own magic in my own attempts.
One of the biggest takeaways I got from the workshop was I *really* need to streamline my set up. I thought I’d been streamlining… no, not quite. I am going to continue to weed weed weed out stuff I don’t need and lighten my load, physically and philosophically. Fewer colors, fewer brushes, less gear!!! Less gear more drawing practice!!!
And, I finally had the chance to test what I’d read and heard about flying with paint tubes. Note – this is a single experience with a single airline on a single day. At any time it could change. Anyone’s experience could be totally different. Attempt to bring your tubes on board at your own risk. I was willing to just hand them over if they said I couldn’t take them on the plane. So bear that in mind if you decide to try it for yourself.
I managed to get all my stuff into a carry on sized rolling backpack, and packed both a paint box with pans (which I thought had dried out) and also some 5 ml tubes of colors I wanted to squeeze fresh on top of the pans.
Thank God I packed the tubes. When I got to the workshop and took out my stuff, I pulled out my paintbox and it was like someone had put my paints in the blender. May Green and Cobalt Teal (WN, not MG) and Carmine and Perm. Red had apparently been having a party up in the overhead bin and urped up all over each other and all over every other color in the box. I knew I was in trouble before I’d even taken the box out of the zip lock bag when I saw cobalt teal oozing all over out the of the corner of the box. I don’t know whether the box wasn’t totally dry from last time I’d used it or whether it had to do with things “shifting in flight,” or from the cabin pressure change or the temperature change but it was a disastrous MESS!! My paint box was totally unusable for the class. The pans are beyond saving. :-/
I was so glad I brought tubes. I got a few paper plates from the refreshment table and used those as my palette. Not ideal since they had a pattern on them and were yellow, but better than nothing and got me through the day.
The TSA didn’t say a word about my tubes. On the way down to LA, I took out the zip lock with the selection of 5 ml tubes as if they were my liquids. Went through the Xray and not even a blink or a question. On the way back, I didn’t even bother to take them out of my backpack. Again, not even a blink or a mention.
Some of the colors that oozed were not even tube paints to begin with. Some were Schmincke factory pans, which have a good reputation for re-wetting easily but I had no idea they weren’t drying out all the way. I’ll know better for next time.
I don’t think Joseph Stoddard travels much to teach, but if you are in the LA area, either live there or planning to visit, he teaches and demos regularly all around southern California. He updates the Events page on his blog often as new classes, demos, etc. get added. He is also having a big show of his work in Pasadena at the end of June.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bifk9CIB4Gj/?taken-by=artist780
I think it would be well worth it to check out his classes if you like his work. The pace, subject, presentation were appropriate for all levels.
Excellent, Kate. You won’t be disappointed.
I was thinking about all the things I learned yesterday and now that I am having more time to process the information, I wanted to add this bit which I think will be very helpful as I continue to learn to paint with watercolor.
We all know that controlling the water/pigment ratio is the key to our eternal happiness and success… but I’m still struggling with it! I watched Stoddard do something interesting yesterday as he was painting, and I am going to adopt this asap.
I will call it “zero-ing out” the water in the brush every time.
While he was demoing, someone said, why are you always wiping the brush on the paper towel before you put down the stroke? Light bulb!!! That is how he is controlling the water in the brush, which I think is the toughest place to determine how much you’ve got. He would mix up his paint puddle on the palette, rinse the brush, wipe the clean brush on the paper towel to soak out the water, then dip into his puddle of paint, then not go back into the water pot until he was ready to change color. So every time, he started a passage with the same amount of water in the brush, basically almost none. Only the paint which he’d already mixed to the right consistency.
I have been dipping my brush in the water, going with a water logged brush to the palette, mixing up my puddle, then back to the water, then to the puddle… Too much water. Too much water in the puddle from the mixing, then more water into the puddle after dipping my brush the second time. I think ideally after you get the paint to the right consistency, you’d want only that paint mix in your brush and no extra water. I need to repeat this to myself – NO EXTRA WATER sneaking in!!!
I think this is one of the ways he gets his colors to be so bright and crisp. Also, no fiddling, no touching wet/damp areas, and a ton of patience.
Yeah, it was really good for me to see all that live and in person.
Oh YES with the water tip! I don’t remember when I started doing that, but it’s a lifesaver. Never bring a sloppy wet brush around your paint unless you’re loading a palette well to melt it. :thumbsup:
Thank you for writing up your notes on this workshop! I’m not much for taking classes, he’s one of the few artists I’d sign up for in a heartbeat any time I’m in the area. Still sad I missed this one.
And yes, the more minimal your kit, the better. Try going out with just paper, brush, pencil/pen and a mini palette. If you REALLY miss something, consider adding it back. If you found yourself painting more because you weren’t burdened down by too much gear – ta daaaaa!
CK =)
I take great comfort in knowing that my genuine typos will probably be blamed on some device's autocorrect.
DIY art supplies, sketches, and more: cyntada.com / @cyntadaI am still processing all the info that I absorbed on Saturday and it was a ton. But today I am thinking about (in addition to everything else), how important it is to not be a slave to your reference and to not be a slave to realism. The sketch or painting has to stand on its own; it’s a self-contained thing. Later, when you or someone else is looking at it, the reference won’t be available and no one is going to be comparing and analyzing did you or didn’t you include a, b or c, even though it was there “in real life” or in the photo. The reference is just the springboard and inspiration; the painting is a separate entity and has to work on its own.
This is also very important. I have been tending to work directly from my reference, either live set up/subject or photo. That’s a no no. First, make a sketch or value plan in pen or pencil (or several even better), then a small color sketch in your sketchbook, then do your actual painting from your studies and plans NOT from the original reference. The assumption here is that you will have greatly improved on your original reference in the planning and sketching stage. Once you have your plan and all the kinks worked out, you paint from the plan. Otherwise, why bother doing all the preliminary studies if you end up not using them?
I keep hearing his voice in my head saying, if you don’t like it at the drawing stage, don’t paint it. Work out all the problems in the drawing/planning stage in your sketchbook BEFORE YOU PAINT!!!
When it comes to laying down your paint – mop it on with bold confident strokes, no dabbing. The fewer strokes the better. He mostly uses sable round brushes and has recently started using Rosemary’s and loves them.
He also recommends Holbein paint, and uses either Aquabee super deluxe or Holbein multi-media sketchbooks. Fabriano Artistico 140# xw cold press is his choice for paper.
He often paints the same subjects over and over. He does most of his drawings in his sketchbook on location, but then paints them back in his studio. He really emphasized being comfortable when you paint. And being relaxed. I was kind of surprised at how anxious some of the students were about painting. They put so much pressure on themselves to produce a masterpiece, even during a workshop. I pretty much knew right out the gate that everything I painted in the workshop would be a throwaway, for learning purposes only. (And I was correct about that!)
As I think of more relevant things and remember more of the details, I will keep posting them on this thread.
Hi Maria – I’m so happy to share what I learned. I hope more people will find out about Joseph Stoddard and be able to learn from him as well. The Holbeins are great; you will love them. Don’t let the tiny tubes fool you. They are so full of pigment, a little bit is all you need.
Stoddard has a blog that he rarely updates but it goes back many years. His entries are brief, but lots of photos and examples to study re: composition.
I feel just the opposite about sketchbook pages… they should be a big fat mess b/c this is where I am “rehearsing” and trying things out. If it’s perfect in the sketchbook, why bother to go on and make the painting? Sketchbooks are a playground, a laboratory, a “no rules” zone. USk-ers are very competitive about their sketchbooks and social media; don’t fall into that trap!!! The only person who needs to like or see what’s in your sketchbook is you.
I think the only cure for lack of confidence is practice. With practice you get better and so feel more confident. But you are giving birth to works of art; birth is not a pristine perfect process. It’s bloody, messy, at times unbearably painful. But also incredibly joyful. Don’t forget about the joy in the effort to produce something that complies with another person’s ideas or standards. No matter what, just keep going. The answer is always ahead of you, never behind.
And now, one more pearl of wisdom from the workshop… Another big question for us noobs… What color do I paint the shadows??? Yes, it’s true you can paint a shadow any color but if you’re not sure, try some transparent shade of violet mixed from Cobalt + Opera, Cobalt + Aliz, Ultramarine + Aliz, etc. This is just for starters. Eventually, you will be able to figure out how to vary the shadow color, but some shade of purple is fine for starters.
For a nice dark green mix Phthalo Blue plus Burnt Umber. In Holbein, he uses Marine Blue (which is either Phthalo or Indanthrone). For a quick black, Ultramarine plus Burnt Umber.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.