I’ve browsed your blog a bit, and I do love your style of painting. I’m definitely going to follow, and thank you, too, for following my blog! I am open to any advice you want to share.
Thank you so much for following my blog, and I really appreciate that you like my painting style. I am glad I found your blog: Your posts are very interesting. Since I only paint with watercolors, I hope my advice will be helpful to you. Do you have a specific question?
I’m just open to any advice or suggestions that may come to your mind as you view my paintings, or any thoughts from personal experience you might want to share. Thank you again for being part of my art journey.
OK, I had to think about it for a while and here is what I came up with:
Donât paint when youâre angry, tired and/or hungry.
Cut back on the number of paints in your palette. If you find youâre constantly dipping into the same color, try to ban it from your palette for a while. This helps you to get out of the color rut.
Paint what you see. Donât paint from memory (unless you are blessed with good spatial awareness).
If you struggle with a certain subject, try to trick your mind into thinking itâs something else and not terribly important.
Try to keep all your paintings and lay them out twice a year to see where youâve made progress.
Keep the âuglyâ paintings: Write what you donât like about them on the back. This helps you to be more aware of your actions.
If youâre not happy with your painting, put it aside. Paint the same subject up to 5 times before moving on to another subject. Try not to beat yourself up if it doesnât work out. Maybe itâs just not âyouâ. Example: I struggle with perspective drawings and spatial perception. So, I know I will never be an architectural painter, and Iâve made peace with my artistic shortcomings.
If you notice that a painting goes wrong from the start, itâs better to start over instead of trying to fix it (watercolor is such an unforgiving medium).
There is no shame in tracing certain subjects (from your own reference material, that is) that are otherwise too daunting to sketch freehand. Example: I read in one of your blog posts that you werenât happy with a barn youâve painted in one of your landscapes. Maybe tracing it wouldâve solved the problem. Nevertheless, sketch as much as you can.
Watch tutorials and read instruction books but never try to copy another artist. I love watching Graeme Stevensonâs Colour in Your Life YouTube series while painting. Some artists give great advice.
Judith, I hope some of these general tips were somewhat helpful. Have fun with your next painting!
Thank you so much for all the tips. I especially like the idea of making notes on the back of a painting, and getting them out and reviewing them is something I do enjoy. It feels good when I can see progress. Thank you so much for taking time to share these valuable insights.
Walks in Watercolor 
Wow! Beautiful work!đđđ
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Glad you like it. I painted this a while ago and for some reason, I forgot to post it.
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It definitely deserves a post!âș
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love the *sparkles*
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Thank you, Karyn. It’s gloomy here, so I need the sparkles.
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Wonderful work!!! đ
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Thank you so much, I’m glad you like it!
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Beautiful! And I love those rocks. đ
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Thank you, Judith. If memory serves right, I painted this scene at least five times until I was happy with the rocks.
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I’ve browsed your blog a bit, and I do love your style of painting. I’m definitely going to follow, and thank you, too, for following my blog! I am open to any advice you want to share.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for following my blog, and I really appreciate that you like my painting style. I am glad I found your blog: Your posts are very interesting. Since I only paint with watercolors, I hope my advice will be helpful to you. Do you have a specific question?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m just open to any advice or suggestions that may come to your mind as you view my paintings, or any thoughts from personal experience you might want to share. Thank you again for being part of my art journey.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OK, I had to think about it for a while and here is what I came up with:
Donât paint when youâre angry, tired and/or hungry.
Cut back on the number of paints in your palette. If you find youâre constantly dipping into the same color, try to ban it from your palette for a while. This helps you to get out of the color rut.
Paint what you see. Donât paint from memory (unless you are blessed with good spatial awareness).
If you struggle with a certain subject, try to trick your mind into thinking itâs something else and not terribly important.
Try to keep all your paintings and lay them out twice a year to see where youâve made progress.
Keep the âuglyâ paintings: Write what you donât like about them on the back. This helps you to be more aware of your actions.
If youâre not happy with your painting, put it aside. Paint the same subject up to 5 times before moving on to another subject. Try not to beat yourself up if it doesnât work out. Maybe itâs just not âyouâ. Example: I struggle with perspective drawings and spatial perception. So, I know I will never be an architectural painter, and Iâve made peace with my artistic shortcomings.
If you notice that a painting goes wrong from the start, itâs better to start over instead of trying to fix it (watercolor is such an unforgiving medium).
There is no shame in tracing certain subjects (from your own reference material, that is) that are otherwise too daunting to sketch freehand. Example: I read in one of your blog posts that you werenât happy with a barn youâve painted in one of your landscapes. Maybe tracing it wouldâve solved the problem. Nevertheless, sketch as much as you can.
Watch tutorials and read instruction books but never try to copy another artist. I love watching Graeme Stevensonâs Colour in Your Life YouTube series while painting. Some artists give great advice.
Judith, I hope some of these general tips were somewhat helpful. Have fun with your next painting!
-Laureen.
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Thank you so much for all the tips. I especially like the idea of making notes on the back of a painting, and getting them out and reviewing them is something I do enjoy. It feels good when I can see progress. Thank you so much for taking time to share these valuable insights.
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You’re very welcome. I’m sure we’ll get more chances to discuss specific topics. Looking forward to your next post.
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