Watercolor - Lesson 3 - 3 Pigments

This is a Quaker Oatmeal Box for which I have great respect for the creator; however, after a week of painting it, I am not so sure how I feel about oatmeal anymore. Big Sigh.

This week our exercise was to paint this box on a green background using only 3 pigments. I am not at all satisfied with my piece and I felt that most of the time that we spent together was more of a battle than an exercise from which one is to receive enjoyment.

In class today, my piece received praise, I will not praise it here so let me critique now.

• First of all it is over worked and there is no "fresh skin" in this piece- that is the first and foremost error. Not knowing where you are going and trying to get there fast does not make a good painting.


• Second, even though the greens are not horrid, the values are not even and the washes are overworked again. If one can make a wash that can be executed the first time - oh what success. Twice is ok, but after that, it just doesn't get any better. Thinking back to the instruction of pottery - I can hear myself telling a student- if you can't get it up in 3 pulls then time to wedge more clay. I find that to be the same with how I see watercolor, get in and get out-let the light shine through the pigment.


• Third- Yes, there is a blush that was executed in the front of the piece but look closely and see how many times it was scrubbed clean in hopes of mastering "the blush."


• Fourth-Shall we discuss the shadows or just say better luck next time. The perspective from which the box was shot made for a strange shadow, but once again the way to solve this problem was to be in better control of my washes. There were 3 values in the shadow and there is much room for improvement there.


• Fifth- By the time, I was getting to the lettering and finishing this piece (this is the second trial that was to be placed in the trash, but I used the back to sample colors -number 3 never made it past the back washes when I decided to rescue this piece and just finish it) I was so tired of it that I completed those tasks to complete the piece. I kind of like the Quaker oats man looking like he just jumped out of a South Park show. Perhaps that is the only plus to the piece.

So, here is a watercolor that I am not proud of, but learned much. The push to complete the piece was part of that exercise and learning what not to do is moving me to find the place where my brush, my hand and heart can join to paint.

Here is the photo from which I was to paint.
See you next time.