It's my pleasure, Karen. I am staying home and being extremely cautious when I have to go out for groceries, trips I space out for as long as possible.
Thank you for sharing your thorough knowledge of painting in such a lucid way. I have learned so much about the process of making art through watching your generous videos over and over again. This particular one helps me to understand so much of what happens before the paint actually goes on the canvas. It also helps me see how I get into problems with my own paintings; issues I have that could have been worked out with more preliminary sketches. One again, thank you again for your extreme generosity of spirit. Especially in these times, you are an anchor in my life. Please remain safe!!
Jill, your comment is music to my ears. Thanks for sharing that with me, and others. I am delighted that we now have so many Quick Tips available for artists like you. I am staying safe. You stay safe, too.
Thank you for showing your sketchbook. As an artist I know how vulnerable you can feel when showing it. Mine are mostly very messy and it’s very nice to see an more “structured organized” one. Loved it.
My sketchbook is my playpen. It's the one place where I find the most freedom. And it's a pleasure to show it because too few artists realize just how important it is to keep a sketchbook.
Thanks for sharing Dianne. It's good to be reminded that no matter how great an artist one becomes, preparation and study makes all the difference of the end result! Stay safe and well during this awful pandemic.
Love, love, love!! Thanks to the person that made the inquiry. Really enjoy what you've shared today, in the past and look forward to any other pages you might share from your sketchbook - very helpful!!
I love your videos, especially your little smile at the beginning of the video 🙂. I also find your voice very soothing. I don't do oils, drawing and watercolor only, but I always find useful info in your tips. Thanks for all your hard work.
Your knowledge is a delight you share it so eloquently and with so much clarity.....somehow with your quick tips I inspire to do art work daily. Thank you
Love love this video. What you let us see. Open lots of doors that lead to improvement. I did my frist page of schektbook totdat. Lets see how this excersice translate in my next painting. Thank ver very much for sharing your knowledge and experience.
I am fascinated with the texture you got with the moth in watercolor! How did you achieve that texture? Are you doing a dry brush? It looks like pan pastel but better! Please do a demonstration of your technique with the moth.
In watercolor, soft textures are achieved by working damp into damp. Sharper textures are created with wet/damp on dry. No special brush is needed--just control the wetness of the paper and the wetness of the brush.
Do you mean like James Gurney does? I'll put this request on our schedule for later on so that folks don't get weary of seeing my sketchbook stuff. Thanks for the request.
Thank you!Most of time I am so in a hurry to beginn painting and do not make any skeetch or preparation..and it is very frustrating when some issues those could have been avoided with sketches appear.
Dianne! Your sketchbook explanation is wonderful. Love that you showed the various steps you go through for your paintings. That being said, are your final paintings in oil or watercolor. I ask because no doubt you could make the oils look watercolor because of all your skill sets. Good to know you are well. Sending you light and love.
Candace, I love painting in both oils and watercolor. But regardless of which the final painting is done with, I always take myself through these steps. It's the discover process that then allows the painting to flow smoothly.
Thank you for sharing your process. I'm interested in trying your process for an upcoming painting. What sketchbook do you use that allows you to do watercolor and gauche?
It's my pleasure to share, Paula. The brands of my sketchbooks vary. I'm especially fond of those made by Canson and Leather, Etc.. The important thing is that the paper is heavy enough to take lots of work, at least 80 lb (or 105 gram) and that it is neutral ph. This paper takes both watercolor and gouache very well. I prefer hardbound ones, and for outdoor work, spiral hardbound are easier to handle. Hope this helps.
Hi Dianne I love your videos, have been learning a lot from them. What is a way for me to improve my more technical brush work? I have shaky hands! Thank you
Practicing brushstrokes, lots and lots of brushstrokes should have you find those easier to make with shaky hands. I have several Quick Tips here about brushwork. In the RU-vid search bar, search for In the Studio Art Instruction, once the page comes up, click in the menu on Videos, and the list of all our Quick Tips will come up.
Wow, so impressed with your industry!! I agree that value is key for compositional strength, but can you think of an example of where pure beauty of the subject overrides any compositional weaknesses? I am not artistically educated, but I feel that modern art is beautiful, but don't see value/compositional strength, or am I missing something?
We see the world because of what the light is doing. It is the light that creates value structure. I was originally trained to be an abstract painter. That's where I learned the importance of strong composition and a strong value structure. No, I can't think of any example of pure beauty that overrides compositional weakness. Strong composition includes unity, order, balance and rhythm.
A value study explores various value patterns within a scene. A notan is of only two value where the dark records all that's in shadow and the light reveals where light rays are hitting. See Quick Tip 44.
This is so valuable! The sketch book is a life line! One question: 08:18 in the video: pages with three tone sketches and watercolour - is this pencil (if yes, what number pencil?) and gouache? Warm regards/Maria
Thank you so much! I have another question that I have been mulling for quite some time. For years I have tried to understand perspective, despite wonderful and tireless teachers, I have made peace with the fact that perhaps it will be for another life time...;) However last fall I experienced something that I just can't kick. As a plain air painter I do a lot of observing. I was lying on the beach looking at the sea. Full sun, puff clouds and the tide was going out - leaving parts of the sand like a mirror. So I am lying on my stomach. As I am looking at the reflections in the area of wet sand, all of a sudden I realise that buildings located perhaps 1/4 mile away were reflected just close to from where I was. It was like " this does not belong here...". So I stod up, and the reflections reverted to clouds and sky....I went back down on my stomach, back appeared the buildings. I am trying to wrap my brain around it and I wonder (here is the question, finally), is it possible that the lower one's point of view, the more information enters the scene?
There is no single answer to this. Some artists take years to carry an idea to finish. Others can make it happen in hours. And even for one single artist, some ideas take much long than others to come to fruition.
I see your sketchbook is just simple paper. I have been really precious of my sketchbook and not put paint into it. I will stop that right now and get on with watercolour sketches in my sketchbook. My larger paintings I feel, would definitely benefit from it.
