So you think you want to paint....

I have a number of friends who have said they have tried watercolour and would like to do more....  but.... and there it ends.  People are just too busy and let's face it, painting takes time! Lots of time.

And patience, and endurance, and preparation, and well, it is quite simply more difficult than one might think.

While watercolour can be rewarding it also requires a lot of dedicated plodding. At least for me it does.

These past few weeks have been filled with two paintings.  The lilies, I think I have finished, but I'm very disappointed with it- and will consign it to my learning pile.  As I worked on it I learned a few lessons.  One being that where light falls on a flower in your photo is important but is not always conducive to making a good painting.  Two, trying to improvise after the fact is difficult.  Three, when painting a flower in a more or less realistic rendering I need to draw it out carefully. And four, hot pressed smooth paper, even though a heavy weight, seems to 'pil' with the slightest amount of water.  I have more of this paper but I will need to try a different method on it because I found using this paper for this painting to be very frustrating.

There are other things about watercolour which one must keep in mind.  One - it is very difficult to get the colours you want without a number of washes.  So, one goes over and over a petal a number of times before it is actually done!  But, you need to know when to add colour if the paper is still damp or you need to add colour when the paper is dry, in which case, you need to know how to draw out the colour or add a wash without lifting the paint which is already there.

Also, it takes hours and hours to do a painting like the "Roses" painting shown here.  I can work about 1 1/2  - 2 hrs and then I need a break... sometimes it is discouraging because I've only worked on 2 - 4 petals and I know that when they are dry I will need to come back in with another wash.

Photos of your work in progress are invaluable.  They will help you see things you miss close up or even simply looking at your work.

For you my friends who wish to pursue watercolour,  I would like to encourage you but also caution you because it takes time!! If you want a quick finish this may not be for you.  I have had many frustrating moments and if I didn't feel some calling to do it, somehow drawn to create this way, I would have given up long ago.  Every so often a painting develops which makes all the hard work worthwhile.

I am hoping the rose painting will be one of these!

The Lilies:  a few progression photos - you will see that the light caught the centre petal but did not look right as it was so large a white space, so I have filled it in with some colour.  But, at this point I am still not happy with it.

The Roses:  Besides photographing the roses, choosing a view I was happy with by cropping and adjusting, hours of drawing it out using a grid, I have spent about 6 sittings with it.  Add that up and you get about 18 hours so far.  I'd say there is likely another 20 or more hours to go.  Guess the next few weeks will be dedicated to these roses!