Blobs of Color

In the midst of all the bad art I’m creating right now, I’m also exploring lots of fun things. In looking back at my philosophical rantings and ramblings yesterday about the why behind my bad art, I could probably have summed it up in a few words. True enough, bad art is something I need to do right now, and the reason — when you cut to the chase and get right down to it — is because bad art is fun.

Bad art — as I define it — is free from judgment. It’s like those Planet Fitness advertisements you see where they tout their “no judgment zone” policy. My art studio is currently a Planet Fitness for my art body, a place where I can try out all the equipment and not care if my muscles are weak or flabby. I can walk instead of run if that’s the best I’m capable of, and I can really enjoy what I’m doing.

As an aside, ask me what I like best about my new art studio! I’m loving the storage I have, and the fact that it’s all organized. Any art project is made much easier when, from the start, you have everything you need close at hand. If I want watercolors, I have a place to go for watercolors. When I want ink pens or gel pens, I know precisely where they are. Drawing paper? Right there on the shelf. Pencils? Pastels? Canvases? You name it, and I not only have it, I know where it is.

And so getting started on a little project Saturday morning was simple, indeed. I made a list of needed supplies, went to my art closet, and quickly gathered up everything for the project. How blissfully simple!

Watercolor paper. Check. Watercolors. Check. A little palette. Check. I forgot to include my brushes in the photo, but a big check on those, too.

And with my huge sink close at hand… well, preparing for a little watercolor painting project was easy. In only a few minutes, I was set up and ready to go.

The project is one that several members of our tri-county art group have been doing. Since our recent meetings have been cancelled, members have been sharing ideas and inspirations through emails and Instagram.

With my art studio set up at last, it was time for me to join the fun and see what watercolor doodles I could create. I wasn’t expecting much from the project. I know how negative that sounds, but I’m at a place now where creating bad art is at the heart of my drawing and painting experiences. And that’s a good thing, really, because it puts me in that place where no matter how awful my results may be, it’s all right.

So, what could I do with this project? Well, I could play along and have fun. I chose my colors: two different reds, a yellow, a variety of greens. I grabbed my brushes, started dabbling with those colors, and soon I had this simple little “garden flower” scene. It’s really nothing more than blobs of color. That’s it. Blobs of color.

I liked my blobs of color, but this was only the first step in the process. Step two involved letting these blobs of color dry. So, while I was waiting, I decided to have a little more fun by creating another flowery scene.

Instead of using watercolor paper for this one — and the one below — I opted for Bristol vellum. Oh, how I loved these colors! I thought this might be my favorite, but while I waited for it to dry, yep, I did one more.