I haven’t been overly ambitious lately where art is concerned. For the moment I’m content to do a little daily drawing — working on learning how to draw animals, you know — and to spend a few minutes each morning playing with watercolor.
I especially enjoyed drawing and painting “Flowers and Bamboo”, first as a blind contour drawing and then as a small watercolor sketch.
Here’s the blind contour.
I remember when I first learned the technique of “blind contour drawing”. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard! I understand it now, though. It’s part of the process of training and improving our hand-and-eye coordination, and honestly, it’s always fun. It’s done, of course, by looking ONLY at the subject, not at the page. That means that when I’m finished I can always have a good laugh at what’s on the paper. There’s no pressure at all, and I love that.
Then, having done a blind contour drawing, I used a watercolor pencil to draw the subject again, this time looking at both the subject and the page. I completed it by using watercolor. I didn’t add any background to this. Usually I do, but as I said, I’m really taking it easy these days, so I was content to leave this one just as it is.
I like doing simple sketches like this, having fun with easy art projects, and not taking myself too seriously. Little by little, I’m learning to do more with watercolor, remembering to start with light washes and then add more color where necessary. It’s fun to play with different brushes, just to see what I can do with each.
So, this is how I’m spending my summer mornings. What’s happening in your studio?
Artistcoveries 