Back to Normal

Now that we’re home again, I’m slowly getting back to my normal routine. With a small kid, a full time job and a long commute I don’t really have much time for anything, so I have found it a key to always be very strategic with the use of my time and plan ahead as much as possible.

What I’m painting

I love color. I love drawing. I love painting. And yet I struggle every time I sit down to paint. Am I the only one having to fight the resistance all the time? So many doubts, insecurities and unrealistic and unnecessary expectations... “What to paint?” “I can’t do this.” “I’m not good enough, so what’s the point?”. I’ve already written about this same struggle in my previous post and I guess I have to finally accept that it is here to stay and just push through it.

What I’m reading

I decided to dedicate this month to Sketching from Square One to Trafalgar Square by Richard E. Scott. It’s about 200 pages, so I aim for about 50 pages per week. It’s been quite manageable so far as there are many of the author’s beautiful drawings to illustrate the concept and ideas he’s presenting. Moreover, the exercises were also rather quick. I’ve been drawing squares and rectangles and enjoying it.

I decided to start working with this book as I believe I have to solidify the basics, starting with my drawing skills in order to improve my painting. The book covers drawing from observation, learning to see (proportions, angles, shapes, spaces, relationships) and think a certain way, edges, tones and contrast.

I ordered the  Copic Sketch markers recommends on the book site and can’t wait for the chapter that explains value – one of my biggest struggles at the moment. The author recommends No3, 6, 8 & 110, plus the colorless blender.

I also really loved listening to the thoughtful and inspiring podcast interview with the author at Savvy Painter Sketching from Square One Author Richard Scott. They talked about keeping sketches primarily private and looking at them as a process (practice) and not an end goal. They also shared how even “real” and experienced artists have to overcome resistance; compared drawing to poetry (as opposed to literal representation), stressed the importance of seeing, edges and values, etc… It made my hour-long commute not only much more bearable but also utterly enjoyable and left me even more motivated to continue reading the book and diligently do the exercises.

What online course I’m going through

My intermediate watercolor course with Chris Bedroll started on August 1st and I couldn’t be more excited. This is a self-study course over the period of six weeks (ending September 11.) where we go through different concepts and techniques by completing a painting (landscape or floral) for each week after the first one. The starting week is dedicated to the absolute basics like supplies – paper, paints, brushes, color mixing, etc… The material presented was not necessarily new to me, but I greatly enjoyed listening to the teacher who has a very pleasant and structured presentation style. I also decided to strictly follow his supplies recommendations so ordered new Winsor & Newton professional paints, a few new brushes (including a No12 Escoda Versatil, which I’m very excited about trying) and 3 sheets Arches paper. I can’t wait to get them next week and start playing! I truly like Chris’ color choices. I found his talk on how to practice watercolors both helpful and inspirational. Looking forward to next week.