If it looks good when it's wet, it's wrong
Added 2019-02-10 10:43:45 +0000 UTCWatercolour wisdom, which I tend to overlook at times: If it looks good when it's wet, it's wrong.
That's a tragedy in watercolour, interestingly. One of the reasons why I love the medium so much is that while I'm painting, these amazing things happen on the paper. The pigments float around, only partly controllable, gather in places that they have decided upon, settle in patterns that can be influenced but not completely controlled, and all the while, the white paper shines through glistening, wet paint.
And you already know that this process can never be fully preserved in the finished painting. Its traces remain, but it's always like something alive that suddenly froze. Which is part of the beauty, I suppose.
Every beginner in watercolour realises at some point that this process of freezing always means something else as well: That any shining, bright, deep colour on your paper will go duller, less saturated, and lighter when it dries. So when you're trying to achieve a certain effect while painting, you have to make it ugly in the precisely the right way, in order for it to be what you wanted when it's dry. And when it's dry, you can't really change what you did, and if it didn't happen in the way you thought it would, well - tough luck.
This is made even worse by the fact that literally every paper on the market reacts slightly differently, so that, if you've come to understand "your" paper perfectly, another paper will suddenly behave in a way you never expected. Which is why I desperately need some burglar to take away all my dratted papers and force me to stick to one, haha.
Meanwhile, let's welcome new Patron, Jamie!
Comments
It's weird how rarely this is even taught. I didn't teach it either, on my firs few workshops. I think most watercolour artists who actually manage to handle the medium simply take it for granted. It's like teaching someone to ride a bike; you can't really explain how you keep the balance.
Jenny Dolfen
2019-02-11 21:25:56 +0000 UTCSo that's why I never did anything moderately decent back in the time when I was trying to learn watercolor... Ugly wet, nice dry. :O
Laura Michel
2019-02-11 19:29:01 +0000 UTCHee, the good old days. Thanks for being here!
Jenny Dolfen
2019-02-10 20:37:53 +0000 UTCThanks Jenny! I've been following your work for years back when I spent a lot of time on DeviantArt. Happy to help support your art!
JX
2019-02-10 17:19:13 +0000 UTCAh no, in this case, I actually planned it, and I dislike the wet! (As it should be!)
Jenny Dolfen
2019-02-10 16:10:03 +0000 UTCI'm guessing by your commentary that you dislike the dried version? I think it's quite stunning. (I suppose if you hate it, you could lift it with a sponge to soften the effect, but that weirdling spiral is very compelling! To me anyway!) So I suppose if it's any comfort, at least one person still thinks it's beautiful? :D
M.C.A. Hogarth
2019-02-10 15:39:26 +0000 UTCWatercolour is fascinating - i love the effects, and I can only imagine how difficult it is to achieve something good. But woaaa, when it's well-done it's always so beautiful! No wonder why it was one of Tolkien's favourite media!
Litsen
2019-02-10 11:34:38 +0000 UTC
