Watercolor Continued

"Floating" 12 x16 watercolor

One of the biggest things I am learning in my watercolor class right now is to loosen up! And to stop trying to control the watercolor. By just letting the medium 'do its own thing' I am getting some beautiful washes. This was just a quick painting to put to use everything Feng and his other students have suggested to me, and really there is already a big difference between this one and the last.

Whenever I get really flustered with my art I have to do something fun. Something whimsical and off key for me. Thus a series of Wind Horses is slowly being born, and they are all wildly stylized like the horse in today's post. It is important for no matter what your line of work is to take a mental break and do something fun with it. As much as I love to draw and paint, the wind horses are how I keep things fresh and fun. I use them as an excuse to just explore and experiment with the medium.

The next painting I am working on is continuing on with the Dressage theme from the last painting- and boy do I think I bit off more than I can chew! The horse is a beautiful midnight black Friesian and he's proving very difficult to paint at the moment! I'm also a bit nervous with this as well because Feng wants me to paint in front of him this week. I might have to do some more of these wind horses to keep me sane!!

Watercolor

" Simple Elegance" 12 x 16 watercolor

I have a wonderful opportunity this year to spend six months with a watercolor master. It's a small group of five that meet with Feng once a week to go over our paintings. Now, his other students are hardcore watercolorists- I'm not. So I knew from the beginning that this was going to be a HUGE challenge for me. Seeing how watercolor is not exactly my strong point, and I have left the class several times to the point of tears because of frustrations. But I keep trucking, because I want to learn. Dedication is what makes the art student.

This particular work I have been slaving over for the past four weeks. Every time I thought it was done, Feng would tell me to wipe it and do it again. Now, he still hasn't seen this finial attempt, but I am VERY pleased with the results! (Don't mind the whole right side though, my camera completely washed it out) I can certainly say with all the blood, sweat, and plenty of tears I am learning! And I am learning from the best, and my watercolor is certainly going to the next level with the help of this class.

I have already started my next watercolor- another dressage piece. I will take everything I have learned from this painting and apply it to my next. Hopefully this make an even better painting!