Friday, September 28, 2012

Watercolor 101 | Be Fearless

working with gouache II
It would be easy for me to say,
"Follow steps one through ten and voila! You have a painting!"
Only paint by numbers works like that. I can share the basics but the rest is in your hands.
You have to fearlessly jump in and start somewhere.
I'm doing just that with a series of new paintings.

working with gouache III
Actually, these are not watercolors. I'm using gouache and only gouache.
I've never done this before.
The paint is so rich and saturated with pigment. It feels different to me.
I have a brand new palette of  bright, bold colors and I'm just diving in.

working with gouache
Looking through some old painting notes, I had scrawled the words: paradise and parrots.
It was enough to get me started. I still love my soft greys and muted palette,
but I wanted to step away from my go-to colors and try something new.
I have no idea if these paintings will fully develop into something.
I'm not in any rush. I'm just enjoying the journey.
I hope you will too! 

19 comments:

  1. Lisa FirkeSeptember 28, 2012 at 12:42 PM

    I love it when artists who have a very recognizable palette such as yours start to mix things up! It then becomes clear that it's not only the palette that has unified the work--your "hand" is very clear in these new pieces.

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  2. Imogen GreeneSeptember 28, 2012 at 1:18 PM

    Those colours are working so well and I like the way they flow into each other, one aspect I love about watercolour is the lack of control and sometimes the pigment just decides to do the work for you!

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  3. Chow LeeSeptember 28, 2012 at 1:41 PM

    Turned out lovely Golly! Like the new direction, have fun with it!

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  4. holly aka gollySeptember 28, 2012 at 2:03 PM

    Hitthosekeys: Thank you for the compliment. Your post reminds me of my favorite Oscar Wilde quote, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."

    Imogen: I love that lack of control too! I purposely ordered tubes of gouache colors that I don't normally use and it is turning out to be so much fun.

    Chow Lee: You are too kind.

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  5. mama bleuSeptember 28, 2012 at 4:10 PM

    I am a fan of your work and love that you aren't afraid to experiment. Some of the best work comes from trying new things. Love the colors!

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  6. lamina@do a bitSeptember 28, 2012 at 5:36 PM

    Ooooo...I am loving your new adventure in these bright happy colours... just gorgeous! :)

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  7. Line Katrin MoeSeptember 28, 2012 at 6:32 PM

    Oh, thank you soo much for sharing this! It is so inspiring! We often stop to play and with these photos all I want is to have fun while working. Please share more! Big smile from Norway and all the way to you!

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  8. belinda marshallSeptember 28, 2012 at 9:48 PM

    beautiful! perfect that you can go with the flow too and let it be what it will xx

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  9. annamaria potamitiSeptember 29, 2012 at 12:27 AM

    What fun Holly! I am loving gouache as well. They have both body and flow. Lovely, very lovely work;-)

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  10. MagaMerlinaSeptember 29, 2012 at 12:37 AM

    Absolutely gorgeous new palette, suits your style.

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2012 at 4:01 AM

    Beautiful, Holly!
    As the first commenter said, your hand is definitely in evidence in these.

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  12. holly aka gollySeptember 29, 2012 at 6:42 AM

    Thank you all for kind words and encouragement. It's always so nice to hear when you are starting something new and different.

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  13. artistSeptember 29, 2012 at 1:24 PM

    Love your new colors!

    I just finished a whole week of taking a Color Workshop in watercolors and now I am experimenting with bold colors. It's making me stretch and think outside the box.

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  14. UnknownOctober 2, 2012 at 4:01 PM

    Really fresh and pretty, I love them.

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  15. holly aka gollyOctober 3, 2012 at 10:30 AM

    Thank you. I'm making progress on these paintings. Hope to post an update soon. :)

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  16. RobinOctober 3, 2012 at 12:34 PM

    Hi Holly! I absolutely adore your "usual" palette, but I also love these new, bright colors. And I agree with everyone else, it's still 100% you and 100% lovely. :) I am looking forward to seeing more!

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  17. AllieOctober 4, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    Always a joy to visit you. Love these bright colors. You have such an extraordinary gift. Everything you paint has such a vibrance and fluidity to it. -Al

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  18. holly aka gollyOctober 6, 2012 at 7:36 AM

    Thank you all so very much. Have a great weekend!

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  19. JenniferJanuary 10, 2015 at 10:26 AM

    Dear Holly, Thanks so much for this 101 series. It is informative, inspiring, and beautiful! Best, Jennifer

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Thank you so much for stopping by! I always enjoy reading your messages!