Watercolor Paintings

I expect I will want to give up and quit…

There are a lot of art mediums I love, but watercolors...doesn't make that list. Actually, no form of painting makes the list. I think it has everything to do with control. Brushes just aren’t like a pencil to me. The chiseled point of lead is far more cooperative than the sometimes sporadic bristles of a brush. Yet here I am, encountering this genre of art I’m not comfortable in, doing my best to create six cute and cuddly underwater sea creatures for my nephew and his wife’s new baby’s room. To make matters worse, I am adding pressure to myself because the new mom is being induced and I’d like to get the pictures delivered to them before Baby X shows him/herself to the world. 

My nephew gave me ”artist’s choice” on the medium. He also gave me a sample drawing. The sample screams, ”WATERCOLOR!” The translucency of the paint, the opacity of the colors…it IS the right medium for the job. There’s just one thing?....  

Did I mention…I DON’T PAINT!

 And So, I Begin…

Do you hear that?... “It’s opportunity knocking”...and since I’ve made it clear that I want to embrace new mediums, as well as old ones, and step through this door of creativity; how fitting is it that I’m opening the door to a world I know nothing about. 

One flower and vase picture done in high school doesn’t count. This is one of those moments when you second guess saying yes, but…. 

It’s too late to back out now…I’ve agreed to do this…I’ve made the commitment…

…but the thought of painting scares me to death. The saving grace is: I think I can pull off cute and cuddly. I think I can create a happy jellyfish with big ogling eyes and a happy grin. I THINK I CAN DO THIS. 

I’m Just Not That Comfortable

Not being comfortable with painting, I did a little research. Watercolor pencils? Didn’t know they existed, better yet, didn’t know how to use them...but being able to draw out my characters with a pencil was promising. So, I did a little practice paper of swirls...water, less water, and just played around with the medium until I decided I was ready to begin.

Deep breath....I give myself a little grace, a little pause. Jellyfish, drawn and colored, ewwww! Second jellyfish drawn and colored....eckkkk… Switched gears, sea turtle drawn and colored....ehh.

A pattern of disappointment was developing. I didn’t like anything I put on paper. I re-think how I paint the jellyfish....less pencil, more water? The result is still the same. Seven jellyfish later, I was frustrated. Worst part...Baby X has arrived. 

But…there is one take-away from this...my comfort level is improving. I’m finding parts of the picture that I do like. I’m figuring out that I’m able to use the pencils to highlight details. 

I’m able to use the pencils wet or dry. 

I’m learning, which is beginning to ease my frustration. 

I’m getting the hang of it. 

I’m having that “light at the end of the tunnel moment.” What was once a foreign concept to me is becoming, POSSIBLE?...So,...I continue.

30 

After thirty disappointing attempts and several newly learned skills, I tried to lock in and start over, again. I am not as comfortable with the paint part of water colors as I had hoped. And you know what,…so what? You know what I am comfortable with? The water color pencils. I switch gears and decide to play to my strengths. Pencils. I’m going to trust in using the water color pencils and sparingly add touches of brush and water to highlight parts of the picture. You have to find your style, your method in the medium. I’m beginning to understand that painting in watercolors is exactly what I thought. It’s not the medium for me. But I still think I can pull off the assignment I was given.   

Let’s Do This…

I think I am ready to do the “real” pictures. I have selected my six animals. I have chosen a sea turtle, a jellyfish, a puffer fish, a squid, a seahorse and a crab. I’m confident this mix will prove to be successful for me.

 I pull out my first sheet of paper. 

I choose my watercolor pencil and begin to draw.

I draw and paint.

I move to my second picture and repeat the process….

Third picture, repeat the process….

Fourth, Fifth and sixth….

I check my work. It’s complete. Is it my finest work? Am I satisfied with the product I’m delivering? As I stare at the final pieces, I don’t have any real emotion to it. I don’t hate it, but of course I think to myself, what if I do it again? Will I get results that make me swoon? To me the drawings are just okay. But I’m not convinced if I did them again that I would get grandiose results. I AM my biggest critic. Perhaps it’s not as bad as I think? I have a certain way I want my artwork represented. I recall a few close friends seeing some of the practice pieces and remembered they liked what they saw. I think it’s time to get a second opinion on the final products, so I take pictures and send them to a couple of trusted companions. Their feedback is positive. I must remind myself that others may find satisfaction in what I may call imperfect. So, I dismiss the desire to do them over yet once again and decide to pack them up and ship them to their destination. 

I hope the new parents will look upon the drawings with love, because I love that they asked me to prepare original artwork for their child’s room. I also hope they are satisfied with the pictures presented to them. Perhaps the bundle of joy, as they grow up, will look at the happy faces on the wall and smile. 

It was an honor to do the project. It’s exactly the kind of thing I asked for. New mediums, new adventures in art. I will say that although it’s not my favorite medium, a large chunk of a journey is that the greatness is simply in showing up, learning something whether about the process or yourself and finishing. 

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Which I did! Now…on to the next art adventure.