BeckerArt FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter Sept. 20th Learning From Making Mistakes

Published: Tue, 09/20/22

Hello

Welcome to the FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter #381

Hello from Dillman's in Lac du Flambeau!
What an amazing week I had last week at the Grand Marais Plein-air Event... I learned so much and even picked up an award while I was there. I also took 3 mini workshops from 3 amazing teachers so in the future I will pass along those teachings to you.

Have you signed up for my BeckerArt Paint Party at Dillman's on September 22nd Info HERE .

Since I have a class and a BeckerArt Paint Party this coming Thursday, I won't have time to do my Thursday BeckerArt YouTube Paint-a-long. Next YouTube BeckerArt Paint-a-long happens on September 29th.

NO Class, at the Civic Center in Libertyville September 22nd

NO Class, at The Studio in McHenry, September 24th

Email me at Beckerart@gmail.com for any info you may need about my classes or workshops.

Learning From Making Mistakes

Last week I was painting like a mad man and while painting I tried a bunch of new materials and ways of applying paints. Not sure it was a good time to do this when in the midst of a plein-air competition.

I tried a couple of new surfaces, and the Clayboard by Ampersand wasn't doing what I thought it would do while applying paint to it. I was painting a sunset and a sunrise on the Clayboards and I struggled a ton because I didn't know how dark or light things should be as the sun rose and set. I was doing exactly what I think I heard one of the teachers say... "don't try following the sun". I also didn't do a value study so I was chasing the light as it was rising. I learned the hard way that one shouldn't chase the sunlight. What I was told to do instead was to do a value sketch/study so you know exactly what your value pattern will be.

The 2 unfinished plein-air paintings are below. They may have been failures and unfinished, but they served as a great teaching tool for me. The lesson I learned was to not chase the light and before I start the painting, I need to pick an exact time of day and do a value sketch to figure out the exact values and design of what I will be painting. I also learned I need to practice on a new surface before doing a painting on that new surface that I had never worked on before.

Above is a sunset scene where I was chasing the sun... trying to capture the light at too many stages. I didn't know how this Clayboard would handle the paint, so this made it very frustrating to get anything working the way I wanted.

Above, this time it was a sunrise and again I was chasing the sun, trying to capture the light at too many stages. I thought that I had a value study figured out in my head but clearly, I didn't. This was also done on Clayboard which I had never worked on before.

Next time I have to follow my own teachings that I tell my students all the time... figure out a value sketch before you start to paint and practice with new art supplies before you do a painting with those new supplies.
LESSON LEARNED!

Workshops and Demonstrations 2022- 2023

Watercolor Workshop at Dillman's in Lac du Flambeau Sept. 18-23rd 2022 INFO HERE

Illinois Watercolor Society Demo Oct 1st 2pm 2022 INFO HERE

NORTH EAST WATERCOLOR SOCIETY, Green Bay Oct 4-5th 2022 Info to come

Michigan Watercolor Society, Ann Arbor MI Oct. 12, 13, &14th Info to come

Morris Watercolor Guild, Morris IL. Friday Oct 28th Info to come

VILLAGE ART WORKSHOPS Paint Party January 15th 3:30 to 6:30 2023 Info to come

VILLAGE ART WORKSHOPS Watercolor 2 day class January 16-17th 2023 Info to come

VILLAGE ART WORKSHOPS Acrylic 2 day class January 18-19th 2023 Info to come

Product of the Week Again

I could have used these while out plein-air painting last week. The viewfinder is so helpful to frame your subject matter while looking through it at your landscape.
BUY HERE

Artist of the Week

Jeff Steiner
I met Jeff at the Grand Marais Plein-air Event and his work was very amazing!

BeckerArt LIVE Paint-a-long Demonstration
NO PAINT-A-LONG onThursday Sept. 22nd

Next Paint-a-long Happens Sept. 29th

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel at

https://www.youtube.com/c/davidrbeckerart

If you want to show your paint-a-long work to my Facebook BeckerArt Group

Sign-up HERE

DAILY DEMO PAINTINGS Available at BeckerArt.net

January 1st the Sale Ends and I will be going back to before Covid Prices.

Over 700 Original Watercolor& Acrylic Paintings!
Daily paintings are available for purchase, on sale ~~$175~~ now $90 dollars
Covid Pandemic Prices to help me out. Sale ends at the start of the new year.
Click HERE to buy my original daily painting below.

BeckerArt Brushes Available HERE
Click Here to Purchase BeckerArt Brushes

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For any other info please email me at david@davidrbecker.com
If you would like to donate funds to support this newsletter or my free Live
Paint-a-long, you can do so by clicking Paypal Donate button below.

123 S US Highway 12
#101
Fox Lake IL 60020
USA

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