This week in my watercolor classes I will be talking about trying something a little different.
I always try to push my students out of their comfort zone so they can always learn something new.
In my classes I don't like it if my students are not learning something new every time they attend my class.
I know many students like to come to class
because it gives them time to paint, this is great but I also want them to learn at least one thing every time they come to a class.
This week's lesson is to try to paint a scene using colors that are not the actual colors of the objects you are painting. Let me explain..... if you are painting a scene and the sky is blue, I want you to change the blue to something totally different. Use a color that doesn't make sense to use or use your favorite color just because you like it a real lot.
If you were to paint a still life with an orange and a banana, I don't want you to make the orange orange and the banana yellow. try to be creative and try a different approach to picking your colors. This would be a great time to try totally different colors that you have never tried.
Now I have a feeling you want to know why you should do this, especially when I am always telling you to keep on painting until things become very natural for you and you don't have to think about how
you are painting but you are thinking about what you are painting. Trying new things is never a bad thing and is something everyone at every level should try, if they want to grow as an artist. You could stick with the same style your whole life and that isn't a bad thing, trying something new will sometimes take your style to a new direction and make you grow even more as an artist.
I am always trying new things, sometimes new colors, new papers but that
doesn't mean I have to ditch what I already love using. One doesn't have to change what is already working for you, but make things interesting and try new things just to make things a little different once in a while.
David