How to paint with creativity! - Original watercolor painting water reflections fall trees

Happy Accidents

I heard an art teacher type, say the other day, that he hates to hear someone talk about having happy accidents when they paint. The point is well taken. If you don't have any painting skills, everything you do will be an accident, I mean the total loss kind of a, you better hope you have insurance kind of accident.

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Inflexibility

The problem with a lot of academics is that they plan their painting out in such detail that there is no room for deviation. There is little chance that a happy accident can happen when you, paint in an inflexible manner.

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We are all failures!

You are going to make mistakes, everyone does. Every mistake is a, mistake, or it is an opportunity to be creative. The easy thing to do is quickly correct it. It will be your first impulse. Resist!

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Look for Ink Blots

Before you correct that mistake, look at it for a minute like an Ink Blot. What do you see? Does it look like anything at all, if it does, then make it so! If you do this, it will add a new dimension to your painting. You will find yourself doing things in a different way than you normally would have done. It will be exciting, I guarantee.

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So, was it a Happy Accident, or was it simply a mistake.
"Rocks and Trees"
original watercolor painting water reflections fall trees
7x10
$48 in My Etsy store
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At some point in the future I will photograph a happy accident, as it occurs, and show you how I dealt with it.

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My Happy Accident

I had intended for the green grassy area in this painting to go all the way down to the water. I inadvertently made the center area a little darker than I wanted. There were a couple spots where the paper was still white. The dark area looked to me like a dirt drop off and the white spots looked like rocks. So, that is what I made them. I have painted similar scenes to this before and have never had a dirt area or rocks. If not for my Happy Accident, I would have painted the same thing I have painted before,because we tend to paint what we are most comfortable with.

Artist advice - How to be an artist

Artist advice - How to be an artist

Are you an artist, or a business person. There are many artist who are technically good, but their work doesn't sell. Then there are artist who's work is just OK, and they can't stop selling.

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I often have parents come up to me at art shows and ask what advise I would give to their 14 year old budding artist. I say, "If your he or she, wants to be an artist, then he actually will be a salesman, so he should go to college and get a marketing degree and a minor in art. If his art skill are good, his marketing degree will help him be successful. If his art skills are excellent, but he doesn't know how to market himself, or talk to people in groups, and individually, he will fail.

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What does an artist do!

You have to present yourself in written and verbal form to Galleries, the general public. You might what to give talks, demonstrations, or give lessons as a way of promoting yourself.

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You need to know about price points, so that you know how to price your paintings.

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Your going to have to do research, to learn how you can cut your cost and find the cheapest supplies, outsource, figure out how to Wholesale.

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You need to know who your market is, and figure out, where is the best avenue to reach them.

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To some degree, you going to have to do some accounting.

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You may Physically have to learn how to make frames and matts. Or invest in machinery to help you make then, in order to cut your cost, so that you make more profit. If you are a full time artist, you will lose a fortune if you are having a frame shop do your framing for you. Unless they are giving you a heck of a deal.

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The toughest job, with the highest turnaround is Salesman
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Not only are you a salesman, you are selling yourself. Not only are you selling yourself,, you are selling something personal. The reason that sales people don't last is because they can't handle the rejection. When you are an artist, the rejection is worse, because you aren't selling a vacuum that you have no emotional attachment to. You are selling yourself, and it is hard, to not take it personally, when you don't sell.

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I could go on and on

So, what is my point! Nothing in the long list I have given, has anything to do with creativity and the actual producing of your art work. The sooner you start thinking of yourself as a business person, the sooner you will start to make progress with your art career. That means that you have to dedicate time to thinking about the business side as well. You have to do some research to learn whatever it is that you need to know. Study, do your homework! AH, Dad, stop it! As my son would say. You may need to take a speech class, or whatever it takes. The sooner the better.

One of my abstract paintings
Original acrylic geometric abstract

in MY Etsy Acrylic Store

How to paint reflections on water - original watercolor painting trees lake

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"Colorful Sunset"
original watercolor painting water reflections trees lake
5x7
$35 in Artist Derek Collins Etsy Store
Questions?
Please add your comment or question!

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How to Paint Reflections in Watercolor
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Misconceptions!
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Water is not Blue
Water has no color, it reflects what ever is around it, be it sky, trees, or Star Trek groupies.
The color of the water may also be determined by what is under the water. If the bottom of the
stream is mud, the water may be brown, if it's mossy, it may be green.

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Water reflections are not the same value as the sky
The value and or color of the water is going to be darker than the sky. You may look at a scene and say, "They look the same to me!" But you have to make it darker anyway, for the sake of perspective and maybe to add balance to the painting. Also, just to differentiate the sky from the water

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You can see in the painting above, the darker water in the foreground focuses you eyes back up to the brighter colors, and the center of interest. If the foreground water color was lighter, your eye would go right off the painting.

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Don't Make Waves
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We aren't painting "The Perfect Storm", we are paintings still or nearly still water. We are painting a totally flat surface. The water has to be smooth, the colors need to be blended together and have a smooth appearance.

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Do

Have fresh paint ready, don't use dried up paint, you need color and you need it quick. You should never used dried paint. Every time you add water, you dilute the paint, it ends up being a lot of water and very little paint.

Here We Go

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With a large brush,wet the entire paper in one direction, when you are finished, without adding more water, go over it in the opposite direction. You are just trying to insure that the water is spread evenly

Notice the Sky is lighter than the water
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The Sky is light Cerulean Blue, the water is darker Cerulean Blue, in the foreground it is Ultramarine Blue, an even darker Blue

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In the sky I used Cadium Yellow, in the water Ochre, a darker Yellow, you get the idea here.
The colors that you use, aren't as important, as getting the appearance of a glassy surface.
If it looks like a smooth surface it will look like water.

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I painted the sky in this order

From the horizon upward, first the Cadium Yellow, then on top of it, Cadium Red, which blended and became a soft Orange. The Lighter colors to the darker colors. Then I painted the Light blue Sky with Cerulean, then over top of it with a dark Purple, which was Ultramarine Blue and Alizarine Crimson. Again the lighter color, then the darker color

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Alternate if your Bold

Use multiple brushes. Paint the yellow in the sky. Then immediately, paint the mirror, but darker Ochre in the water. Paint the Lighter Cerulean in the sky, then immediately paint the darker Ultramarine in the water, etc.

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Wet a section at a time if your timid
Wet the Sky, paint it, then wet the water and paint it. You can always re-wet an area if need be.
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Re-Wet the Water

I obviously painted in the trees and land, now back to the reflections. Now, I'm going to paint the trees, reflecting in the water. Normally, I would just re-wet the area below the trees, but I thought the water color was a little to bright. So I mixed Alizarine and Utramarine Blue and made a dark purple. I did a wash starting at the bottom, as I moved upward the wash lightened.

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Paint the Tree Reflections

You don't want the paint to spread too much, when you paint the trees. You want the paper to be just wet enough to diffuse or blur the edges. If it spreads too much you won't be able to get a shape that looks like the shape of the tree.

Add the Tree Trunks

I added some highlights to the trees. I thought the tree reflections needed to be a little darker, so I darkened them a little more, being careful to keep it soft. You want the water to be pretty much dry when you add the tree trunks. You don't want the paint spreading, the reflection of the tree trunk could then be 3 times the size of the actual trunk. Then I added the tree trunks, and immediately added their reflections in the water

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Piece of Cake
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Please add your comment. I hope this was helpful, if it was, please let me know. If something was unclear, let me know that also. Maybe I will expound on it further. Derek

How to choose a Matt for a painting

How To Choose a Matt for a Painting

Don't

1. Pick the color of your Couch, Curtain ,or your dogs Poopy box, and then use it as one of the matt colors.
2. Don't have a preconceived idea of the color you want to use.
3. Don't pick an obvious color
4. Don't try to make it match your room, focus on the painting only, not the room.

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Choosing a Color

1. When you choose a color for a matt you want to choose the 4th, or 5th dominate color. Not the 1st or 2nd or 3rd dominate color.

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2. The painting either matches your room or it doesn't. If you try to make it match the room, you will be adding a color that will overpower the painting.

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3. Choose a color, based on the painting, not on the room.

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What is the Goal

The goal its to pick colors that become invisible. When you look at the painting you won't even notice the matt colors. You chose this painting ,for that room, because the colors in the painting matched the colors in the room. So there is nothing that you can do to make the painting not match, because it already matches. What you can do, is pick colors that draw the eye away from the painting and onto the color you chose. Yuk!

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How to tell if the colors are right

Put the sample Matt's on the painting. Go to the opposite side of where you have the Matt's. Stand a couple feet back. Focus intently on the center of the painting. Because you are standing a few feet back, you will be also also see the Matt colors. Now, can your eye stay focused on the painting. If it can, you chose the right colors. The Matt colors should disappear

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If your eye is drawn to the Matt color, you chose too strong a color, or a color that doesn't quite match.

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Still having trouble? Then go to the opposite side and view the painting a couple feet back, looking over top of the Matt.

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Still Having Trouble

Your preconceptions of the colors that you wanted, are getting in the way.
Leave it to a Professional and call Dr. Phil!

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DO:

Original watercolor fall trees painting
By Artist Derek Collins
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In the first example is a light Olive, you may not like the color, but get the concept. It is a green,but it is not the dominate green. It's an in between color. It's not yellow, but it pulls some of the yellows, it also pulls some of the lighter greens that you probably didn't notice , because of the overpowering darker greens in the painting

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The second example is just the opposite of the first one. The Matt color reads more as a light yellow, but maybe has a slight cast of Light green. It also goes with the yellow, and the green in the painting. But this color is not the dominate Yellow in the painting. It is a lighter paler yellow.

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NOT!

This is an example of a common practice. A lot of people like to use a Maroon, it does match, but you can't look at the painting without your eye being drawn to the Maroon Mat. You would also get this unappealing effect, if you had chosen the dominate, bright yellow, or the Bright green .

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Tip

I have been framing my own paintings to sell for 25 years. Even for me, it is easy to to have a certain mind set towards certain painting, which makes it difficult to find a matt that works. You just can't get past the colors that you have in your mind. If you run into one that you are having a problem with. Try all the different color groups. You may find one of those in between colors that you were totally not expecting.

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Happy matting, Derek

Loosen up your painting style! What are you afraid of?

Loosen Up

From my experience , it seem that 3 out of 4 artist would say,"I would really like to loosen up my style." If you fall in that boat, I would like to know what you are afraid. I am not suggesting that everyone should change their style. But, I think there are many of you who would like to, but fear is holding you back.

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Reject Criticism

I think there is truth in the adage of the tortured artist. Everyone has an opinion about your work. When you put your work before the public, you are really asking the question, " Do, you like my work". Some will actually say they do or they don't. Some will infer it with a cursory glance, or just by not buying it.

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Don't People Please

There are going to be more people who don't like your work, than do. This is true for any artist. Picasso has no shortage of people who hate his work. You need to practice your best duck waddle a let the insecurities and criticism , slide off your back.

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Go your Own Way

Don't let the fear of losing sales stop you from making a change. If you come up with a different style, you can sell it in a different market . So it doesn't interfere with the customer base that you already have. If it's in your heart to do it, you should. If you don't, you will be in an eternal struggle, trying to please those who can't be pleased and unhappy because you aren't painting what you would really like to be painting.

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It's a Win, Win

What better time to do this than in a market that is down. In order to loosen up, you are going to have to get out of your comfort zone and try some new things. Even if you don't come up with an entirely different style, you will learn in the process. You will take what you have learned, and it will add a new dimension to your work.

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Since when, is more knowledge a bad thing?

How to paint a Tree - original Watercolor oak tree painting

Because of the technique that I'm using here, you can use this same process in Oil or Acrylic.
Today, I am going to continue the discussion on Light and Dark values. Particularly how that relates to painting a green tree. What we don't want is a tree that is just a, Whole Lotta Green. First, when you paint a tree, you have to know how you are going to highlight the tree. Is the light source, high in the sky? In this example, the light is behind the tree, which means that the tree is going to be back lit.

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Paint in 3D, Paint in Layers

When you look at a tree, you see leaves in the back, in the middle, and in the front.
Think about this when you paint the tree.

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Don't paint what you see.

When you look at a green tree, all of the leaves look green. The leaves in the back may be slightly bluer and darker. The leaves in the front may be lighter and more to the yellow side.
Don't paint the tree like this, or it will look flat, and way to green. That's how you end up with a, Whole Lotta Green. Yuk!

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Learn the art of exaggeration

Make the darks, way darker than they really appear, this will give the tree depth. This is true of any subject matter. Always make the darks, darker than they really appear. It adds drama, and it give the painting, or tree in this case, depth.

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The Painting is the easy part
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Paint the back first

In this stage, you are going to use a dark, it doesn't matter so much what the dark is, the important thing is that it is dark enough. Don' get persnickety, use a bigger brush or a Fan brush and dab it on, loose is better. You can fix anything by adding another tree branch. Paint the entire shape of the foliage of the tree. Remember to leave a lot of space were you can see the sky behind the painting. That's the back of the tree.

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Paint the middle of the tree

Mix up a green, don't use a green straight out of the tube. Geez! If you are using watercolor, use fresh paint, straight out of the tube, not worked up dry paint. Use a lot of paint and very little water. Again,dab it on, leave at least 40% of the darks. Don't cover up all the darks! Geez! Let some of this go over the sky areas that are peeking though. Stop! Don't cover them all up. Geez! We all have a tendency to want to over do everything.

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Paint the Front
With a tree that is back lit, there aren't going to be a lot of bright sunlit leaves. But at this stage you can add a few brightly lit leaves. These will be more to the yellow side, maybe almost pure yellow,you can make these with a large liner brush or dab them on. Just a quick, small, curvy line. Don't make me say Geez, just a few. That's it, piece of cake!
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To Illustrate the Point

"Cow Wading"
Original watercolor Cow Painting oak tree water
Questions?

Variation - How to mix colors and improve your paintings skills

How to mix colors?

You get 2 colors, then you use a tool to stir them together, until the color changes.

Just kidding? Lighten up, art is suppose to be fun. Stop using the same colors, over and over.

Stop trying to get the exact color that you want. If you are real obsessive about the exact color that you want, you are going to continue to mix the same colors over and over. There are a bi- zillion colors and your mind can only conceive a few.

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Warm and cool colors

We are going to discuss greens, I think they are the toughest colors to master. Why? Because, there are so many greens in nature. In a summer landscape, the ground and all the trees are green. That can practically be the whole painting. If you don't have color Variation, your painting can quickly become one big blob of green. You need to have warm greens and cool greens.

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Warm Green

A warm green may be a green to the brown side, you can accomplish this with a touch of red.

It could be an olive green, you can get an Olive color by mixing a Blue, with an Ochre. Ochre, really is a yellow to the brown side. On a green tree, you can use pure yellow to highlight the top of the tree or a few leaves. It will be read by the brain as a green that is in light.

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Cool Green

Well, that's a piece of cake. A lot of greens are already to the cool side. Most people need to focus on getting more warm greens. In all likely hood, if you are looking at your painting and saying," There is something wrong, it's just so green", you probably don't have enough warm colors or darks.

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Darks and Lights

I can say this with confidence, you need more darks in your painting. The applies to every area of your painting, but we are talking about greens.

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Darks

Mix your green with a dark blue(Cooler), a dark brown(warmer),a black (cooler), a purple which is blue and red( cool, but warmer than blue because of the red).
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Lights

Do all of the above and add white, maybe lots of white and some yellow. If you are painting with watercolor, you do this by using less pigment and letting the white of the paper show through.

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I understand, but exactly which colors should I use?

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This is the question you want to ask, and also your biggest obstacle. Having someone tell you, 2 parts Ochre and one part Ultramarine, is keeping you stuck right where your are. You have to experiment with colors and explore all the different combinations that you can come up with. It will become part of you, only when you do, and discover on your own. Your mistakes will teach you what not to do. The more you do on your own, the more proud you'll be with the finished painting.

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The Example

Notice the painting below

The yellowish grass in the distance reads as Green, highlighted by the sun.

The dark trees in the back looks almost black, but reads as green in shadow.

None of the greens are straight out of the tube, they have all been mixed.

The grass, trees, and water are green, but are all slightly different greens.

There are a lot of dark areas of green

There are light green areas where the sun is shining.

You are not overwhelmed with any one particular green.
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Cloud Movements
24 x 36
by artist Derek Collins
Large canvas acrylic cloud painting river and trees

To see in greater detail , click the link, then click the painting twice