I know I said I wanted to try watercolour, but this is ridiculous! I really didn't expect so much water to be falling from the sky. I haven't been out every single day but there has been some braving of the elements, along with a little drawing from my window. To find out how I've been getting on so far this month, read on...
PleinAirpril is a challenge created by a US-based artist community to encourage people to get out and paint en plein air (outside), every day during the month of April. If you'd like to read more about PleinAirpril and the paints that I've chosen to use this month then please see the blog post 'PleinAirpril Plans'.
The first week of the April saw me mainly use the Derwent Shade and Tone Mixed Media Set. I thought this would be a good set to use to get used to using water media outdoors but I did find I was limited by the very restricted colour palette in this set. For some subjects, such as the wooden raven sculpture and the pod studio, it was just fine, but I did feel the need to reach for the azomethine green yellow and Payne's grey from my other palette when I painted the tree. I could have used a brown instead but I really didn't want the tree to look dead and I was getting bored of the browns and greys.
My yearning for colour surprised me a bit as I always used to draw solely in graphite and often enjoy sketching in one colour of ink. I've spent the last two years getting to grips with watercolours though, and I think now I associate a palette and brush with the excitement and beauty of colourful watercolours. For this reason, I was glad to move on to using the more colourful travel palette that I'd put together in the next week's sketching.
Week One sketches, mainly using the Derwent Shade and Tone Mixed Media set.
I'd decided to use the new Horadam Naturals paints that I'd bought recently, along with some more conventional watercolours that I'd also recently purchased, in my travel watercolour palette. The Horadam Naturals have worked well alone and when mixed with the other watercolours, although they are a little sticky and gloopy to get out of the pan.
The weather has generally been awful, so I've sometimes resorted to drawing things from my garden through the patio window. This purple pansy was blooming well, despite the wind and rain, and I was able to practise my green mixes to get the foliage colour. I always find greens difficult, but especially in this palette where I only have an earthy yellow and blue Payne's grey. It's good to be forced to experiment though, and I've learnt a lot about what these colours can do (as well as what they really shouldn't!)
I really enjoyed sketching this group of plant pots on Day 8. The wind wasn't actually blowing, but the flowers and foliage had been so windswept that they were now fixed in this right-leaning position. As you can see, I'm gradually getting better at mixing greens!
I also enjoyed my time on Laxey Promenade, where I was rather taken by the shapes of the waves as they moved along the harbour walls. This is where plein air painting gets really interesting, as you have to deal with what you're trying to represent changing constantly in front of you. The resulting sketch becomes more of an impression than a direct interpretation of the scene as it's impossible to copy it directly without taking a photo.
As someone who usually works from photo references in the comfort of my studio or home, I initially found this quite a challenge, along with the complexities of how to balance my palette and hold my sketchbook as I drew. I seem to have worked many of the logistics out now though and actually enjoyed being forced into imagining how I show the scene. I know this will make me a better artist, so I'm very grateful to the PleinAirpril challenge for that.
I'll leave you this week with a rather dreary scene from Day 9. I was feeling totally cheesed off with the weather that day and grumpily sat down to sketch the puddle outside my patio door. Roll on May!
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