AMANDA BRETT WATERCOLOUR ARTIST
  • Watercolour News
  • SHOP New Original Paintings
    • SHOP Heart Air Balloons
    • Shop Fine Art Prints
  • Tuition
    • Watercolour Magic on Youtube
    • FAQs
    • Video Lessons
    • PaintBox Tips featured posts
    • Feedback & Photos
    • For Beginners
    • Plein Air Supplies
    • NEW!! Weekly Watercolour Classes
  • Home
    • Contact
    • About Me >
      • More About Me & Watercolour
      • What I See
      • Studio
      • Italy 2023
  • Join My Insider's List
Picture

PaintBox Tip #28 Drawing secrets

27/10/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Some thoughts on drawing!
​ 
Drawing skills are essential. Your painting will improve out of sight just by spending 10-20 minutes observational drawing every day.

Shapes must be good - note I didn't say "perfect". "Good" can also mean interesting, unique or beautiful.

Design your artwork with design principles in mind.

Accomplished drawers/designers/artists can and do paint without drawing on their paper BUT 99.9% will have mapped out their design idea as a sketch first and will have spent much time studying and researching and planning – they’ve possibly painted a similar subject 500 times before – they know it well but have found a new intriguing “thing”.

Some watercolour tutors disagree with this, it shows in their work.

Drawing can become a 5-minute exercise in order to create a good painting (oil, acrylic, watercolour, sculpture, pastel), it doesn't matter the medium, art is art.

"Wrong" marks are full of character and shouldn't be erased (unless they're really annoying and stuck in your head then have at it!).

It takes skill and practice - draw every day, start simple, start small.

An eraser is not an essential tool but your sharpening device is.

There are many different purposes for drawing, some for me are:
  • thumbnail design sketch
  • thumbnail value sketch
  • observational study
  • full, formal, value drawing/design
  • a map onto my watercolour paper

The word "perfect" must be stricken from your vocabulary - it is meaningless because it can't be articulated, is subjective and stops us from doing what we really want to do!

Please comment and ask me questions and let me know how you're getting on!!

Picture

Get my PaintBox Tips straight to your inbox every week

* indicates required

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    PaintBox Tips, secrets, random thoughts,
    scribblings & doodlings on art, my life as an artist who teaches, writes, travels, muses and paints!

    Picture
    Poetry in watercolour is made in the freedom of the here and now. Amanda Brett
    Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working - Pablo Picasso
    Picture
    There are no mistakes in watercolour, just some extra surprises!!
    Amanda Brett

    Categories

    All
    Beginners
    Brushes
    Brush Miles
    Care
    Colour
    Colour Mixing
    Composition
    Conquering Fear
    Design
    Doodling
    En Plein Air
    Excitement
    Finishing
    Idea Generator
    Ideas
    Immersion
    Inspiration
    JOURNEY
    Learn
    Paint
    Palette
    Perfect
    Photos
    Pigments
    Planning
    Play
    PROCESS
    Procrastination
    Professional
    Realism
    Resources
    Secret
    Sketch
    Sketchbook
    Style
    Subject Selection
    Transparent
    Voice
    Watercolour Paper
    Wet In Wet
    Wet-in-wet

    What my readers and viewers have to say
    Your emails are so informative! I must confess I've watched a couple of your demos from beginning to end, and it makes me want to watercolor!!! I've only ever painted with oil or acrylics and haven't know how to begin with WC. Your content is excellent! 
    Susan VN
    Hi Amanda
    Thank you for your tips. They inspired me to practise and I realised I haven’t been loading the brush properly. I learnt about adding more paint, and not water, to washes. In today’s tips I like the idea of painting with purpose. Your tips are very helpful. I very much appreciate receiving them. Elizabeth
    Hi Amanda I enjoyed your post and generous tips. Looked up Dan Burt I begin to see that you can colour any subject to give it pizazz so long as the tone and form is correct Certainly adding value now to my attempts Thanks heaps Annie
    Yes very wise words. Agree with not fussing and agree with comments about good quality paint. Well written and inspirational as always. Cheers Janet xxxx

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    July 2023
    June 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022

    Copyright © 2022 All images and text on Amanda's blog and website are the the legal property of Amanda Brett and may not be reproduced without express permission from Amanda Brett or her authorised agent. Thank you for respecting her art and the livelihood of all artists.

Amanda Brett - Watercolour Artist

​
Shop    |     Events & Shows     |      About Me       |     Classes     |      Paintbox Tips    |     Subscribe      |    Contact
​
Copyright © 2022 All images and text on Amanda's blog and website are the legal property of Amanda Brett and may not be reproduced without express permission from Amanda Brett or her authorised agent. Thank you for respecting her art and the livelihood of all artists.
Quality Guarantee: All my watercolours are painted with only modern professional grade watercolour paints on Museum exhibition grade watercolour papers, they are extremely lightfast and will become a family heirloom and passed down to subsequent generations. ALL art of ANY medium should be hung away from direct sunlight. If​properly cared for, watercolour paintings will last as long, if not longer, than oil paintings. I only paint on 100% cotton rag paper, mostly Arches and Fabriano, and frame to conservation standard with acid free materials.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

Watercolour Painting Holiday Workshop
Lucca Italy May 2024, read more and book online

Watercolour Magic with Amanda on Youtube

Video Lessons
​
Watercolour Weekly Classes
Auckland New Zealand

Beginners One Day Watercolour Workshops 
Auckland New Zealand
​
​​View all workshops and classes
  • Watercolour News
  • SHOP New Original Paintings
    • SHOP Heart Air Balloons
    • Shop Fine Art Prints
  • Tuition
    • Watercolour Magic on Youtube
    • FAQs
    • Video Lessons
    • PaintBox Tips featured posts
    • Feedback & Photos
    • For Beginners
    • Plein Air Supplies
    • NEW!! Weekly Watercolour Classes
  • Home
    • Contact
    • About Me >
      • More About Me & Watercolour
      • What I See
      • Studio
      • Italy 2023
  • Join My Insider's List