AMANDA BRETT WATERCOLOUR ARTIST
  • Painting Holiday Italy 2024
    • Plein Air Supplies
  • Favourite Paintings Lucca 2023
    • Gallery Shop
    • SHOP New Original Paintings
    • Shop Limited Edition Prints
  • Home
    • Italy 2023
    • News
    • About Me >
      • More About Me & Watercolour
      • What I See
    • Contact
  • Tuition
    • Painting Holiday Italy 2024 >
      • Book Watercolour Painting Workshop - Lucca Italy >
        • Workshop payment - Lucca Italy
    • PaintBox Tips featured posts >
      • PaintBox Tips
    • Video Lessons
    • Watercolour Magic on Youtube
    • FAQs
  • Join My Insider's List


PaintBox Tips​

PaintBox Tip #67, 7 things I'm thinking while I'm painting

25/3/2022

6 Comments

 
edited from original post 011214 WP
 
The superbly cool thing about watercolour is, once you've done all your research and preparatory drawings, design etc and you're hitting paper with water ... it's all on ... right now!!

The difficult thing about watercolour is that once you're hitting the paper with water, it's all on ... very scary ... right now!!
​
ooohhh ... what to do?

here are 7 things i'm thinking while i'm painting ...
  1. this part is wet but it's raw sienna and it looks stunningly luminescent and glowingly beautiful with burnt sienna dropped next to it ... let them mingle. i'm using harmonious colours.
  2. this part should be a dark shadow so i'll drop some dark cool violet or a neutral violet mixed from my palette. i'm thinking about my value range.
  3. i've got too many hard edges, while it's still damp i'll spray some water to get some of them to run and blend. I'm thinking about Edge variety.
  4. In my focal area, i'm about to place my brush next to a vibrant green so i'll need some neutral lightish red next to it ... maybe alizarin with some of the vibrant green mixed into it or burnt sienna with a tiny amount of cobalt blue in it - depends on what palette i'm using. Here I'm thinking about complementary colours.
  5. i've painted enough brush strokes with my 1 inch flat brush time to change to my number 16 round. I'm thinking about shape variety.
  6. this part should be in the background but is has a light yellow pulling it forward, i'll neutralise it and make it recede into the background with a glaze of a dark coolish purple - perspective.
  7. i've got a really super shape here, i'll repeat it 2 more times, different sizes, different directions and not exactly the same shape - repetition.
and there's much more as you can imagine.

Watercolour painting demands your complete attention, keep focussed while you are painting and stay in the zone. 
have fun!!
​
cheers
Amanda

Get my PaintBox Tips straight to your inbox every week

* indicates required

6 Comments
Jana
25/3/2022 09:39:32

What a grand list! Love that you share your thought process. I remember my mind being blown in your class when you shared many of these tips. If only reading them and watching you do them could translate into 1) me remembering them all and 2) me being successful with them. Alas...it takes SO MUCH PRACTICE!!

Reply
Amanda Brett
26/3/2022 13:25:53

Thanks so much Jana!! I hear you!! I've just started a "creative development" process for myself - EVERYDAY!! it includes lists of things I like plus elements I want to include. Practice is the word alright. I'm going to see my Dentist at his Dental Practice on Monday, hope he's practiced enough!! lol!!

thanks for reading and commenting xx

Reply
CS
25/3/2022 12:35:53

Love these tips!
More! More!!

Reply
Amanda Brett
26/3/2022 13:26:15

will do!!
thanks for reading!!

Reply
Steve Norris
26/3/2022 06:39:14

Bit 'dry' the tips today. All text and so not easy to envision.

:)

Reply
Amanda Brett
26/3/2022 13:26:55

lol!!
excellent - my point exactly - go and do it!!
thanks for reading!!

Reply



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

    One-time Donation to support my arty-farty'ness and PaintBox Tips - Thank you!!

    Please support my arty-farty'ness so I can make more great content to share!! thank you xx



    Donate
    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
    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

    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
  • Painting Holiday Italy 2024
    • Plein Air Supplies
  • Favourite Paintings Lucca 2023
    • Gallery Shop
    • SHOP New Original Paintings
    • Shop Limited Edition Prints
  • Home
    • Italy 2023
    • News
    • About Me >
      • More About Me & Watercolour
      • What I See
    • Contact
  • Tuition
    • Painting Holiday Italy 2024 >
      • Book Watercolour Painting Workshop - Lucca Italy >
        • Workshop payment - Lucca Italy
    • PaintBox Tips featured posts >
      • PaintBox Tips
    • Video Lessons
    • Watercolour Magic on Youtube
    • FAQs
  • Join My Insider's List