Some of you may recall that I periodically dabble in watercolor painting. July is World Watercolor Month, a month-long challenge is which watercolor painters of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to paint daily and post their work on-line. I have joined this challenge and am trying to paint something every day using the daily prompts at worldwatercolormonth.com.
Last Sunday I posted photos of my first four little paintings in a posting called “More fun with watercolor.” The response to that posting was so overwhelmingly positive and encouraging that I feel emboldened to post a second installment, showing my efforts of the past six days in reverse chronological order.
The prompt for 10 July was “Fast” and I quickly attempted to paint this stormy beach scene using only two colors, Ultramarine Blue and BurntSienna. My inspiration came from a YouTube video lesson called Watercolor Postcard Paint-Along: Beach with Rocks and Stormy Sky. The wonderful instructor, Lynne Baur, runs a channel called Dragonfly Spirit Studio. How could I not be attracted to a channel with that name? Lynne has a PhD in mathematics, but abandoned that career track to pursue art and now is “an active participant in the “healing arts” movement, in which original artwork is used to help create a welcoming, soothing and uplifting environment in hospitals, medical clinics, wellness or fitness centers, nursing homes, and other places of health and healing.” You can learn more about her and her work at dragonflyspiritstudio.com.
The prompt for 9 July was “Fruit” and I painted some watermelon slices. The shapes are a little wonky, but I like the different colors that I was able to mix for the painting.
The prompt for 8 July was “Fall.” I did not feel inspired to paint something autumn-themed, so I went in an entirely different direction. It is a bit of a stretch, but the three downward-facing petals of an iris are called “falls,” so I struggled to paint an iris.
The prompt for 7 July was “Free” and I decided to free my inner child by using really bold color colors to create a hummingbird-like critter and stylized flowers in shapes and colors that I don’t think exist in the real world. My bird was not totally from my imagination, though, but was very loosely based on a bookmark that I had received in the mail from a wildlife conservation organization.
The prompt for 6 July was “Flow” and I decided to try to paint some Chinese goldfish in a style borrowed from sumi-e ink painting. I had watched several videos on this subject and was most inspired by a YouTube video by Henry Li of blueheronarts.com entitled “How to Paint Goldfish Step by Step with Henry Li.” I really am attracted to the idea of capturing the essence of a subject using a minimum number of strokes, but some of the brushstrokes demonstrated in the video seem to work more effectively on the thin rice paper used in Chinese painting than on my thicker watercolor paper. I may return to this subject in the future
The prompt for 5 July was “Favorite Color” and I chose Ultramarine Blue and completed my painting with only that color. My little scene with the cyclist was inspired by the design on a dishtowel that hanging from my oven door. I was feeling a bit bold that evening and began to paint the central figure without any kind of preparatory sketching. I like the overall feel of the little painting and the blue and white color combination reminds me of the designs on some of the china and pottery that I have seen during my travels in the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and elsewhere.
I had a lot of fun producing these little paintings, mostly in a sketchbook. I am starting to feel slightly more comfortable with my materials and a little less self-conscious about what I am doing. I think that all of us need some kind of creative outlet. Even though I am comfortable expressing myself with my words and photography, it is good, I think, for me to deliberately make myself uncomfortable by trying something new from time to time, which may allow me to stretch and grow. As I stated in my previous painting posting, “There is no shame in being a beginner.”
If you want to learn more about World Watercolor Month, click on this link or go directly to doodlewash.com. In addition to raising awareness and interest about watercolor painting, World Watercolor Month raises support for The Dreaming Zebra Foundation, a charity providing support so that children and young adults are given an equal opportunity to explore and develop their creativity in the arts.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Beautiful artwork. Loved the way you show movement in the bicycle. As always your explanations add deeper meaning to your images. Great post. Thank you🚴🏿♂️🍉😊
Thanks, Suzette. I am pretty much a beginner when it comes to painting. A blank piece of paper still intimidates me a bit, but I try to remember that I am doing this for fun, and that helps me overcome my inhibitions. I am experimenting with some different subjects and approaches, seeing what seems to fit best for me.
Happy experimenting!
….love it–expressive, uniquely you
Thanks for the encouragement, Lance. I’m still working with things like brush and water control, trying to get a feel for what I am doing and what I want to say.
…..lol! Aren’t we ALL.
I am so impressed with your perseverance and creativity as you continue to progress in the lovely art of watercolor. How wonderful that you are sharing this week’s watercolor adventures! I am in love with the “Flow” Goldfish painting and of course the little cyclist in “Favorite Color”. Benjamin, too, will love Dragonfly Spirit Studio. I signed up for the emails from her site as I also did on Henry Li’s blueheronarts.com. I am fascinated by Sumi-e ink painting. Betwixt your marvelous photography and now the watercolors, I foresee an etsy shop offering “Made by Mike” prints in the future! Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
Thanks, Ellen, for your kind words. I am not sure that I would ever get the point in painting where I would be able to sell prints. It would be easier to sell photo prints, but that is a tough business with having to have prints made, packaged, and sent. For now, it is more enjoyable to do my creative projects for fun and for sharing on Facebook and on my blog.
I am so happy to see you keeping at this and to see you experimenting with different styles and techniques and subjects. I can see the progress you are making. I am drawn to those charming goldfish but I think my favourite from this selection is the first landscape. You’ve got some really dramatic mark-making going on in that painting, especially the sky.
Thanks, Laura. I certainly am having fun. Originally I thought that maybe the seascape was a bit too dark and gloomy, but I like the mood and drama of the scene. I worried that I had overworked the sky–I am beginning to see that one of the big challenges of watercolor is deciding how many brush strokes are enough and then having to courage to stop. It seems like quite often less is better than more.
I love the watermelon and especially the fish. Nice job!
I’ve never gotten such vibrant colors with watercolors but they’ve probably come a long way since I used them last.
You seem to be attracted to the bright colors. I actually had to tone down the red I was going to use for the watermelon flesh, because it looked too pinkish–I ended up mixing the rose colored shade with another red. There are an overwhelming number of colors of watercolor available, including many made here in the US and you can be as earthy or as bright as you like, or as you dare.
Since I’m colorblind I do like colors that are obvious and bright. Mixed colors like red and blue (purple) and red and yellow (orange) can really throw me a curve ball sometimes, and that’s one reason I stopped painting.
Colors can be distracting at times and what I am finding with watercolors is that it is tough making sure that there is a range of values, from light to dark. All too often, I find my paintings are only mid-tones.
I don’t think that there is really a wrong way to create but a perfectionist always thinks it could have been better. Better comes with practice. I knew that but not being able to see true colors was problematic.
I found the absolute of black and white pen and ink drawing more soothing and rewarding but I have to say that I still miss painting.
I hope you’ll continue on and not give it up like I did.
Thanks, Allen. I still consider myself as dabbling in watercolor, so it’s hard to know how much this will stick. It is interesting that you mention pen and ink drawing, because that is also something that interests me. It’s especially cool because you can combine pen and ink drawings with watercolor, giving a look that I really like. I’m not a perfectionist, even in my photography I am ok with imperfection, so I’m comfortable right now being messy and imprecise with my painting, though I do hope to improve some over time.
If it makes you happy that’s all that really matters.
My own perfectionism took a lot of the fun out of painting for me. I found pen and ink easier to deal with but I did paint them with watercolors sometimes. I enjoyed it.
Look how wonderful these are!!
Namaste, My Jodi! I am so happy to see you on Mr. Mike’s blog letter!
Hi Benjamin! Gem let me know about mike’s painting. I’m so glad!
I enjoy following your progress and effort, Mike. I like the watermelon a lot.
That little painting was simple and sweet, Dan, very much like the fruit itself. 🙂
Glad to see you’re posting your watercolours on your blog Mike! You’re doing really fine.
Thanks, Liz. I’m posting the individual paintings on Twitter and Facebook, but think it’s best on the blog to do periodic summaries with multiple paintings.
It’s nice seeing them again as a group!
It’s interesting that you mention that aspect, Liz, because I thought the same thing as I composed the posting. As with my photos, I tend to be so focused on the newest thing I am creating with paint, that I don’t look at it in the context of previous work. The most recent watercolor group was six paintings and I think that is a manageable number for people to consider at a single sitting.
Yes I agree that six is fine.
I think it is great that you are keeping up on the painting. My favorites are the fish and watermelon – a perfect July fruit!
Thanks, Eliza. It is always fascinating for me to see my work through the eyes of others. The fish and the watermelon were the painting that were most like illustrations, objects that are a little whimsical and fun and are not set in any real context. Doing it that way freed me to concentrate on the subjects and not worry about composing a scene or some kind of still-life. I actually am drawn to a style that is simple and bold, which is why Chinese ink painting appeals to me. I noticed in my supermarket advertisements that watermelons are on sale–I may need to buy one later today as a way to combat this oppressive July heat.
Yes, I love Chinese ink drawing esp.
This may sound odd, but a watermelon salad with mint and feta is excellent and refreshing!
Terrific!
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I love these, Mike. Thank you for sharing. It’s very interesting to know what the prompt was (They seem to really like prompts that begin with the letter F) and how you went about choosing your subject. My favorite is the goldfish, which reminds me of some paintings I saw when I visited China for work in 2003. I also love the watermelon slices. So simple and so evocative of a cold, sweet, crunchy summer treat! We have not yet enjoyed watermelon this summer. It’s such a challenge to find room for it in the fridge once it’s cut. That will be even harder this year, as we only go grocery shopping once a week.
P.S. It’s so interesting to read through the comments and see how different readers have different favorites!
Namaste, Mr. Mike! It’s me, Benjamin! These are really good watercolors. I love the blue boy on the blue bike the best of all cause he looks like me. But the stormy beach one is so cool. I like the goldfish too! It takes a lot of practice to paint really good. It is fun while you are learning, right? Thank you and Bye!
Thanks so much, Benjamin, for commenting on my little watercolor paintings. I am happy to hear that you liked the all-blue painting so much and that it reminds you of you. It was one of the most fun ones to do, although the shape of the bicycle was a little hard for me to paint. The fish were definitely a lot of fun too. As you said, Benjamin, it takes a lot of practice to learn to paint well. This month I am trying to paint as many days as I can and every day it seems like I learn something new. I hope that you too are having fun during this strange summer. Bye for now.
[…] this month, check out my previous postings ‘More fun with watercolor‘ and ‘World Watercolor Month 2020—part 2.’ This third installment highlights my painting efforts of the past six days in reverse […]
Hip hip hooray for putting your art out there, Mike. I like all of them but I was especially attracted to the goldfish, and hope you do look into exploring it further, as you say. Best wishes on your spirited watercolor adventure!
I made several efforts to start watercolors in the past, Jet, and would be excited for a few days or a few weeks, but then would stop and not pick them up again for six months or longer. This time, I am trying my best to do something each day as part of the World Watercolor Month challenge. It will not be a tragedy if I miss a day, but already I feel little improvements in understanding how to control my brushes and the ratio of paint to water that I need to get a certain effect. I figure that I might as well be transparent about what I am doing and thinking, because it might encourage others to share what they are doing or to do something new without fearing embarrassment because their initial efforts are not very good. As I said in one of my earlier posts, “There is no shame in being a beginner.” 🙂
[…] painting efforts this month, check out my previous postings ‘More fun with watercolor‘, ‘World Watercolor Month 2020—part 2 ,’ and ‘World Watercolor Month 2020—part 3.’ This fourth installment highlights […]
[…] my painting efforts this month, check out my previous postings ‘More fun with watercolor‘, ‘World Watercolor Month 2020—part 2 ,’ ‘World Watercolor Month 2020—part 3,’ and Word Watercolor Month—part 4. This final […]