Written by I love July 13th’s prompt of “Fast & Loose” because it combines my favourite style of painting, loose & fluid, with a term that can often be confusing to artists, the need to paint quickly due to watercolor’s short drying time.
I used to always tell my students to “paint fast” because the paint does dry quickly, but realized over the years that I need to clarify. Painting quickly doesn’t mean you need to RUSH. I like to explain now that a loose watercolorist needs to “think slow, then paint fast.” The idea here being, PLAN your course of action, and then IMPLEMENT it quickly. Then stop, and plan again! Take frequent breaks to allow your brain to catch up to the painting.
When you have a plan in mind at the beginning of your painting session, things flow more smoothly. However, don’t let that lull you into painting beyond your plan. Often if your painting is going well, and you’ve painted the “intentional” stuff, your desire might be to continue, because “everything is going so well.” The problem is, the reason things were going well is that YOU HAD A PLAN! When that plan ends, often so do the successes, and you end up in a quagmire of doubt. Take a break, refocus, then come back and paint your new plan!
This week’s lesson isn’t about racing to a finish line. I think you’ll be able to see the intentionality in my painting, as I talk through my thought process and create a pretty floral motif.
Angela Fehr is a World Watercolor Month Artist Ambassador, which means along with our other Artist Ambassadors, she’s donating a portion of proceeds all month long in July to The Dreaming Zebra Foundation. She’s actually done this every single year since World Watercolor Month was founded two years ago! A huge Doodlewash thanks to Angela for her constant enthusiasm and support of our global charitable celebration to raise money and spread awareness for arts education!
10% of proceeds from “Sun, Snow & Flowers in Watercolor,” will be donated to The Dreaming Zebra Foundation. Thank you for enrolling!
Thank you Angela. Great tips. Can’t wait to try it.
THank you!
Great video, Angela! I love watching you paint!
Thank you! 🙂
Great video, wonderful art and teacher–as always. Thank you Angela.
You’re very welcome, Laura! 🙂
Thanks for the video – the little painting is lovely.
Thank you! This was such a fun tutorial. Am planning to try this out tomorrow when at home.
Thank you! Have fun!
I watched the first of your fast and loose landscape tutorials. My son returned from Germany this week, and took many wonderful photos. Thinking I should just start at one and go through as many as I can; maybe by the end, I can recognize one as a landscape. ; )
That’s one way to do it! Another would be to work in just one photo and really get to know it – that can be so helpful as when a scene becomes more familiar, it’s easier to paint it with confidence.
Thanks Angela..I tried this tutorial today and have posted the picture in the members art gallery…I enjoyed the tutorial…Thank you Charlie !
Angela, you are the mixologist of mixologists! (You’d have made a great bartender!). I am enthralled with your ability to create life from color. Brave and beautiful. I now use cobalt teal with green gold, and it was especially gorgeous in your w/w peony for WWM week 2. Thank you. You’re truly one of the most generous watercolorists I’ve encountered. You keep it FUN! 🙂
Fanna Turano