Thursday 28 June 2012

Practice, Practice and more Practice!! Follow up to review on Jean Haines book

I promised a further review of Jean's book when I had finished reading it and had worked through it a bit more so, as I don't break promises here is how I'm getting on....

Am doing a lot of little exercises at the moment, often using Jean's book Atmospheric Watercolours and I do think I am finally getting the hang of things. Loose is not for the faint hearted, but I am learning to "invite" the colour to soften hard, unattractive edges and also how to tease the paint across the paper using very little pressure. Am normally like a bull at a gate but can feel myself lightening up and getting more control. This is an exercise from the book, the first not so good and I realised I hadn't followed the step by step as well as I might, but I think the second is showing some promise!!


Looking at them here, maybe the first isn't too bad, in fact scrap the previous comment think I like the first best........it seems to look a bit more spontaneous, funny how things sometimes look clearer on screen.

So things I like about them both but what I am much more interested in, is how practising these techniques are helping me get a feel for things when it comes to my own work. Someone at my last demo said I make things look easy and I think that is a real compliment and one I was delighted to hear. And it really is down to years of practise just like doing these exercises which I will do time and time again.

Something I am coming to realise which my friend Roy Simmons has said to me on more than one occasion is that a successful painting can happen in as little as 15 minutes (not often but you get the idea... I mean fast!!!) but what isn't taken into account is the years of hard work and practise it has taken to get the experience to be able to produce that painting.

We are a prepared to pay fairly for the services of a tradesman who has spent years, learning his craft then building up his experience but are we as willing to accept the same principles for artists? Would be interested to hear your views in that one!!!

Anyway I am also using the book as bedtime reading and then exercising such incredible self restraint as everytime I pick it up it really does make me want to go and paint. For me that is actually the best thing about this book. It is inspiring me to try all the exercises which can then be used for my own work using the techniques I am learning as all the exercises are of subjects we all love to paint, bridges,doors,animals, flowers etc, everything is there for me to pick up as and when I have a subject I want to paint. Hmmm you have  lot to live up to for the next book Jean!!!!

This is a link to the original review

Book review

12 comments:

  1. mmmm you really are working at those exercises...these look great. I just received the book from Amazon....lovely book...now to do some of the exercises:)

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  2. Oh you will love it Cynthia, there is so much to do from it, let me know how you get on

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  3. Glad it's not just me that reads Jean's book at night. Great work with the exercises.

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  4. Must be a couple of geeks together Laura!!!

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  5. Another here who has been reading it at night :) Love your exercises and am glad you changed your mind about that first picture :D I find quite often it helps to look at something on the screen.

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  6. Looks great judith must get that book bin doing more fruit at club on wed, me Jocie and Joyce had a go at a cockerel what a laugh we all laughed at each others they were rubbish lol.
    But never mind we tried

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  7. Thanks Carmen, it's driving my hubbie mad!!!Yes I think the first it better now, maybe I need to follow instructions with a bit of me thrown in then!!! That is what Jean would like us all to do anyway!!!

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  8. I think you would love the book Ann, have added a link to where you can get it above. Great to hear you were practising, cockerels... now that's a different story..... would love to see the paintings you've all done trying to loosen up next time I come? Ask them all to bring what they've done for me to see on the 18th.....

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  9. Yes I like the first one best too. Slightly more definition. The book seems to inspire everyone.

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  10. It does inspire Brian... when are you off to Canada?

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  11. I can't do any bedtime reading of this book - it disrupts my sleep too much! Judith, my vote goes to your no. 2!
    For the record - I'm on my 2nd/3rd version of this one - and I still keep finding areas that I want to improve on, and where I want to change things a bit to make them more "me"! Now to incorporate all of this into my own paintings...

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  12. Thanks Dawn..... you have hit the nail on the head we need to inject us into it using the techniques.... when I do copies of other artists I tend to try and do exactly as they do and if it isn't like theirs I am frustrated... another good reason for me not to do copies!!!So yes for me am trying to use the techniques for my own work and there are lots of topics covered in here which will enable us to do that....

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