Monday, July 25, 2011

Fast vs Slow.....Loose vs Detailed.


Update.....I've removed the birds. I like it much better. Sometimes you take a risk and it's spectacular. Sometimes it doesn't work out. I could never have removed the birds if I hadn't used 300# paper. The Paynes Grey that I used on them was very staining. I really had to scrub. It would have put a hole in #140 paper.


The top watercolor "Waiting for Breakfast" 21" x 18" is the class demo I started several months ago and finally finished this week. It took about 25 hours to paint. I added the gulls as an afterthought and wish I had left them off. I liked it better without them. I already removed about 4 birds and may just wash off the whole ocean and redo it. The second scene is from the same docks in Punte del Este, Uruguay. It is a full sheet 22"x 30" on Arches 300# cold press worked wet in wet that with drawing and painting took a total of two hours. I show the reference photo on the right to give you an idea of the scene I was trying to capture. So, which is better? Which is worth more? The one that took more time or the quick, loose painting? I don't think the amount of time spent has anything to do with how much a painting is worth. Personally, I like the loose one better. I think it's fresher, and certainly was more fun to paint. It's so difficult for me to loosen up, but it's so much fun.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I LOVE the quick, loose one best also. You did an excellent job!

Sherry Maxwell said...

Hi, just wanted to say, "I love these paintings". You captured the realistic feeling in them both. Beautifully done!

Diane Morgan said...

Thanks so much. As of this moment the birds are gone from the fisherman painting. They were really bugging me. I'll post the finished piece when done.