Tom Hoffmann - Watercolor painting: a comprehensive approach to mastering the medium

TOM HOFFMANN, WITHOUT US, 2010
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES HOT PRESS PAPER
11 15 INCHES (28 38 CM)

Watercolor invites us to find a balance between form and content, where we can see the washes and strokes as paint and as subject matter at the same time.

With opaque paint each stroke can be experimental, applied with a lets-see-if- this -works attitude. If its no good, you can scrape it off and try something else. Watercolor artists, on the other hand, have to apply the paint like they really mean it. No wonder it scares us away. Remember, though, that the oil painter and the acrylic artist did not get it right on the first try, either. Underneath the finished painting there are probably six or seven false starts. The only difference is that when watercolorists start over they have to reach for another piece of paper. So be it. Get used to using lots of paper, and while youre at it, make it good paper. You will have much better results on the real stuff.

Throughout this book a strong emphasis is placed on how to learn from your mistakes. The assumption, of course, is that mistakes will be made. Seeing failures as opportunities is a necessary first step toward rapid progress. As soon as you understand a problem in terms of the basic watercolor variables, you are halfway to a solution, but you cant move forward without sticking your neck out.

The key to taking the fear out of watercolor painting lies in knowing, within an acceptable range, what will happen when the brush touches the paper. The wider you can make that range of acceptable results, the more carefree your application of the stroke can be. While it is true that there are moments when sheer luck saves the day, more often a boldly applied, telling brushstroke is the result of considerable practice and thought.

The good news is that all this work need not be done every time you make a new painting. Some of it sticks, and eventually it becomes second nature. For instance, compressing the value range, as was done in the image opposite, helps keep the background where it belongs. After a few successes with that particular strategy it becomes part of your repertoire.

Add up enough experiences like this and soon many of your decisions are already made before your brush meets the paper. An experienced painter at work may appear to be reckless, but his progress is actually a series of choices based on years of thoughtful practice.

The feeling that brilliant watercolors should spring from a fountain of divine inspiration is a fallacy that leads to frustration. A virtuoso musician still needs to practice scales every day. Moments of total luck do happen, but it isnt wise to count on them. Carefree is not the same as careless.

The paintings I admire most have left room for the paint to assert its fluid nature, which means that the artist was not controlling every millimeter of its movement. Instead, when an artist makes conscious decisions in advance, he is much more likely to create an informed stroke, one that does not need correcting. A thoughtful approach leads to confident paint application, which in turn leads to that characteristic watercolor look of ease and spontaneity.