Using Watercolor Studies to Prepare for Painting
I approach painting projects in different ways depending on the subject matter, size of the painting, and how much time I have.
For two recent paintings: Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska and Angel’s Landing, Zion National Park, Utah, I decided to create two mini studies before starting the painting. Creating studies isn’t a technique that I use very often. Usually I take a reference photo and use graphite paper to transfer a basic outline to my watercolor paper. Then I just go for it, adjusting as I go.
To me, a study can take different forms:
A simple sketch that breaks down a reference photo into simpler shapes.
A pen and ink drawing or graphite study to capture where the lights and darks of the painting will be.
A smaller painting that can be completed on its own in preparation for the final version. (If you take a look at my post Timed Watercolor Painting Challenge you can see a version of this idea.)
For these two paintings, I took the following approach:
I wanted to create a smaller pen and ink drawing to identify the focal points of the paintings.
I wanted to spend time identifying the primary colors that I would use for each painting.
I wanted to apply those colors to the pen and ink drawing to give myself a sense of how the overall composition might work.
Each study would be small.
Walk Up Angel’s Landing, Zion National Park Utah
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Each study is 4.5 x 6 inches and each took about 20 minutes to complete. What I didn’t expect after completing them was how much I would enjoy them on their own. I feel like they are little polaroids and they remind me of the watercolor journaling that I often admire on Instagram.
As a tool for creating the final paintings, I think they also fulfilled their purpose. Similar to my experience with my Timed Painting Challenge, creating the studies allowed me to think through the overall composition of the painting in advance. I started the final paintings with a clear direction and spent less time winging it.
Spending time testing out colors was also a useful exercise. With my Angel’s Landing study in particular, I wrote down the actual shades that I mixed to create a desired color. This was helpful because I painted the final Angel’s Landing painting about a week after creating the original study.
The final paintings are very different from the original studies, but I think the exercise made the final versions stronger.
Which is your favorite?
Let me know in the comments.
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