What now?!

 Greetings!

I've made quite a few changes since the end of the year and my first artisan fair with Market Collective in December.  One thing that I really wanted to address, is that I wanted to have a broader range of content for all animal lovers, not just birders!  So I have been branching out to Canadian wildlife.  I am not so rigid as to only reside on half a continent for my subject matter, but it just seemed like a natural starting point!  Never fear bird lovers, this does not mean I will be abandoning our bird friends, more to come in the future.

Another change to my practice that some may have already noticed (hopefully some care), is that I am trying to develop my watercolour/gouache painting skills.  This means that I am trying going to be trying to do less ink and wash images, and more pure painting (whatever that means).  I am not abandoning my original love of the arts, drawing.  I am just trying to hone my skills as I am a fledgling watercolourist.  And besides, most good paintings start with a great drawing!

In fact, I have been trying to push my drawing skills with more sketchbooking and mammal studies.  (Seen Below)

​I'd also like to take this opportunity to look at one of the first watercolours I ever produced (early 2018), versus one I did just a couple weeks ago. (hopefully it is apparent which is which, otherwise I am on the wrong track!)

I'd like to continue to explore different watercolour techniques and focus a little more on building interesting compositions.  I have recently completed my first "full scene" with a background landscape.  While I love doing animal portraits and a more illustrative focus, I like the idea of playing with more complex relationships of foreground/background and subject.

I am also trying to give up a little control.  One of the reasons I am drawn to watercolour is that it is very easy to give up control if you allow the medium to do what it does (it has a mind of its own unlike most mediums that tend to stop moving a fraction of a second after you release your hand, watercolour can keep going as long as there is water to move to.

That said, I am not looking to give up complete control.  I tend to find myself in the middle between realism and painterly.  I am, for now trying to avoid any nibs that allow me to fall into a level and control and trying to work exclusively with brushes, whether it's paint or ink at the end of my brush.

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of where I'm trying to go next, and even more hopefully, I can produce some excellent results (even while learning)!  

Thanks for taking a look!

​Eric