Day One: #OneWeek100People, 2021 – Warmup Sketches

Welcome everyone to Day One of #OneWeek100People!

I know a lot of you are already posting over on the Facebook group. I’ll be stopping by there next – and every day this week – to comment on what people have put up. Thanks everyone who’s participating!

I’ve been away from watercolor for a while – combination of writing projects and working oil painting over the winter – and then quarantine was getting me down to the point where I wasn’t doing much at all for a few months.

That’s what I love about these challenges that circulate around the web. I really need the group motivation they provide. On my own, I can get distracted. Having a deadline, with goals-and-quantities, that’s the best possible thing for keeping myself on track.

I wanted to start without over-thinking things, so I just riffled through my saved pics on Instagram. I’m going to call these 7 minute sketches – but to be honest, I wasn’t timing. And – I work on a row of them at the same time, so I can keep moving while a shape is wet. So, you could also say – 30 minutes per set.

Anyway – here’s a video!

This 4 min short shows how I ‘grow’ figures by fusing brushstrokes into silhouette shapes, and of course stacking three passes of light, medium, and dark values together. The old – Tea, Milk, Honey concept.

Ok – see you guys over on the Facebook group, or – if you’re not posting there – leave me a comment if you want to show some work.

Thanks! ~Marc

Photo credits go to IG photographers @monalogue, @uriah_forest, @periodwardrobe, @norrisniman,@placidevantia, @arakishiro.