#30x30DirectWatercolor

Here are all my posts, organized by year!

Remind me? What are the Rules for #30x30DirectWatercolor?

PAINT 30 direct watercolors in 30 days, in the month of June.
POST your paintings in our Facebook group: <HERE
We’d like to centralize the discussion around this group, to spare all the other themed sketching clubs the off-topic traffic we might create every June.
HASHTAG your work on any other social media (Twitter, Instagram, etc.) with the hashtag: #30x30DirectWatercolor. Here are some FAQs on how to use hashtags: FB | IG | Twitter.

Are There any Other Rules?

As few as possible! The goal is to get you painting – and keep you painting – for the whole month.
ONE IMPORTANT RULE: You must make new work. Do not post your portfolio. And you must post it in chronological order – each day, as you make the work (or as close as you can). We all want to see your progress!
Some years I paint on location, some years I paint in the studio. Neither is better or worse for a student. You learn different things in different settings.
Any size or artistic subject is ok, as long as you won’t be violating Facebook’s terms of service, you’re free to post it. (E.g. Nudity is ok, student-copies from masters, work from photographs, all this is fine. This exercise is about self study, not about making commercial work. Though, we can’t control other people’s reactions if you borrow their images.
All styles of watercolor are welcome. I myself, plan to paint as directly as possible.
What do I mean by ‘Direct’? Basically, with as little under-drawing or preparation as possible. Preferably none! Maybe just a gesture drawing. We believe that going into the white page with the wet brush guarantees a fresh, authentic experience of watercolor painting.
More questions? Here’s some free info about my book Direct Watercolor for a more complete definition. Or – you might like my first set of blog posts about ‘discovering’ Direct Watercolor. (I did not invent this approach of course, but everyone comes to it for the first time on their own :) Also – you can read the day by day posts from 2018 – the first year of #30×30!

Why Should I Participate???
Because we want YOU to Experience Sustained Daily Practice!

This is something a lot of artists don’t get a chance to experience first hand. Think of it like doing an art-retreat or taking a class. We want you to clear the decks of responsibilities, stock up your studio, take a month off from Zumba, and be ready to paint every day in the month of June!
We feel that working daily for a decent chunk of time is the very best education an artist can ask for. It’s an opportunity to deep-dive into your own art-making process. Knowing you will return the next day, you brain keeps thinking about art-making between sessions. Even while you sleep. If you commit to the process, you’ll find your work changing quickly. You can make sudden leaps in your technical ability, or discover new lines of inquiry. The best way to have a good idea, is to have a lot of ideas!
We know that this is a big ask. Not everyone has the free time. If it’s better for you to do seven paintings on the weekend, instead of one a day – or if you need to set strict time-frames – maybe like, One Hour A Day Before Breakfast. Whatever works for you in your situation. As long as you reach the goal – 30 paintings, in 30 days.
There is power in deadlines. Tangible, measurable goals force you to be productive. Just focus on this: QUANTITY goals say nothing about QUALITY. All that matters is producing the work. It does NOT matter how it turns out! Incredible right?? But honestly, it works! The idea is to be experimental. To be open to mistakes without back-pedaling, to be willing to rip up a frustrating piece and leap immediately into the next attempt! Because you cannot fall behind. You need to produce something every day. Like a marathon runner, you must keep moving forward with your eye on the finish line. As the days go by and the pressure to get 30 in 30 builds – you may find yourself doing things you wouldn’t do on a normal day in the studio – and that is good for your art.
But of course – It’s also completely normal if you fail to make 30! Don’t beat yourself up! Take some more time if you really need it. Or finish up in easy-mode with some super fast, super small sketches! Like any marathon, just participating is the first reward.
That’s it. Best of luck! And see you in the Facebook group:)
~marc

Day 30_30x30_Do not go Gentle Into That Good Night (1)B