Day 02: #30x30DirectWatercolor: Cadmium Orange Deep
Day Two; testing my paints! It’s a simple sketch, but sometimes simple is best in watercolor. It’s just a framework for the water to do it’s natural blending.
I remain amazed how easy it is to make your own paints. I honestly didn’t think they’d be as good as a commercial paint, but in fact, they’re probably better. They disperse wonderfully, and have so much pigment strength!
Hey everyone! So once again, our watercolor marathon begins for 2023!
This year I’m taking the opportunity to try something I’ve been curious about for a long time; hand-mixing my own watercolors from ‘scratch’. (It’s really not). I simply purchased dry pigments and gum-arabic binder from Kama Pigments here in Montreal, and I’m trying out this recipe:
Watercolor Binder:
- 2 parts Gum Arabic (30ml)
- 4 parts Water (120ml)
Humectant (re-wetting agent):
- 1 part Glycerin (15ml)
- Add a dash of Oil of Cloves as a preservative.
And here is an excellent (as always) article on the manufacture of watercolor up on Handprint.com.
How Watercolor Paints are Made
Day 05: #OneWeek100People 2023: Tiny Oil Heads!
Click for a very nice video in which I get philosophical about painting:)
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So! Thanks to everyone who’s been doing #OneWeek100People for this, the Seventh Year!
(*Cheering sounds.*)
I had a really good time with this week. I got to do a LOT of drawing, and pretty much ignore any responsibilities, besides making art for an entire week. How great is that!? Thank you so much for the opportunity.
I hope you guys have engaged with the group up on Facebook. The real secret is in the posting! It makes you do the work! That’s where the magic is! And of course, the sharing and communication with everyone is as big a reward as the art-gains.
This week has me very excited for my next annual event , which is of course #30x30DirectWatercolor. This is when we upsize from one week, to an entire month. One watercolor painting a day for thirty days! I hope I can convince as many of you as possible to come try that event as well.
In the mean time, keep commenting on other people’s work in the Facebook, and – if you’ve had a great time with #OneWeek, I hope you’ll post a big finish when you hit your 100!
Even if it takes you a few days after the official event. Don’t hesitate to drop me a comment here on this post, or tag me on Facebook.
Take care everyone!
~m
Day 04: #OneWeek100People 2023: An Exhibition of Hats
Hey so, I went to our museum of archeology (Pointe-à-Callière) to sketch their show on hats and headdresses from around the world.
Just a fun day of classic museum drawing. I love sketching in these places. It’s calm and quiet, the lighting on the objects is often masterful, and really – every object has been carefully selected to be informative and inspiring. You can’t fail to have a great day sketching at a museum.
For this exhibition I’ve invented the faces. The objects were displayed ‘floating’ without a head, but I felt they’d be more interesting if I added a personality. (This is something that is very much against the rules in traditional Urban Sketching, so, of course I had to do it).
I’m not being particularly accurate in these sketches – they’re just interpretations of the real things – so of course, my apologies if I’ve put the wrong culture under any of these hats. What can we do? I’m just a sketcher!
Day 02: #OneWeek100People: Tea Milk and Honey!
Click the video for a flip-through of my Day 02!
I very much wanted to do a *second* 100 people – – but I only managed 50.
I had some grandiose goals of getting 100 people EVERY DAY! Imagine doing 500 people a week? I’m not sure I could maintain my focus. Maybe? maybe if I was on vacation! Maybe if I booked five live models in five days? (That would be kind of fun. I wonder if my local life drawing guy would be interested in sponsoring a marathon? I should ask him next time :)
But this week, I’ve already given up on that. I got very tired staying up super late on day one – and then immediately did it again today, and I’m super tired now.
If anyone out there actually wants to try it next year (500 people in 5 days), let me know, and maybe we can inspire each other :)
Still! I’m very happy with what I did manage!
They’re (mostly) all painted in watercolor – and it was a very solid, very full day of work, finishing again around midnight. I brought the last few home and finished in the studio. I didn’t want to spend a second night at the 24hour diner, for fear of becoming a local character, so I just went home and finished coloring sketches while eating sea-salt chocolate chip cookies.
It’s my own fault for deciding to use this Three Pass approach, (what I might call Tea Milk and Honey). I know it’s much slower than working Directly. After all, you have to sketch them, then paint them, so it already takes twice as long. But – it’s always a trade-off between speed and accuracy – sooooo. Right now I’m working on hitting that balance the way I like it.
It’s still to cold here to be comfortable, so I ended up spending most of the day at the main branch of our French public library (BANQ). There’s a good mix of university students at work, and regular citizens hanging out in the comfy reading lounges. (We have a very nice public library!) I was impressed with how many people come there to read bandes dessinées (French comics). These books are terrifically expensive as compared to book-books (imported, large format, small print runs) so I can see why people like the library for comics. The selection here is really great. Our public library even has video games! In fact, they even have a maker-lab. You can use a mechanical knitting machine or a CNC cutting table. It’s quite amazing.
So yes! I ended up taking over a table in the study area, and working on big batches of drawings. I could lay out 10 or 15 wet washes, and by the time those were done I could start rotating back for the next layer. It helps that it’s very dry here during winter months. And, I could take breaks whenever I wanted, walking around getting some more poses.
I will say, to be completely clear, I sketched these from snapshots taken on my phone.
I don’t know that it would be any different doing them entirely from life – in fact – I think they’d be *better* from life – but – it’s harder work (concentration-wise) – and you need to carry a drawing board with your paint’s clipped to the panel, and was more worried about trying to get to 100 and a bit concerned attempting that inside the library. They have a lot of security at our downtown branch, which is nice in some ways (it’s an inner city neighborhood with all that entails) but, whatever! I’m just making excuses :)
So that’s it! This my Day 02. Here’s a little gallery of my favorites :)
All 100 People on Day One! #OneWeek100People 2023
Hey everyone! Here’s my day one!
I always like to start the marathon with a warmup; so I went out with the most basic tools possible. Just a little bottle of ink, a dipping pen, and an old pointed round brush.
I wanted to see if I could still do it. (Sketch 100 people in a single day.) And I’m happy to say, that yes, it’s still possible! But it felt harder than last year. Possibly because I’m drawing a little “tighter” these days? Or maybe I just forget every year what it’s like :)
Does it look that way to you? Maybe not!
Either way, it was a long day. I was out till midnight. I ended up at a 24 hour diner, sketching the last set of people using pics I’d snapped on my phone. I had a slice of lemon meringue pie as my reward.
I have to say, it felt great. A real sense of achievement, pushing myself to get it done. I’m really loving the feel of this stack of drawings in my hand.
Ok! I’ll drop by the Facebook group today and see what everyone else is up to. Can’t wait to see the new stuff.
See you over there!
– m
#30×30, 2022, Day30: Back to Street Sketching!
It’s been an exciting #30×30 this year! Starting with my small study of AI intermediated artwork, and all the accumulating implications. Is it the end of art as we know it? I don’t think so :) But there are huge changes coming. This stuff will revolutionize visual art. It will end some careers, while being a huge new opportunity for others.
But of course – that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be outside on a lovely day, making paintings with watercolor :) You can’t beat that simple enjoyment of being out in the world, looking for beauty.
So, please enjoy some simple sketching of a beautiful summer day in my city :)
I hope all of you have had the best #30×30 so far. And I look forward to talk with a bunch of you later today in the Last Hurrah! (Our video chat show and tell). The rest of you – I’ll see you on the facebook, and the social media, and I hope you will keep painting and keep hashtagging #30x30DirectWatercolor, so we can all continue to enjoy each others work – until next year!
Thanks everyone!
~m
Well, today was the fifth day in a row, doing six hour drawing days. It’s been an amazing ride, but, to be honest, it’s been tiring.
In the last few years I’ve quit drinking caffeine as a rule. But – during this time I’ve had to go back on that promise. There were a few expensive chai lattes, and plenty of teeth-rattling sodas powering me through these early morning sessions and long afternoons.
Not great health wise, and – not sustainable.
By day five, I could really feel my lack of energy. I had many more failed sketches, and still more just-average-ones. Then, in the long ponderous poses, when I usually do two or three different angles, I simply sat and noodled this portrait. Which – it did turn out great. I’m quite happy :)
But really, getting one great one from an entire day – that’s not great by my standards.
So! This is my morality tale about DAILY STUDIES.
I feel like #30×30 is a MUCH BETTER IDEA than a week long marathon :)
Daily work is something you can scale to your energy level and available time. It’s something you can save up and do in bursts. Flexibility, and commitment for the long term. That’s going to pay off better than whipping yourself, or putting in long hours.
At least, at my age and level of experience. Perhaps the self-flagellation is worth while when you’re young and resilient – and when you have a lot to learn! But the further you go in your art – the less brute-force can help you.
At this point, I need to be thinking about the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ of my work, and be a lot less focused on the ‘how’.
Of course, I still feel it was worth it – and I’ll probably do it again next year. Even after dragging my old tired self though this last day. And I’m going to pay for all this caffeine over the next week I’m sure! I’ll be lucky if I escape without a migraine.
So! Here’s my final word on life drawing for this month; a very fine derriere, belonging to a retired flamenco dancer :) Possibly the best tush I’ve sketched lately :)
Hey, want to hear an interview about #30×30?
Nishant Jain of The Sneaky Artist Podcast has posted an interview with me/myself/and I, in which we talk about the event #30x30DirectWatercolor. As usual inside his long format interview’s there’s a philosophy sandwich around the #30×30 stuff – so – you might enjoy a listen while you’re painting! Or doing the dishes. Gardening. Going to the gym. You know – podcast things. :)
Link is here> https://sneakyart.substack.com/p/134
And here’s a little audio teaser :)
#30×30, 2022, Day 24: Figure Drawing Intensif! Day 4
Hey all! I’m going to post Day 24 early. It’s a little tight getting out to drawing class in the AM. I was almost late for the first set of poses (that’s why there’s a row of small heads in on the first page).
Here’s our rather amazing model for the morning session.
I was pretty impressed with this fellow’s physique. Of course I didn’t ask his age, but I’m going to guess he’s over sixty? To be honest, I’d put money on him being seventy. He did have a scar from a hip replacement. Though I hear it was a car vs bike accident. Either way, I’ve never been in his sort of shape at any age! Even if I did nothing else but work out for the next ten years, I doubt I could achieve this. This is the body of a lifelong athlete.
Frankly, it was an honor to make these drawings.
Yesterday I had *thought* I was going to come in and be super experimental. All free flowing and spontaneous. But – sitting there in front of today’s models – I found myself just making well observed portraits.
I suppose I feel, both our models had such gravitas, the least I could do was sketch them faithfully.
Here’s our afternoon fellow.
I did take two liberties here. In the first pose I drew him heroically. His portrait is pretty close actually, but I gave him a more chiseled build.
In the second pose, I felt the lighting on his face, and the fall of his hair, called for a leaner, more monastic build. Almost ghostly.
He said it’s exactly what he looked like 20 years ago :)
I had one little unfinished doodle left over – that 2″ head drawing. So I had some fun painting him as Geralt of Rivia. (The Witcher). He has that fantasy hero hair!
Citizen Sketcher 
