Activity 2 - Making

You will need:
  Your compositional sketches)
  Your pages of summer observational sketches (and any reference photos you took)
  Your Artist’s study/copy (and or examples of Impressionist or Expressive Garden Art)
  Your chosen support (paper/ card/ wood/ canvas etc.)
  Your chosen media (s)
  Your chosen support (paper/ card/ wood/ canvas etc.)
  Any tools needed to apply your chosen media (plastic card/ brushes/ sponges/ cocktail sticks etc.)

Making a start

Using the ideas you like best of your compositional sketches

Start by marking out the basic structure (using something that is light enough be covered)

Add broad areas/blocks of colour and tone (if using watercolour start with lightest colours)

Try to avoid working on detail until you have got a good general balance of colour and contrast of light and dark.

Working up balance and standing back

Keep revisiting colour balance in your piece (cool and warm, saturated and muted, light and dark) adjusting it as necessary to achieve the effect you are aiming for (dynamic/ calming/ bright/ dappled/ hazy) is everything on one plane or is there recession? (Foreground, mid ground and Background)

Be open to incorporating new ideas as they arise (be they compositional, technique, style or otherwise)

Take regular breaks which will enable you to come to your piece with fresher eyes and more easily notice current problem areas and successful ones.

Stand back to look at it even turning it on its side and upside down (this new perspective can be helpful and revealing)

Document your progress with photos -it can be very helpful to see your artwork on the screen -it will also give you a fresh perspective.

Start developing detail and knowing when to stop

If you have managed to avoid the temptation to work up too much detail so far you can now reward yourself with adding some in. This is a good moment to think about pattern, the illusion of texture, depth, focal points, highlights etc.

If your artwork is aiming at a naturalistic illusion of space you will probably want to concentrate detail in the foreground and allow the background to be slightly more ‘out of focus’. If you are aiming at a more stylised representation then it is more important to get a good overall balance of detail and you can decide which area (s) of the piece to develop. Detail usually requires finer/smaller tools and possibly even alternative media.

It is often difficult to know when an artwork is finished and not always obvious. For most of us the tendency is to overwork it (especially watercolours) and consequently loose the freshness. On the other hand there are times when doggedly returning to the piece until there are no longer areas that bother you can result in wonderfully strong and considered artwork (this is especially true of oil and acrylic paintings).

The best advice I can offer here is to have a break from it for a few days or even weeks and come back and see if there is anything that bothers you about it. This time and distance will give you vital perspective and discernment. Additionally asking someone else’s advice can be valuable. Don’t forget I’m here to be a second pair of eyes and always happy to help resolve any niggles.

Watch the demo videos:

Last modified: Friday, 19 June 2020, 9:45 AM