Watercolor is wet. It needs to dry. In a studio setting or classroom, a lot of people use hair dryers. You see it on videos all the time – brrrrrrr! But, outdoors, unless you have an outlet and a long extension cord, and want to annoy yourself, you just sit and wait for air and evaporation to get to work.
I opened up my big sketchbook – each page is about 9×12 inches – and it was a spread across the two sheets. Above, a more traditionally done sketchy watercolor. I did a basic pencil drawing and then applied color.
Last month we drove from north of Los Angeles out to Tucson for our Global Entry interviews. En route we drove through portions of the southwest I have not yet seen, driving east from San Diego along Hwy 8, at times just north of the Mexican border. The land was sparse and beautiful in a fierce way, and before we reached Tucson we drove through the Sonoran Desert, home of the mighty saguaro cactus.
What can I say? They are tall and strange, reaching upwards to 40 feet, with arms and branches against mountains and skies filled with drama. It was beautiful. As we were on a long drive – 8.5 hours – we didn’t stop. I took a bunch of lousy pictures out of the window, and these are the basis for the above painting. An impression, not a reality, although you know these are saguaro if you have ever seen one.
This painting had to be painted in stages, so my thoughts were what to do while waiting? I decided to do some direct watercolor and use a photo I had taken of the local landscape.
Direct watercolor has no lines, and I have found it a wonderfully fresh way to see the world and to paint. It is also a challenge not to make mud, not to get carried away, and to think strategically. For me, the real challenges are negative painting and values. Because I am making sketches in a sketchbook and not something “serious” on a sheet of expensive paper, the direct watercolor and the more traditional studies are gaining traction.
I am learning a thing or two in my old age, and there is something to be said for that. Today’s painting was very satisfying. I spent it outside at the picnic table, a few supplies, a dog at my feet, and a kicked-back-who-gives-a-damn approach. And, I don’t think either of these paintings is half bad.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 
Both paintings in your post are lovely!
I use a heat gun instead of a hair dryer. My husband has several. They project heat without blowing air. There is one with a rechargeable battery but it is a bit heavy and expensive.
I enjoy your posts -N. They brighten my mornings.
They are both quite beautiful. I admire your ability to create artwork under difficult conditions.
Thanks, Laura Kate. I am glad you enjoy the paintings – it’s always good to hear. I don’t know that the being outside was difficult (after all, I was on my patio!), but a challenge. I have been trying to put together plein air watercolor supplies that aren’t going to kill me with weight or transportation challenges. Just painting outside is a challenge and getting an idea what I could face. But it is getting there – some posts in the future may be coming to IY&B!
Thanks, Anne! I like to know I brighten someone’s day – nice compliment! And I like yours, too!
Sienablue – thanks for the idea of a portable heat gun – or electric one. The blow dryer pushes wet paint around, and sometimes that just doesn’t do it. We have a heat gun, so I might try it. What temperature do you set yours at? I am also glad you like the paintings – it feels good to know. Thank you!
Our heat gun doesn’t have a temperature control
Thanks! My husbands goes up to 1200 or something – has markers you can set. I think I would be able to burn a bad painting with that!
Nice work with the cacti, I’d love o see them in real life!
Come to the SW and have fun, Fraggy! There are a whole slough of them just down the street, up in the hills, at the botanical garden, and lots of different ones. When I take the dogs out for a meandering walk, they always head to the cacti – not a good thing – so it’s like watching a toddler . . .
One day… *wistful sigh*
Ah, well. Come visit when you can, and we can show you and Phil about. Nothing exciting here – our lives are rather a bit of a flat line!