Tag: boats

Fishing Boats in a Misty Harbor

This ink and wash painting sort of drew itself. I wanted to paint some more boats, inspired by yesterday’s fortress / citadel / rock ship! I found some photos of fishing boats, drew them first with pencil and then inked them in. From there, lines and misty buildings, and seaweed in the foreground. Now, if you are fishing boat person, you will probably laugh at what I have done – and I don’t blame you – what are some of those things on the boats?!

That said, I think the boats turned out fairly good. The swoop and curve of a boat is always a challenge as most things look like rectangles and squares, with corners rather than a bulging curve out of the water. Reflections, too, are a challenge. I think the direction of the sun influences if reflections are shorter or longer in water – maybe I read it in Ted Kautzky’s classic Ways with Watercolor.

And so I leave you to ponder the boats, the fog, and what might lurk in the distance . . .

Class: Boats on Land

A bit over a year ago I spent far too much money on a class I didn’t like. I liked the artist’s work, and some of the teaching methodology, but in the end felt it was like a big rip off. Most classes lack good content and good teaching as far as I am concerned, and being cheap, I am not inclined to spend the amount I did last year. The course was a gamble, and I lost.

On the other hand, I have been really happy with Shari Blaukopf’s short courses and demos, which are content rich and reasonably priced. I have been working to incorporate the simplicity and directness with which she paints to keep from overworking my own watercolors – and believe me, overworking a watercolor is awfully easy! Ian Roberts’ course and follow-up group for his Mastering Composition has also been a great group to belong to and participate in.

I have also decided to enroll in Matthew White’s course on a monthly basis – Learn to Paint Watercolor. He has monthly demos, and critiques. There is a nice group of watercolorists of different levels of experience and skill, and so far it is worthwhile. The fact I can stop my monthly subscription beats a year paid up front for not too much I couldn’t learn on my own. I’ve watched his critiques and they are valid, and he works to make sure that as many people get a brief but informative bit of feedback.

Anyhow, this is the first of the demos I did of Matt’s. He has a lot of things I don’t paint – like boats, buildings, cows, nights, hay bales. The challenge is there, and I am looking forward to them. His demos are clear and sequential, and even though I doubt I will follow them step by step, there is something definitely to be learned.

The title of this painting – from Matt’s demo – is “Boats on Land” – definitely a boat yard and storage facility. I liked doing this, and was really happy to see Matt paint around the light boat sections with darker paint. I need to see that and do that. I think my painting turned out okay!

Oopsie!

I have a few blogs, this one, a general one, and a photography one. I thought I had posted these paintings here, but they were on the general one.

I have been busy cleaning up my house, spending hours moving and discarding, selling and donating. In between I did some art work, gardening, and the daily drudgery. I will say, I did go out shopping the other day and got some new clothes – a semi-annual thing.

Anyway, in between daily nonsense, I have been trying my hand at things I don’t feel comfortable doing. Buildings and people are the most common issue. Boats also fall into that category.

I sat down one afternoon and did three paintings. This was the first, focusing on shape, shadow, light and dark, warm and cool.

More confident after the first foray, I chose one with more detail, specifically the slats making up the sides of the boat. Add to that algae, more light and dark from shadows. Rust seems to be part of the painting, or perhaps it is just flaked paint remains on wood.

Finally, I turned to Winslow Homer for boats. He has painted all kinds in all sorts of weather and places. This is from one he did in the Caribbean or Florida or the Gulf of Mexico. I just took the boat and tried to look at how Homer caught the light, the sky and water, and the shadows on the white boat and sails.

Boats are actually pretty simple, but their shapes are disguised. Draw a square or rectangle, at least two. Have them overlap. Then connect the corners with curved lines, and you have a boat. Depending on the style, the front is usually pointed, but the rear could be flat or pointed, too. To learn and see about all types of boats, click on this Wikipedia link, and then choose a boat. For kicks, I chose Z. Go take a look!

Beached and Not

I am trying to change my slap dash approach to watercolor that occurs when I don’t paint with them for awhile. Then I need to redevelop the discipline and forethought required for the medium. It’s aggravating, but necessary, and if I don’t make it a serious endeavour, it is very rewarding. I learn something each time.

I decided to begin with boats. The shape of boats is really not logical unless you break down the shape into squares or rectangles connected with curved lines. Then it can work. Here I focused on the shapes and shadows of two rusted old girls. Not a great study, but I really tried to see light and dark, searching for warm and cool as well.

Another beached wreck. This one is obviously of wooden construction – the slats along the sides. Building wooden boats is fascinating. I’ve watched some being built as well as seen videos about the process. Where I live, boats live in nice marinas, and sometimes in dry docks, but never are they left moored with an anchor or buoy to rest on the sand when the tide goes out. Of course, the California coast is not full of inlets and bays that are protected – there are a few, such as San Francisco Bay – but that is like a giant lake!

Here, I tried to catch the algae on the hull of the boat as well as the shadows. I didn’t do a very good job with the lines of the slats which make up the shape of the boat itself. I did try to catch her character and age as she lies abandoned on the shore.

After “Fishing Boats, Key West” by Winslow Homer

Finally, I decided to see what I could learn from Winslow Homer. He paints boats with abandon! New England boats, sail boats, row boats. Having lived during the 1800s, he saw sails to power boats more than steam or coal. His paintings are filled with detail and, to me, his watercolors are so alive I feel I am in the middle of them.

I don’t think a seaman would approve of my renderings – I am pretty much a landlubber, but I have sailed a bit in my younger days. There is something about the wind and the sea and the speed of it all – but it scares the hell out of me as much as it thrills!