First, identify a problem you have encountered in the process of translating a subject into watercolor. It can be a purely technical issue, like this one:
" I am making a shape on dry paper, and I want to soften part of the edge, but not all of it, so I can't wet the whole area in advance. When I try to pre-wet just the part I want to soften, the edge of the pre-wet strip shows through. When I soften the edge after it's painted, it blooms into the wash, or it just looks over-worked."
Or, it could be a question of interpretation, such as:
"The gravel bar alongside the river is made up of millions of cobbles, each of which casts a little shadow. This is not meant to be the center of interest of the painting, but it is in the foreground, and all the stones are plainly visible. How can I do them justice without distracting the viewer's eye from the boat?"
Your mission, should you accept it, is to identify the nature of a problem, then come up with a solution, and save the evidence of your efforts to share. Hopefully, some of these will be ready to discuss by our next class time.
|D. Alanson Spencer Oatman, Arizona|
|Spencer's strokes are hard edged on one side and perfectly soft on the other.|