[Joachim]

Hey guys !
Long time no see. I've been on holiday after the forum came back, so it feels nice to finally be able to post here again.

I've done a couple of watercolors, while I was on holiday. I've never done it before, so what I've accomplished isn't exactly rocket science...but I'm glad I'm finally painting something without the usual pencils only, or markers or phshop. And it felt really nice to sit outside and paint from real life too

anyway, here's my very first test attempt to paint something, this was from photo, so that I could atleast know what the medium was about before I went on holiday (it sucks I know)


here's my second attempt. I sat at our summer house pier and painted a really old building on the other side of our small beach. The light changed quite quickly while painting so I had to come back the day after and finish it. And, I fucked up the reflection on the water a bit.


and here's the second one I did of our summer house. Not much to say about this one. It went rather quick compared to the other.


if someone has some nifty tricks or helpful hints to share, it would be great.
I'll post more stuff soon.

[ July 18, 2001: Message edited by: Joachim ]

[Oscar Perez Ayala]

very good

[hamilton]

argh. watercolor is the one medium that has always eluded me. i just don't get it. anything that has to be planned out in advance is just too complicated for me.

hmph... i hate when people bring their grudges with me to other people's threads... this wasn't a negative comment was it? no. i simply said that i don't get watercolor. implying that joachim (though he doesn't need to hear it from me) is very good. oh well.

[ July 18, 2001: Message edited by: hamilton ]

[Dreshaj]

I think it looks very classy, very well done. Hamilton, you sure do have negative things to say.. infact, in the last 3 posts you've made, they were basically all negative. "sigh"

[ July 18, 2001: Message edited by: Dreshaj ]

[janne]

i really like these. i would never guess these are your first tries of this quite hard medium. second one is my favourite... i'm sorry i don't have any constructive to add. btw. how big are these? your lines are very accurate, how do you do that with brush?

j.

[Slicer]

Oh my! these are really good. You didn't use any linework before you did these? Truly nice. Now I really want to try watercolors. Your inspiring me. Thank you!

[Rinaldo]

Wow... those are fantastic Joachim.

can't think of anything more to say=) I've always loved watercolour.

[Isric]

now here is someone who knows what he's doing. I love how compitent artists can move from medium to medium and still be absolutely incredible. Beautiful work as always

[kimzoll]

Heey Joachim,
how your doing, when I look at your watercoulours you seem VERY fine!!
I like the boathouse one the best the way you got the water feelings real nice.
Kim

[Ahcri]

So you've never done it before? You must be a genius.

[opticillusion]

Just excellent work. All the shapes and values seem right on, making each one look very solid and definately not washed out.

A wonderful first try

[Superbug]

really good stuff man. I would say your work is more than competant of course. No crit's with me. I like the water in the second picture, very nice. What brush did you use?

[Freddio]

wow..

really nice work there Joachim

good job..

wow looks like a really nice spot for a break ..

keep up the painting Joachim its a good inspiration for all of us

[Gambit]

Incredible.

Isric, is right... You seem to have littlle trouble going from one meduim to the other. You really pulled this off well.

Great subjects also. Nice summer house, must be a joy to head out there.

Great job, Joachim!

[Weirdowe]

watercolor = my favorite medium.
I've been doing it for a long time and I still don't have a solid style.
But you'r stuff looks realy good ....

[dr . bang]

did you say first try?

[Blitz]

MMM...Water Color.

Iv recently purchesed some water color equipment and am planing on giveing it a go. If my first time is even 1/10 as good as yours Id be a happy man.

These are amazing. And you say the first one sucks. Personaly I kinda like it. =)

Ciao man

Blitz

[quaternius]

First, great work Joachim - your talent transfers well to this "hardest of all" medium. Keep at it. (I'm trying to switch back to oils and the computer myself...)

Hmmm...since I've done a lot of watercolor for a long time I'll be brave enough to venture a couple of comments/tips.

Maybe it's the scanner or my eyes, but your greens appear a little too "bright" and a little too "blue"... does that make sense? There's a helluva lot more yellow and grayed greens and other colors mixed in than you (or almost any painter, including me) actually thinks there is. Try not to use prepared greens like Hookers, etc. Just to experiment, try a combination of Quinacridone Gold with Prussian Blue for most of your greens - I think you'll see a big difference.

You might also try "dropping" in some burnt sienna or quinacridone burnt orange to a section of wet green on your painting and see how the earth color or orange color pushes back and mixes with the green. Lotsa fun to do. (Did that make any sense?)

For some killer examples of what I'm talking about check out Tom Schaller's travel paintings: http://www.twschaller.com/images-field.html

[Anthony]

Looks cool Joach, but I'd suggest something. Watercolors are really really fun if you get more abstract at first with them. Throw on a very wet, broad wash over your very very loose and undetailed sketch. A lot of people starting watercolors, even experienced artists, try to pick at it, color in the lines, dab here and there, etc. It's really not meant to be used that way. As Tom Jones told me, "start with a bright, colorful warsh." Know what you're gonna paint first, but don't draw it in, because your lines restrict you. For trees, flick your brush across your fingers to get a little texture in-also works for tree shadows. Nice job!

[burn0ut]

i think the way any medium is used is up to the artist anthony. just my 2 cents.

[Akolyte]

Wow, nice form, especially for watercolors. Sheesh

[Anthony]

quote:

---

Originally posted by burn0ut:
i think the way any medium is used is up to the artist anthony. just my 2 cents.

---

Well of course.

[raupe]

This is so good.

My favorite is the second pic. The water looks great and the old wood texture on that building looks really convincing.

All I ever did with watercolors is crap compared to this. But you made me want to try it again...

[Bishop_Six]

Oh yeah. These are real nice, joachim. I really like the middle one.

[Farwalker]

Whew, right on Joachim! These water color paintings jump off the screen! All the different angles of light, the aged wood...
You are surely an impressive artist on multiple mediums.

[Bizarde]

Great work Joachim! I really like the first and the second pics.

Sorry for the lack of tips & tricks.

~bizarde

[Joachim]

Hey guys. Geez, I would never had expected such response to these. Infact, i was waiting for a lot of negative feedback

Oscar Perez Ayala:Thanks !
hamilton:thanks for the response. No, that was no negative comment :-D -hell, you didn't attack me, you attacked yourself, so, hehe.
Dreshaj:thanks !
janne:thanks a lot. THe first one was rather small, about A5 (you use those therms in finland right ?) and the second and third is something between A4 & A3, so "quite big".
slicer:yeah, I made a few week pencil lines. in the bottom. I guess if I would have played hero I would just have done in freestyle, but I don't master the medium that well yet.
rinaldo:thanks a lot !
isric:THanks for such nice compliment. maybe too nice ;D
kimzoll:hey, long time no see. What have you been up to ? thanks for liking the pics.
ahcri:hehe, not really. But, thanks again for kind compliment.
opticillusion:thanks a lot.
superbug:thanks, everyone seem to like the boathouse best. brush, hehe, hard to say, I don't have them here. One very small, on a bit bigger and one rather big for the first washes.
freddio:thanks freddio !
gambit:thanks for the compliments ! Yeah, the summerhouse is nice. Though, I like to leave my country during holiday. But, this year I did both, so it was a nice holiday.
farwalker:thanks for the compliments. you're too kind.
bizarde:thanks !
weirdowe:thanks !
dr.bang:hehe. Yes, I hope I will improve.
blitz:thanks. Good luck with your watercolors. It's a fun medium, I think..hope you will feel the same. draw from life, it's a joy.
quaternius:thanks for compliments and the nice tips. yeah, now it's time for trying oil for me too. I guess you have quite some experience with all the mediums.
ABout not using pencil lines, I feel that must be quite hard, to plan the composition I mean. But, by looking at yours I see your point clearly. The green on the third one, no it's not the scan, hehe, I mixed way too little with the green. Though, the garden was very green, but still, mine looks almost monochromic green, because I not experienced enough with mixng the colors. Your paintings are a great inspiration, and also your tips, I will try to implement you suggestions next time i give it a try. thanks !
anthony:yes I agree with you. There is in my opinion many ways to paint with watercolor, meaning how much water to use. I've never been a big fan of the too washed out ones, but still I agree with your point, because I used to little water, so I didn't exploit the medium good enough, in my opinion.
burnout:good point too
akolyte:thanks!
raupe:thanks ! give it another try :-)
bishop_six:thanks a lot !


btw, there's this historic norwegian artist called Hans Gude that was great with backgrounds. Mostly he did oil, but also some watercolor (and remeber, this was made before photographs excisted)
here's two of his watercolors, just to show the possibilities, which I probably will never achieve, hehe.

[Frost]

That Hans stuff... is just jaw dropping. Incredible. I loved you drawings too Joachim, I think they're great! (I think I'm just going to go back to wax crayons and cardboard...)

[marc_taro]

Wow - those reference pics are quite awesome. You are pretty brave to look at those and then try your hand at it!

Why not take a small area of you pics, like a doorway or widow and try to take just the focal point of the picture to the same level of finish as your reference.

Originally I was going to say your pics need larger shapes, and bolder strokes, but now I see what you're after, it's more like you are halfway inbetween a loose modern style, and that more traditional academic painting.

I'd try to go one way or the other - either more impressionist or tighter. Great work and great ambition...

marc

[BooMSticK]

wow! thanks for showing those Hans Gude illus. I remember you and Micke mentioning his name before, but I just never went further to look up some more of this work - I certainly will now!

And Joachim, those watercolors of yours does truly not look like something from a firsttimer. They all look very nice! Its a great excuse to get more out in the wide open. I should use that excuse more often... but... yeah... you know... hehe. I suck at watercolors. Okay, there - I said it! Anyways. Great work Joa. Hope you had a nice vacation!
,Boom