Want to Loosen Up Your Watercolour? Don't do THIS
If you're wanting to loosen up your watercolor, there's one thing that you don't want to do. It's a way to paint smarter so that it's more fun for you and more fun for your viewer.
I'm talking about not overexplaining.
The Power of Pattern Recognition
I think we all have a tendency to want to put in enough detail so that everybody knows exactly what's going on. But actually, we're not giving enough credit to the human brain because we're actually a very effective pattern recognizing machine.
Without us even noticing it, what our little brains are doing in the background is taking in the information they see and matching it up to their whole database of past experiences so that they can fill in any pieces that they think are missing.
This is why it's a great idea not to worry too much about painting every single little piece of information that you can see in your painting subject. You don't have to worry too much about that because, as I say, the viewer is going to fill in the missing bits and pieces.
Now, I'm not suggesting that you do an incomplete painting, but remember that it's really up to you to decide when that painting is finished.
Focus on the Big Picture
This is why it's a great idea to approach your painting by focusing on the big shapes, simplifying wherever we can and letting go with a good portion of the details. When you do this, it gives your viewer an opportunity to participate. We attach meaning to whatever we see. And so when there's a little more scope, there's a little bit more room for your imagination.
A Story About Puzzles and Participation
I have a favorite story about my lovely nephews that illustrates this point quite well. I think my nephew's parents had set up a puzzle in a place where any passing traffic could get involved and slot in an extra piece as they walk by. I like to think of this as a driveby puzzle. You know, as you're passing by, you have a little go, stick an extra piece in, and before you know it, collaboratively, you've all done the puzzle over the course of the weekend or however long it takes.
Now, the puzzle was about 3/4 of the way finished, but my lovely nephews came home late one night and everybody else was asleep, and they sat down and ended up finishing the whole puzzle completely. However, they then worked out that they should take out two or three of the pieces and put them aside for their mom because they know just how satisfying it is to click in that last piece of the puzzle and make the image finally make sense.
That sense of completion is very satisfying, and they weren't going to deprive their mom of that. Aren't they delightful?
You don't want to put in every piece of information in your painting because you don't want to deprive your viewer of the same satisfaction. It means now when we look at the painting, it's not just a passive consumption of the information we see before us, but rather more of an engaging experience where we get to contribute to the final image.
That's what makes an artwork more personal, memorable, and meaningful.
The Science Behind It
You know, this idea of pattern recognition is actually science. It's very relatable, and it makes sense if you think back to our ancestors who had to be able to recognise patterns in the environment in the interest of survival.
It's an ingrained ability in all of us and it allows us to find meaning in order and abstraction. And painting of any form is actually an abstraction. It's an abstraction from reality. And we needn't be afraid to divert as far away from reality as we see fit.
Why Watercolour is Perfect for This
Now, if you're painting in watercolour, I think you're 10 steps ahead because watercolour on its own does such marvellous things. It has such a marvellous expressive way of creating shapes and textures, especially if you don't worry about it too much. If you kind of let it do its own thing, that means there end up being these unplanned marks on the page that you, the painter, can respond to in the moment. And it means that those interesting marks are there for the viewer to make of what they will.
You also want to be able to trust your brush. Let it do the work. You'll be surprised how much a confident brush stroke can actually convey. Sometimes if we've been used to doing things like drawing with a pencil or a pen, you become very accustomed to the idea of showing every single line and angle and detail. And it's a really pleasant surprise to find that one sweeping brush stroke can actually suggest a whole lot of the form.
And not just the form, but also the feeling that the subject conveys.
Multiple Approaches, Personal Choices
There are always multiple ways to approach a particular subject. Let's say a specific reference photo. You can use the same photo over and over again and create really different paintings all from the same image just by making different choices. So, it's a great idea to think about the main thing that strikes you about a particular image and focus on getting that across and let the rest of it kind of fade away.
Include it if it serves you, but don't worry about putting in everything. Work out what is most important and focus on that. It's part of your job as a painter to actually filter out some of the extraneous detail.
And here's what's so fascinating. If each of us takes the same photo, we'll all choose something different to leave out. Isn't that what makes artwork so interesting? The things that each of us see as more important compared to someone else. And then again, think about how different everybody's interpretation of the same images. You and I can walk into a gallery, see the same painting. One of us might hate it and one of us might love it.
It's back to this idea of each of us making meaning out of whatever we see.
It's All About Trust
So, I think it's best not to treat painting like creating one of those sets of assembly instructions. Perhaps one of the ways that we can sum all this up is by talking about trust. It's a bit of trust in your materials that they are going to do the most amazing unexpected things.
And then trust in yourself that you'll be able to respond to those and make the most of them. And trust your viewer, even if that viewer is just going to be you. Because don't forget, you never have to show anybody your paintings if you don't want to. Whoever your viewer is, let's trust in them to interpret and connect with your painting on their own terms.
For me, being unburdened of the need to explain everything is such a relief. It doesn't happen very often in real life, but if it can happen in the studio, let's embrace it. It's one of the many, many reasons why painting in a loose, expressive style is my absolute favorite way to paint.
We explore this loose, expressive style together in the Happy Painters Hub, creating a new series every single month. I don't think there are any subjects that are off limits for this approach.
Want to find out more? Here is a special invitation for you… 👇.
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