Trust the Process

The Civil War monument in Manchester, NH’s Veteran’s Memorial Park was first unveiled in 1879. It is an impressive and beautifully crafted fountain that was erected to honor the Manchester soldiers who fought in the union. I snapped some pictures of the monument and ended up using these photos as references for watercolor paintings.

The drawing stage is just one of many stages of a painting.  If I get the drawing right, it sets me up for success in the next phase when I finally get to lay down the pigment.

 Transitioning from the drawing stage to the painting stage is both exciting and unnerving.  By the time I finish the drawing, I am eager to add colors, values, and edges to bring the image to life. However, there are still myriad ways that the painting stage can go wrong, despite all of the time and preparation spent on the drawing.  Instead of being crippled by the fear, I just trust the process, dive in, and paint.

The drawing for a watercolor painting is all about planning. It’s the time to consider how I will tackle challenges I anticipate in the painting process. As I make my way through the drawing, I make modifications and adjustments to the image, according to the plan.

Planning helps me to stay on course with my vision for the painting. However, too much planning can result in a stiff, calculated result. The drawing should allow for a certain amount of play and spontaneity. It’s not meant to be a set up for a paint-by-numbers approach.

The basics of creating good colored pencil artwork

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Below is the first stage of a drawing I did back in 2014. In this underdrawing, I carefully drew in the crucial framework for the piece using a graphite pencil. As I made these marks, I studied the relationships of all of the shapes, tonal and color values, and edges so I had the information I needed to fill in the color. I didn’t draw in every detail in this step. I just wanted to lay in what I needed to ensure I didn’t make any major errors in the next stages while filling in the color.

An accurate underdrawing is critical for making a good piece of artwork.

Below is the next stage of the drawing where I start filling in the color.  Here, I started with the main subject, because that's the most important part of the drawing and I wanted to make sure it looked right.

Filling in the color is so fun and relaxing!

With my main subjects looking good, I went forward with filling in my foreground.  I took the time to capture the radiant sunlight and those lovely cast shadows on the grass.  Unfortunately, the quick photo I took ended up with a glare on the left side, but this is just to illustrate the process.  In the final image, the patterns of light and shadow take the viewer's eye into the picture nicely.  

The foreground is simple but conveys enough information to help tell the story of a pleasant summer day.

Then, as shown below, I laid in the background.  I only wanted to indicate the patterns and textures of the trees without distracting the viewer's eye from the trucks.  Then I made any final adjustments and of course included my signature at the bottom to finish the piece. I think I nicely captured the summer feel of this simple rural scene.

The final piece is the product of careful planning and drawing combined with ample creative inspiration.