watercolorsketching – Communicating Creatively

Urban Wollongong Sketchers

08/07/2023 by communicatingcreatively, posted in Painting

Last Sunday, I met up with the Urban Sketchers Wollongong on a field trip for the first time. The meet was held at Port Kembla, near Wollongong, NSW, Australia.

Port Kembla is well known in Australia for Steel manufacturing and it covers a huge area of land near the Pacific Ocean. I can still remember going on a school excursion there back in Primary School. It was (and is a massive place).

Our field trip location was at the end of Christy Drive, Port Kembla and one of the subjects people were sketching appears below.

I had been down to this location once previously, with my Wife, Susan and remember remarking that, ‘wow, that would take some patience to sketch’, as I turned away to sketch something that I thought was easier to sketch…

So, here I was back there and this was one of the subjects to choose from.

Here is my effort below.

Overall, I am happy with the attempt however, I am conscious that I added too much water to the sky, particularly around the edges. Another learning experience, for sure.

Before we headed off for a coffee and lunch at a nearby lunch spot, I managed to complete a pen sketch of a nearby pier. I added the colour to it last night.

4 years, 162 days of a Watercolour Sketch a Day.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time meeting, sketching and interacting on a social level with the Artists from the Urban Wollongong Sketchers and am looking forward to attending the next field trip in August.

Happy Sketching/Painting!

Written, sketched and photographed by David Johnson

8 July 2023

For more information on the Urban Wollongong Sketchers:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/UrbanSketchersWollongong

4 Years and Counting…

12/02/202312/02/2023 by communicatingcreatively, posted in Painting

I’m a bit late getting to post about this as there has been a lot happening in our Family and Life in general over the past three weeks…

On Australia Day, 26 January 2023, I achieved somewhat of a milestone with my Watercolour Sketch a Day project.

On the above date, I had completed a Watercolour Sketch a Day, every day, for 4 years. As of today, it is 4 years, 17 days.

As the 4 years straight of Watercolour Sketch a Day fell on Australia Day, I chose to do a Line and Wash sketch of a mammal that is unique to Australia, the Platypus.

It was my first attempt at sketching/painting this subject and I found it rather challenging!

I feel sure that I will attempt this subject again.

For more information on this unique creature, visit the following link.

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/platypus/

Written by David Johnson

12 February 2023

Food For Thought!

15/08/2021 by communicatingcreatively, posted in Painting

Today marks ‘Day 928 of a Watercolour Sketch a Day’ and I am happy to report that I haven’t missed a day of my ‘Daily Art Practice’ since I started this journey.

I’ve learnt a lot (with much still to learn) and feel that overall I have progressed, though I have had many ‘plateaus’ on the way.

On occasions, people ask me, ‘so, what’s the goal?’ ‘Are you trying to reach 1,000, 2,000 or more?’ My answer remains the same… ‘my goal is to do a sketch a day and to endeavour to improve my skills.’

This weekend, after posting a sketch, one of my photographer friends commented that he felt I had improved a lot with my A5 daily sketches and suggested that it might be time to cut back on the daily sketches and concentrate over doing one A4 painting a week.

This thought has some merit to it, I must admit. I’m still mulling over that one and feel that I have three options:

Keep going as I am
Do one A4 per week as suggested and drop the daily sketches
Do one A4 on the weekend and do daily sketches during the week

Am feeling that I would like to continue my daily art practice and I suppose that it doesn’t have to take the form of a Watercolour sketch every day (and posted to Instagram). I can see the merits also of pulling back and concentrating on larger paintings though, too.

Till I decide I will keep doing the sketch a day…

Plenty of food for thought, though!

Written by David Johnson

15 August 2021

Sketching The World

28/09/2019 by communicatingcreatively, posted in Poetry

Sketching the world 1

A Journey In Watercolour

02/02/201904/02/2019 by communicatingcreatively, posted in Painting

One of my interests is Watercolour. I had a bit of a dabble in Watercolour back in 2010, however, I was steered towards Acrylic by my well-meaning Mother-In-Law (whom I get on very well with and we have the same sense of humour), who has painted in Acrylics/Oil for more than 40 years.

About 18 months ago I started using Watercolour Pencils and Aqua Wash Pens and this led me (almost 12 months ago) to purchasing a set of Cotman Watercolours (40 Half-Pans) but I was struggling to fit in one sketch a fortnight.

There are many reasons that I love the medium of Watercolour e.g. the transparency of the medium reminds me of Photographic Slides; it is unpredictable; no two images will be the same; it is quick to do a sketch on the run and it is so much fun.

I know I have much to learn and I know that the only way to improve is to practice more, so to this effect, last Australia Day, 26 January, I decided that I would attempt to do a Watercolour Sketch a day.

Thus far, I am 7 out of 7 and have included my first 7 attempts below.

For more inspiration, I’ve also joined the World Watercolor Group on Facebook that is run by Charlie O’Shields of Doodlewash fame. Over 25,000 Watercolour Artists are members of the Group.

There is much for me to learn and I am so looking forward to continuing this Watercolour Journey!

Written by David Johnson

2 February 2019

https://www.facebook.com/groups/worldwatercolor/