March 28, 2024
How do you simplify a watercolor painting when the details overwhelm you?
To simplify a watercolor painting, I use 3 concepts. First, give it another try, because your first shot is just a shot and not the final painting. Second, give yourself a time constraint, which forces you to make choices. Third, try new things, such as changing the light, deleting one part of the painting or reframing it, so the painting becomes easier to execute.
Where do these 3 concepts come from?
I learned them from a watercolor street I painted from a photo during the pandemic, in 2020. When I looked at that photo, I realized it was much more complicated than I thought, because I got bogged down in all the details:
- How am I going to paint this tree?
- Here is the sun. How am I going to create the light coming from this place to that place?
- How am I going to paint this huge shadow, all those trees and all those houses?
- And the cars, how am I going to paint the cars?
It was so complicated for me that I gave it a first try, and the result was terrible for me. There was no depth in the shadow. The plants and the trees didn't mean anything; they were just some colors on the paper. The cars were okay, but they were so surrounded by all that complicated stuff that they didn't pop out. I spent maybe 1 or 2 hours on that painting and it was a mess in the end.
I couldn't leave it that way, so I gave it another try. The second painting was much better from my point of view, and I painted it in about 20 minutes. You can see the light with the shadows, the cars now pop out, and you can clearly see the houses and the trees. That's when I concluded that there is a way to simplify things. It's not perfect, but I came away with 3 main concepts that I now use in all my watercolor paintings.
Step 1: Why should you give a painting another try?
Your first shot is just a shot. It doesn't have to be the final painting, the end product of your creative process. Often, the first try is not the best shot, and that's fine.
When I saw the difference between my 2 street paintings, I realized there were so many paintings where I had never even given it another try. So don't stick to the first try. If you are not happy with it, give it another shot, or several shots.
The first shot also teaches you something. By doing it, you will realize things like "the cars are too complicated" or "the trees should be higher than before." By thinking through the first shot, you come up with new ways to make the second one.
Step 2: How does a time constraint help you simplify?
I filmed the second painting in my studio, and the video lasts less than 20 minutes, 19 minutes actually. The painting itself took 18 minutes, because at 18 minutes I started to remove the tape from the watercolor paper. The first wash was done in 3 and a half minutes. Then I added some details: the houses, the cars and so on.
How was I so fast? For 2 reasons:
- I was so angry with the first shot that I wanted to do another test, but it had to be very quick.
- I had an appointment somewhere in Paris. I couldn't spend 1 more hour on this painting.
Giving yourself time constraints is a very good way to force yourself to simplify, because you have to make choices in order to paint much faster.
Sometimes the constraint comes from an external factor, like an appointment. But you can also set it yourself. Try to make a painting in less than 30 minutes, or less than an hour. If you usually take 1 or 2 hours for a painting, you could try to make it in half the time.
Step 3: Why should you try new things?
If you look at the photo of the street, there is so much stuff in it, and it's very dark. I didn't see myself painting this watercolor street with all that darkness. I wanted it to be very easy to paint, so I decided to do a graded wash instead.
That's why the second painting is much brighter than the photo. I made choices to make the painting process faster and also much easier for me.
So don't hesitate to try new things that fit your ability to execute the painting much faster. That's how you come up with very innovative solutions. For example, you can:
- change the light or the atmosphere of the reference photo, as I did with the graded wash,
- delete one part of the painting,
- reframe the painting.
The goal is to simplify and make the painting much easier than it is.
FAQ
How much time should I give myself to simplify a watercolor?
Take the time you usually spend and try to cut it in half. A limit of 30 minutes or 1 hour already pushes you to make choices.
Do I have to follow the colors and light of my reference photo?
No. If the photo is too dark or too busy for you, change it so the painting becomes easier and faster to execute.
Is a failed first attempt wasted time?
No. It shows you which parts are too complicated, so you know what to change in the second shot.
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