{"id":3048,"date":"2011-09-20T13:24:41","date_gmt":"2011-09-20T18:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/?p=3048"},"modified":"2014-12-14T23:58:41","modified_gmt":"2014-12-15T04:58:41","slug":"a-toe-in-the-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/20\/a-toe-in-the-water\/","title":{"rendered":"A Toe in the Water"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_3049\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-watercolor-sketch.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3049\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3049\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-watercolor-sketch\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-watercolor-sketch.jpg?resize=600%2C397\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-watercolor-sketch.jpg?w=600 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-watercolor-sketch.jpg?resize=300%2C198 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3049\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sketch with watercolors and brush, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I\u2019ve been doing art sessions with a good friend\u2019s seven year old daughter.\u00a0 She wanted to learn about painting and I thought pan watercolors would be a good medium to start with \u2013 vivid colors, cheap, and not too messy.\u00a0 Sharing her beginner\u2019s joy with watercolors inspired me to try working with pan watercolors in the life drawing sessions I attend regularly, and in this post I\u2019ll share some of the results from my first two weeks of struggling with this medium, which I have never before attempted to master.<\/p>\n<p>Many of my readers are art students, so this blog is my platform to be a teacher.\u00a0 I supervise an uninstructed weekly life drawing session at <a href=\"http:\/\/springstudiosoho.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Spring Studio<\/a> in New York.\u00a0 A lot of older, experienced artists attend the session regularly.\u00a0 Many of them have done life drawing or painting practice for decades.\u00a0 I\u2019ve noticed that while nearly all of them have a pretty good style and technique, most long ago settled into a comfortable rut.\u00a0 They stopped when they got good, kept doing what worked for them, and haven\u2019t learned anything new in a long time.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing wrong with that, of course, but the magic of art as a practice is that it is possible to keep it growing and expanding for a lifetime, and they\u2019re missing out on that.<\/p>\n<p>In this blog I always urge pushing the envelope, going out of your comfort zone, <a href=\"http:\/\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/2010\/04\/09\/the-secret-of-practice\/\" target=\"_blank\">being willing to fail<\/a>.\u00a0 I often try different drawing materials and techniques for quick drawings, work on varying scale, and experiment in various ways.\u00a0 But in my developed drawings I too could be accused of working the comfortable rut.\u00a0 I developed my technique of drawing with aquarelle crayons on gray or black paper <a href=\"http:\/\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/2010\/10\/07\/nudes-with-projections\/\" target=\"_blank\">a long time ago<\/a>.\u00a0 It\u2019s a great way of working, perfectly suited to my strengths and tendencies, and difficult for other people to copy.\u00a0 I can easily vary the technique to make it more impressionistic or expressionistic or stylized or classical.\u00a0 I\u2019ve made the medium my own.<\/p>\n<p>But once you\u2019ve mastered something it may be time to move on to something that remains a challenge, to get back to the Zen ideal of \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.intrex.net\/chzg\/hartman4.htm\" target=\"_blank\">beginner\u2019s mind<\/a>\u201d.\u00a0 Watercolor struck me as an ideal challenge, because it goes against almost everything I love about the crayon technique.<\/p>\n<p>With the crayons, I start with a dark ground and build from the highlights first.\u00a0 With watercolors, the paper is white and paint can only make it darker.\u00a0 With crayons, my focus is bold, linear, gestural.\u00a0 Watercolors are soft by nature, and intensity is only achieved by incremental washing.\u00a0 With crayons, I use additive, <a href=\"http:\/\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/2011\/01\/12\/mixing-in-the-eye\/\" target=\"_blank\">optical mixing<\/a> of colors.\u00a0 With watercolors, colors <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fountainstudio.com\/watercolor%20tips\/tip-mixing_colors.html\" target=\"_blank\">blend subtractively<\/a>.\u00a0 My style of drawing is to dive in spontaneously and then to work towards correcting mistakes in subsequent layers.\u00a0 Watercolors are transparent, making it nearly impossible to correct things by going over them.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3050\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-companheiros.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3050\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3050\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-companheiros\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-companheiros.jpg?resize=600%2C448\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-companheiros.jpg?w=600 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-companheiros.jpg?resize=300%2C224 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3050\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Companheiros, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In quick drawings, one minute to five minutes, I&#8217;m still drawing with my flowy linear style.\u00a0 The watercolor brush is far more responsive to touch than a pencil or pen.\u00a0 Speed and pressure affect line thickness, but density also varies according to the ratio of water and pigment in the brush, and whether the brush dashes quickly or lingers as it moves.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3051\" style=\"width: 446px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-stepping-forward.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3051\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3051\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-stepping-forward\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-stepping-forward.jpg?resize=436%2C600\" alt=\"\" width=\"436\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-stepping-forward.jpg?w=436 436w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-stepping-forward.jpg?resize=218%2C300 218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 436px) 100vw, 436px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3051\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stepping Forward, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Here are two beautifully expressive quick poses from my great friend Claudia, the <a href=\"http:\/\/artmodel.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Museworthy<\/a> blogger.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3053\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-onde1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3053\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3053\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-onde\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-onde1.jpg?resize=600%2C438\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-onde1.jpg?w=600 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-onde1.jpg?resize=300%2C219 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3053\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Onde, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Compared to a pen, pencil, or crayon, the brush is hard to control.\u00a0 There&#8217;s almost no friction &#8211; it&#8217;s like walking on wet ice.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3054\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-reveil.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3054\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3054\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-reveil\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-reveil.jpg?resize=600%2C437\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-reveil.jpg?w=600 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-reveil.jpg?resize=300%2C218 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3054\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">R\u00e9veil, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Here are some ten and twenty minute watercolor sketches from the sessions at Brooklyn&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/figureworks.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Figureworks<\/a> Gallery, with the wonderfully idiosyncratic models Taylor and Jillian.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3056\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-lying-on-side.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3056\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3056\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-lying-on-side\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-lying-on-side.jpg?resize=600%2C445\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-lying-on-side.jpg?w=600 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-lying-on-side.jpg?resize=300%2C222 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3056\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lying on Side, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I&#8217;m still more or less drawing with the brush.\u00a0 Some watercolor painters use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.artgraphica.net\/free-art-lessons\/watercolor\/control-of-water-in-watercolour.html\" target=\"_blank\">watercolor-specific techniques<\/a> like letting the paint infuse into pre-wetted paper.\u00a0 So far, I&#8217;m using regular inexpensive sketch paper and painting &#8220;wet on dry&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3057\" style=\"width: 449px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-supplicant.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3057\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3057\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-supplicant\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-supplicant.jpg?resize=439%2C600\" alt=\"\" width=\"439\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-supplicant.jpg?w=439 439w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-supplicant.jpg?resize=219%2C300 219w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3057\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supplicant, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Maybe with tube watercolors you can get deep colors right out of the tube.\u00a0 With these pan watercolors every color goes on pretty thin, and then gets even lighter as it dries.\u00a0 You have to paint multiple layers to get any density.\u00a0 This may be a good thing, since there&#8217;s no erasing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3059\" style=\"width: 451px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-rayon-vert1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3059\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3059\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-rayon-vert\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-rayon-vert1.jpg?resize=441%2C600\" alt=\"\" width=\"441\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-rayon-vert1.jpg?w=441 441w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-rayon-vert1.jpg?resize=220%2C300 220w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 441px) 100vw, 441px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3059\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rayon Vert, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The dryer I can keep the brush, the more controllable the line is.\u00a0 By combining wet and dry application I can use some of my pencil drawing techniques but also blended shading.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3061\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-tea-drinker1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3061\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3061\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-tea-drinker\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-tea-drinker1.jpg?resize=600%2C446\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-tea-drinker1.jpg?w=600 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-tea-drinker1.jpg?resize=300%2C223 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3061\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tea Drinker, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Little touches of color can suggest area color without filling it in.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3062\" style=\"width: 458px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-vanquished.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3062\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3062\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-vanquished\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-vanquished.jpg?resize=448%2C600\" alt=\"\" width=\"448\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-vanquished.jpg?w=448 448w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-vanquished.jpg?resize=224%2C300 224w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3062\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vanquished, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>On the one below, I lightly sketched in the figure with crayons, then used watercolor for the shading and colors.\u00a0 The foreshortening of the right leg at the bottom of the page is a bit awkward here, but the torso is wonderfully present.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3064\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-reverie1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3064\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3064\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-reverie\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-reverie1.jpg?resize=600%2C438\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-reverie1.jpg?w=600 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-reverie1.jpg?resize=300%2C219 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3064\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">R\u00eaverie, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Just this week I tried for the first time using watercolors for a long pose at the three-hour session I supervise at Spring Studio on Monday mornings.\u00a0 I allowed myself to use crayons for the initial rough sketch, and to sharpen highlights and shadows at the end of the session, but besides those small touches, this is all watercolor.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3065\" style=\"width: 449px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-sportnik.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3065\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3065\" title=\"fredhatt-2011-sportnik\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-sportnik.jpg?resize=439%2C600\" alt=\"\" width=\"439\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-sportnik.jpg?w=439 439w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fredhatt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/fredhatt-2011-sportnik.jpg?resize=219%2C300 219w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3065\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0160portnik, 2011, by Fred Hatt<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I was getting a little too adept at crayon drawing.\u00a0 Working with watercolors, I&#8217;m struggling again, and it feels good.\u00a0 I think I&#8217;ll keep working with this medium for a while, so expect to see more here, perhaps mixed in with crayon drawings.<\/p>\n<p>All the pieces in this post are 18&#8243; x 24&#8243;, pan watercolors (sometimes with aquarelle crayon) on paper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve been doing art sessions with a good friend\u2019s seven year old daughter.\u00a0 She wanted to learn about painting and I thought pan watercolors would be a good medium to start with \u2013 vivid colors, cheap, and not too messy.\u00a0 Sharing her beginner\u2019s joy with watercolors inspired me to try working with pan watercolors in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[214,212],"tags":[133,17,44,21,22,134],"class_list":["post-3048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-drawing-experimenting","category-figure-drawing-watercolor","tag-art-modeling","tag-figures","tag-nudes","tag-process","tag-technique","tag-watercolor"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Toe in the Water - DRAWING LIFE by fred hatt<\/title>\n<meta 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