ASLD Workshop in France

Sketches

Water-soluble Charcoal Studies

This medium is used to focus on blocking out shadows and trying to create the right value for those shadows. This is done by using a water brush (paintbrush with a tube of water attached to it) and wiping the bristles on a brown pad of water-soluble charcoal. After blocking out values, you can go back in with a pen and add details. This was challenging for me, I noticed I really hesitated to add darker values--this caused many of my pictures to lack depth. Additionally, it was difficult to not overwork the paper; going back over the same spot multiple times can cause the paper to pill. 

Guache Studies

Guache is used in a similar way to watercolor but is much more pigmented. Unlike watercolor, white can be added to the picture after building up darker colors. However, once the guache is dry, it is less pigmented and used like watercolor paint. During these landscape studies, I really struggled to paint plein air (outside). One of the biggest challenges was capturing shadows. As you stand outside, the time of day changes and thus changes the shadows of what you're looking at. Because of this, Andrea said it was important to block out your shadows beforehand and to leave them instead of coming back and trying to rework the shadows. The two most challenging landscapes were the mountain scene and the ocean. The mountain shadows and colors were never consistent as different clouds were constantly moving over them. For the ocean, the waves are constantly moving and I felt like my eyes got lost in the folds/ shapes of the water. 

Watercolor Studies

I have painted with watercolor before, but painting landscapes was still challenging with this material. Like my charcoal/pen studies above, I still notice I am very conservative with color and pigment--this is something I want to continue working on. The water painting below was the same scene as the water painting above. I painted this twice with different materials to see how they compare. My second attempt was the guache; I like the guache attempt better because the horizon line is more blended and the stronger color towards the bottom of the picture communicates more depth. For my building picture, although it is also lightly pigmented, I like how the colors work with one another. I added pen to this picture to draw out the details which I think was a good addition.

Le Château de la Napoule 

Reflection

I felt exhausted after each session of painting. I felt very out of my element, but I wanted to use this program to learn new techniques and materials rather than practicing what I can do on my own at home.

I was feeling frustrated I couldn't produce good paintings. In reflecting on why I was frustrated, I made an audio recording where I talked for an hour about how I was feeling. The following is an organized version of what I talked to myself about:

I can first think back to the first time I started to seriously train myself to draw. I was 10, sitting on my bed in Hillsborough, NJ. Watching YouTube videos, I clicked on a recommended video that showed how to draw a realistic eye. I thought it would be so cool to draw things realistically, to be able to look at something in front of me and produce it on paper. So, without thinking much else, I picked up paper and a pencil and started following the tutorial. I remember being so proud of what I drew.

As I've gotten older, this blind ambition has faded. I've become more fearful of failure--whether it be an exam or being unable to produce something artistically. I'm hesitant to try different techniques: What if it's bad? Am I actually incapable of making art? Am I an idiot for wanting to be considered an artist? I overthink the "could be" possibilities of failure which, I'll admit, I believe limit me in how much I grow through failing.

I get nervous about how other people perceive my work, but I think I worry more about how I perceive my work.

Experimenting and failing, however, have led me in new directions to different successes. After getting rejected during POMS auditions, I joined the debate team and became captain my senior year. After getting a C in Calculus BC in high school, I was determined to understand Calculus and got As in all upper-level math classes through Differential Equations in College. When I had a tough senior year, I took a gap year and was able to draw every day and become more confident in my drawing abilities.

Fearing and avoiding the possibility of failure would only cause all these experiments to have never happened--both the bad and the good. 

Art feels personal to me and a direct reflection of my ability, however in giving myself the space to try new techniques and to make paintings that may not turn out great, what I learn from one painting will help me on the next painting I attempt. What I learn from one experience will help me through another experience. At 22, I'm working to embody my 10-year-old blind ambition.