The other day I had a fellow artist point something out to me that I hadn't really thought about. And since I love adding more notches to your creative arsenal belt, I was like, wait ... I can tie this into this week's blog post, and maybe help those art lovers out there be even smARTer ;-)
(As if you're not plenty smART already! Am I right?)
Sooooo based on this newfound insight, I wrote this one with three main intentions in mind. Numero uno is to share this little nugget of wisdom with you in the hopes that it just might help you learn more about the world of art. Two, if you're the creative type or have aspirations to be, this may be helpful to you on your creative journey like it was for me! And third, to share with you a bit more about my progress on this newest holiday sunrise collection I'm currently working on.
Now you may be asking, what was this awesome insight they shared with me? It seems like such a little thing – but it gave me such a huge boost in the way I see my work.
As many of you know I've been busy creating a new collection that I'm calling my Holiday Sunrise Watercolor Collection. And one of the first things I do when I get an idea for a new collection is to start "sketching" out what's in my head.
Well, I hadn't really thought of it until our conversation, but my friend pointed out to me that many of them were much more developed than simply sketches. She used a word that I have heard many times, but never thought to apply it here.
She said, "Barb, these are much more than quick sketches, they're more like little studies."
I was like, huh. I guess they are! I stand corrected ;-)
And just like that, I began looking at this part of my process in a new light.
They may start out kind of quick & impromptu sketches, but as I develop some insight & refine the overall palette & composition, they do become more thoughtful studies for creating those final pieces.
Here's all of them in the pic below, not in any particular sequence ... some of them lean towards sketches (the ones I hurriedly threw together at the beginning stages).
But many of them (especially the later ones) fall into the camp of being more fine-tuned & polished ... thus I've come to realize that they're actually studies.
How cool is that?
Overall, I've come up with 6 different final compositions that I'm pretty pleased with, and I'll use those to inform the creation of the final paintings in the collection.
After much playing, practicing, pondering & more painting, below are the final six studies I'll be working from for this newest collection...
I'm thinking of doing two of each, so there will be 12 paintings altogether for the collection.
And since I'm always looking for ways to offer high quality, original work and at a lower price point for those entry level collectors & for gift giving – I thought I'd select only the best of the best of these studies, pop them in a beautiful little frame, and offer them for sale as part of the collection!
They're 4" x 4" on 100% cotton rag watercolor paper (i.e. the good stuff), and in this gorgeous mirrored frame trimmed in gold. The overall size is about 6" x 6" ... perfect for sitting on a table, desk or bookshelf.
Please give me feedback in the comments below, I'd love to know your thoughts on this.
I've also started some of the original paintings for this collection as well. They will be 6" x 6" watercolors painted on canvas, and will have all of that knowledge & practice behind them that I was able to get from doing the sketches & studies.
This is the frame below I'm thinking of using for those. (With the mat, the overall frame size is about 12" x 12".)
Would love to know your thoughts on these frames as well!
Just about everything I've created this year has had a touch of gold ... I think gold is such an elegant & beautiful compliment to the color palette I typically use, and I look forward to using more of it in the future.
Don't forget to scroll down and give me your feedback on those frames! Or chat just about anything art. Would love to hear from you.