Spending three-plus days learning from some of today’s greatest watercolor painters at the Plein Air Convention & Expo (PACE), I filled my notebook with handy tips and advice — which, of course, I’m happy to share with you!
During his pre-convention workshop, Joseph Zbukvic shared this essential advice: “There’s a reason a hair dryer looks like a gun,” he said,” it kills your painting. Let you work dry naturally if you can.”
Tim Oliver opened the convention’s regular watercolor programming (PACE has a stage devoted exclusively to watercolor with demos all day, every day!). He started his demonstration with this tip:
“Once you have an idea, sketch it,” he said, “maybe there really isn’t a painting there. Most of my best works started with a sketch. … And don’t forget we’re artists. We can use our imagination.”
In his demo painting of an old house a couple miles from his home in West Texas, he added a mountain in the background for interest. “I can tell you there wasn’t a mountain anywhere near the place,” he laughs.
Don’t miss next year’s Plein Air Convention & Expo!
