An Afternoon Well Spent

[Balaji]

These are quick watercolour sketches done directly with brush on paper (without preliminary pencil sketches) on 300 gsm Chitrapat watercolour paper. I spent about 15 to 20 minutes on each. The objective of the exercise was to build up confidence in using a brush instead of a pencil or pen.

This was done in 2020 when I was confined to my home due to the covid lockdowns. I did follow up this exercise and improved my watercolour skills. But over the next few years I progressively lost some degree of control over my hands. For the last eighteen months or so, the focus for me has been to undo that damage and regain some degree of control once again.

 

[Joy]

Beautiful and amazing! I couldn't do that well with a drawing first, and these were done so quickly! Very fresh looking.

 

[Balaji]

Thank you Joy.

 

[Sanlynn]

These are prime examples of watercolour skills. So well done. Hope your journey on improving your hand control continues with success.

 

[Donna T]

I enjoy seeing your work, Balaji - recent and older. I’m glad you are seeing improvement in your hands and hopefully painting helps!

 

[Balaji]

These are prime examples of watercolour skills. So well done. Hope your journey on improving your hand control continues with success.

Thank you for the comment, as well as the good wishes. I am hopeful.

 

[Balaji]

I enjoy seeing your work, Balaji - recent and older. I’m glad you are seeing improvement in your hands and hopefully painting helps!

Thank you Donna. Sketching, especially the quick sketching, where I do not worry too much about the quality of the sketching, definitely helps. I am not sure whether painting helps.

 

[Ellen Easton]

Wow! I've never been inspired to paint without sketching first but I'm terrible with sketching. It's a chore and I erase so much that I know it damages the surface of the paper. Maybe I'll try painting without sketching. You do such a wonderful job of it that I'm sure mine won't be as good as yours but who knows? Maybe I'll find that, with practice, I'll get better and not have to sketch.

 

[Balaji]

Thank you for your comments on my sketching.

You have hit the nail on the head with your remark, "Maybe I'll find that, with practice, I'll get better." One just needs to keep at it and there will be improvement. For years I used to pick up a brush, think for a while, and then put the brush down and pick up a pencil or pen. My sketching improved, but not my painting skills. About five years ago I forced myself to do one watercolour painting every day. I had the time because we were all house bound due to the covid pandemic. And that go me over my reluctance to use a brush. Now i am very happy to use a pencil, pen, or brush to sketch.