5 Steps For Making Your Own Watercolor Mixing Grid

Plan Your Mixing For Better Creative Flow

I use mixing grids as tools, because it saves so much guesswork.  Clearly seeing which mixes I want to use in my work,  I am less frustrated and make fewer mistakes.  It's less, "oh, I don't like that!"  There's more "oh, it's coming together!"  

Would you like to make one?  Does it seem intimidating?  Can I give you some tips to get you started?  It's an enjoyable process, methodical yet relaxing at the same time.  In the past, artists have shown interest in making a chart like this.  It's just paper and paint.  Really.  I promise.  Don't hold back because I'm just sure you can handle it.  

(Well, no...I don't know you that well...what do you have to lose?  You might have a great time!)

After the many years I've painting with watercolors, there's a stack of various watercolor paper scraps with free form brushstrokes of color.  Each one of these pages is a record of my time exploring how to achieve a certain mix for a painting.  The earliest mixing "notes" are filled with blobs of color with a few scribbled notes in my handwriting.  I sorted this stack into the following collections.  Some of them instantly take me back to the specific painting, others not so much.  It's interesting to see how my methods changed over time.

LET'S BREAK IT DOWN.

Supplies:
Watercolor paper (I'm using 300 lb. cold press)
Pencil
Fine-point permanent marker
Straight edged ruler
Watercolor pigment
Watercolor brush
Watercolor palette
Container of rinse water
Paper towels

1.  Choose your pigments.  

Keep the number limited.  How about the primaries, and then a few other pigments you're curious about trying out.  I usually begin by comparing my reference photo with my favorite reference book, The Watercolor Painter's Pocket Palette by Moira Clinch.  Over time, I have saved my mixing grids from previous artworks, and those are also great tools now.  So, for the hollyhocks as my photo reference, I've chosen these watercolor pigments.

I chose Daniel Smith Quinacridone Coral, Daniel Smith Quinacridone Red, Windsor & Newton Transparent Yellow, Daniel Smith Quinacridone Gold, Da Vinci Cerulean Blue, and Daniel Smith French Ultramarine.

Watercolor Mixing Grid (Created with @Magisto)

Mixing Up Pigment for a Watercolor Grid

In the previous post, I shared Why I Make Watercolor Mixing Grids.  Better than telling is showing!  This quick video shows the action in completing a row of mixed swatches.  Watercolor mixing is great fun!!!  The result is a guide for an upcoming watercolor painting.  Having a reference close at hand is such a great tool.  I can't imagine being without some record of the general creative plan.

I've been having a fantastic time with learning to record on video!  New skills can be a great adventure!!!  While there's plenty on my to-do list, I'm making time for sharing what I do...
The video is created with Magisto free version.

Are you even a tiny bit curious?  I hope so.

It's short.  It seems self-explanatory to me, but maybe not.  My purpose isn't really to give a demo how-to but to a quick little glance at what I've been doing lately.  If it seems too small a window, click to view on YouTube.

Over the years, I've noticed that people have a fascination with watching artists at work.  Whether it's other artists or myself...I know that when I pass by an artist busy with their craft, I've got to stop for a few moments and see how they do their thing.

I remember in California Adventure, the amusement park, there are artists who look like street sweepers.  They come along with a bucket and and a broom...and they create a work of art there on the sidewalk with water.  That artwork is only there until the water evaporates.  I was just amazed.  I could follow them all day, watching what they'll create next!!!

Okay...I found a YouTube video of a Broom Artist in Disney California Adventure:

What do you think?  Have you ever stopped to observe an artist while they create?

Have a beautiful day!  Remember to watch for the priceless in today.

Christy

She Must Make Art!

Slow Down, Listen, Rest, Reflect

Trying To Do Too Much

In the past two weeks, there have been expectations.  

Big ones.  I set these big expectations myself.  

In my impatience and frustration at not having the results that I want, I push harder.  In my multitasking frenzy, I crank up my pace and get more done.  It's not easy.  It's tiring.  I want to cross more off that mental list.  There are all the tips I've read online.  Managing social media can crowd out the creative flow and overshadow the art process.  I feel my attentions going in too many directions.  Something inside, like a warning signal, tells me if I continue like this, burnout is a possible result.  I'm running out of steam.  It's time to do things differently.

Advice we all need:

1.  Slow down.  Reconsider the priorities and the timeline.

2.  Listen.  What do we hear our bodies telling us?  Are we emotionally strained?  Is the body needing an easier pace?  Are we taking care of ourselves?

3.  Rest.  We can only keep up an unreasonable pace for so long.  When we drive ourselves to unreasonable limits, there will be a price to pay.

4.  Reflect.  Examine what's really of most importance.  What is urgent?  When we list our goals and rate the priority, can a few be dropped?  Paying attention, evaluating and reconsidering helps us to be better at what we don't want to give up.

This is the advice I've been trying to give myself.  Maybe you will see the same true for yourself in the past, now, or in the future.  Overworking myself, I'm taking a risk that I will lose the joy for the art.  The passion for the creativity is worth protecting.  The only time lines are the ones I've chosen.

My back and neck have been sore for the past two weeks.  I'm very tired even while trying to keep up this pace.  All because I want it when I want it.  Not too bright.

This week, I've felt sluggish and drained.  I know it's a result of all I accomplished last week.

I had so many ups and downs with the tasks I was determined to finish.  I learned the basics of Canva, Society6 and Photoshop Elements.  I used Canva to make a fantastic graphic for sharing on Facebook.  It was a photo collage for my daughter's 15th birthday.  It was easy to learn and fun to create with my own photos.  It's a great option for playing around with graphics.  I'll learn to use it here for giving the blog intro's more pop.  Photographing new artwork for two different purposes was a big task to complete.  Then, I applied with Etsy to sell prints...that took several hours to complete, still no answer there.  Scanning new and previous artwork spread over into my Saturday.  I've got such a desire to get so many balls rolling at once!

This week, I've chosen a couple of ways to stay active in the art studio while easing up on myself.

First, I have been planning my next color mixing chart for upcoming watercolor paintings.  As you can see, there's a ways to go yet.  I'll get to it in the next few days.  Updated photos to come at a later date.

Second, playful watercolor for no special reason.  Relaxing exploration.  Brushes in hand, pigment on the paper and unknown results.

Third, laying out potential designs for note cards.  Experimenting with different layouts is great fun!  I'm looking at options for building some really unique layers with a variety of elements.  The pen and ink was a fun diversion.  

Fourth, Artist's Network TV videos online are a great way to take a break!  I just needed to take it easier physically.  This is a subscription service but so valuable to me.  I was able to watch two videos while putting my feet up!

Joyce Faulkner and Guy Magallanes are very entertaining!  I learn so much from both of them.  They each have their own distinct style and methods.  I watched one about painting crabapple blossoms and another about painting poppies.  I'll link to the YouTube previews here: Crabapple Blossoms and Icelandic Poppies.  Each of these videos were about 100 minutes in length.  The videos show the process from beginning to completion.  I love seeing techniques and methods in action!

Here's a link to Artists Network TV watercolor preview videos available on YouTube.  The watercolor videos alone are 242 in total!

So, now I'm off to relax and let my back take a time out.  I was torn about whether a blog post is really necessary in light of how I'm feeling BUT I love having this continuity!

Can anyone relate?  

Do you see yourself pushing at a harder pace to get the results you haven't seen yet?  

Are you familiar with simplifying and regrouping before going forward?  

How do you keep it all in perspective?  How do you evaluate your goals on a regular basis?  

What's your go-to way to relax and take a break?

I'd love the input!

-Christy

12 Tips for Making an Art Video

Have you ever learned something totally outside of anything you thought possible?  Sharing my art studio adventures is quite a challenge.  My mind is so full of new information and at times it feels overwhelming.  My 2015 goals have been reviewed.  With a new list of goals for 2016 (some carried over from 2015) I've got my work cut out for me!  I'm not very organized in my methods for tackling these goals.

I'd say spontaneous and sporadic would describe my method... Are you ready for the run down on how this all came to take place in the art studio.  Hang on!

A snapshot from the video Watercolor Background for Poppies.

My Pinterest boards read like this:  Artist Inspiration, Photography, Christy Sheeler Art Studio, Logo and Business Card Design, Blog Tips, Etsy Website Online Selling...and the newest board is Video Tips.  That one is just an itty bitty board, but it will grow as I search out the stuff I need to know.

Why a video?  

In the past, I've taught some beginner watercolor lessons locally.  It was SO much fun!  I was incredibly nervous at the start!!  Once I got the feel for what to teach and how to teach, it was so rewarding.  I've taken a break for now to get my own art flowing again... but I was amazed by the interest to watch me paint.  There's a curiosity and I guess I do relate; I enjoy watching others paint as well.