I’ve decided to post more of my beginner artwork, to maybe convince others that they can also learn to do this. Or possibly just for laughs – because we could all use more laughter in our lives these days!
I first picked up a watercolour paint brush on January 27, 2021 – just six weeks ago – as part of my plan for DIY (do it yourself) art therapy for my chronic pain and other rare disease symptoms from CRPS. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome – formerly called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD – affects my right hand and arm, so I can’t paint or draw “properly”… but I can ADAPT!!
During these 6 weeks I’ve taken a variety of instructor-led live virtual watercolour courses and workshops (many with Art Safari (1) based in Suffolk, England), and have almost completed an at-home course based on a book-and-workbook combination on learning to draw. I was absolutely HORRIBLE at drawing, but knew that I’d have to improve my drawing skills if I wanted my painting skills to get any better. This book-based drawing course is “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards. (2)
Sometimes I just play with my paints, using nature photos that I’ve taken myself; it’s still too cold in Montreal for me to paint outside, because my CRPS-affected hand is very sensitive to cold temperatures. I am really looking forward to doing plein-air painting when the weather gets warmer; that’s the name for painting outside. I’ve even ordered a portable (folding) wooden easel, just for that, from a local art supply shop.
Although all of my watercolour painting courses so far have been instructor-led live courses, given virtually due to the current pandemic, I decided to try a video-based four-week workshop last week. This one is being offered by an art supply company, and is called “Watercolour and Gouache” (3), led by a popular modern portrait artist; Jordan Rhodes. (4) Each week I receive a link to a two-hour video, and printable instructions, and can follow along at my own pace – when I have time.
It doesn’t have the same one-on-one benefit of an instructor-led course, but I’m still learning quite a lot. There’s also a convenience factor, in that I can watch a few minutes here in there as I have time; I don’t need to do the entire two hour session in one shot; and, in any case, in watercolour painting you often have to set aside an unfinished painting several times to let the different washes – or coats of paint – dry.
These photos are from Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 (the first and second weeks) of this four-week video-based workshop. The sketches are both mine, one for each Lesson, from on-screen photos provided in preparation for the paintings. The first photo shows my sketch and watercolour painting of a 3D sculpture of the planes of the head by Asaro, while the second is from a portrait photo by Philip Boakye (via Pexels); both images supplied by Jodan Rhodes as part of the Workshop.
My watercolour in the second photo isn’t finished – I’m probably about halfway through the current Lesson – but you can see it starting to take shape… hopefully! It’s been a happy coincidence that I’d just begun the section on sketching portraits in my book-based drawing course at the same time that I had to sketch the profile portrait for the video-based workshop. Isn’t it great when the timing all works out for something, even though it was unplanned?
Stay tuned for more of my beginner art work; like me and my chronic pain life, it’s something of a work in progress!
As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Feel free to reach out with comments over on Instagram or Twitter; I’ve had to disable the comments function here on the blog because my CRPS-related cognitive impairment made it impossible for me to manage that aspect of the blog. It’s both an autoimmune condition and a neuro-inflammatory disease, so the impact of CRPS is body-wide in some ways (e.g. full-body fatigue, a mild cognitive impairment) and localized in others (hand and arm pain, skin temperature changes, cold sensitivity, etc.).
Keep well, keep safe, and look after yourself ‘-)
References
(1) Art Safari website: https://artsafari.co.uk
(2) The Official Website of Betty Edwards: https://www.drawright.com
(3) Strathmore Workshop Series website: https://www.strathmoreartiststudio.com/
(4) Jordan Rhodes’ artist website: https://www.jordanmrhodes.com