Reflections on the 30x30 Direct Watercolour 2018 Challenge

I know that it's difficult to be objective when you're writing about your own work. O please feel free to disagree with anything I say. It's just my own opinion, and for all I know it could all be wishful thinking on my part. Still, for what it's worth . . .
Earlier this year when I undertook the 100 people One week Challenge, I was surprised to find that it achieved exactly what it said on the tin. Or to put it another way, by the end of the week I was sketching figures much more freely and much more quickly. Is that still true? Well, maybe not, since I haven't been drawing figures every day, but then maybe yes too. So what I was hoping when I undertook the Direct Watercolour challenge was to get better at using watercolours. I'll be perfectly honest, I'm in my comfort zone when making a monochrome sketch using pencil charcoal, or my preferred medium of sketching pen. But when it comes to paint, well, I'm out of my comfort zone. You see, I don't really understand about colours. Not really. I see how other members of the Afan Nedd Artists' group paint, and they've got it, while I haven't. Over the last 3 years I've become happier and more comfortable painting in acrylics, but while I can appreciate what others do with watercolour, I haven't been able to get anything like similar results myself. So the point of taking the challenge was to try to improve.

I certainly found it liberating being able to paint onto a blank sheet, without sketching in pen or pencil first. It was nice to see that, for the most part, at least my sketching skills with the brush were up to the task most of the time.

Here's the first painting:-

Now, I'll be honest, I was pleased with this when I painted it. But compare it to number 35:-

This one is comparable to some of my better acrylic paintings. We can make other comparisons between paintings from the start and end of the month too. Compare the Emma Thompson portrait:-

with number 34 - the Fisherman picture:-

Okay, they are both very different faces, but even so there's a far greater depth and more intelligent use of colour in the Fisherman painting. I'm probably more excited by the fact that I'm maybe just starting to develop some appreciation of the potential offered by use of colour in a watercolour picture. For me the standout example was this one -number 32, my Flamenco dancers:-

Now, the figures aren't badly painted, although I deliberately left them just a little indistinct. But the use of colour is so much more vibrant and exciting than anything else I've ever managed, and I think it's really appropriate for the subject matter. I think that you can see that I was starting on this road with this painting - number 15 called When We Were Kings - same fuzziness in places, but god action.

The challenge has made me experiment, and push myself - for example - painting in just one colour - 

It's helped me loosen up a bit as well: - 

- and make a couple of pictures which even tell a story: - 

It's even helped me produce a picture which my wife absolutely loves: -

So yes, even if nobody else thinks I've improved, I think my watercolours are closer to being what I'd like them to be now. But it's also been terrific fun. And would I do it again next year? Just try and stop me. 

One Sketch #97) Old Type B London Bus #30x30DirectWatercolor2018

In London streets
And Flanders fields
A rumbling presence
And a rattling good ride

I've been meaning to paint a B Type bus for a while. As it happens, I made a charcoal sketch of one three years ago -

The comment in the verse about Flanders fields is because B Type buses - nicknamed Ole Bill after a popular cartoon character of the time - were transported across the Channel and served as troop transports along the British sectors of the Western Front.  I can't prove this, but I personally feel that Londoners' love affair with the red double decker bus began with the B Type. And no, though a Londoner myself, I'm not old enough to have seen B Type buses on the streets of the Capital, thank you very much. I do remember Routemasters very fondly though. But that's another subject for another day.