ABSTRACTION WITH WATERCOLORS

  For immigrant students having little art experience and language problems as well, teaching visual concepts is sometimes easy, and sometimes not. Having previous experience in drawing and color, the Introductory class was going to move on to water color painting.....and, have an introduction into the mystery of abstract art. For many students this was a joyful experience, because needful in drawing skills, being able to do "what looked wrong" was fun! Of course, with graduated steps in explaining how objects can change shape, and using the Design Methods To Implement chart, we started sketching simple ideas and took it from there.

Much To Experience All At Once

First, we had a quick introduction into handling watercolors. Not surprisingly, most students wanted tight control over it, and some learned to accept its watery runny nature and liked it.

Then, there was delving into the methods by which a form is altered from what it is to something different. Surprisingly, that went over very well! Perhaps if we are freed from expected imagery, we are more likely to be open to the unknown.

And finally, there were a few basics in composition, trying to avoid the usual novice mistakes: centering everything, too much space between objects, shapes too small and "out of the box" colors. Once sketches were done and an image selected, there was a day of practice painting before the 12"X18" format was actually used. Below are some of the results.

Nice placement, strong color contrasts; transparent overlapping, changeovers and exaggeration.

Simplified tree forms, cubistic in some areas; transparent overlapping, changeovers and angular line.

Form alteration, color blends;transparent overlapping, changeovers, geometric form, angular line.

Unusual color, color blends, line variety, good arrangement; transparent overlaps, angular line, changeovers.

A story here, good placement, bright colors; changeovers, form alteration, line design.

Line and shapes handled well, good placement; changeovers, transparent overlaps.

Fine placement, color blends; simplified forms, transparent overlaps, angular line.

Patient painting, color fades, good placement; transparent overlaps, form repetition.

It's very obvious that these first timers found transparent overlaps and changeovers the easiest form of abstraction to accept--and there's nothing wrong with that! We begin with those aspects we can control and broaden our visions and experience from there.

The handling of watercolors more creatively takes time. These students learned the first basic--control of intensity with water. Some jumped into color blending right away. Depth and more intensive practices will follow.