Dear readers,
Exciting news! I’m delighted to be showing a few watercolors in the terrific forthcoming group show “PARIS EST UNE FETE” (ndlr: Paris is a party!) at my gallery Un Jour Une Illustration at its shiny new location 2 steps from Republique. Please join us for a drink at the vernissage on June 21st in celebrating the union of over 40 artists in over 70 drawings. Many of the international artists will be present, myself included. June 21st, 18h-23h 4 Rue de Franche Comté, 75003 Paris
If you read this newsletter, you know that pulling off a watercolor is no small feat. It’s all about muscle memory, the right paper, the right amount of caffeination, the right idea, the audacity to just go for it and the confidence to know when to stop. In tandem with my group show Paris est Une Fête, I wanted to share the backstory of creating a watercolor from start to finish. I’m sharing this because the road isn’t always straight-forward when you are developing an idea from scratch.
STEP 1: Find a very loose idea/inspiration
When I was asked to contribute something to Paris est Une Fete, I had to think long and hard about what. I’ve been on a bit of a kick since illustrating the cover of Jane Bertch’s new book THE FRENCH INGREDIENT. Instead of relying on the realism trap of years of yore (pictured in the cover on the left), I’m now minimizing Paris to its essentials, playing with abstract shapes and scale to create something completely new. When I think of Paris as a party I think of Bastille Day, la fete de la musique, exuberant food & drink and the city in its constant state of movement.
STEP 2: Just sketch
Because creativity is not a passive act, I just started sketching. Study the first iteration of the idea above. I love the visual of slicing a city block in half and see what’s on the inside. Since Paris is the ultimate mashup of new and old, my idea is to merge the modernity of Paris with Louis XIV patisseries. To top it off, I quickly painted a few washes on my sketch to get an idea of how I may play around with color.
STEP 3: Think color
STEP 4: GO TIME PART I
Since artists are always collecting references, palettes & ideas, I looked for color inspiration in Wes Anderson films. I know revelatory (wink: sarcasm)! I wanted the overall composition to feel harmonious without focusing intensely on any one area. For this, I selected an analogous color palette. This is when you slice a piece of pie from the color wheel and use neighboring colors (see example above. I like what I’ve done, but want more dynamic colors to play with the drama of Paris at night. This is the difficult moment where I had to accept the fact that I could do better and trust that I could do so.
STEP 5: GO TIME FOR REAL
My concept remains the same, but I found color inspiration in two previous watercolors featured above on the left. The image on the right is the final watercolor. There’s not only the visual contrast of black and white, but also the subtle use of complimentary colors make it even more dynamic.
What are the biggest takeaways from this anecdote?
It’s all in the sketch. I know watercolor requires patience. But so much can be determined in the sketch phase. Continue sketching until your idea is completely set in stone. If you’re still hesitant about adding color, make a photocopy of your sketch and paint with several different color palettes to see what works best before committing on watercolor paper.
Know your color wheel. This isn’t just a bygone annoyance from art class. The more you understand your color combinations, the more you can use these strategically. The two images on the right above are literally night and day. The use of color drastically changes the energy of the final piece and this isn’t by chance; the use of complimentary colors give it energy.
Trust the process. Seeing three very different iterations above, the final solution happened because I continued pushing my idea. This is the labor-intensive, hard-work of the creative process that rarely gets talked about. I could have stopped with the middle watercolor, but I kept pushing until I was “happy”. This is in quotations because artists are never happy. But I’m not tempted to paint it again so that in itself makes me “happy enough”.
Anything else you would like to know about the process of conceptualizing or painting this piece? Send any questions in the comment section below. Was this helpful? Please share with a friend.
Stay inspired, dear reader. And don’t drink the watercolor water. -jkw
Love this. Thank you for sharing!
'Creativity is not a passive act' such a healthy reminder to sketch and draw and put in the drafts to find the thing! Merci.