Painting with watercolors can be really fun…. but it is not as easy as it looks!

First published December 9, 2023: I was just scrolling Instagram Monday morning when Pamela Harnois‘ post came up announcing a live watercolor tutorial at noon on the same day. I have never had the time to check out these live events (especially with the time differences), but now that I am “retired,” I thought I should give it a try. So I set my phone alarm for 11:55 a.m. and logged in to Youtube (another first) to Art School Live with Eric Rhoads, and sat and waited. I was amazed when it started up (only a couple of minutes late), and that I could see Eric and Pamela at the same time. I know, I should not be surprised at what technology can achieve, considering that I have worked in it for more than 25 years, but for some reason, these live presentations just boggle my mind. You can see the person create a piece of art, learn their tips of the trade and see–and hear– them all at the same time, and in the comfort of your own home.

I had never heard of Eric Rhoads’ show before. It takes place every day at noon on Youtube. He said he features many artists; if you scroll through his videos you can see the variety of topics he covers. There were more than 100 people watching this episode, and they chatted their locations and questions during the demonstration. There were people logged on from as far away as South Africa, as well as many of my State of Michigan’s neighbors.

Eric asked great questions, and was very respectful of Pamela’s teaching style and didn’t interrupt her flow. She showed how to properly wet the paper to utilize white space, which I failed at achieving in my project below. She also used a limited palette, which I think is essential to good composition. I loved watching her move the pigment in the water puddles. It was very mesmerizing. I don’t want to give away all of her techniques in this post; I would rather you check out her tutorial on Youtube. It is a very generous thing for an artist to share her special trade secrets, and I hope all of the people who watched on Monday realized what a gift they were getting.

The best part for me was that I have been following Pamela for a long time now, and although she demonstrates her technique on Instagram, I rarely turn on the audio when I am on IG, so this last Monday was a chance for me to hear more about her practice.

I attempted three different versions using what I learned from Pamela. Here is the first piece I did, on Fabriano Hot Press watercolor paper.

I have not had good luck with this paper in the past and as you can see, this painting is no different. The water just didn’t appear to soak in enough and the paint went everywhere.

 This is the second one I did. 

 I used a cold pressed Arches watercolor pad and I had better luck, but still I used too much water, I think.

This final painting I did, using more of my own style — vase at edge of page, and blue-greens for leaves.

The bottom line of this lesson is that while I love Pamela Harnois’ work, I could practice this for years and I might be able to create work just like hers. But that is not the objective of these experiences. I am looking for inspiring artists who give me clues to try to work out the puzzle that is me as an Artist. Pamela’s tutorial was a big piece in a very large puzzle.

Thanks, Pamela, for sharing your craft with all of us.

cs