I guess everyone knows by now that I love working in watercolour. It's always been my favourite medium and it always will be. But every so often, I think a change is good. I used to work in pastel, but the dust really triggered an asthmatic response, so I had to let that go, and the same thing with oils. I have to admit that I enjoyed both those mediums, but I'm not going to make myself ill for art. Especially not when there are other medium choices. For a long time, I would switch to Coloured Pencil for a little break, especially for animal portraits, and I loved using them. But Coloured Pencil eventually gets very hard on the hands, so regretfully, I packed them away. I have to say too, that the quality of the pencils I most often used, fell quite badly, and that had a little something to do with my decision.
Cairn Terrier Coloured Pencil
So now when I want a little break, I choose Acrylics or Graphite. There is a lot about Acrylic that I don't like. I find the paint stiff to work with, I hate the smell, minor as it is, and they do dry very fast! But the painting builds up quickly, mistakes are easily fixed, and the fast drying time adds to the speedy completion of a painting. So I'm hanging in with this one, trying to understand it's secrets, and make my peace with it.
Jack Russell Terrier Acrylic
Sometimes I love the challenge of Graphite. Black and white is so elegant. But it is nearly impossible to recover from a mistake, and all too easy to make one. Still, I enjoy the focus required, and the way I have to distill colour into Black, White, and Shades of Grey. Even a small graphite piece can take a very long time.
Border Collie Graphite
But when all is said and done, I always love coming back to the watercolours, feeling refreshed from my 'busman's holiday'.
Hasten On Home Watercolour
Cheers,
Heather www.heatheranderson-animalart.ca
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