Never stop learning!
People are often surprised to see me in a classroom situation as the student, rather than the teacher. When I taught at the New York Botanical Gardens I had the good fortune of taking a class for every class I taught. This was great because I taught a lot and NYBG had a lot of awesome classes I was able to take. When I walked into the room, many of my students were also taking the class and they looked shocked to see me sitting as a student in the class. Some would come sit next to me and try to ask me questions on how to do something during the class. I would never help them because I felt it was disrespectful to the artist/teacher and besides I was there to learn, not teach. Some students would sit as far away from me as possible. I felt like I had the plague! They told me that I intimidated them and that they didn’t want to me to see them mess up. They would exclaim, “What are you doing here? You don’t need to take a class, you already know what you are doing.” Interesting…… they never thought that I might screw up too!
I currently have been immersed in doing a commission for a client that is a 60 x 40 wild turkey in full strut. This is by far the most intricate and complicated painting I have done to date. There are so many feathers, colors, textures etc….. I am also taking an online class with Val Webb; Birds in Watercolor and Beyond. Luckily for me this class came at the most perfect time as I was struggling with loosing my pencil drawing as I was covering the paper with paint.
One lesson in the class incorporates pen and ink with watercolor. I have never been a purist and find that whatever gets the job done is okay with me. Many areas in the turkey feathers have a black band in the pattern. Because the class introduced pen and ink into the lesson I was able to use it in this commission and make my life sooooooooo much easier. I would never have thought to do this and it was the perfect solution. The ink is waterproof so that when I layer watercolor and gouache over it, it doesn’t bleed and make a mess. Brilliant! I hope you enjoy the pics of how I am using it. Never stop learning. Taking a class is an awesome way to experiment, learn new techniques and hone your skills.
Have you learned anything new lately????
Spectacular turkey, Mindy! Had to put the comma in there, didn’t want you to think I was calling YOU a turkey!! Great color and texture to the feathers. I’m in Val’s Birds in Watercolor class as well and I agree with you. Val has many, many awesome techniques and she seems to put forth the perfect lesson every week! Yes, I am learning every day from the classes, from reading artist’s blogs, from seeing group postings, from my own experiences and reading on the web about the various birds we are drawing. So helpful. Just spent an hour (before yet another heavy rainstorm) at Penitentiary Glen again and I can definitely see the progression since my last time there. Enough of static birds, on to the flying birds next! Thanks for posting your turkey blog. So informative.
Beautiful rendition! I live in “Turkey County”. Fontenelle Hills, Bellevue – Nebraska. I am fortunate enough to see these stately birds almost everyday. and I never take their beauty for granted. Three “Tom’s” trot passed by window at work, and I have named them the “3 Amigos”. They are so fun to watch, especially during breeding season, when they puff out in full plumage. I am also a painter, and nature is my favorite subject. Your work is terrific, and I will looking for your work on UTube.
Thanks Bonnie for commenting on my turkey painting. Turkeys are so awesome. I agree…. seeing them strut around is really a treat. So cool you have 3 amigos! This painting is 5 feet tall and when I was working it, I would open the door to my studio it would look as if I was about to be trampled! I have a YouTube channel that you can subscribe to if you want and a email list. Happy painting to you! ~Mindy