My Sketchbook That Isn’t a Sketchbook
Some Bits o’ process for ya Curious Souls
So how do these gouache pieces come to be? Really, it comes down to a spark. Or an impatient push. And usually that spark looks and feels like: ‘Geeze. I should paint.’
As simple as that is, I’ve really tried to make the leap from ‘I should paint’ to ‘I’m now lost in a painting’ as low of a barrier to entry as possible for my practice. That’s where gouache really shines.
I’ve got a setup on my desk pretty much ready to go at all times. I’ve made this part of my practice as frictionless as possible, which means I can utilizing gouache as a way to quickly and effortlessly explore compositions, mood, color harmonies, etc.
I love plein air painting, but most of these are done in the comfort of my studio, based on references I personally shot. Long ago I found it’s really hard (not impossible) to capture a moment from someone else’s photos, so I just prefer to work from my own. I think it’s because I’m not going for a 1:1 photorealistic image and instead I’m translating what I’m seeing and adding the emotional and felt element to a piece.
The organized chaos of painting at my desk. I love it.
These are my sketchbook studies that don’t exactly live in a sketchbook. I’ve found as I’ve painted more and more, I actually think in color and shape language more than a traditional drawing sense. I’ve never really been one to fill out a sketchbook, but give me loose sheets of paper and I’ll tear through them like no other. Probably why one of my favorite memories as a kid as getting a box of computer printer paper for Christmas for my art so I would stop stealing the family’s supply.
Not all of these little pieces end up working, but the ones that sing? Those are the ones I’ll consider graduating to a larger big brother oil painting. Oils are where I can slow down and become more deliberate. They force calm reflection, I can push depth more, and I can really start to say what I want to say with paint.
Gouache keeps my idea exploration fast, cleanup quick and easy (critical as a dad of a toddler), and above all else, it keeps this part of my process loose and fun!
And yeah, I’m really loving the process of crafting skies in gouache within a smaller form factors. These studies have become an essential part of my process as I explore the quiet beauty of the Midwest.
Probably one of my favorite things to do. Create a small gouache study & translate it to a larger oil big brother piece.
