Larry Seiler's "Sketching" How-To on WetCanvas
Tom Hart
Congratulations on another very fine demo on WetCanvas! I love the
spontaneity of sketches and consider them every bit as informative and
enjoyable to view as finished pieces (albeit for different reasons). I'm
not at all surprised that folks pore over your sketchbooks...
Your demo reminded me of a question I've had for some time regarding the
Cotman Field Kit. I'm intrigued by the great design of the kit, but I've
always wondered why W&N uses Cotman colors in it. In all of W&N's
literature that I'm aware of, Cotman is referred to as their student
quality line. Consequently I've avoided buying the kit. I've always used
the "higher" quality Artist grade tube colors. (I'm thinking that maybe
W&N just don't make the Artists grade watercolors in pan form,and perhaps
that's the explanation.) I wonder if you have noticed any problem or
significantly lower quality with the Cotman colors. Anyone else have
comments?
Thanks again for your demos, Larry. Keep it up!
Tom Hart
Marilyn
Tom Hart wrote:
--
Hi Tom,
W&N do produce a kit for outdoors, with pans but it is very expensive.
You might try the Schmincke outdoor set which I bought for about $75.
Canadian (on sale). Schmincke colours are even more intense than
W&N and they don't completely dry out or crack.
Daniel Smith (danielsmith.com) may carry an outdoor kit as well.
Cotman are really student grade and even then I wouldn't wish them on my
students.
I take my Schminke set everywhere as it has a collapsible sable hair brush
and the whole kit fits in a coat pocket.
Marilyn
Larry Seiler
> W&N do produce a kit for outdoors, with pans but it is very expensive.
> You might try the Schmincke outdoor set which I bought for about $75.
I'll have to look into this myself, thanks Marilyn
> Cotman are really student grade and even then I wouldn't wish them on my
> students.
Well...I believe I could do a pretty good picture from old coffee that sat
around for a long time, perhaps even add some stain from melted snow and
wet ash soot. Sometimes personally, I think way too much fuss is made
about it all. I don't imagine Manet, Toulesse or others sitting around
discussing pigments nearly as much as we moderns do. I think we are more
insecure about our meaning of existence, and what having done our works
will amount to for history's sake. Seeking immortality.
Oh...I'm not a clod, or bull in a China shop. I try to do my very best
with what ever I put my hands to....just that I might be more content with
providence and what comes my way. The Cotman kit fits well in my pocket as
well...and seems to work quite well. My sketches and two quick watercolor
samples at WetCanvas.Com were with Cotman. I wouldn't turn down a gift of
a $75 kit, that's for sure!
In fact...I discovered yesterday with my students that simply taking a
small amount of Crayola tempera the size of a dime, and adding
water...applying them like watercolors, produced a final image that could
pass for a watercolor.
Now...for me that means greatly increasing my classroom budget for
watercolor pans in the volume needed in school is very expensive, and I've
had to go without other things because of it.
Put on a good rag paper and kept out of sunlight, I see no reason they
couldn't last as long as "cheap" watercolors.
Now....if I didn't paint in oils and in acrylics....and IF watercolor were
my one and only medium, perhaps I would feel much differently. So take
that into consideration. Perhaps then I'd even visit the countries and
companies where they were made, do a background check on quality control,
etc! <smile>
Larry
Larry Seiler
Artist's Site- http://cwinc.net/larryseiler
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Gallery/S/Larry_Seiler/index.html
http://www.artistnation.com/members/lofts/lseiler/
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress
depends on the unreasonable man." George Bernard Shaw
Larry Seiler
--
> spontaneity of sketches and consider them every bit as informative and
> enjoyable to view as finished pieces (albeit for different reasons).
thanks much Tom....very kind. I've responded to Marilyn, and am sure some
may protest my lack of REAL concern about certain brands.
I believe if all Michaelangelo had was a chunk of charcoal, he could have
created aesthetic genuis on the side of a wall.
This final statement is one that artist and now deceased Paul Strisik had
made, and I like it.
peace,
Larry
Marilyn
> > W&N do produce a kit for outdoors, with pans but it is very expensive.
> > You might try the Schmincke outdoor set which I bought for about $75.
>
> I'll have to look into this myself, thanks Marilyn
>
> > Cotman are really student grade and even then I wouldn't wish them on my
> > students.
>
> Well...I believe I could do a pretty good picture from old coffee that sat
> around for a long time, perhaps even add some stain from melted snow and
> wet ash soot.
Agreed, my daughter is teaching students right now to draw with sticks, Chinese
inkand cardboard and to make a real mess.
But if you want colour, you need pigment, and cheap paint has much
less pigment. It's like buying cheap coffee, you need much more of it.
And as you know, being a plein-air artist, when you are out in the
field you don't want to waste time, messing around trying to squeeze
colour out of cheap cakes of paint.
Looking forward to checking out your site.
Marilyn
Larry Seiler
> field you don't want to waste time, messing around trying to squeeze
> colour out of cheap cakes of paint.
good point!
I've been satisfied with what my Cotman has given me...maybe I need some
expensive cakes to compare them with. After my socks are blown away, I'll
no doubt appreciate even more what you are saying here!
take care