Two Steps Back

Yeah it is Friday!!!

This week has been good except for yesterday when I had a minor meltdown.

I have been learning so much from Will Kemp and his website and all his tips and I was ready to try another painting using some of the things that I have learned so far.

This is the photo that the lesson is based off of,

very pretty. 

So it first started when I tried to print it off and my printer wouldn't work.  No big deal I will just copy it off the computer.  My laptop is dying a slow death so this Christmas we got a new computer.  Yeah, fun, exciting but it is an all-in-one and not able to be carried around.  

SO,

I use my crappy laptop and take it upstairs to my area and proceed to follow Will's videos.  However, crappy laptop = doesn't play videos very well and keeps freezing up.  

After about 1/2 hour messing with that and a few choice words, it finally worked.

All is wonderful now I am painting, I am trying new things such as this,

setting a ground color.

I am used to painting on a stark white board and Will introduced me to this, which is great and makes total sense.

I can roll with this even though everything in my brain is telling me

 WHOA! Bright color that is NOT even in the photo!!!

I proceed with sketching the lines in and even started to add darker and lighter areas first and building on the painting.

 Again something that I kind of did, but not correctly, so this was all great!

Right? 

Wrong!

I started mixing colors and this is what did me in for the day.

Before I found this amazing site, I went out and purchased paint and some supplies, which was fine, but I didn't realize the importance of quality paint, believe me, it makes a difference.  My paints were thin, they wouldn't mix and the feel of them on the canvas was not smooth and flowy.  I felt like each time I mixed the paint, the paint actually disappeared!

I got here and ran out of one color that I mixed and there was no way in my state of mind that I could match that color again so I pouted, cried a bit and stopped.

A bit dramatic? 

Um, Yes 

Does it really make a difference in the grand scheme of things?

Nope, not really. 

Does it help me become a better painter? 

Yes it does.  

I have to remind myself that I am learning and part of learning is doing things wrong, in fact that is how I learn the best, I just need to keep reminding myself of thhat.  My new motto should be: 

"Keep Calm 

and 

Make Mistakes".

Anyway, I grabbed my little coupon to Michaels and went and picked up a few professional quality paints (in the colors that Will suggested I start with) that will help me a bit more and I can mix those with the basic paint to help.

I will try again this weekend.

*I am not being paid or given anything for mentioning Will's site, I really just love it that much and have learned so much from him already that if you are wanting to pick up that brush again, which I know some of you are, that you will wander over there and have a look-see. :)

I will leave you with a couple images of my drives to the lake this week and I hope you have a wonderful weekend and make some mistakes. (nothing too serious though)  :)