Playful abstraction

Experiment with colours and shapes

Last week we looked at counterchange, the way light and dark shapes define each other. That was a technical exercise, useful for giving structure to landscapes and objects.

Today we’re doing something more playful and experimental - abstraction.

Abstraction is less about subjects and more about what paint itself can do. Think shapes, colours, rhythm and balance rather than trees, houses or waves.

You start with shapes and colour, see how they sit together, then add a few lines or marks to give a hint of structure.

The fun is in discovering unexpected patterns and moods without worrying about whether it looks “right”.

Exercise

The work of Dolores Phelps has inspired this week’s exercises. More about Dolores in the Artist Profile below.

• Pick 3 colours. This is a great excuse to try pigments you don’t often use, or test out new ones. I’ve been playing with a few fresh Daniel Smith colours, and this is the perfect way to see what they can do

• Wet the top half of your paper with clean water

• Use a flat brush and paint vertical marks starting on the dry part and then paint into the wet part. Use a strong mix with mostly pigment (butter consistency)

• Once dry, add detail with a pen, or scratch into the paper just before it dries for some lovely textured lines

• Do it again with horizontal marks. The effect naturally leans towards landscapes or reflections on water.

Examples

Trees: Vertical lines starting in the dry part, then dragging up. Just before it dries scratching out some trees (or any other marks)

Landscape: I wet the lower part of the paper and made horizontal marks. I let the blue and red run down the page

Both example videos are below.

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Why

• let go of painting things “accurately” and instead respond to paint, water and paper

• Surprising textures and patterns often appear when you don’t overthink, and those discoveries can be borrowed back into more realistic work

• A few shapes and lines can suggest a forest, a street, or pure atmosphere—you start to see how little you need to say a lot

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Let it flow,
Patrick

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Next up:

• Video demos of the examples, plus a bonus example

• Master artist profile

• Ideas how to practice this further