ArtistsNetwork.com 25I’ll do a contour drawing on a larger
piece of watercolor paper.”
Th is fi nal drawing serves as a simple
outline for placing some of the main
elements. “It’s not too complicated,
as I prefer to save the energy for the
painting,” Popadics says. “If I draw
too much, I become a ‘fi ller-inner’
when I paint.”
Keeping an Even Touch
Once the drawing is complete,
Popadics is ready to paint. “I generally
start with the lightest area in the
painting, usually the sky,” he says.
“I soak the entire sheet of paper
with water and use a wet-into-wet
technique. I really want to dazzle the
viewer with this—to make it appear
easy, as if created by happenstance.”
Once the sky is working to his
satisfaction, the artist turns his
attention to the other parts of the
painting. “Next, I mass in the ele-
ments of the landscape,” he says.
“After all of the paper is covered,
I’ll mass in the shadows. I’m able to
judge my values better—and I’m less
likely to overwork the painting—if all
of the white paper is covered. I don’t
want my watercolor to look labored
and muddy, so I try not to do too
many layers—just the local color, its
shadow and the darkest accent. I may
intentionally leave a small part of my
picture a little underdone and let
the frame fi nish the work.”
Although watercolor is usually a
speedy medium, Popadics takes his
time when completing his paintings.Tips for
Beginners.
“Drawing is really important
for the beginner; draw as
much as you can. Making
art is a numbers game; the
more you make, the better
you get. There’s an old
saying in painting:
‘It takes a hundred
to make one proper.’
“I really believe that’s true.
Keep your initial expectations
realistic; if there’s one little
section of the watercolor
that turned out well, consider
it a tremendous success.”
—Joel Popadics