I ripped my painting - reset your mind [Tips Tuesday]

[@Cafewatercolor]

Have you had a similar experience? Let me know! =)

[@phyllisbaird2423]

Oh yes I have, thought it was just me. So glad I’m not alone.

[@laxmichawla]

All the time, and I have ripped many paintings like you did. I once painted a cardinal 5 times lol

[@joz3568]

As one reset mind, and has different conditions, such as mood, setting, or time etc, even paint the old same scene, it would be very different. Usually we expect better, and it will turn out better.

[@Potato-v1t]

Hahaha allll the time!!! Except i take a couple of pics befote i tear it so that i can compare later 😆

[@vintageartbyshilajit7311]

Yeah I had the similar experience

[@erickeller162]

I'm learning too, but I don't discard my failed paintings. I collect them and date them all, fail or success. In the future I will be able to look back on how it used to be and hopefully I will have grown.

[@delyta.]

I totally agree. Every painting I've scrapped was one that I've at least learned something from. I've kept a few of my beginner paintings though, just to see some progression.

[@purity2706]

I have done the same. I never throw expensive paper away. If I can't reuse it for its original purpose, I recycle it for mixed media and even textile designs. In this day and time, especially when it comes to either 100% Cotton fiber or rag paper (which just keeps going up due to limited resources) I find a way to reuse it.

[@delyta.]

Sounds less wasteful. I'll use the other side of the paper sometimes to test out different techniques, but I've not ventured into mixed media yet.

[@artandtheartist7804]

You're right. It helps to know our progress.

[@ychandra22]

Simplicity is your best part of painting. I really love to see you with brush and colour. Lovely artwork. Thank you

[@SC4RArt]

Astonishing painting!!! So inspiring!!! 😲😲😲

[@catzrulez910]

I also tend to "scrap" a painting that I'm not very satisfied with. But instead of throwing the painting away, I use the back of the paper which is still blank, as my "swatch/test paper" when i make other paintings :)

[@artandtheartist7804]

Yeah even i do that

[@julianneboger3688]

Thank you so much for the permission to tear up my paintings that don't work. And turning around the feeling of despair to one of possibility. I love learning and analyzing what went wrong and how to fix it. While remembering it is a journey and love myself in the process. You are a good teacher. Thank you for the inspiring videos.

[@Pugs25]

Thankyou Eric!. I agree. Many of my first attempt are not too my satisfaction but as you rightly say... it's a learning process. I must force myself to redo it rather than moving to something else. Thanks a million. You're a good tutor!

[@barbaragemin5117]

You’re right Eric. I always know why I don’t like a painting ; maybe not straight away but after I’ve looked at it carefully and then gone back to look again. Then I see the faults and I’ve learned yet another little thing to do or not to do. Ripping it up is sometimes liberating. Hahah.

[@ewakozyra8081]

I really like the light in your painting: The foreground grassy part and the background hazy mountains. I don't like the contrasts in the houses so much. The lighter parts in your painting are nicely varied but the dark in the buildings seems just very dark and monotonous for me. I'm not an artist though, just like to watch others sweat it out. Great channel, thank you for your work! I subscribed :)

[@Wal48]

Thank you for this. It’s easy to feel discouraged when things don’t work out the way you wanted and great to know you have the same experience. I have a lot of paintings that don’t make it and turn them over for practice sheets or to trial colour mixes or even as a palette.

[@elkebehrens7707]

We all make fails from time to time and we can grow up and learn.I recycle my painting fails.I use them for art journaling or cardmaking,make cutouts from nice colourranging or nice parts of the picure.Thanks for sharing your fail.

[@simpleshoes]

I don’t rip them up, but slicing them into bookmarks works pretty good and they each look better than the whole did. 😁

[@barbarawilliams7012]

During lockdown my concentration has been impaired so I started doing miniature (2.5 ins) landscapes of our wonderful local English Lake District. Those that work get mounted in aperture cards, I use the back of failures for value studies or colour testing. I find this really helps me to simplify scenes and, as I have not invested a lot of time or materials I have everything to gain and little to lose by having another go and trying to improve.

[@paulaverger4129]

You are a great teacher. I learn so much from your examples.

[@laradunwell7417]

Thanks for sharing your thought process so freely. I am very new to painting and often find myself discouraged by the first wash and marks .. yet if I continue I often like the end result. Hearing how you make choices about your painting really helps me.

[@devjawaji]

Eric I always love your work. I work with Oil and yes I too keep looking my paintings from distance and keep working on it until I am satisfied. Many a times I rework full painting. But I learn a lot and my next work reflects that learning. Thanks for your lovely video.

[@SpottedOtter7]

I LOVE this! This 2nd one is so pretty and it is indeed better than the first. I so often am cast down by lousy painting. Thanks for letting us know you too have similar experiences.

[@tericarter2886]

I totally agree I do the same --embrace the learning

[@tericarter2886]

by the way I love the added shadow --it really made a big difference imo

[@debrarozin9940]

REally enjoyed this video. Thanks for sharing successes and "failures"

[@genemccarthy2847]

Thank you Eric. You have been very helpful. I remain you loyal fan.

[@Cafewatercolor]

Thank you ^^

[@LockheartNails]

I love that you kept the live stream up! It’s nice seeing a video of a painting you didn’t like and fixing them in another video. It gives learners the opportunity to see what you see, and what could be added or changed!

[@silviasunesen7649]

I agree that ripping them apart is a wonderful way of letting the disappointment and negative emotion go. This frees me up to improve on the next attempt.

[@Bolinhadeacucar]

I love your paintings and you are quite inspiring... Thank you so much for your sharings and advices...

[@Cafewatercolor]

Raquel Marques thank you so much ☺️

[@marinoonan3666]

I heard that writing a diary of your dark times & to rip or burn them gives a closure to the past. It’s like a ritual for one to move on... So now l know should do it with my art works too ! (Rather than sighing over the failed works..lol) Thanks Eric !

[@alisonkent5902]

Thanks for sharing, Eric. Loved the process.

[@425chang]

Thank you. Always learn from you.

[@BarbrajoanOriginals]

I do like this one. I rarely rip up a painting, but I’ve done it if I know there’s no help for it. Most of them are sort of mediocre, not bad enough to rip, but not good enough to put out there. Thanks Eric. 😄

[@sallyfinch540]

Fantastic!

[@pattimintun5984]

I really liked the difference in light on this one..it feels like late afternoon and is much warmer, to me. Thank you.

[@reenasatish8800]

Thanks for encouraging

[@theonelifejourney_mrjj]

Thanks Eric!! You are my watercolor and English teacher. And I love your voice that make me feel so healing. I usually watching your channel before go to bed. ^-^

[@lauraellis5741]

Thank you! I do try to paint new things and end up painting them multiple times. I'm excited that its not just an amateur move. I admire your confidence with wet on wet. Im glad I discovered your videos. Of course I am also excited that you are living in PNW, where I grew up.

[@theresarowe1656]

I appreciated seeing your process for improving.

[@naseememan]

This is almost the same view from my son’s house balcony, smile 😊, I have the feeling I can tush the mountain 🏔. Thanks, I will paint 🎨 this, with your guiding points.

[@TheLeahsKitchen]

I have ripped up some failed paintings, because I cant bear to look at them they are so bad. But I have also kept others which I come back to much later and improve on them as I learn more.

[@phyllisbaird2423]

I like the light of this painting. Thank you

[@robmcshane6907]

Great how you keep it real, Eric. Just having the same problem today as first wash dried too dark so, following your lead, I feel much happier to finish off as best as possible (want to use a technique on the trees so can practise that) then will do the painting again....working with the colours to improve the wash and thus the feeling/atmosphere of the piece. Thanks mate

[@ARTYCOATY]

Perfect painting‼︎ So beautiful‼︎ Stay connected and stay safe.

[@artistcdelights0931]

Amazing.

[@hanna8512]

Very timely! I just ripped mine apart. Thank you.

[@Cafewatercolor]

Hanna Moon its ok 🤗 let’s keep going

[@Marilynnr53]

Very nice

[@naseememan]

👋 hi hi, it’s now that I dare to paint 🎨 this mountain seen : I dare to paint 🎨 , the view from my son’s house, and his red 🚘, thanks sooo much

[@rosew6763]

Looks stunning!

[@manohardatar]

Nice

[@guillermomorales3503]

👍👏

[@carmenbriones8040]

My name is Carmen, I live in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Gracias for being so honest!!!

[@purity2706]

Why waste the paper? Recycle it by overpainting it with Daniel Smith watercolor grounds. The product works great and comes in titanium white, metallic gold, and pearl white. QOR also make a natural watercolor ground. These products were especially developed for watercolors. And sometimes I use Art Spectrums colored smooth grounds (normally used by pastel artists, but comes in twenty colors). All the grounds I've mentioned are acrylic emulsions specifically developed for watercolors and other fluid mediums. I have found that painting on a colored ground often adds interest and sparkle to the subject. (Hint- don't use your expensive brushes until you get used to application, and definitely don't use any marker media!) That all being said, very nice redo!!

[@FoamySlobbers]

LOL absurd. I apologize for him Eric.

[@purity2706]

@@FoamySlobbers I am a "she" and I meant no disrespect to Eric, in fact, I love his work and follow him faithfully. Besides, many great artists have overpainted and redone their work (Michaelangelo? Picasso?). There is no shame in reusing materials. You on the other hand? No respect for others at all.

[@q8asami]

​@@purity2706 since it was cotton paper to begin with, he can simply paint on the other side of it if he wanted to reuse it, which i'm guessing he will, since he ripped it in a perfectly clean shape, watercolor grounds are good but it doesnt feel and behave like cotton paper so some people dont like using it, and its def more expensive than buying a new pad of paper, the ground is usually used on surfaces that dont usually accept watercolor, tho, that kind of thing can easily be omitted as "preference" on another note, the only reason he may not use the full size of the paper is that he probably wont sell a painting that has yet another painting on the other side. hence making the ripped pieces perfect for either color testing or small study paintings. trust me, no artist with one with perfectly good paper will throw it away, they will def use it somehow. that's just how artists are in most cases, we're talking about eric who used a yogurt cup to hold his water for the longest time haha.

[@Cafewatercolor]

Thanks guys. Hey no worries, I usually pain on the back to test something out. I think in this case I rip it just to get in to the mindset of rest

[@purity2706]

@@q8asami I agree, I use the backs of my rejects all the time, although depending on the mould and maker used to press the paper, texture is different from front to back. But since Eric is a teacher, and he didn't mention (at least, not that I heard) about how he uses his rejects, I felt it was a teaching moment. Oh, well, I've been painting for over 48 years (although bigger stuff like scenic painting) so what do I know? I'm always learning. Hope I never stop. Thanks for your cordial explanation.

[@maureenbainbrigge860]

So far I have kept most of my paintings but I will admit that some of them niggle at me. Perhaps it would be better to scrap them (or use the other side) so that I am not constantly reminded of my mistakes.

[@sharonmcmichael4690]

Sometimes I crop and like it better

[@sherrylee6719]

I haven't painted one painting I'm happy with and I've been painting for a couple of years. I'm starting to think it's not for me.

[@freabisch]

I am new to your channel and I really want to know what is your over all art style?

[@weill6872]

Liked the previous painting but this one has more dept

[@ronnipaints6128]

Your a cool cat.

[@madhursrivastav]

Yes, but I paint on the other side...

[@TheDkdubey]

Your tips and techniques are good with explanations, But you ve to go a long way while painting, your painting does not look fresh, lots of rebrushing makes them dull.