All you need is love ... and a lot of practice!
by Dana Jackson
Min Kims watercolour workshop was a wonderfully refreshing heart and eye opener for me. Such a different approach to painting! The first part of the course focused on coming to grips with a simple teardrop/fish-shaped brush stroke.
Working on an easel, Min demonstrated how the stroke movement should come from the shoulder, with wrist and elbow more or less fixed. Then we took those strokes a step further, practising variations in tonal strength from tea to coffee to butter and on through different colour ranges. Min advised us to make notes of where we felt we could improve, so we could actively do something about it. If we dont work on our mistakes as we progress, our painting will never grow. Min helped me and others by individually guiding our arm movements, allowing us to feel the gentleness and pressures of the stroke required. Practice is crucial. Through it comes a steady hand and a remembered confidence and skill.
Before picking up the brush though, Min believes that like an actor, it is critical to get into persona. The artists inside energy is all important. And this is where the love kicks in. You need to be in love with your subject, training your heart and your hand. Even to the point that it is sexy! That caused a giggle or two! Be it an apple or a conductor you are painting, you need to be in love with it, excited, focused, relaxed and happy. No worries. No stress. Take a risk. Slow down. Enjoy the movements. When Min paints she feels she is an eagle, not a fantail! Let your feelings guide you. Make your own music and your own colours. Paint with a soft heart. Also remember that you are painting light rather than the object. Plus, dont forget to have a warm-up first.
Our challenge was to paint Mr Muti, a renowned Italian conductor. As preliminary guidance, Min broke down the human body into basic shapes. When she begins a painting, Min goes straight in with soft tea value tones. No drawing. It was like watching someone thoughtfully create a sculpture from the white paper. What started as simple pale little triangles for eyes and nose quickly became stunningly credible. Mins calm presence and skills moved through her five little super brain fingers to gently create an artwork with powerful mood and depth. One big mistake she feels artists can make, is believing 100% in the photo reference. If you apply your own feelings, then that is the real thing.
Another funny moment was when she stopped the whole class and announced a $50 fine if we made any negative comments about our own work. As well as loving our object, we must love ourselves and be happy in ourselves. Im sure we all felt instantly uplifted with all the negativity evaporating after that wake-up call!
Art is magic and Min has certainly mastered the art of illusion. On top of this, she is able to convey what she knows so graciously and freely! As well as an art workshop, I feel I have benefitted from 2 days of uplifting positivity.
Thanks Min and Watercolour New Zealand for persevering through these Covid times and allowing it all to happen.
Review of workshop Power of Tone with tutor Min Kim
Mins workshop refreshed my love of watercolour and inspired me to a new approach. She emphasised the need to develop a clear concept of tone along with the habit of painting from the shoulder and learning to make brush strokes with perfect pressure practicing five hours daily will help with that, she says! She recommends avoiding impairing your hands by the use of hammering tools, which counts me out!
Her image design always includes the four seasons hot to cold and the full range of paint consistency, generally 50% tea, 40% coffee and 10% butter. Her brand of paints, Shinhan, offers the vibrant pigments that we see in her works and, interestingly, she advises selecting a personal colour, otherwise the painting is anyones.
We were charmed to watch Min painting. She becomes engrossed in passion for her subject. She paints with the freedom and control of experience, drawing with the brush, letting the water play and the picture evolve.
Tea, Coffee and Butter tones
by SUDHA SHENOY
Fifteen Watercolour NZ members gathered enthusiastically round a very inspirational artist from Christchurch, Min Kim, who paints vibrant watercolours. It was a full-on weekend focusing on tones. On the first day we started by learning about Tea, Coffee and Butter tones. Tea tone is light (10% pigment + 90% water); Coffee tone is 50% pigment + 50% water; Butter tone is opaque and thick comprising 90% pigment + 10% water. Tones add depth and character to a painting.
They create space, mood and atmosphere. For a couple of hours we practised painting shapes using different pressure on the long-handled brush to produce dolphin-shaped strokes. We were standing at the easel rather than sitting and concentrating on using the whole arm movement to paint freely.
The aim was to not fiddle with details, but to capture the movement. Mins advice was paint like a child - free and messy. We practiced tones using different colours - a range of blue tones, followed by green, red, yellow tones and then the entire colour wheel.
Min described painting as a pressure art where each finger needs to move, varying the pressure. She also stressed the importance of keeping your colours clean and being aware of complementary colours, bridging colours and not getting muddy with colour mixing. On the second day we watched Min paint Kingfisher and Wax-eye perched on a cherry blossom tree. It was fascinating to watch the painting coming alive. We then had the opportunity to paint our choice of bird - Kingfisher, Wax-eye or Tui.
The important messages from this session were:
Practise, practise, practise. Paint every day. Paint freely.
Be positive about your painting. Paint with your own style rather than following a recipe.
Keep your colours fresh. Know Warm and Cool and Bridging colours.
Thank you Min Kim for a weekend of inspiration.
