I like to work in watercolor, with as little under-drawing as I can get away with. I like the unpredictability of a medium which is affected as much by humidity, gravity, the way that heavier particles in the wash settle into the undulations of the paper surface, as by whatever I wish to do with it. In other mediums you have more control, you are responsible for every mark on the page – but with watercolor you are in a dialogue with the paint, it responds to you and you respond to it in turn. Printmaking is also like this, it has an unpredictable element. This encourages an intuitive response, a spontaneity which allows magic to happen on the page. When I begin an illustration, I usually work up from small sketches – which indicate in a simple way something of the atmosphere or dynamics of an illustration; then I do drawings on a larger scale supported by studies from models – usually friends – if figures play a large part in the picture. When I've reached a stage where the drawing looks good enough I'll transfer it to watercolor paper, but I like to leave as much unresolved as possible before starting to put on washes. This allows for an interaction with the medium itself, a dialogue between me and the paint. Otherwise it is too much like painting by number, or a one-sided conversation. Alan Lee
About This Quote

The primary goal of any artist is to create something which is beautiful and right. The way an artist approaches this goal is unique to each person. Some artists like to work on a small scale, some like to work on a large scale. Some prefer to work in watercolor, while others prefer using other materials like oil or acrylics.

Whatever the style of art that an artist prefers, they often become enthralled with the unpredictability of the medium itself. Many artists choose to work on a large scale, so they can leave more room for themselves in their finished piece of art. While some artists might not get as much enjoyment out of working on a larger scale, they do get the chance to try out different techniques and learn more about how certain mediums interact with one another.

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More Quotes By Alan Lee
  1. I like to work in watercolor, with as little under-drawing as I can get away with. I like the unpredictability of a medium which is affected as much by humidity, gravity, the way that heavier particles in the wash settle into the undulations of the...
  2. I've been strongly influenced, in technique as well as subject matter, by some of the early 20th-century book illustrators – Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac in particular, Burne-Jones and other Pre-Raphaelites, and the Arts-&-Crafts movement they engendered. I'm continually inspired by Rembrandt, Breughel (I've wondered...
  3. When I draw something, I try to build some kind of history into it. Drawing an object that has a certain amount of wear and tear or rust; or a tree that is damaged. I love trying to render not just the object, but what...
  4. I keep drawing the trees, the rocks, the river, I'm still learning how to see them; I'm still discovering how to render their forms. I will spend a lifetime doing that. Maybe someday I'll get it right.
  5. I spend as much time as I can sketching from nature, Dartmoor contains such a rich variety of landscape, as many boulders, foaming rivers and twisted trees as my heart could ever desire.. .. When I look into a river, I feel I could spend...
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