Steve Griggs
Loose Watercolor Artist
Loose watercolor painting creates such moving and evocative art that people respond to it with quite a bit of emotion. It is a fun and powerful way to connect art and humanity. I don’t strive to paint static scenes, I seek to paint in a way that evokes feeling or memory in the viewer. One of the most satisfying aspects of my career as an artist has been sharing my love of loose watercolor painting with other artists, teaching my techniques, and encouraging those students to employ those strategies in their own art to find their artistic voice.
I’ve painted for most of my life. I learned standard watercolor techniques to paint realist paintings, but I felt a call to push the limits, experiment, and challenge traditional methods. Although I have firmly established my loose watercolor techniques, I continue to try new things, experiment, and push the boundaries, always finding new things to add to my painting style.
Traditional watercolor methods teach artists how to control watercolor paint, but I prefer not to try and control the paint. Watercolor is free spirited and when allowed to be free, the results can be beautiful, moving, and quite evocative. I like to think of it as becoming friends with the paint and, rather than trying to control it, learning to work with it to achieve lively and energetic paintings.
My video lessons begin with the basics of learning to see shapes rather than objects, understanding value and tone, and applying standard watercolor techniques. From there, the lessons build as we explore loose watercolor methods that you can apply to your own painting style. This is just the beginning! I’m open to suggestions for future loose watercolor painting videos.
If we haven’t yet covered a topic you’d like to see let us know and we’ll add it to the list Thanks! Send us an email
Materials
Steven Griggs Materials List
Paintings by Steve Griggs
Introduction to Steve Griggs
Free Videos
SPECIAL EVENTS:
Permanent Core Silver Videos
Core Videos Permanently Added to the Silver Section
COMING SOON:
- Analyzing a scene to determine essential shapes
- Understanding the relationship between value and color
- Utilizing an ‘outside-in’ or ‘inside-out’ painting strategy
- Using color to enhance human figures in your painting
Silver Subscription Videos
Videos Added in the Past Three Months
COMING SOON:
- Analyzing a scene to determine essential shapes
- Understanding the relationship between value and color
- Utilizing an ‘outside-in’ or ‘inside-out’ painting strategy
- Using color to enhance human figures in your painting
GOLD SUBSCRIPTION VIDEOS
Archived Demos
Fundamentals of Loose Watercolor Painting
Understanding your materials and how they work together is essential to loose watercolor painting. Watercolor paint has a mind of its own. Creating paintings that have movement and emotion means forfeiting a certain amount of control. By understanding your materials and how those relate to painting methods, you can balance the tension between control and letting go. The videos in this section will help you understand how to marry your materials with your ideas, utilizing loose watercolor painting techniques that allow you to let go and paint freely, while at the same time maintaining the control you need to accomplish what you intend. It isn’t always easy, but I encourage you to keep working with the materials and techniques to discover your loose style!
Paintings by Steve Griggs
Understanding Shape
The great watercolor painter, Edgar Whitney, said we are collectors of shapes. Shape is the most fundamental dimension of any painting. Being able look at a scene and see shapes rather than ‘things’ is ultimately the most important way an artist thinks. The goal is to look at a scene as an artist, not as a copyist. When we develop the ability to see shapes instead of things, it frees us up to make decisions about how to use and integrate shapes in an artistic way. Those decisions give us an interesting way to tell a compelling story through loose watercolor painting.
Painting by Steve Griggs
Organizing the Page
Just as a writer uses various styles of poetry and prose to tell an effective story, the painter must also determine how to tell a story and keep the viewer interested. The way to do this is by intentionally organizing the page so that you communicate effectively and draw the viewer into the story. Once you know what format and composition you plan to use, you can move forward with applying your loose watercolor painting techniques.
Painting by Steve Griggs
Painting Dynamics
Developing Dynamic Paintings from Photo References
Creating a Painting
In each of these ‘Paint Along’ videos, you are invited to paint with me as I apply the lessons of fundamentals, shape, and organizing the page, to complete a finished painting.
Painting by Steve Griggs
