Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with Tim Wilmot, a fantastic artist and instructor from the U.K, for an interview. He has some great reminders for those of us who are newer to the medium, and I think you'll take away some inspiration from this conversation. 

Watch the video or read the transcript. 

Interview with Tim Wilmot, U.K. based watercolor artist 

When did you start painting watercolor?

I've been painting a watercolor my whole life, really - from the age of four. So it's a thing I've always done. Admittedly, some years more than others. I would say about 2009, I got into watercolor again more actively. Before then it had just been really sort of for sketching, maybe on a holiday, taking a sketchbook on a holiday to the odd sort of watercolor now and again. But actively, from 2009 onwards. 

What is it about watercolor specifically that excites you?

I haven't really dabbled too much in oil or acrylic. You think that if I started painting watercolor at four, surely I must have had exposure to other other painting mediums. But no, I just stuck with watercolors, so I really don't know a lot else other than watercolor.

I love the spontaneity of watercolor, the fact that you can produce a painting in a short space of time, the vibrancy of watercolors. When I'm doing plein air painting, I think it's a convenient painting medium. You have minimal equipment to to take with you to to carry. Yeah, it's a lovely medium. 

I think it's the true painting medium. When I go to exhibitions, and there's a plethora of oil painting and mixed media and watercolor is just like a sort of small minority. I think it's a shame really, because for me it is the true painting medium. 

It doesn't take any prisoners as we know. If you make a mistake, you can't easily correct it. But I love it and I would probably never, ever get to master it. But it's just a challenge of being presented with different subjects to paint. 

 As you know, I generally paint landscapes, seascapes, street scenes, that sort of thing. I don't do still life or portraits, but every scene is different, and I just love the challenge of trying to look at a scene and thinking, what watercolor techniques can I use to replicate the impression of that scene? Yeah, I love it. 

Have you always paint loosely or is that something that developed over time? 

It definitely developed over time. If you just see my work, my teenage years, it was quite tight and trying to replicate exactly what I saw. But it's definitely got looser over the years. And yes, I love playing on those contrasts, trying to trying to emphasize the contrast between the light values and the dark by putting them closer to each other as well, using using the appropriate sort of brush to get to get good brush marks, which I love in watercolor, that the, the, the appearance of those brush marks, whatever they be, dry brush marks and so on.

So getting the edges right. Yeah, it's definitely going, definitely going a little bit looser probably as time goes on, possibly a little bit more abstract, maybe maybe emphasized by the fact that I try and limit myself. I've got a short attention span, and I'm not the sort of person that could spend hours doing a painting. I want to try and capture that scene in maybe an hour and a half or 2 hours, tops.

Anything more than that, then? I just as I say, I just my concentration wanders and it's not my thing. 

If you had to start over tomorrow, what would you really focus on to see the most progress?

That's a really tough question. I would say if I was starting afresh, I would do my research. So use the Web, use YouTube to try and find those watercolor painters that you have some association with, who you like their style and then try and home in on their techniques, maybe take classes, you know, get some kind of initial instruction in that particular style.

But there are so many different types of watercolor painters out there. I think it's a case of trying to home in on the style that you've got some affinity with that you got some you relate to rather than trying to paint everything. I do see some painters who try and do too many different styles of painting and too many different types of subjects.

Maybe it'd be good just home in on a particular style and follow those artists that you love and you want to try and emulate their style, and just and just kind of take just an element of each artist and try to make it your own. Just try and develop your style over, over the coming months or years or whatever. 

So I think beginning watercolor artists should just try and take things easy, not expect too much from watercolor. If you are starting off with watercolor, you are starting with one of the more difficult mediums - but the most rewarding, I would say, being a bit prejudiced. But stick with it, and just just try to follow and study the painters that you love. 

What are the things that really catch your eye that make you feel like I've got to paint this scene?

I think it would be trying to - and it's a bit of intuition - trying to think what would adapt itself to watercolor, first of all. Secondly is interesting - do I have some kind of a connection with what I'm painting? I love painting things that I'm familiar with, maybe a place I've been to or seen a similar scene that I might have painted before.

So there is that element to it. Try to find a focal point. But there could be more than one focal point, and sometimes paintings won't have a focal point. I've seen some really good watercolor paintings that have no focal point whatsoever. 

 But generally speaking:

• a focal point,
• the lights and darks,
• sunny scenes,
• shadows,
• shapes,
• shapes of shadows,
• the high range of contrasts,
• exploring watercolor techniques, and
• utilizing soft and hard edges.

So those are the guiding principles, but mostly it is down to a connection with a scene - a place I've been to, something I'm familiar with, or a subject similar to one I've painted before. It’s really difficult for me to paint something if someone just gives me a scene right now or a photograph or a commission. I always find those really difficult to do because I just don't have that connection.   

What watercolor artists have you really looked up to along the way in your learning?

Contemporary artists would be the normal suspects:

• Alvaro Castagnet
• Joseph Zbukvic
• John Yardley
• John Pike
• Claude Buckle
• Russell Flint. 

They're all kind of loose painters I would say, and landscape painters predominantly. 

Do paint en plein air very often or do you mainly paint in a studio?  

I don't often have the chance to do plein air painting. I do have a full-time job - nothing to do with art. So, art is not my profession. But when I do have the chance, plein air painting is fantastic. 

I do a number of workshops throughout the year - I actually prefer calling them painting holidays -  where I am the tutor. This is normally a week of plein air painting, normally a couple of paintings a day. It's a fantastic experience to be exploring different places and painting different scenes in the UK. 

I also love to get out as much as I can during the summer with a couple of painting groups I'm a member of. We go to various locations around the southwest, the UK, typically little villages, lovely, pretty sort of UK villages and paint cottages or rural scenes.

But I love it. Yeah, you can't beat it really, it’s the ultimate painting experience. You're out in the fresh air, you're doing something you enjoy, invariably you are with other people. So there's the sort of social aspect of it as well, chatting and doing a bit of critiquing of each other when you've done your work.

If someone is interested in learning with you. Where would you direct them?

1. I've got my YouTube channel. 

2. Online workshops via the Crowdcast platform: crowdcast.io/@timwilmot.

3. I have a Patreon with about 250 members. They're watercolor painters of all different levels - some really, really top class watercolor painters, and some beginners. But we're all in it together and sharing knowledge and experience. We do monthly projects, a couple of online meetups every month as well, so that's quite an active thing going on to help you develop watercolor.

4. I also run painting holidays as well. If people want to venture further afield and travel internationally, then you might be tempted to come along to an overseas painting trip.  

Great! Is there anything else you'd like to mention about your art or watercolor in general? 

I would say with watercolor, don't take it too seriously. Enjoy it. 99.99% of us aren't going to be the top masters of this world. But let's just enjoy it and share our knowledge, share our experiences, and enjoy the journey.

Related Blogs:

A Conversation with Watercolor Artist, Thomas Schaller

A Conversation with Watercolor Artist, Andy Evansen