Talking while Drawing

Sketching vs watercoloring

Interviewer: Can you explain why you feel comfortable talking while sketching with a pencil but not while painting with watercolor?

Stanley: Yes, it's something I've thought about. Pencil and paint, watercolors, that is, are different media. 

Interviewer: Different strokes for different folks?

Can talk...

Stanley: Not different folks. It’s media-driven. In sketching you can pause and in watercoloring you can’t. With pencil I can
stop and resume without losing the flow. With watercolor, once the paint is on the paper, you can’t correct easily.

Interviewer: So technicalities govern the workflow?

Stanley: There are techniques requiring close attention, like wet-on-wet, dry brush, and layering.

Interviewer: Is there anything in the way the two media make you feel?

Can't talk...

Stanley: Oh yes. Sketching is more casual. With painting it feels more intimate, almost like a dialogue between me and the canvas. So talking is like another person interrupting the conversation.

________

Voice-over

When sketching with a pencil mistakes can be erased easily and you can pick up where you left off. Watercolor painting requires adaptability and embracing imperfections. In other words, knowing when to control and when to let go, to anticipate how the paint will behave while also allowing for serendipitous effects.