Leaning into imperfection

I haven’t been able to get into my studio this last week so my art practice has continued in my sketchbooks, some working from life, some from reference photos.

For I while now I haven’t been enjoying my go to process of ink line and watercolour wash.

It’s taken a while to figure out what has been going on. I think, it’s that ink allows for precision and tends to lead me down the road seeking perfectionism. I can get caught up in straight lines, exact perspective, “correct” colours and repetition of the same lines and the same swatches of colour. It can lead my art to be a bit lifeless and boring.

It’s also so far away from my atmospheric light filled paintings that I find it difficult to see sketching and painting as part of the same art process at all. Yet I long to be able to sketch in order to inform my paintings. I enjoy painting outdoors but sometimes, I’d like to be able to sketch instead and most importantly for the language of sketching to share meaning with the language of paint, to be able to translate between the two.

But, where to start? Mixed media work looks enticing but it’s a little overwhelming so I have begun with watercolour and water coloured pencil. My pencil lines are more interesting than my ink ones for a start and the two media allow for a play of blocks of colour and line work that don’t lead me into the trap of perfectionism.

I’ve also been trying gouache. I’ve tried before and I would like to persist as it is often viewed as a travel friendly medium for oil painters. Of all the media I have tried, it’s probably the most difficult as it neither flows like watercolour nor blends like oils. My colour mixing seems quite crude and I haven’t figured out the brushwork yet.

I’m a long way off being able to use my sketches as references for studio paintings. However, I am enjoying the play and the exploration that a regular sketching practice has to offer. For now, I will continue with my efforts and hope for the day when these two disciplines meet in the centre of the Venn diagram!

(c) Helen Grimbleby 2026

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