Jessica is Copying Wendy and Jeanette

Thanks to Wendy and Jeanette for your Question posts. If you've already asked this in the past, I'm sorry for taking your question!

Today I was thinking about art and how writing compares. That's another post.

For this one, I was wondering about all of you. What medium for a painting would you choose? Watercolor, acrylic or oil?

What would your main character choose? Why, and what do you think this preferences says about you or your character?

Comments

Tabitha Bird said…
I am my main character (memoir) so I would chose acrylic. Watercolor is very hard to work with and oil is a pain to clean up after :)
April 28, 2010 at 7:41 AM
Wendy Paine Miller said…
Your title cracked me up! I must say reading this I realized how little I know about art.

I'll go with watercolor for me b/c I like anything with the word water in it.

And for the MC in my WIP...oil. She's interested in art, but it's the last thing on her mind right now.

~ Wendy
April 28, 2010 at 8:16 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Tabitha, oil is def. a pain to clean up, but I love the smell and textures of it. So you're an acrylic girl. *grin* Interesting....

Wendy, watercolors are so pretty and kind of ephemeral, fragile almost. I think that makes sense for you.
Sounds like you're putting your heroine through the ringer. :-) Good for you!
April 28, 2010 at 8:48 AM
Erica Vetsch said…
I'd have to choose acrylics for a few reasons:

1. when I try watercolors I always use too much water and the colors run into a puddle in the middle.

2. Turpentine...ick.

3. One of my favorite books is To The Hilt by Dick Francis, and the hero, Alexander Kinloch, is an artist who loves working with acrylics. He maintained that Da Vinci and Michaelangelo would've delightedly grabbed for the acrylics if they had been available.

I figure if it's good enough for Kinloch and Da Vinci, it's good enough for me. :)

Fun stuff today, Jessica!
April 28, 2010 at 10:10 AM
Unknown said…
My main character is an artist - so this is perfect. She would choose watercolors. She thinks they're soothing and likes not having to rush while working.
April 28, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Tana said…
I do paint and although it's been a while since I picked up a brush I would still gravitate towards acrylics.
April 28, 2010 at 11:13 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Erica! I think I'd have the same problem with watercolors. Turpentine isn't so bad though, imo.
Interesting info about acrylics. You're probably right. :-)

Julie, I totally forgot about how fast acrylics dry. Watercolors do have a soothing thing to them. Your heroine sounds great, too!
April 28, 2010 at 11:13 AM
patti said…
Oil ALL THE WAY! LOVE the depth you can create with it and the fact that you don't have to cover it with glass!!!

GREAT ?.

P
April 28, 2010 at 11:34 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
T. Anne, you paint? That's awesome.

Patti, for the same reasons, and more, I love oils. :-)
April 28, 2010 at 11:36 AM
Keli Gwyn said…
I'm not an artist and neither are any of my characters so far. I love the look of watercolors, so I'd pick that medium for that reason.
April 28, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Susan J. Reinhardt said…
Hi Jess -

LOL! You're asking someone who can't draw a decent stick figure. I've done a lot of prep work for crafts using acrylics. My friend did the fancy stuff.

My MC is more of a gardening, children's crafts type. If I did give her a talent for painting, she'd probably use acrylics.

Blessings,
Susan :)
April 28, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Keli, I'm not surprised you like them watercolors. I think there's a dreamlike element to them. :-)

Susan, LOL! But at least you can do crafts! Many people, including myself, are horrible at crafts. Acrylics for you, huh? :-)
April 28, 2010 at 12:36 PM
anita said…
Oh, wow! What a timely post, Jessie! As you know, the hero in my YA is an artist, and he paints using watercolors. I never questioned why, but making myself figure out the answer is helping me become better acquainted with young Mr. Jebadiah. So thanks for that!

Ummm. I'll have to get back to you on the answer. In fact, you might've inspired a scene between him and Alyssa where she asks him that very question. Heh.

Thanks! ;-)
April 28, 2010 at 3:08 PM
Julie Dao said…
My character and I would both choose watercolors :) There's something so calming and gentle about a watercolor painting where all the shades blend together seamlessly - a wash of color over the canvas :) Not sure what that says about me though!
April 28, 2010 at 3:34 PM
Karen Hossink said…
Well, I'm thinking tempra. Because it cleans up easily! LOL
And my 'characters' only get tempra. When they're grown up and living on their own, if they want to experiment with the others - on their own carpeting! - that's fine with me.
But for now?
It needs to clean up easily.
*grin*
April 28, 2010 at 8:11 PM
Terri Tiffany said…
My MC wouldn't paint--she played softball! So I think I would choose acrylics--but not sure what it is!
April 28, 2010 at 8:15 PM
Sherrinda Ketchersid said…
I love the freedom of watercolor, where the colors swirl and pool. And that is what my main character wants...freedom. Freedom to choose her path instead of it being forced on her. FREEDOM!!!!! :)
April 28, 2010 at 10:04 PM
Mary E Campbell said…
I would probably be more apt to use water color, but my MC if she painted would use oil since she lives in the 15th century.
April 29, 2010 at 10:35 AM
CMOM Productions said…
When I paint a picture, although it's been a while, I generally use watercolors. I've always loved watercolors. :)
April 29, 2010 at 11:34 AM
Natalie said…
Mine would definitely use watercolor or acrylic, because they're kids and oil paints are a little messy and dangerous. I would choose oil. There's just so much more depth in an oil painting.
April 29, 2010 at 12:05 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Finally! Someone who wants oil.
:-) I'm with you Natalie. I love oils! They're so rich and deep *happy sigh*

Melinda, thanks for stopping by. Watercolors are peaceful. ;-) So you paint? How cool!

Mary, wow, you're writing a historical! That's not medieval times though, right? That's not a time period I'm too familiar with. Sounds interesting!
April 29, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Nancy J. Parra said…
Hi- Great Question! I would choose oil. I like how you can build it up and give it texture. My current heroine isn't into art. lol :)

Cheers~
April 29, 2010 at 12:50 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Terri! I'm not sure what they are either, even though my best friend used them. They're not watercolors but they're not oils. They dry fast and you can creat almost photo-like paintings with them.

Sherrinda, I'm picking up on a Braveheart thing here... :-) Actually, what an intriguing comment. I've been associating watercolors with peace, serenity, fragility, etc, but you see them as freedom.
Hmmmm..... :-)
April 29, 2010 at 12:50 PM
Rita Gerlach said…
Since I write historicals, my characters would choose watercolors. They were cheaper than oils. Oils were pretty much reserved for artists like Gainsborough for portrait painting.

There is another kind of watercolor paint that is fabulous called gouache. My husband has painted birds with gouache on watercolor paper and they are gorgeous.

Rita
April 29, 2010 at 1:20 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Rita, thanks so much for sharing that historical info. I didn't know that.
That's very cool that your husband paints! Sounds lovely.
April 29, 2010 at 1:23 PM
Deb Shucka said…
Like Tab, I'm my own main character so I would be choosing oil. But the kind used to paint barns and fences.
April 29, 2010 at 2:14 PM
Jeanette Levellie said…
Wow, thanks for copying my idea--you are the bomb, Jessica!

I love watercolor. The way the pain flows onto the canvas, the contrast of bright and muted tones mixed to capture emotion, and of course, water.

Thanks for asking!
April 30, 2010 at 9:05 AM
Nancy said…
I used to do and still love watercolors. It is their imperfection that I like. When I do them, it's the unknown that is exciting. Whar will the water do to the colors? You just watch and see. I love to see the colors run and pool. I love it when it all falls right into the place you want it.
April 30, 2010 at 10:05 AM
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