It's kind of funny to read that. It's a sort of rationalist's advice in that it seeks to match a consensus bell curve. Much of it is good advice but there are lots of exceptions that ought to be tweaked through subjective practice.
BTW here's a favorite little project.
Go to your local craft store and buy some tube watercolors in the hues you like.
Get an altoids tin and a lego flat base that fits inside of it. Flip the base upside down and put it inside.
Get some lego bricks, turn them upside down, use needlenose pliers to extract the circle part so there's room to squeeze in your paints. Use a twist-pull motion and it's easy to get those plastic bits out.
Squeeze in the paint, let each color form a mound at the top of the brick (this'll shrink), and put them outside to dry.
As you get new watercolor hues you like, add/subtract to the palette lego set.
With any extra room in the tin, fold up some paper towel or cut a sponge to fit.
(BTW if you plan to sketch outside, be careful about doing so in front of cars, or if you're sketching cars, use a large pad and not a small one. I've had a person go off on me for "writing tickets" in free parking zones when I was sketching a lovely coupe...)
Reminds me of a similar experience when first shooting street photos with a deceptively compact zoom lens. After capturing a close-up of a sign someone well out of frame berated me for allegedly taking photos of him. I suspect if I’d used a larger lens he wouldn’t have been confused.
Ah, that must have sucked. Photography can be _really_ bad for that kind of thing. Especially IMO since a lot of people think regular cameras are obsolete unless you are on Official Business. Just use your phone, etc.
You reminded me of one time when I was out walking with the idea of capturing some aircraft, so I had a superzoom with me. While walking into the hills I saw a house that was for sale, and I happened to be looking for a house, so I snapped a photo.
Some weeks later I greeted an acquaintance-neighbor on the street and they looked kind of conflicted while we spoke. After I crossed the street, post-greeting, they called out, "HEY, WHY ARE YOU TAKING PICTURES OF PEOPLES' HOUSES?" and I had no idea what to make of that...only to realize hours later that they lived across the street from the house that was for sale. Geez. I'll bet they absolutely hated the fact that the mysterious house photog greeted them like a normal person would!
In some Southern European countries (Greece or Turkey IIRC), photographers with long lenses will be arrested if they are caught near an airport that hosts any sort of military aircraft.
> It's a sort of rationalist's advice in that it seeks to match a consensus bell curve. Much of it is good advice but there are lots of exceptions that ought to be tweaked through subjective practice.
My wife is an artist, and by the law of association, I have I many artist friends. I would say that starting out, the good advice that matches the bell curve is great for getting started. Learn the basics before you break the rules. That way you know you are breaking the rules and why.
BTW here's a favorite little project.
Go to your local craft store and buy some tube watercolors in the hues you like.
Get an altoids tin and a lego flat base that fits inside of it. Flip the base upside down and put it inside.
Get some lego bricks, turn them upside down, use needlenose pliers to extract the circle part so there's room to squeeze in your paints. Use a twist-pull motion and it's easy to get those plastic bits out.
Squeeze in the paint, let each color form a mound at the top of the brick (this'll shrink), and put them outside to dry.
As you get new watercolor hues you like, add/subtract to the palette lego set.
With any extra room in the tin, fold up some paper towel or cut a sponge to fit.
(BTW if you plan to sketch outside, be careful about doing so in front of cars, or if you're sketching cars, use a large pad and not a small one. I've had a person go off on me for "writing tickets" in free parking zones when I was sketching a lovely coupe...)