On Doing Demonstrations of Your Painting Techniques

Doing a watercolor demo for a large group of people can be frightening, but if you prepare, you can minimize the fear.  I did this by preparing for three days before hand.  I painted a lot and experimented so I would have a sharp edge to the presentation and maybe bring something fresh to the table. My theme was Abstract Watercolors.  I had an idea of several compositions beforehand that would also demonstrate a variety of different principals and techniques at the same time.  I wanted my timing to be worked out so that the demo would be fast, informative and exciting.  I used brighter colors than I might usually since the viewers would be seeing the image upside down and from a distance and possibly in poor light conditions.  

There is nothing more boring than watching paint dry or watching someone noisily use a blow drier.  So I enlisted a student/friend volunteer to do the drying in a side room while I moved to the next stage on another watercolor block.  I also used the opportunity to display a few other types of abstract approaches that I have tried in the past, but would not address that night. 

It is important to keep the energy moving, funny if possible.  I finished 5 pieces in 1 hour by having several blocks and themes in the ready.  I wasn't exactly sure how it would all time out, so I had back up material in case I moved too quickly, but moving too slowly was my biggest fear!  

People hear more when they are laughing and having fun.  Tap into your inner comedian by paying close attention to your feelings and even your fears.  We are all a bit nervous to be in front of the spotlight, no one wants to make a mistake or bore people.  Our fears can be a source of great self deprecating fun, since everyone can identify with your fears, they have them too!  

Enjoy the process and be prepared by knowing clearly what your message is.  I penned an outline in bullet points so I didn't get off track risking losing my message.  I like to balance example with description, too much explanation can lose people, too much demonstration can get deadly quiet.  I try to remind myself to make some eye contact, which is hard, because it takes a lot of concentration to do a painting in the first place, and in front of a crowd, but keep that connection with the group.  Don't mumble, do a sound check, and make sure they can see your work.  Most important keep it fun light, informative and colorful, know your message, and drive home the point to wrap it up with a bang!  

Here is what the Jacksonville Watercolor Society said in their recent newsletter about my demonstration at the Cultural Center of Ponte Vedra Beach Florida:

"Thank you to Gordon Meggison for a vibrant and playful demonstration.  His work with masking fluid, saran wrap and emotion made for a lively evening of learning.  For Gordon, "play" is the key word and we all certainly enjoyed watching him play with color, fluid, and paper.  Two lucky winners went home with wonderful pieces of artwork from Gordon's collection."

It was all great fun and went by too fast, I am grateful the JWS wanted to see what I do and how I do it.  

Jacksonville Watercolor Society demo in progress