Abstract Composition in Watercolor

This week, we create geometric and modern art. Pick your supplies, and make an abstract composition!

Lately, I’ve been exploring the extremes of my own style, especially when it comes to visual language. I’ve been searching for something angular and adventurous for inspiration, as my style has recently drifted perhaps a bit too much toward the organic direction. Quite by chance, I noticed the summer issue of Watercolor Artist magazine in a local shop, which introduced me to an interesting artist named John Salminen.

John Salminen uses photos of urban landscapes as the foundation for his work. He converts the photo into a high-contrast image and sketches an abstract composition from it. He calls this approach “abstracted realism.” I like his paintings a lot. To me, they feel sophisticated yet masculine and go close to one extreme of my own style.

Starting an Abstract Composition

I now wanted to create an abstract watercolor using mainly geometric shapes. Unlike John, I started my work freely without any reference photos. First, I used plenty of water.

In the next layers, I applied less water to make sharper shapes.

Geometrical Abstract Composition

The basic idea is to create both small and large shapes, arranged in an asymmetrical composition on the paper.

You don’t need a ruler for geometric shapes. Thin brushes make lines easy to achieve, and a flat brush is perfect for angular forms.

What Do You See?

When painting abstract art, it’s best to first focus on the shapes themselves and forget about looking for realistic objects in the painting.

In my project, everything was going well until I realized that I was creating yet another flower painting. I’ve painted flower arrangements so many times that their structure is deeply rooted in my subconscious.

I turned my work upside down, hoping it would look different, but the flowers in the vase were staring right back at me! Give me any unfinished or finished painting, and I’ll turn it into a floral arrangement in a moment!

Shifting Direction – Making a Plan

This time, I didn’t want to paint flowers. I wanted a sense of space and adventure. So, I moved from my small painting studio to the computer and opened Photoshop. I planned out the perspective and started looking for shapes to support it.

Then, I designed the composition. I could have worked this out through painting as well, but then the final piece wouldn’t look quite as effortless. You can wipe watercolor away with water, but it’s hard to get the paper completely clean again.

Here are my digital additions created on top of the unfinished painting.

Purity, Clarity, Effortlessness

Lately, I’ve been inspired specifically by purity, clarity, and effortlessness. I’ve been watching a Finnish TV show called “Tähdet, tähdet” (Stars, Stars). It’s a singing competition looking for the country’s best performer. Each season features about ten professional performers, most of whom are musicians. The performers are pushed out of their comfort zones, as each episode focuses on a different musical genre.

In the latest season, one of the performers was the reggae musician Jukka Poika. I had never really paid attention to his vocals before. However, the other musical styles truly brought out the singer in him. His voice emerged pure, direct, and yet full of rich tones (listen to an example on YouTube).

Isn’t that exactly what we all want in visual arts: for our own voice and thoughts to come through pure and clear? “It’s so inspiring to think about the purity, clarity, and effortlessness we can achieve when we know exactly what to do in its simplest form, and have the skills to do it

The plan allowed me to bring beautiful tones and nuances into my watercolor without having to stress about perspective and composition.

Finished Piece – The Portal of Hope

I named this piece “Toivon portaali” (The Portal of Hope). There are situations in life that require going through the darkest of times – through a grey stone, as we say in Finnish. It is risky and requires a fighting spirit, but at the same time, the situation is also exciting as it’s a way to move forward.

Here are some photos of the details.

This was much faster to paint than flower paintings of a similar size. There were fewer layers, and geometric shapes are quick to execute.

I hope this inspires you to try an abstract composition with watercolors or colored pencils—or use a combination of both. My painting was done entirely with watercolors.

P.S. Check also this blog post, with more detailed instructions and for watercolor pencils: Modernistic Style – Create Abstract Art Step by Step!