Fun in Breaking Format

Don't adjust your picture- the image you see is correct (unless it's broken up into weird pieces, then no, it's not).  This strange format was inspired by an equally odd sample of Grumbacher watercolor paper I received in an Artsnacks.

The paper itself is pretty mediocre- soapy the same way Winsor and Newton's first watercolor paper was, probably too much surface sizing.  I used Da Vinci watercolors on it- these are some of my favorite professional watercolors- and even they look a bit amateur on the paper, as they never actually soaked in.  But this isn't about the paper, it's about the format, and how much I enjoyed playing with an unusual aspect ratio.

Shaking things up and changing format and ratio can be inspiring!  By working on an inexpensive sample, it gave me a chance to doodle and play- important hobbies for an artist.

What do YOU do to add inspiration and innovation to your artistic routine?

For the curious, there's even a tutorial for this piece on my channel, where I walk you through it step by step.