Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - Tuesday Morning Class


I started another piece of watercolor paper with gesso. I wanted to have some cools in this one so washed over the whole sheet with these colors. This is a half sheet and I didn't roll the gesso or stamp, just brushed it on with a large house-painting brush (cheap ones you get at Lowes).
Next, I took one one of Jerry's photos. I think it is a dahlia but I'm flower challenged so it may be something else.
Then I did a value study (by tracing over the photo with tracing paper and putting in the dark shapes and the midtones). I then rubbed graphite on the back of that tracing paper and traced the value study onto the paper (which, after I got started, was obviously turned around from my original photo so I had to flip the photo to be able to see the shapes right!)

Next I started "carving" out the shapes and colors I saw, spraying water where I needed to refresh the color and texture. I intend to leave the edges very open and blossomed out without any detail but still get the detail in the focal area without having too much.

Here's where I am so far...
At first I was calling it "Delicate Blossom" but now that I have the shapes in there and see the explosion of color and shapes, I'm renaming it - it is now titled "Bloom!"

2 comments:

Bonny said...

Rhonda this is truly beautiful. I love the background colours and the way you were able to 'carve out' the Dahlia blossom.
I'm going to be taking a water colour course from a local artist and I hope we lesrn to do something like what you do.
This is going to be a gorgeous work of art!

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Bonny :) Glad you like it and glad to have you checking in.