ON THE WAY TO A BATIK ROSE

An old photo I had caught my eye.  It was printed on simple printer paper and had hand-written notes about colors to use, etc.  But what caught my eye was that, somewhere along the line, it had become covered in water drops, making the flower look interesting.  So...that led me to think about how to make a batik rose in watercolor.

First:

Draw the picture onto tracing paper

Second:

Trace the drawing on the watercolor paper (I’m using a block of Stonehenge Aqua hot press paper for this)

Third:

Begin with the background, getting everything very wet and letting the colors run and play

After that dries, time to go into the petals and do a little bit at a time, working very wet and letting the colors dry and put in more color, wetting even more.  The trick is to stay with the painting as the color dries.  You can use a hairdryer to hasten the process and see what you get as far as a batiked look to the petals.  

More to come!!

FINISHED FLOWER

Finished this up by removing the masking fluid and then adding color and shaping the stamens.  Darkened and pushed back the background, too.  

NEXT STEPS

I was going to take photos of this along the way, but got carried away.  Almost done!

NEW FLOWER ON ITS WAY

Started another flower.  

Fourth sheet, Fabriano Artistico.

First, mask out all the pure white areas I want to keep when I paint the colors in wet-in-wet.

Next, let that dry and go!

It should look close to the photo at the top when I’m done.

TULIP BOOM!

The only booms I want to hear or see this 4th of July weekend, but I know it will be loud into the night, as usual, in our neighborhood.  Oh, well.  Can hide in my art room and paint something else.

This is a fourth sheet Fabriano Artistico cold press paper.

Enjoy your weekend, wherever you are.

CHERRIES IN BOWL

Third step on the cherries.  The grisaille underpainting worked pretty well on this - but you couldn’t paint loose and wet this way.

The colors at the top are the colors I used while painting this one.  I will cut that off so the painting is almost square.  

I do not like the new Blogger - it does not work and has so many glitches when I’m trying to upload and time anything on my iPad, it’s ridiculous and makes me want to just quit Blogger since they are going to make us use the new interface after end of June.  UGH!

CHERRIES IN BOWL

Here’s the second step for the cherries using a grisaille underpainting (in Holbein neutral tint), then layering the reds over top after that under color dried completely.

The top part is left on intentionally so you can see what colors I am using throughout the painting.

CHERRIES WITH GRISAILLE UNDERPAINTING

I’ve seen watercolors done with an underpainting of grey and thought I’d try it on these cherries.  Used Holbein neutral tint color as the underpainting for the shadow shapes.  Let that dry completely before layering over with the reds.

I left the top part in the photo to show the colors I will be using as I go along with this.  

So far, so good.  (This is a fourth sheet but is taped off to be more squared when the painting is finished.) 

SWEET MAGNOLIA FINISHED

Did some touching up here and there and shaping the middle, also adding some variety (a bit) in the dark leaf color.  So...done.  This is a half sheet watercolor on Fabriano Artistico paper.

SWEET MAGNOLIA - STEP 3

Almost there - just need to do more shaping and finish the center.

SWEET MAGNOLIA - STEP 2

Step 2 done - the green leaves, the pod, all of the background and the middle part of the flower.  All that’s left to do is the petals and some reshaping (maybe).  This is a half sheet Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper.  I haven’t painted on a half sheet for a long time so felt like getting back to something bigger than normal (have been doing fourth sheets).

The green/yellow background was done wet-in-wet.  The leaves and pod were done some wet-in-wet and some wet on dry paper to get good crisp edges for the white areas.  

Are you painting or drawing or sewing, knitting, etc.?  In these days where it seems there is nothing but bad news and more COVID-19 cases and deaths, it’s hard to be creative.  But it does help us escape into something beautiful for a while.  

SWEET MAGNOLIA - STAGE 1 BACKGROUND

Finally felt like starting another painting.  This one is a magnolia from a photo taken a year or so ago during a visit to Savannah, GA.  

These days, it’s difficult to be inspired by much, but painting does take one away for a while.  I hope we all can find an escape for a while to clear our heads and try to bring something of beauty into the world.  

I have to say, I am not thrilled with the new Blogger updated version - it’s more difficult to use and get what you want to post quickly.  Had to keep trying several times to get the underlining off!  I guess we’ll all get used to it since we will no longer have a choice soon.  

FINISHED, I THINK

The color doesn’t pop as much as the first version but it’s cleaner.

Perhaps more thought to the composition next time?

SAME FLOWER, DIFFERENT PAINTING

Instead of reworking this painting, I decided to just start another.  Looking at the original painting, I drew the flower and greenery on watercolor paper and began working wet-in-wet inside the petals and pods.  The first painting has more pop and I will add layers to the second painting so it stands out more.

A ROSE IS STILL A ROSE

Another oldie pulled out and reworked to give it more pop.  


I am not being inspired much to do anything new and fresh.  So pulling out old paintings.  I can do better on most of them.  Some, I find, are fine as is and I put them back in the pile.  


What will my family do with all these paintings when I’m gone?

REWORKING AND PLAYING WITH PIGMENTS

Reworked this one and played with irridescent pigments (by Daniel Smith) although it doesn’t show the shine as well in the photo as in real life.  

Remember the Beatles song:
“I want to be
under the sea
in an octopus’ garden with you.”

RED, WHITE AND BLUE

The numbers keep climbing but we’re all behaving as if it’s all over and we’ve “won” whatever it is we were fighting (mostly each other).  It makes me so sad and frustrated to know leaders in the U.S. are so incompetent - and not only incompetent but unable to show compassion or empathy to those people who have lost loved ones.  Nope - all done - all over - we win!  :(. 


Red, White and Blue 

AN OLDIE

Didn’t do anything else to this one, but it’s a oldie, too.  Just not finding inspiration right now so sharing some older ones I’ve gone back in to darken, shape, etc.  

ANOTHER REWORK

Reworked this one a little, too.  

REWORK

Reworked an oldie from years ago.  I’ve always liked this one but it was very pale before.  I like it more now.  

ON STONEHENGE AQUA HOTPRESS

The bowl looks a bit wonky, but not too bad.  I now wish I’d made the bowl more red.  

This is a copy of a painting I saw on a magazine.  

CANDY APPLE

A candy apple painted on Stonehenge Aqua hot press paper.

Midnight Queen Tulip

Tulip on Stonehenge Aqua hot press paper.

TULIPS

Tulips - evening dark.
On gessoed watercolor paper.

GESSOED PAPER - PAINTED IRIS

Finished this one.  Tried to be delicate with the flower and stem.  

Have gessoed another piece of watercolor paper for another painting - not sure what but by the time the paper dries, I may have an idea.

GESSOED WATERCOLOR PAPER

I started this painting by brushing white gesso over the watercolor paper, letting that dry, then going in and drawing the iris.  Put down the background and let it run a bit.

Next = the flower.

If you paint on gessoed paper, you can wipe mistakes back to white (if you don’t use staining colors).  

LITTLE EMBARRASSED BALLERINA?

A strange painting I began years ago in watercolor and I didn’t like it (plus the paper was crappy student grade so was harder to work on).  I found it while sorting through photos, looking for something to inspire me and keep me painting.

So...took out the gouache paints and tried to work it a bit more. It’s still pretty bad but...there are some areas that aren’t too bad.  However, I got her skin tones too red and adjusted them to tone that down in my photo program so this isn’t really how it looks when you stand in front of it and say, 
“What’s she so embarrassed about?”
Ha ha ha ha ha 

I ADORE CALLA LILIES

A bit more shaping needed.

Now, in your best Katherine Hepburn voice say,
“I simply ADORE calla lilies!” 

Enjoy!

Okay, I admit it.  I wasn’t that happy with the previous “finish” so did some work around the flowers and stems with a Pitt pen in black.  Not sure why it looks darker in the bg but it does so...whatever.  

CALLA LILIES

Started a painting of calla lilies.  The background and stems are done.  Next to lightly paint the flowers.

LEAN ON ME

Lean on me, when you’re not strong.

And I’ll be your friend.  I’ll help you carry on.

For it won’t be long

‘Til I’m gonna need somebody to lean on.

    Bill Withers (RIP)

SPRING

Spring will come, 
showering us with blossoms white, yellow, violet and pink.  
Spring will come.

FINISHED

The speckles are the colored pencil (watercolor pencils) sanded so the bits fall onto the wet pigment, creating some more texture and interest.  I kept this one lighter and brighter in color and tone.  

LET’S PAINT SOME MORE PEARS

Started another on a smaller, scrap bit of watercolor paper.  Going with lighter colors and using some colored pencils sanded onto the wet paint to add interest.  

SOME SHAPING

Just a little more shaping to add more volume to the pears.  Done!

ALMOST DONE

Just a few tweaks (making it look more 3D) to do to finish.  


What do you think of the red/orange border on the right?  Too much or added interest tying in the reddish pears?  

I’ll add some darks and values to give them more depth and call it done.  

THE NEXT STEP - PEARS

BACK TO SOMETHING SOOTHING

THIS ONE WENT SOUTH QUICKLY

It began well, with lots of pretty colors all over.

However, it went bad pretty quickly.

Oh, well, they cannot all be winners, especially while learning.

PORTRAIT

No crazy colors but I’m not unhappy with the finished portrait :) 




Another one to come after this with some more unusual colors (after purchasing a few new Daniel Smith pigments this week).  

THREE NEW COLORS

We all need something nice to think about and see.  So...here are the new colors I bought from Cheap Joes (they are all Daniel Smith brand).

Duochrome Geen Pearl

Mayan Dark Blue

Lunar Blue

I bought the Duochrome Green Pearl after watching David Lobenberg do a demo using this color (I think?) and I wouldn’t use it because it’s iridescent - too much sparkle to use in a portrait, I think.  

But I do like the Mayan Dark Blue and Lunar Blue (Lunar Blue too granulating for portrait work but can be used in lots of other paintings).  

TRYING ANOTHER PORTRAIT

Started another portrait after watching a David Lobenberg DVD I had (he was doing a workshop in Utah on his California Vibe portrait style and did 2 portraits).  Tried to stay loose and colorful.  This is the first layer and needs at least 2 more before it’s finished.  Wish me luck!

This portrait is from a photo he had on another DVD - done all in Payne’s Grey.  I started this a few days ago but have been glued to the t.v. for minute-by-minute news of the coronavirus and what is being cancelled and postponed (including the NCAA playoffs!).  So we’re all going to be sitting at home with nothing to take our minds off this - but I understand it is to protect the fans, players, referees, vendors, hotel workers, etc.  

So Happy Friday the 13th, 2020! 

ARE YOU BLUE?

PORTRAIT

 It’s done but...

looks a bit stiff and the eyes are not right and
I may be able to do better with more practice.

NEXT STAGE

It’s still okay - maybe need to soften that line between the nose and mouth.  But this is where I always mess up = overworking or putting in the wrong color here and there.  Maybe try a light touch, darken mouth?  Work on eyes without doing too much and making the brows too dark? Wish me luck!!