This painting has a ways to go yet, but I wanted to show you what I’ve been working on. My daughter is a fabulous baker, and this is her chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting that is her latest creation all from scratch. Right now it looks like it’s a plate flying in the area with a blob on top, I know! The background reflections are partly in, and I have to add the tabletop and work on forming the beautiful frosting, but it’s getting there.
“Contemplation 2”. 11″ x 15″ watercolor in progress. More wet in wet, less layers of pigment.
I’ve started another painting from the same photograph, and am trying a different approach with it. Here it is in progress, waiting for me to get back to it, and hopefully keep the same light loose feel to it.
I wet both sides of the paper (this time it was 140 lb, the first completed one was on the thicker 300 lb paper) and I started painting on it wet in wet, meaning flowing pigment onto the already wet paper, and then as the paper slowly dried, I kept using thicker pigment but still in lighter values to start to define the circles and ripples. I think it has a lighter feel than the first one had at this stage. I’m hoping to continue in the same mode and have a more transparent watery surface. It’ll be interesting to hear, when this is done, which one you like better.
So this is my usual Tuesday Tips day, and I don’t have anything formally prepared other than to work in series. I felt so much more comfortable starting this one after completing the first. I only drew small circles and the edges of where the dark and light would meet, and I found more circles in the painting than I had seen previously.
My second tip is to paint with other supportive people and give each other advice. My friend Karen suggested on looking at this that I could suggest the circles, not necessarily complete all of them, to avoid the ‘bulls eye” look, and she was so right! I lifted areas of paint in several places that left part of the circles “not closed” and I like the look better.
One of these days I will post paintings on this blog of my watercolor friends, so you can see their work too.
I enjoy hearing from you…and thanks for stopping by.
“Contemplation” 11″ x 15″ watercolor inspired by the Contemplative Garden fountain at UTEP. Click on image to view larger. $99 unframed.
For today’s post I thought I’d give you a finished piece and its accompanying inspiration photo, and then a bunch of in process photos for you to see how this piece came together.
Photo of fountain’s surface
I took the photo at UTEP’s Contemplative Garden and it’s the surface of a fountain created by dripping water off of bells above the surface. You can see the fountain itself at the link for the garden.
image printed close to full size on two pieces of paper to transfer.
Initial drawing on paper, darkened so you can see the lines.
Because the photo was so dark, and I was using 300 lb paper (quite heavy), my lightbox wouldn’t work to transfer as I usually like to do, when I’m not freehand drawing on the paper. So I printed out the photo on white paper in a size big enough for the paper, taped the edges together and used Saral transfer graphite paper to transfer the lines.
I was inspired to do this because the painting group I’m in was watching a Soon Warren video on painting koi ponds and I wanted to paint from my own photo. So I followed her steps working with light washes put on with big brushes, drying it a bit with a hake brush, and then working on areas keeping some edges soft, some hard.
First light washes of color. Darker dots are masking fluid, a rubbery liquid that dries hard and protects the paper underneath. Later that will be removed.
after more washes keeping values in mind. darker at the top, in the shade.
Further on in the process, putting in the dark areas in the bottom right.
So you can see the piece take shape. Sometimes I lifted and softened edges, sometimes scrubbed out to get the texture of soft that the light on the water (front left) required.
I used many layers on this and lost some of the freshness that I want to get from watercolor, so I painted another in this, starting a series, with less layers, more wet in wet painting and I”ll show you that soon.
I didn’t use masking fluid for the highlights, because the edges dry so hard when you remove the masking. and it looks artificial unless you soften the edges a lot. It’s easier to just lift small reflections from the paint and/or scratch highlights at the end with a calligraphy nib or little razor.
I also didn’t draw all the detail on the paper, because I feel a lot more familiar with the subject. I got my circles placed and vague lines where I want the dark and light to meet. More on that in the next post!
Darker still but I don’t like the front left corner. edges are too hard.
After a lot of scrubbing on the left corner to lighten and soften the edges, and putting in the brighter blue hues in the bottom right.
Far along in the process, enough to remove the masking for the highlights of the water. the little white dots. Note the flower is still masked.
Rachel Murphree Watercolors 