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Day 14, 30×30 direct watercolor challenge: hydrangeas

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I started with the leaves first… I’m not sure why…

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and added the blossoms afterwards, but wasn’t thrilled with the results. (I even lightened the leaves some and added a bit of texture, after these photos were taken. Which helped a bit but didn’t solve the problem.)

So I tried the blossoms first, then the leaves, and did several layers. And added texture to both leaves and blossoms this time.

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Better, anyway. But lifeless. I’ll keep practicing 🙂 I can see where more varied colors would help, and leaving more white.

Day 12, 30×30 direct watercolor painting challenge: hydrangeas-using plastic wrap for texture

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For this technique, you want your paper pretty wet.

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I dab in the color where I want it, then crumple the plastic wrap and lay it on top of the wet area, and push it down… you can slide it around a bit to adjust the texture… don’t smear it all around, but you can move it or reposition it. Press down a bit and leave it to dry.

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This time I used mostly Daniel Smith Green Apatite Genuine (amazing granulation), Undersea Green, Quinacridone Rose, and Schmincke Potter’s Pink. I wish I had used something deeper than the Rose. I have some Schmincke colors I think I would have liked better.

After it has dried (I left this about an hour) remove the plastic.

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Add more layers if you want to… Here I tried to add a bit more definition to the pink flowers without adding much actual detail. I like the pink and green blossoms, but I will try a larger paper next time, so I can add some of the large leaves, too.

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Day 11, 30×30 direct watercolor challenge: clown fish

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I didn’t get this one finished until this morning, but it was just a matter of peeling off the plastic wrap I’d applied.

(Supplies: Strathmore 500 series 140 lb cold press paper, EEM burnt Sienna and Mais, Daniel Smith indigo, QoR phthalo blue, sap green, nickel ago yellow, and transparent pyrrole orange, and Grumbacher Miskit. [This masking fluid says it washes out of brushes and pens with soap and water, but I haven’t tried to do that.] Also, plastic wrap)

The direct watercolor challenge is to do 30 paintings in 30 days, without drawing it out in pencil first. For this one I applied masking fluid first. I dipped a very cheap brush first into dish soap, then removed the excess and dipped it into the masking fluid. The soap helps protect the bristles:

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I made the white bands too wide, turns out… but it’s all good.

Then I painted it, in several layers, (and forgot to take step by step photos), and applied some bits of plastic wrap while it dried, to add a little texture:

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He looks much more realistic peeking out from the plastic wrap than he does on the page once it is removed. I should leave that as part of the “art”. 🙂

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Day 10, 30×30: Instructions for painting a watercolor galaxy

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I wanted to see how the EEM handmade paints work in galaxy paintings. I used Tia and Burnt Sienna for the centers, and used Daniel Smith’s indigo for the rest.

I started by taping my watercolor paper to a board and taping off the edges. I dipped a small (cheap) paintbrush in dishwashing liquid, wiped off the excess, then dipped it into masking fluid.  The soap protects the bristles… without that step, the masking fluid will ruin the brush. Don’t use a nice brush, as it may ruin it anyway. I then tapped it against my finger to spray tiny droplets of masking fluid across the paper.

(On my first two attempts, the droplets were just a bit too large. I tried again using a very tiny stiffer brush and had better results. A small flat brush or a toothbrush would work as well, if you want to run your finger across it for the spray, but I prefer tapping it against my hand or another brush)

Once the fluid has dried, the next step is to take the brighter color and apply it in the middle of the paper. Drop it in, or apply using small circular motions, making some areas heavier and some lighter. Look how beautifully Tia granulates. Sadly, it is currently sold out, and I’ve just about used my sample up, but I’ll let you know when more is available! Soften the edges a bit with water.

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The tutorial I followed in January by palestblue on youtube suggests using the indigo now to fill in the outer edges of the painting, moving towards the middle, but I started in the middle at the edge of my lighter color. Let the indigo mix with the center color a bit, they will bleed in and around each other. Either way, fill the background, again leaving some areas with more or less paint.

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Then take a little more wet color (the lighter color) and drip it in around the edge of the colored part where it meets the indigo. I only did this step on the third galaxy attempt. It does give a different look, but with or without it, both ways look fine.

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Allow the whole thing to dry for an hour or so, then remove the masking fluid to reveal the stars!! There are so many galaxy tutorials out there… and it seems like everyone does them a little differently. Look around and try several ways.

 

Masking fluid is my favorite way of getting the stars nice and bright.

 

 

Day 8, 30×30 challenge: Octopi (solar) systems

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FINALLY I had an idea (a week or two ago?) for a painting all of my own… I’m not saying no one has ever done this, but I haven’t seen it and am finally painting something just out of my HEAD.

(These are all daniel smith paints on Strathmore, series 5, 5×7 140 lb paper. The paper is linked in the post from two days ago, the Cozy Door, so I won’t link it here. The stars are M. Graham Titanium White Gouache)

I started with this:

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Moved on to this:

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And then tried this:

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I’d like to try another like the last one, and cover the bottom right corner of the page with Daniel Smith Bloodstone (the black sky in the first one)

I think I can do better with pen & ink, so I’ll try that next. Which one do you like best?

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Day 6, 30×30: EEM watercolor flower studies

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Playing around with my EEM watercolors, just seeing how they flow, how they mix, etc. I really like them a lot. I have two full pans (burnt sienna and mais), and two colors samples (tia and copper blue) so originally wasn’t sure I could do much, but you can really get quite a few mixes with these few colors. I hope to get more soon, but she sells out quickly!

 

My internet isn’t working correctly. I can’t get the rest of my photos to post, so the “featured image” is it today.

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Day 5, 30×30 challenge: Cozy Door,6/5/18

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My neighbor has moved (sad!!) so I made this little sketch of her front door to give her. Now that I’m looking at it again, I wish I’d tried it several times and gotten a feel for it, then given her the best attempt. It’s too late, I’ve already given it. I think I could do better with practice, but I’m happy with it. Also, I’m working on not using pencil, and letting little mistakes be part of the art of it, so I need to just let it go.

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Supplies:

EEM Handmade Watercolors (Burnt Sienna, Mais, Tia)

Daniel Smith’s Bloodstone Genuine, for the shadows

And a couple teensy touches of some Schmincke paints, only to adjust greens a bit (I only have the three colors by EEM)

Strathmore 140 lb Ready Cut 100% cotton cold press 5×7 paper, (linked here at Amazon, currently, for $6.38)

Uniball DELUXE black pen, .5mm

 

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