Rainbow Bisque

A different technique from the same book as the previous cloud painting. I like the results of this one a lot more. Not much else to say really. I learned to blend outward in a circular motion. I also learned to place a little paint and water on my brush when lifting out color: this will inject a little bit of color back into the area. No more cloud-centric paintings...for a while anyway. Promise.

I've had this piece mostly done for a while now. I painted the background before I even started this blog. I had sketched out a simple line drawing of a raccoon with a conical hat and a scarf/bandana obscuring its face. I guess it was just too intimidating to finish; until last night, anyway. I got out a basic set of watercolor pencils, my trusty water brush, and a white paint pen before setting out to complete this painting. I really like the end result. Watercolor pencils create intense hues when "activated" with water and brush. These pencils create different effects and behave differently from the paint I have been working with. I am becoming more aware that my ability to draw actually goes hand-in-hand with my ability to paint - I have a lot to learn from/about both. I find pieces like this to be very difficult to follow-through on. As someone who is still learning to see and develop ideas, I find myself getting caught up in a lot of excess research. As a perso...

I'm not especially fond of this piece. I was trying a new technique for making clouds from a great book I've been reading , but I messed up on some critical steps. During my initial wash, there wasn't enough pigment on the paper. So once I applied the alcohol to the page to create the bright white highlights and cloud formations, there wasn't enough contrast to work with. I tried another wash with the same technique unsuccessfully; then I just used my cat's tongue brush to lift out the highlights myself. In essence, I took out a lot of the spontaneity and randomness out of the formations. And you know what? I could have blended that yellow more. Despite all of that, these problems are precisely what I love about art. I know what happened. I know what I can fix. I am aware of what I can do next time. I would always prefer to mess things up the first time: it means I get to try again until I am happy with it.

I tried a new technique this time: placing plastic wrap over wet paint. The texture this technique created is pretty awesome. Aside from the texture, there are actually a few things that I really like about this painting. First I need to make certain I say this: painting sharp edges in watercolor is very difficult. I like the hints of cadmium yellow added to the corners of the floating shapes. The overall color scheme has harmony without losing too much contrast. It was a challenge from start to finish, and I'm glad I was able to finish it. If I did this piece again, I would rethink the color scheme to stick with only a few colors and their variations. I would make sure to better define the direction of the light source so I could create cast shadows and incorporate cool tones into the dark areas. Finally, I think I need to leave a few extra inches at the top to enhance the feeling of looking up at the top shape.

I have a great visual reference for most insects thanks to a sweet book I was given a while back. I wasn't sure how this would turn out, but I'm surprised at what I was able to achieve. The only technique I feel wasn't very effective this time was using masking fluid for the direct highlights: it looks kind of sloppy. Next time I will just apply sparingly and use lifting techniques for those highlights.

Last night's piece was loosely based on a sunset I experienced a few days prior. I sat down unsure of what to paint; in my head, all I could think of were the words "be fearless". I read those two words in a blog post that I consider to be a primary inspiration for this blog. Go read Golly Bard's Watercolor 101 posts , then go look at her paintings, maybe buy something. I'll wait. Back? Good. It can be difficult to sit down and commit to a painting sometimes. Admittedly, I actually get scared and overwhelmed when I am thinking of things to paint. I don't want to paint the same thing the same way all the time, but attempting new subjects is daunting. Sometimes I just have to shut off my brain, put down a color wash, and wing-it. "There! Now there's something on the page. Nothing to be afraid of." This time, I wanted to try some masking techniques. I covered my page in strips of masking tape, and x-acto'd a circle into the middle. The shap...

On the way to my usual jogging spot, I picked up this peculiar object. I stared at it for the rest of my trip and even beyond that. I could tell I was looking at a pine cone that had fallen from one of the trees in the neighborhood; but I pretended I had no idea what I was looking at or where it had come from. It was interesting to think of this object as some sort of egg or vessel. Beyond that, it was more interesting to stop thinking of it as anything in particular: to simply see it and address it as a form made visible by light and defined by shadow. This time around, I decided to devote my painting to creating a monochromatic piece. I mixed some emerald green with alizarin crimson and attempted to paint what I saw using only the resulting color. I am becoming more comfortable with my painting by making things uncomfortable. I really had to psyche myself up for this painting, but I am really pleased with the result.

I bought a pineapple solely for the purpose of drawing/painting it - being able to eat said pineapple is a nice bonus. I went back to watercolor pencils for this piece. Pencils allow me to use a more familiar workflow and concentrate on creating the basic shapes that make up the object(s). Surprisingly, it's the color of these color pencils that really throws me off. There is a world of difference between the color on the pencil and the color on the paper (and that is further exacerbated by the addition of water). As I was working, it felt like I was just guessing the whole time. I love the leaves protruding from the top: it was fun to try and assemble the shapes while thinking about the overall color. I am not such a big fan of the...um...pineapple skin? I got lost in the texture and rushed through the forms that make up the outside. The colors aren't even close. Still, it feels good to complete something this challenging. I want to take another attempt at this fruit bef...