This little painting was fun and effortless to paint…more of the feeling I would like to cultivate as I continue my practice.
Silvery Lupine, watercolor on paper, 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Tree Needles
When painting pine trees, how many of the individual needles should you paint? You have to make the tree a little pointy to give it the pine flavor, but it’s impractical to paint each needle. It’s a trick of the mind: you know that the tree is built with needles, you know that your eye can’t possibly see individual needles, and yet, the hand wants to do both. Here’s one experiment with that balance between mind and hand. It’s painting #15 of the Fifty at Fifty series.
(I’m debating whether to post the many, many reject paintings. Oh, my.)
Tree on Sutton Trail, watercolor on paper, 6"x8"
Filed under Colorado, Fifty at Fifty Project, Watercolors
White flowers
Painting white subjects in watercolor is super-challenging, because the best way is to paint what’s “not white,” using the surrounding colors and shadows to define the object. This sego lily is brilliant white with stunning purple and yellow insides. I started out using soft greens and burnt sienna in the background. That was pretty in itself but it didn’t give enough contrast to the petals. Here, I used Paynes Gray to define the outer edges of the flowers. Too stark? Next time I’ll try some medium greens.
Sego Lily No 1, watercolor on paper 4"x6"
Filed under Colorado, Fifty at Fifty Project, Watercolors
Constant experimentation
My hand is still a little heavy for watercolor, wanting to overwork the paint, add too many layers, yet I continue to work with the medium. My watercolors don’t look as “watercolory” as I’d like, but I’m hoping that this will improve as I move through my “Fifty at Fifty” project. Here are two renderings of white flowers called “Cow Parsnip” that I found growing in an open field.
Cow Parsnip No. 1, watercolor on paper, 5"x7"
I ended up mixing an olive toned green for Cow Parsnip No. 1, and it looks like the background ended up the dreaded “muddy” as all the watercolor writers and teachers warn us about. Still, looks kind of interesting, brooding.
I played with Payne’s Gray in Cow Parsnip No 2, below. The forest in the background looked more blue than green in real life. Not too happy with the middle ground (not enough contrast). I put down a very light blue wash before starting this painting, then used masking fluid to block out the flowers. With the blue, the flowers ended up less harsh looking than if they’d been left paper white. Learning, learning!
Cow Parsnip No 2, watercolor on paper, 5"x7"
Filed under Colorado, Fifty at Fifty Project, Flowers, Watercolors
Wildflowers
Wild Geranium, watercolor on #140 Arches, 1-1/2"x1-1/2"
I’m finding an affinity for painting tiny paintings of wildflowers that we spotted in Colorado. Here are a few samples. Note the sizes–in real life they are smaller than they probably are displayed on your screen.
Columbine No. 1, watercolor on paper, 2"x2"
Filed under Colorado, Fifty at Fifty Project, Flowers, Watercolors
