Continuing Watercolor (November & December 2014)

I started by wetting the background.  I left a small white area around the ornament so the color would not leak into the ornament. I dropped in cobalt blue and a mixture of cobalt and quinacridone rose and left some white.  I let this dry.  I came back and worked on the ornament dry.  I started in the darker area and pulled/guided the color out form the dark.  I used permanent alizarin and a little yellow.

I first showed you how you can wet and do each spot separately.  I then wet the area in which I was working (wet, but not supper wet) and dropped in color (burnt sienna and a tiny bit of van dyke brown) towards the middle of the spots.  It flowed outward.  I added a little van dyke brown in some areas.  I wet the mane and added stripes of color (sienna and van dyke brown).  I left the white highlighted area, but will probably add some light spots.  I also used a scrubber and lightened some of the areas around the spots.  I will work a bit on the form of the giraffe next as well as the face (we concentrated on mostly the pattern today).

Continuing Watercolor (September & October 2014)

I added cobalt to the hat and shirt to add shadows.  I also did a wash of cobalt to the background and softened the background texture.  I have a bit more value and detail work, but it's getting close.

At home I worked on the lower face at home to soften some of the blue dots.

I added dark values to the face and to the neck area (to the right of the hand).  I also added a wash to the hair in the front of the hand (the hand and the yellow background are a bit washed out in the photo, in person the hand is darker and the yellow is brighter).  This needs more work, especially on some of the spotty textures.

At home I added some dark washes on the right bottom side to define the petals.  It is what was needed for this flower.  I also added a bit of dark to the middle.

I added slightly darker washes to the background to define the petals.  I worked on the middle adding some texture and value.  I started to add some form and shadow to the petals (bottom left).

At home I added some washes to define the petals on the left side and some darks in the middle.

I added more washes to define the petals and some darks in the middle as well as lifted some highlights.  I started to add definition to the petals as well as shadows between the petals.

Continuing Watercolor (September & October 2014)

I worked a little on the necklace.  It needs more work overall.

I worked on this a lot.  The spots will need to be toned down and the values adjusted. 

I wet the paper and dropped in color trying to guide it to keep the whites.  I added salt (large and small salt).  After dry, I started adding a bit of texture to the middle and started putting in some shadows.

I wet the paper and dropped in the color.  I added salt (large and small salt).

Continuing Watercolor (September & October 2014)

I wet the background and added a dark.  The mixed dark is made mostly of colors that I have used in the painting already - cobalt, burnt sienna, alizarin, and indigo.  I will most likely add a glaze on top to soften the background patterns.  I will show you how to soften edges and 're-attach' the subject (it tends to look pasted on after adding a dark background).  I will need to finish adding details and values on the subject as well (which will also help to 're-attach' it).

I transferred the drawing onto the textured background.  I then started painting the subject paying attention to the subtle values.  Remember I worked on dry paper on the front of his face and pulled the value out with a damp brush.  On the back and top of his head I worked after wetting the paper.  

I removed the rubber cement.

I have started adding some values and colors to organize the chaos and to move the viewers eye around.  This one will work as an abstract I think.  It has a ways to go.