The artist Fleta Monaghan, when I was working in oils and acrylics in her classes (20-some years agone,) always advised us to keep our work in progress out where we could look at it from a distance and when we weren't actively working on it. Over time, various problems and possible fixes may become clearer.
It's really excellent advice. Which is why I had this trio placed so I could look at them during mealtimes.
The white iris--done from a photo--was a real challenge just to draw and then to paint. Trying to get the shadows dark enough and not too dark, keeping the edges crisp, and reproducing the squiggly bits in the center of the flower proved too much for me. Nothing I could do to fix these problems. I did try outlining the petals with black ink, in hopes of clarifying things. Not an improvement, alas. This baby is probably going to become bookmarks--the fate of many of my watercolor attempts.
It doesn't matter. I enjoyed making the picture and I learned some stuff.
The orchids I drew from life--they were sitting right in front of me. For some reason, I find this more difficult than working from a photo or picture. Not happy with this one either--I tried to punch up the yellow a bit and darken the blue background.
Nope. Not a keeper. Another learning experience and some more bookmarks--after I use the other side for a bit more painting.
I've painted this frog before. He's a step-by-step lesson in a book and after two unhappy attempts, I thought to get back to basics. But I was unable to resist adding a bit of story--the princess and her golden ball, hurrying down the steps. The ball will fall in the water and, after a lot of carrying on, the frog will turn out to be a prince under an enchantment.
So, darkening the background behind the frog and the princess, darkening bits of the frog. Not done yet, now I see those irises on the left need to be darker too . . .
Sill learning . . .
3 comments:
I have been known hit publish prematurely, but you can revert to draft if you catch it soon enough. Well, you can do it anytime, but I mean before people read it. 😊
I have a photo friend who does something similar to you. He'll put a photo on the screen and perhaps look at it on and off for a few days before he hits publish. I do not have that much patience, or at least I am not such a perfectionist, but I do try to look a little longer and more carefully than I once did.
Your work is just fine IMO, but I know we're always most demanding of ourselves.
Hi Vicki,
I've been thinking of getting into watercolor. Do you know Karen Rice Art? She has a YouTube channel. She's amazing at darks and lights. If you're still playing with the two flower pics - I'm a big fan of using complementary colors. Would you want to try some purple along the yellow areas? I've always felt that's what makes colors pop. (I did acrylic for years.) Have you ever used Brusho? I'm not recommending you buy it. It might have been Karen who drew me in to Brusho. As usual, I got carried away and now own 30 colors. Karen sometimes uses it to enhance her watercolors. My plan is to sign up for her Patron account, and use her as my teacher. And try to use up some of my Brusho...
I love them all (especially the frog), because I couldn't draw or paint if my life depended on it. I am good at several crafts, but not art. I envy your talent.
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