Bottles and Twigs

I'm almost sorry I did this painting on cheap practice paper - I was planning to try out different techniques, and then do the proper painting on good paper. But it turned out better than I thought, and now I'm not sure I would be able to achieve anything better on expensive paper.

This watercolour was inspired by two photographs stored on Pinterest (1 & 2) and by my latest Shirley Trevena book, Breaking the Rules of Watercolour. I love my art technique books!

And I'm already thinking of the next project, so maybe I'll leave it at that.

Some useful techniques that I must try to remember for again:

• masking detail first (love my new Schmincke masking fluid), 
• applying highlights with white wax (I just rub the paper with a candle), 
• using a watercolour pencil to draw initial outlines rather than a lead pencil (I used a red watercolour pencil), 
• lifting paint with a tissue to create shapes, 
• adding wet paint to create backruns, 
• leaving some details unfinished for a dreamy look (the 3 pieces of garlic), 
• throwing paint at the paper with a brush for a more random effect

It's not earth-shattering, but I like the bottles and the stripes and the 3 pieces of garlic at the front.