Revisiting peonies before they fade

I have no idea how long peonies last. Are they like tulips? So there is a sense of urgency. 

But first of all, I wasn't too happy with the Gansai Tambi version, so I covered some parts of it with white acrylic paint, applied with a painting knife, added more paint, pastels (oil and soft, I think), and scratched through the surface to recover some of the underlying colours. A bit frantic.

Then, the next day, I applied gouache on top, and pastels again. Scratched and added until I was happy. All done while chatting with a friend - best way to get out of my head. I even got rid of one of the flowers by applying dark green gouache on top - my friend gasped, I think. But in that moment, I felt that gouache gave me so much freedom. If you're on Instagram, make sure to swipe to see the close-ups. Maybe that's what I really want to paint.

Bolus Head road - back to original colours

Back to A2 Seawhite of Brighton heavy cartridge paper (cropped a little to create a taller format) and the colours I had used in a previous iteration. Lots of watercolour, ArtGraf, and even gouache this time. I'm definitely in exploration mode. Except it's the same small stretch of road that I'm painting again and again. I probably need to spend some time looking at all of them together and writing in my studio book. I have some words that keep coming back, but I'm not quite sure what is wanting to come out yet.

Sea colours

Someone very kind gave me a dozen tubes of Korean watercolours. Great excuse for play and experimentation! I added a bit of white gouache to one of them, and then an extra bit of pure white. Love how that created a wave shadow!

And yes, this is still on the theme of my residency in Cill Rialaig last year. The Atlantic Ocean was such a presence, on good days, and stormy days even more so.

Circles

Lovely to come back to patterns on a quiet evening. In the final version, I have added some lighter shapes on top. And also, I photographed it, rather than scan it. I just have a cheap scanner in a cheap printer, maybe that's why I'm never satisfied by scans of my art. That said, the photo looks a bit bleached. Any recommendations for scanning sketches and art?

 

Pattern - similar but not the same

Another great thing to do for low-energy days - patterns in gouache. I varied the colours slightly but continued on a similar theme with circles and words. Work in progress as I have a good few more layers to do. Let's see where it goes. The original pattern is below.  It looks more intense, as it has lots of layers, and also I applied some Dorland's Wax Medium on it, which definitely gives it an extra oomph. I wonder if I should buff it when it's completely dry (24hrs)? It makes it shinier. Do I want shiny? Ooh and also maybe I can use it to make tags. I have a circle cutter. It would be lovely for personalised cards.

 

Repeating Patterns

I need to finetune this, but it was magical to create a repeating pattern from one of the gouache pieces I did during Amanda Close's class on Vivify.

Now I know why I have kept this little piece of paper for years

Years ago, I bought a pack of square papers with 60's patterns on them. I never did anything with them. I just liked the shapes and colours. More recently, I culled the stash, but for some reason, I kept this one. I'm so glad I did, as it was my inspiration for gouache patterns when I had some leftover paints. It's a great way to practise mixing colours in gouache, working with a limited palette, and learning how to get the right texture - just enough water, not too much, not too little. 

Layers on a bigger sheet

Well, not that big a sheet, A4, but bigger than anything I've done in gouache before. Started with some writing, then circles, letters, lines, more squiggles and circles. And then did a few more layers, trying to vary shapes, colours and values. Including more writing. Photos of the finished version include a few close-ups at different angles so you can see the texture of the gouache.

 

Layered pattern

 Put on your sunglasses. Lots of Opera Rose in this little exercise in patterns in gouache.

Inspired by patterns in artworks

This week in the patterns class I'm doing with Amanda Close on Vivify, we were finding inspiration in works of art. For the homework, I used patterns I found in a Harry Clarke stained glass window. I worked from a photo I took years ago, in the V&A, I think. I was trying to find photos online, but nothing gave me the zoomed-in detail I wanted. Glad I take photos of all sorts of things that pull me in. My Google Photos collection has lots and lots of inspiration.

I used some acrylic markers on top of the gouache this time, for details. Because let's face it, I struggle with painting details with a brush. It all got a bit mad, but fun.

More patterns

It got a bit more intricate with the patterns this week. I don't normally do this many layers, because I normally work in watercolours, but this was interesting. 

Playing with gouache

I was chatting with friends on Vivify, and I had no plans to draw or paint, but I grabbed a little sketchbook, three tubes of gouache and I made another little pattern, like the one I had done earlier, but in a completely different colour scheme. I'm not sure what the pinky purple colour is, but that's alright. I have so many tubes of gouache, plus I'm not a neat mixer, so the wells in my gouache palette are a bit dirty. It might be primary magenta (mixed with whatever was on my brush) or it might be peony.

 

Inspired by nature

Inspired by some photos I took on my walk this morning. Nothing fancy, just plants in other people's gardens. I painted this a little bigger than my previous attempts, so I didn't have to be so delicate in how I applied paint.

 

Just a little pattern

Just changed the red to an opera pink (quite fluo) for a different triad. I tried a more delicate pattern, but it didn't work, so I ended up with this. I must try to paint bigger squares and see how the patterns work out then.  This is all I did in my full session with Shelley. I normally paint a half sheet when we're chatting!

Gouache + acrylic markers (and a little stamp)

Apart from one (which was a disaster), it was fun to use acrylic markers on top of gouache. First I did a weird triad with a flesh colour, a bright green and a grey blue. It created interesting backgrounds. First I used one of my hand-cut stamps (which I did years ago, when I was into Gelli printing), then I tried some Posca and Molotow markers, then Arrtx. All were fun. You sometimes have to use two layers, as the markers pick up some of the gouache.

I'm not firing on all cylinders this week, so these little swatches are a great way to explore colours and patterns, and learn more about gouache. I just wouldn't have the energy for a big watercolour. Plus the weather is awful outside!

Pattern inspiration

I'm seeing patterns everywhere now. What I was looking at today was nature and Japanese papers. The one thing I'm realising, though, is that I don't have a delicate touch. I will never be a botanical artist. And working in gouache is particularly tricky for me, as I struggle with consistency and understanding how much material is on my brush, generally leading to big blobs of paint. I tried to paint a ginko leaf. It was clunky. I also tried a Japanese arrow pattern - I got so lost in it! The good thing with gouache, though, is that you can paint over it. Still, it's a perfect way to stay in touch with art while I'm feeling under the weather (again!). I don't think I could tackle a quarter sheet watercolour landscape right now, so little gouache squares with patterns it is. I wonder if I can apply acrylic markers on top, or will the gouache lift? Well, I guess I'll have to try!

The colour wheel is in a relatively smooth Hahnemuhle sketchbook and the little squares are on basic cartridge paper

Patterns!

A fun course about patterns on Vivify, with Amanda Close. Now I see patterns everywhere!