Tried a different brand of watercolours for this Pencils4Tea. I have a set of portrait colours from Kremer. They're an interesting texture, quite grainy, completely different from what I'm used to. Used a few extra colours from an old set. Graphite pencil over the watercolour. And Stabilo Woody for lips. In Stillman & Birn and Seawhite of Brighton A4 sketchbooks.
I don't know if I'm at a crossroads or an impasse. Either way, it's uncomfortable. But I feel pulled to keep on trying.
I added more white acrylic paint, more watercolour, more gouache. It's a bloody mess, but has an energy. Then I decide to cover all of that with white gesso. What to do next? Part of me feels I went too far, and how will watercolour work on top of that? I could add some watercolour ground? Would I have been better off starting from scratch? But then I'll never know.
Just a quick drawing this time, with a dash of watercolour on top. Found this angle easier - looking at the flower straight on to its centre. Still don't know how I can paint it, but I need the time to learn the shapes and the lines.
Watched Liz Steel's video on Neocolor II. A lot to take in! But that glow!
Too many white bits. I think I'm trying to paint in a way that is not me. How do you paint flowers?
Not as exciting as the gouache version, but interesting to do some semi-blind drawing with colour pencils, then went a bit crazy with pastels and tempera sticks. I like the colour of the first one.
Went back to that landscape, looking at how I cropped and added layers. First thing I did was apply acrylic paint with a painting knife, then added some more watercolour. Then some more watercolour and white gouache. Let's see how many layers until I'm happy. I think I may need some collage and gouache, but lacked the energy for that today.
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.
Bought myself a bouquet of peonies yesterday. I think it's the first time ever I have bought them. Been wanting to buy them for years, so I could paint them. Was surprised at how quickly they opened. Four of the five were just round buds yesterday. Now four of them are in full bloom. Need to hurry before they fade. All done within 2 hours, but might count them as separate days for Direct Watercolor month!
Played with watercolour, Statiblo Woodies, tempera sticks, oil pastels, and some Inktense. Would need to add more darks for volume, but I enjoyed the play. Which one is your favourite?
Very much work in progress, on cold press paper. Liking how the pigments are behaving. And the energetic mark making. Now pondering what to do with my second layer.
Still working with watercolour first, then graphite pencil to define shapes better. And a little Stabilo Woody for lipstick. For longer songs, I came back with a darker, thicker, wash in some places. We drew to music to do with the World Cup (football, America, I think). Again worked in a Stillman&Birn Alpha and a Seawhite of Brighton sketchbook, as I needed time for paint to dry before turning the page.
Love my time at the hairdresser's, white my colour is cooking. Always an opportunity to experiment. This time brought a small set of watercolours and 4 inktense pencils. Started with washes of colour, then added line, and back and forth until I was done. Added a tiny bit of white Neoart in the eyes when I got home.
