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Watercolor painting - Chili

 

This is a 5 x 7 inches watercolor painting of a red chili pepper.  I try to apply a wash for a background instead of leaving it white as many of my last paintings.  This is a still life using artist Winsor and Newton watercolor and is done on cold press watercolor paper.   This one was done by painting the chili pepper first and leave the background and the shadow for last.  I will try to do one where I paint the background first and leave the pepper and shadow for last.  Then I would like to do another one with an underpainting for the entire sheet of paper before I paint the subject and the background.  It would be a good exercise for me to learn the property of the transparent watercolor.

Watercolor Painting - Ballroom dancing

 

I have been putting aside the ballroom dancing watercolor for a while because I have not decided what to paint on the background.  It is not an easy decision and finially I have enough courage to start and try to finish it with a wash of blue watercolor for the background.  I started to paint from the top with misture of French Ultramarine Blue.  As I painted towords the middle, other blue like Cerulean Blue is added to the wash.  I need to work quickly around the ballroom dancers with the background wash.  It is typical of watercolor paint and it is unpredicable in areas of washes.  Finally I came to do the lower area in which there is shadows and I added more French Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson and a touch of Prussian Blue to the mixture.  Before it is dry, the shadow was painted several layers of wash to achieve the desire intensity.  It is a 15″ x 20.5 inches watercolor painting on cold press watercolor paper.

Ballroom dancing watercolor painting

I have further worked on the ballroom dancing watercolor painting last night.  As you can see, I have added a wash on the gentlemans dancing gown.  What I learned is that I should prepare a large watercolor wash instead of trying to mix more in the middle of painting it.  I did that in a flat wash which uses more color than other washes.  Because I need to keep the edges wet between washes, I have a hard time doing that and mixing more paint.  In other areas of the gown, I have use gradated wash so that the final result will show variation of the dark color instead of one flat pure grey black ballroom gown.

Ballroom dancing watercolor painting

I have continued with my ballroom dancing watercolor painting last night.  I found that as I paint everyday, I have easily make mistakes either on the watercolor wash, the choice of color, the wetness of the paper etc.  It is a continuous learning process and without risking making mistakes, I won't be able to learn.
Last night I have learnt that the pure watercolor from the tube can get 'dirty' by mixing with dirty water.  You also have to watch out for the unclean brush too.  Last night I loaded my brush with some water from my brush cleaning water, dip into Winsor Yellow and mix it in my palette before putting on the paper.  On the palette it looks nice and bright and I even try it on a piece of scrap watercolor paper before I apply it on my painting.  But after I finished painting a large area with that mixture, I found that it is really muddy compare with the ones I did the night before.  It was the water I use to mix the paint with.  The water is from the night before and it was the brush cleaning water I am using.  Now I know it is wise to keep two jars of water for my watercolor painting, one clean one for mixing and one for cleaning brushes with.
The lession I have learned from my mistake is the quickest way to get muddy watercolor and easiest way to waste brilliant watercolor pigment.  Those two would give you dull and opaque watercolor and should be something to avoid in our daily watercolor painting.  Love to hear from those who have similar experience.

Ballroom dancing painting and gradated wash

I have continue with my ballroom dance painting last night doing part of the dress in wet into wet wash.  I started with the area of the dress in the upper right corner using Windsor yellow and Windsor orange watercolor paint.  The dress on the body was done a day earlier with the same watercolor paint in wet into wet wash and before it is dry, household salt is used on the cold press watercolor service and has been removed completely when dry overnight.

After leaving it to dry overnight, I have done a small 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch gradated wash just for the exercise.  It was done with a brush loaded with a certain color with the paper put on vertical.  More clean water is being put on the brush together with paint and was applied at the bottom of each wash.
Looking at my ballroom dance painting again I feel I might have tackled too big an area at one time and loose control over some of the washes. Well, I guess you don't learn if you do not make mistake.

Pomegranate watercolor study

Pomegranate - 5 x 7 inch on cold press watercolor paper

 
This one is a watercolor painting I did on a pomegranate.  I did it on a 5 x 7 inch cold press watercolor paper.  It was not too difficult as to the use of color because it is basically red.  A quick study which I just want to do something in one night such that I get some practice on my watercolor painting.  I found that this doing daily little paintings helps to maintain my interest in art and especially in watercolor.  I will get back into my bigger ballroom dancing painting tomorrow and I think I should not leave that for a long time otherwise I will be afraid to start it again thinking that I might ruin it.