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.

Red Chili Pepper

Red Chili Pepper - 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch on cold press watercolor paper

This is another red chili pepper study I did.  It is really lots of fun and I recommend anyone who likes to do watercolor try these ATC (artist trading card) size studies.  These are done using Winsor and Newton artist watercolor paint on cold press watercolor paper.  I will try to continue with my larger ballroom dance painting I started but I seems to have a block on continue with it.  Could it be that I have done so many of these 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 small studies that larger ones like the 15 x 20 inch ballroom painting is too intimtating?  Anyone got the same feeling before?  May be I should go on with an intermediate one of 8 x 10 before I go on bigger ones.  Anyone, I must get over it because I like to started painting ballroom art because that is one of my passion too.

Wet into Wet Wash

Last night I did some practice on my watercolor wash.  It is so important to know the different kind of wash and what it will do for you when you do a painting.  First one I did was the wet into wet wash where you wet and saturate your watercolor paper with clean water, then wait for it to dry to a certain point and paint on it with fully loaded juicy watercolor.  The effect is shown above.

Ballroom Dancing Watercolor - Pencil Outline

Ballroom Dancing  - 15 x 20.5 inch on watercolor paper 
(pencil outline)

I have attended a ballroom competition on the weekend and took more than one thousand photos of the very exciting event.  I have been thinking of doing some painting of ballroom dancers in the back of my mind for a long time.  I know I need to capture the elegant movement of the dance as well as the energy behind the dance.  One thing in my favor is that I am a ballroom dancer myself and hopefully I can transfer some of that passion and emotion into the ballroom painting.
I am doing this in a 15 x 20.5 inch watercolor painting on cold press watercolor paper.  I have choosen a this dancing couple in my weekend collection of photos for their brightness of the ladies dress.  The men are usually in their black suits contrasts to the glittering of the ladies costume.  Also I like to choose some are more representative and I like the the dances to show less of the face in the painting.  I have started my pencil outline drawing as shown here and will continue with it in the coming days.  My aim is to do a series of ballroom paintings if I can find enough good photograph for the exercise.

Pear on watercolor paper

Pear Study - 5 x 7 inch pear on watercolor paper

I did a painting of a pear on 5 x 7 inch watercolor paper.  It is a cute little pear but it gives me lots of challange in this particular watercolor study.  First of all, I would like to make it more transparent by using wet in wet wash instead.  The color on the watercolor paper dries too quickly to give me good control of the medium.  It turns out ok but a little more transparent would be better.

Habanero Chili Pepper in watercolor

 Habanero Chili Pepper- 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch on watercolor paper

Did another one of the Habanero Chili Pepper in watercolor.  Love the orange color and it's shape.  I am still struggling with the watercolor wash for the body of the pepper.  I would like to make the orange part more transparent and try a wet in wet wash next time instead.  Making mistake is how you learn.  In the library I  come across of a good book on watercolor wash by Joe Garcia.  I think I have loaned it out before and is called Mastering the Watercolor Wash.  It is a very informative book on different types of watercolor wash.  I think I might try to get a used one from ebay for my own reference.

Asian Persimmon - Lum Chee

Asian Persimmon - Lum Chee - 5 x 7 inch on watercolor paper

I try to paint this asian persimmon or lum chee in watercolor.  It is a typical Asian fruit call lum chee in Chinese. It is around from August until this time of the year and has a sweet taste to the orange fruit inside. 
This is painted on a 5 x 7 sheet of watercolor paper.  The control I need to learn is to mix (lightly) in the palette and paint (lightly) on the watercolor paper.  I try using the back of a piece of watercolor paper to test the paint before I put on the painting.  This helps me to feel and see the hue and intensity of the mixted watercolor paint.  I found it quite different when paintied on paper then it is on the palette.  It will eventually change to a duller color when the color is dry.  So by painting dabs of color on the scrap piece of watercolor paper I can gauge the overall match of the color to the subject, in this case the asian persimmon. 

Abstract 002 - Flower

Abstract #002 - Flower 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 on watercolor paper

This is another one of my attempts at abstracts using watercolor. I found that it is fun to do abstracts because you need to free yourself from paint within the lines. Also minor mistakes can be covered and ideas can develope as the painting goes on. If you fill your brush with juicy watercolor and paint it by touching it lightly on the surface, you don't get the brush to absorb back the paint the same as when you rub your paint back and forth on the paper. And another watercolor tips is not to mix your watercolor paint too much on the palette and watercolor paper. Let the color mix itself more and you will avoid getting muddy color.

I heard Windsor and Newton's produces a new line of watercolor large pans and I would like to try it some time in the future..

Abstract 001

 Abstract 001 - 2 /12 x 3 1/2 inch on watercolor paper

I have tried my hands on doing a small abstract watercolor painting.  It turns out to be lots of fun in doing all the different watercolor washes as an exercise.  Watercolor is a great medium in doing washes and layers of color.  I would like to tacle a bigger piece at a later date. 

Red Jalapeno Pepper

Red Jalapeno Pepper - 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch on watercolor paper

Back to painting chili pepper again. This time a red pepper using Winsor and Newton artist watercolor.  It is also a small one, only 2 /12 x 3 1/2 inches on watercolor paper.  Love the red color of this Jalapeno and the Scoville Heat Unit is around 5,000.

Heliconia - Final Painting

Heliconia #1 with light background

 

Heliconia #2  - with medium background

Heliconia -  5 x 7 Final painting with dark background. on watercolor paper

I have finally finished painting this Heliconia.  I took me quite a bit of time and effort.  I found that I still have a lot to learn in watercolor washes, watercolor paint characteristics and the characteristic of the various watercolor paper as well.  Painting is an on going learning process.  It is not simple and yet it eludes me everytime I think I got it under control.  More practice is needed.  That's for sure.

Flower #1 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch watercolor on paper

Flower #1 - 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch watercolor on paper.

Watercolor This flower watercolor painting should be done as a larger painting.  There are details in which a small painting just have not enough room to paint on.  I have use Windsor and Newton artist watercolor on this flower painting doing it in various washes.  The most challanging part of the flower are the large patels.  I need to use a small brush because of the small size of the painting.  But the layers of wash keep on drying quicker than I anticipated and I need to work fast in order that the area stays wet enough for the wash.  Over all I am quite happy with the result and I like the very dark background which gives the flower the 3 dimension look it needs.   I might want to go back on the Heliconia painting to make an overall dark background.

Watercolor on paper - Habanero Pepper 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch on watercolor paper

Habanero Pepper - 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch watercolor on paper

My daily painting is still going on with a little Habanero Pepper this time. I hope my passion for the watercolor painting keeps up like the heat of this pepper.  I found out from the internet that this little Habanero type of Pepper has a Scoville Heat Units of 325,000 to 570,000.  Compare to a Jalapeno pepper which is only 5,000 Scoville Heat Units.  I have a few of these mixed into the chili sauce I made this year so the chili sauce end up much hotter than other years.  A small amount of the oil can cause a intense and prolonged oral suffering.  It is fun doing this pepper in watercolor because of the mix of different color from orange to red to yellow.  Love to do one in oil paint and the oil medium that I use is Winsor and Newton Water Soluble Oil.  Have not an oil painting in a while and I am wondering if I can, like many of the oil painters that they can finish a small 6 x 6 inch oil painting each day.  Well, may be that is my next challange after I get boared painting all these little chili peppers in watercolor.

Heliconia day 2

Heliconia - 5 x 7 inch on Watercolor Paper

This daily watercolor I did of a Heliconia flower is quite a challenge for me.  I have since finished it and signed it.  First of all, I do not want to paint this watercolor so it is overly worked.  I need to stop before the water colors go muddy.  I have choose a dark blue mixed with green and purple color background and with this dark value, the subject stands out more when compare to the light color one before.  The value of the background have changed and I think it helps to define the subject of the Heliconia.  I use Winsor and Newton tube watercolour and Van Gogh Watercolors.  I like to hear some experience from anyone that uses pan watercolor especially the large pan watercolor that is made by Winsor and Newton.  I found that their tube watercolor dries so fast after it’s been squeeze out of the tube.  I wonder if there is a shelf life for tube watercolor.