Art Lesson: Drippy Watercolors

Hi there!

I decided it was time to get these pictures of the bee picture on here.

I wanted to do a bit of experimenting with letting the watercolors be bold, loose, drip down the canvas.

Here is one I loved of a butterfly from a shop on Etsy by Dean Crouser.

www.etsy.com:butterfly-watercolor-print-by-dean

Also, the beautiful, colorful artwork of Slaveyka Aladjova which can viewed at her esty shop here:

www.etsy.com:SlaviART

(I think the lion, horse heads, cow, and rooster are my favorites.  FANTASTIC!)

I wanted so much to create a beautiful piece like these, so I used the bee sketch that I partially outlined with ink, took a picture of it,

and then printed up 4 or 5 copies of it onto cardstock paper to experiment before I completed the large canvas.

I started by using masking fluid on the areas I wanted to keep lighter or white.

On my first try, I was very careful and conservative and basically just painted without letting any of the paint get too drippy.

For the next image, I decided to brush water all over the areas I was about to paint,...

and add the paint right away, letting it drip and wash where it wanted.

(I am a bit embarrassed to show this image as I obviously got impatient and the masking fluid was not completely dry and it ran down the wet paint.

I knew this was just a rough run-through of experiments that I would be throwing away,

so I was not as patient as I would be with a real canvas

One cannot rush the masking fluid.

I wiped it up with a bit of paper towel.)

I followed the same wetting down of the paper procedure before I painted on some yellow.

For my next sample, I wet the page down, but used less water, so it would not be quite so loose.

I did the same with the light blue.

I painted the pink on the petals with a fine brush.

I finished with a bit more detail and some loose green for the stems and leaves,...

and then added more wet colors for the dripping effect.

 

For the other pages, I basically continued experimenting with putting down washes,

letting colors drip, putting on heavier colors where I wanted more detail.

(heavier paint on flowers)

(cleaner, more bold colors)

(more warm colors, blended colors)

It was a fun experiment and I am glad I did them on the cardstock instead of going right to the canvas.

When it came down to it, I did not like the results I had achieved with the dripping watercolors enough to go through with them on my canvas,
at least, maybe for this scene.
I loved the images the other artists have done with this, but I am not ready to frame my own attempts, so I chose to go with what I was comfortable with for my canvas:
copic markers.




Here is what I chose to do, partially finished...

and this is where I decided to stop.

I enjoyed the dripping watercolor method and hope to try it again.


Have you ever given the drippy watercolor method a try?

Here is a video I found very useful for explaining the technique.


Thanks for stopping by and have an excellent day!

The Artist: Mary Engelbreit

 (This is a book about Mary Englebreit full of her wonderful illustrations and her encouraging story and words.)

"I taught myself by copying, but if you do that long enough, you start drawing your own little people, which for me happened when I was just about eight." - Mary Engelbreit

 Maryengelbreit.com

Mary's success in her art is shown by her over 6,000 pieces of artwork.

Mary Engelbreit is a favorite artist of mine.  

(Yes, I suppose I have several favorite artists, but I have admired Ms. Engelbreit's work for most of my life).

I just so enjoy her bright colors and unique style. 

The creative way that she frames her artwork in patterns and designs punctuates the fun and draws the eye in.

I love that Mary never went to art school.

She is a picture of success by keeping to her own style of art and by her hard work.

Mary graduated from high school and went on to work at an art store where she met and was encouraged by the working artists that came in.

She then worked at an ad store where she garnered even more knowledge.

(To see her selection of books, click >HERE<).

Her style of creating art is this:

Mary does her entire piece of artwork on one page: she doesn't sketch her pieces out first.

She starts the artwork in pencil.

Mary then uses micro pen to ink it in.

Next she uses markers to color it: Prismacolor, Copic, or Tria.

She finishes the piece with Prismacolor colored pencils.

Each of Mary's artwork pieces take anywhere from 40 to 100 hours.

(source: Pinterst from the live interview with Mary Engelbreit).

Mary does not sit down to draw everyday at a scheduled time.

She says that creativity hits at times and she jots that idea down so it doesn't get lost,

sometimes even on the back of a napkin.

Mary says her favorite place to work is in her home studio,

late at night when it is quiet

(I love that.  I can relate!)

Ms. Englebreit has created many inspiring quotes. Some of my favorites are:

“One loses many laughs by not laughing at oneself. ”

 “Walk towards the sunshine, and the shadows will fall behind you.”

"Happiness must be grown in one's own garden. ”

"If your ship hasn't come in, swim out to it.”

 ----Mary Engelbreit (from Goodreads.com)


To see some of Mary's fun artwork, click >HERE<


To see Mary's live interview offering helpful tips on what she's learned about marketing artwork, click >HERE<.

Other great interviews that were used for the info on this blog post are these: >www.maryengelbreit.com<
>www.harpercollins.com<

Thanks for stopping by!

Artist Quote/Tip: John Sloane

“I am always on the lookout for new subjects”, says John. “Familiar scenes can change dramatically with the movement of light and at different times of the year. There is always something new to be seen. I want to create an awareness of the little things that we often take for granted.”

-John Sloane

I admire the work of John Sloane.  I have purchased a number of his calenders

as well as his notecards.

He depicts country life in a way that draws one into it,

like warm apple pie with a mug of fresh milk.

You can view a great selection of his prints if you click 

>HERE<.

You will be glad you did.

In one of his interviews I read, he said he takes a walk every morning with his dog and often gets inspired to paint from what he sees.

I need to take this advice.  Walks are so rewarding!

He also said that he spends about 30 days working on each picture he creates,
using real life machinery to draw from and creative elements in choosing the people/props, etc.

His interviews were very interesting to read:
I found I gained some new art perspective from them.

If you would like to read more about Mr. Sloane,
one of the interviews was given >HERE<.

and another one >HERE<. 

Thanks for stopping by!