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!

Art Lesson: Shading Choices

Hello, friends.

How does a person make artwork look realistic?

Once the sketch is made on the page and the proportions are correct,

shading is an important part of bringing a picture to life.

With pencil drawing, shading is achieved through darker pencil marks in the areas that are shaded.

(Using lines drawn in the correct direction, thickness, and length is essential as well).

Shading a picture of color can be achieved through a few different methods.

Using different colors can give the shaded look, as in this colored pencil drawing below.

Layering color is also a good way to create shading.

Layering works especially well with acrylic paints, as with the hand in the duckling picture below.

As I have worked with watercolors, I have found that layering has a different response with watercolors.

Colors in watercolor tend to wash up when too much play is done to the paint on the paper.

This means that one has to see the different shades of color in the picture and apply them carefully.

The black keys of this piano were made without black paint, but with a mixture of blue, yellow, and red.  They were painted with three or four layers until they were dark enough.  As I applied each layer, I did so with minimal strokes, just enough to set the paint on the keys, and move it around to cover the keys.

To get more distinctiveness in the painting,

I decided to used mixed media in it.

Here are the keys with just the watercolor paint.

 Here are the keys as I started to add colored pencil to the dried painting.

 To give the wood more of a grain look, the pencil was used on it as well.

 Areas that needed even darker shading are easier to manipulate with the colored pencil.

 These are just a few ideas of different ways to approach shading in art.

If you have any helpful tips or ideas, I would love to hear them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharing at:
Sunday-showcase-party

The Chicken Chick Blog Hop
Theprairiehomestead.com
Betweennapsontheporch.net

Savvysouthernstyle.net

Frommyfrontporchtoyours.com

Brambleberrycottage
Jenniferrizzo.com
iheartnaptime.net
Whipperberry.com
Funkyjunkinteriors.net

Using a Light Box to Transfer Doodles: Free Valentine Cards.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I wanted to share a trick with you that I find very helpful for creating art from sketches.

I do this with some of my kids' sketches as well and make cards with them.

Sketches are often done on any paper that is handy.

I was sitting somewhere and wanted to get my kids' Valentines done,

so I used the paper I had available.

When I was ready to put them onto good paper,

I got out my light box: it is just a plastic box type thing with a light in it that plugs in.

Once I put the drawn image onto the light,

I put the good paper down on top of it.

The image shines through.

 Then I can trace the image onto the good paper.

 Once the image has been transferred, I usually outline it with a fine-tipped Prisma liner

(or any good fine-tipped pen or marker will do).

Here is how the images turned out.

(You are free to use these images as well, if you'd like,

just not for resale.)

Here are some colorized versions that are also free for use.

I did these with Copic markers.

 

 Here is how I used them for Valentines.

The light box is such a handy tool to have around.

Have a sweet Valentines Day!

(To copy these pages, click on the image, right click, and then click on "copy".

Open up Microsoft Word and right click on the screen, and then click "paste".

 The image should paste onto the page.

You can then click "print".

If you have difficulties or suggestions, please let me know.)

Art Lesson: Rooster.

This week's art lesson is a sketch page of our rooster.

I like our rooster.

He is quite the protector of his three lady hens and I enjoy watching him find bugs and then

cluck to let them know he has something for them.

He has been pretty tame to us humans so far,

and I hope that will continue so that all will be peaceful around the yard.

Here is a printable sketch page which you are free to use as you'd like,

just not for resale.

Thank you for stopping by!

(To copy this sketch page, click on the image, right click, and then click on "copy".

Open up Microsoft Word and right click on the screen, and then click "paste".

 The image should paste onto the page.

You can then click "print."

If you have difficulties or suggestions, please let me know.)