Learning Mode: Imagined Lizard

Imagined Lizard, watercolor on Arches 140#, 9x12

I worked on this piece in my last two watercolor classes. The goal was to learn to build depth through layers of color, and to build a wet-in-wet background. It is loosely based on an iguana, but not intended to be realistic.

Dragon

Dragon, underpainting (left), finished (right)

9x12 watercolor on Arches 140#

This is my first attempt to use what I learned in class on a piece of my own. On the left is stage one, the underpainting. On the right, the finished work. The scan is oversaturating the yellow. It's much more subtle on the original. The painting combines underpainting, wet-in-wet, and layering.

Sketchbook: Mr. Grumpy

Mr. Grumpy, watercolor pencils in sketchbook, approximately 9"x12"

Class was cancelled this past week due to bad weather. My teacher suggested I use reference photos of reptiles in sketching my dragon critters. This grumpy little guy was inspired by a photo of an inquisitive little lizard perching on a flower bush. This isn't a realistic portrait, but I feel good about the facial expression and the round little belly. The icky weather also inspired my use watercolor pencils for color instead of my usual graphite. The water made the paper buckle, as you can see on the left side.

Learning Mode: Landscape Tone and Value

Two Landscapes, 4"x5", Watercolor on Arches 140#

These two paintings are my homework assignment from my watercolor class. The goal was to paint a landscape using tone and value and only three colors. In this case, I used cobalt, viridian, and gamboge on the top/blue one, and cobalt, quin rose, and ultramarine on the bottom/purple one.

The paper makes a tremendous difference. I did a series of practice pieces on 90# Canson, but it felt as if the pigment was sliding off the paper. On the 140# Arches, the pigment gripped the paper better and stayed put.

Learning Mode: Trees and Small Figures

A Walk In The Snow, 2.5"x3.5", watercolor on 90# Bienfang

Last week in watercolor class, my tutor taught me to paint wet-in-wet trees on the horizon, and small figures. This is a practice piece using those techniques.

More Sitting Pretty (ACEO)

Sitting Pretty Purple, 2.5"x3.5", Watercolor on Canson 90#

Another mini-painting on the Sitting Pretty theme. Limited pallette, using quinacrodone rose, ultramarine blue, and viridian. Quin rose and ultramarine mix a beautiful purple that granulates. The eyes are hansa yellow. The gray is mixed from ultramarine and burnt umber.

Pears, For Practice

Three Pears, 6"x9", watercolor on Arches 140#

I painted these three pears while I was working on my color studies last week. I'm fairly happy with the pears and the shape of the shadows. I'm not happy with the way the darker pigment deposited itself within the shadow. I would have liked for it to be smoother.

In Learning Mode...

I'm taking watercolor lessons from a local artist. Since I'm the only student at the moment, I'm getting personalized attention. In our first session we covered color mixing and complementary colors on a standard split primary palette. Yesterday, I spent the day making paint swatches, looking up pigment properties, and mixing samples. Today, I selected the paints I'll use in my palette, then painted spheres using color complements for shading.

Sitty Pretty (ACEOs)

Sitting Pretty Green & Sitting Pretty Orange

(2.5x3.5) Watercolor on 90# Canson

More small paintings. These are color studies for a larger painting. Both have Paynes gray underpainting. The underpainting on the orange dragon seemed terribly dark when I started, but I think it turned out okay.

Party Boys (ACEOs)

Party Lizard (top) and
Party Dragon (bottom),
12/30/2006, 2.5" x 3.5" (ACEO), watercolor on 90# Canson

These two party boys are helping me with an experiment in shading. On top, I used multiple glazes of a single color (sap green) to simulate shadows. On the bottom, I used an underpainting of diox purple to create shadows under the sap green.

Notes for later: I think I prefer the richer darks the underpainting provides. Next time, I'll try using Payne's grey instead of diox purple. The yellow ballon is too bright, but a glaze of burnt sienna should tone it down. The wings are a little too low on the back, and need more structure.