I also benefited from the lovely perfume whilst I was working. It must be said, however, the flowers soon drooped and I was painting from memory by the end. I should have taken a couple of photos whilst it was still fresh, or even gone out and photographed the tree during the painting process.
In order to avoid having to paint every single floret, I painted a wash over the clean sheet of paper, using Rose of Ultramarine, Ultramarine Violet and Quinachridone purple. I then sprinkled liberally with fine salt to produce some texture which I hoped would give me suggestions of flowers in the background.
When the paper was completely dry, I brushed away the salt and lightly sketched the position of the branches and the pot.
Using the same colours as before, I painted in the flowers, trying to make some shapes quite sharp, whilst leaving others quite soft. As I progressed, I added leaves and stems, to make sure that the branches were sat approximately right in the vase.
At this stage, I was tempted to give up. The process was quite repeatative and I found it difficult to paint so many tiny elements without the whole thing looking contrived.
Once the first two flowers were complete, I decided that maybe it was worth continuing, and I an glad now that I was disciplined enough to stick at it.
Once all the flowers were complete, I added more leaves and a background made up of Moonglow, Anthraquinachridone Blue and Quinachridone Magenta. This mix was applied to wet paper, and whilst still wet, I dropped in a splatter of white acrylic gouache, and gave the rest of the painting a bit of a splatter too.
'Lilac' Watercolour on Fabriano Artistico
300g extra white paper.
37cm x 27cm
Now that it is finished, I think the blue stripes on the pot could have been a bit darker, and I think I may need to add a few more leaves in the middle of the painting. Both those issues can be addressed after I have left it in the studio for a few days to study what is needed.
Very striking.
ReplyDeleteCor! That was quick Peter. Thanks for the comment. Not a flower I will be painting again for a while. A bit difficult!
ReplyDeleteYvonne - this is certainly lovely. I so enjoyed seeing how you added texture with the salt. I love the hint of the vase...very beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Debbie. Thanks for looking and commenting.I am beginning to experiment with different types of salt. There is a Japanese artist who uses about 10 different types. I never knew so many existed. I've got just 3.
DeleteLas lilas lucen magnÃficas y el jarrón con su transparencia y esas delicadas franjas azules completan una hermosa acuarela, felicitaciones por el trabajo!
ReplyDeleteThank you once again for your lovely comments.
DeleteIt's very pretty and gives the impression you intended completely of lots of tiny flowers without being contrived. As a novice painter I often don't know where to start and haven't yet the patience to keep going back to a painting so this post was very helpful for me to see how worthwhile it is to stick at it and to plan/prepare the background and think about position. Thankyou for sharing, a lot of artists show a 'ta da' when all is done and not the process along the way, so I really value your posts and often refer back to them. Betty
ReplyDeleteThank you Debbie. I try to remember to photograph each stage, but I am often so engrossed that I forget until it is too late, or the light is too poor by the time I remember. It is lovely to know that a relative beginner finds the blogs useful. I will try to be as much help as possible. Never be afraid to ask! Best advice.....just keep painting.
DeleteWith regards to the subject, yes it is difficult to know how much to put in and how much to leave out. I find fields of flowers equally difficult. But I try to make it fun to do even if I am less than pleased with the results.
Gosh this is so stunning and thank you for sharing your technique for this painting. Happy Easter
ReplyDeleteThank you, Polly. Sharing is how we all learn, so you are very welcome. Happy Easter to you as well.
ReplyDelete