So this was just playing with color washes. I know not very artsy, but it’s just what I needed after the last two postings. Lots of painting today for me. So just very light washes from my pallet. Just drew out circles overlapping here and there. Glazed over circle previously painted and dried just to see. Could I keep the was even? How did the glaze on top change the color? Just fun and simple idea. Have a great first day of summer!
So today I just had a hankering to play with color. It actually turned into working on liner work.
Then one thing lead to another and now cats are watching fish under water and fish have eyelashes. It is quite goofy but good practice. I did do some glaze washes over dried color washes. Used a lot of saturated color as well.
I just had a hankering to play with my Blue and Yellow watercolors. To experiment with stripes of each blue and then adding a yellow wash on each blue to see how they looked. I let the blue completely dry . Then added a medium wash of each yellow with out disturbing the bottom color. This way the bottom color shows through the top color and changes the look.
This is a bit different from what I usually do in my paintings.. Typically I bring two colors side by side and let them mingle and do their thing, and or mix it in the palette. I’ve added the beginnings of this project below. Which began with just drawing lines, adding the painting name at the top and sides. Then proceeded painting each blue, after they where totally dry did a medium wash of yellow over the blue. I think lighter washes would probably work better. When this technique is done right it can be so beautiful.
Well, let me share something with you. I “thought” I wanted to paint glass bottles.. I started and realized I was way out of my league. What a mess! Such an advance painting project for an essentially a beginner. Although I painted regularly years ago and did ok. It is very much apparent to me I need to get my watercolor knowledge back. So I carefully put away my glass bottles… and pulled out my painting palette to experiment . I’m keeping it to just 6 colors at the moment. I also pulled out one of my favorite books by Jeanne Dobie “MAKING COLOR SING”.
Today just sharing my “experimentation” with my 6 colors… She has a chapter describing luminous grays. By mixing your one of your primary colors with their compliment you can create these most gorgeous grays. This is just experimenting, and as I look at this loose painting it probably could use more detail.. It is suppose to be a mountain scene, ( I’ve included a close up view of the top of this painting) I followed her example to work on my mixtures. It is a beginning.. trying to get what is in my head down on paper. I figure every time I paint it will help, and I will learn. Watercolors can easily turn to muddy colors so easily So I’m in great need to figure out how NOT to do that! .. I want beautiful colors..
This picture just shares the mixtures done today along with my mixtures of mouse colors. These grays are not neutral by any means, they actually have colors to them, they can be cool , warm, greenish, reddish,blueish, at any intensity needed..
This is what has pulled me to watercolor is the gorgeous luminosity, I don’t want to simply copy a scene I want to create a scene from reality. Make it artistic if this makes any sense.
Let me show you the picture of what I wanted to attempt… took lots of great pictures to do later!! What was I thinking??? lol Someday I’ll go back to it.
It has been a very long time since my watercolors have been put to use. This weekend I was determined to get back to it! After Destroying at least 4 pieces of not so good watercolor paper.. I finally settled on this small 8″ x 10 ” landscape. Its a fantasy lake along a woodland scape. Fun to just get the paint flowing again and controlling or not so controlling onto paper. I think I’ll sign it and go to my next.
Watercolor Raw 
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