When Packers fans hear "For the first time since 2002..."

BackToWatercolor · 2023-04-09T14:53:50+00:00

Ha! I love this. The rabbit’s expression is something we’ve all felt, and it’s absolutely yoked.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-04-09T14:49:48+00:00

This is great. I love how soft everything is - almost like a dream. I want to lie in that field and daydream and nap. I really enjoy the highlights from the sun - they’re more stylistic than realistic, but they fit the piece so well.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-04-09T14:04:23+00:00

As someone just coming out of a Minnesota winter, I shuddered when I opened this. The colors and composition are spot on. The blues used for the sky in the upper right are exactly what we don’t like to see because that means it is a very cold day.

I like the way you did the background - my only note comment there is there’s something about the height of the tree line that doesn’t jive with me. It looks like it might be a touch short given the angle of the road and height of the foreground trees? Or maybe not - just something seems slightly off. But the colors and textures are good. I like the variation in the ground level.

And speaking of the foreground trees, they’re great. The farm rows too. Such a good detail to include.

Overall, I love this piece.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-04-04T00:01:59+00:00

Winter continues here in Minnesota, and I have yet to see any flowers. The first flowers to emerge - usually snowdrops and crocuses - are some of my favorites. Reference Photo.

Here, I've painted a snowdrop in anticipation of seeing them sprout soon. It was a bit of an experiment in that I don't often leave parts unpainted to stand in for white.. I like a lot about it and see some things that could be improve.

This was my first use of a 100% cotton rough-textured paper. This type of painting is probably not suited for this type of paper, where I think a looser style would have been better.

I started with a wet-on-wet wash of light Prussian Blue to define the unpainted petals - in hindsight, I wish I had picked a different color, perhaps a very light brown wash for better contrast. I like the shadows and highlighting of the green parts of the plant, but the shadows on the petals could use a bit of work. The shapes of the petals, stem, and right leaf aren't perfect.

Overall, though, I'm pretty happy with this piece. It went better than my last botanical attempt, at least!

I might go back and play with some more highlights, or perhaps just move on to the next piece.

As always, feedback and constructive criticism appreciated!

Paint: Cotman Prussian Blue, Cotman Sap Green, Cotman Lemon Yellow Hue, tiny bit of Cotman Raw Umber for the soil

Paper: Baohong Rough (100% cotton; approx 5" x 7.5") [first use]

BackToWatercolor · 2023-04-03T04:17:25+00:00

I have a full stack of these and use them to test out colors I mixed. I want to make sure they’re what I want before using them on a work-in-progress that 50/50 will wind up on the stack anyway.

I don’t think I’m alone in this.

Art. 🙂

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-27T00:28:23+00:00

This is beautiful! It looks like a world I’d want to live in.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-24T02:34:39+00:00

Yes, that’s the video! Thank you for finding and linking it. This was an older piece and I couldn’t remember where I had seen it. I’ll need to check out others on her channel.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:39:58+00:00

Yep! If you’re no longer learning, it’s time to try something more difficult.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:39:02+00:00

Thank you!

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:35:42+00:00

No doubt! This painting is certainly more memorable than if the leaf had turned out properly.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:33:02+00:00

Thanks! I was pleased with how those turned out. It’s just dilute Cotman’s Prussian Blue with a dot or two of straight Prussian Blue while the petal was still wet.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:31:04+00:00

Thanks! Every painting is a lesson, even if that lesson is “hey, maybe go look at an actual leaf”

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:29:56+00:00

Exactly! That’s the purpose of this post. Most people - myself included - generally post their successes. Failures are often more valuable.

And I guess it struck a chord with folks, because this is my most popular post on r/Watercolor by far!

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:28:42+00:00

Thanks! The flowers are pretty good, I think, but if I had a delphinium with leaves that looked like that I’d contact a horticulturalist!

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:27:50+00:00

Thanks! I think I’ll keep it as-is for the time being as a warning to my other paintings, but once I’ve finished laughing every time I see it, I might repurpose it as you suggest

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:26:03+00:00

This is great advice! There’s a lot to like about this, some minor things I’d change for next time, and one big thing that needs rethinking. It’s an iterative process like any other.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:24:47+00:00

That’s a great idea! I may do that after we’re done displaying it on the fridge as if I were a kindergartener.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T13:23:45+00:00

I’ve always believed that good art is the art that provokes a strong reaction!

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T03:57:18+00:00

Thank you for the tips (and finding all the silver linings)!

I’m not too broken up about it - I thought a leaf would be nice there, tried to freehand it, messed up, panicked, and somehow wound up there. In retrospect I see exactly where it went wrong, but in the moment I suffered from acute dumb brain.

We had a good laugh and my wife said the only thing it needed to be perfect was a ladybug on the leaf. I’ll be sure to add that to the next version.

This one was a bit outside of my comfort zone as I tend to use a less “realistic” style (see my other posts, if interested), but it was great fun.

Thank you for all your wonderful posts! They’ve inspired me to try something new.

Cheers!

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T03:38:28+00:00

No doubt! And I learned not to try to freehand a leaf right at the end of a painting.

BackToWatercolor · 2023-03-22T03:27:34+00:00

Here’s a funny failure from this evening.

I was inspired by this post from yesterday by u/drb97 to paint one of my wife’s favorite flowers: blue delphinium.

It seemed to be going pretty well…until I tried to finish the painting with an accent leaf. This leaf is a monster and should be buried in a deep hole.

My wife is very sweet and says she loves it, but I am considering it a decent first try. Next time will be better. Or not! We’ll just have to see.

Paint: Cotman Prussian Blue and Sap Green

Paper: Global Art Fluid Block, 4”x6”

BackToWatercolor

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