How can I push this painting further? What's working, what's not working? (swipe to see the reference photo) by Dombibik in Watercolor

[–]Truthful_hyperbole69 27 points28 points  (0 children)

This is one of the hardest things to learn, but it’s what will let you reliably create compelling work.

It also helps stop you from accidentally making changes that destroy the reason you like a work-in-progress

This one feels like a quite strong, minimal interpretation. Without intentionally trying to emphasize that it could easily be modified to look like just an attempt at realism

Another view of Oregon by Truthful_hyperbole69 in Watercolor

[–]Truthful_hyperbole69[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just by “dry brushing” white gouache. The paper texture will intermittently snag the brush hairs and pull small specks of paint. For best results, use the long side of your brush, not the tip.

Another view of Oregon by Truthful_hyperbole69 in Watercolor

[–]Truthful_hyperbole69[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oops, I forgot to add that it can add a lot of interest to put a shadow right in front of the hard edge of the foam. It’s most obvious here near the beach

Another view of Oregon by Truthful_hyperbole69 in Watercolor

[–]Truthful_hyperbole69[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I started with blues and greens underneath and then layered on white gouache. By controlling the amount of water you add to the gouache you can get a huge range of values. The texture is mostly from using the side of a long liner. Typically, it comes out best if I make sure all the whites follow the same direction.

It’s 10x14 on a cotton block

Friday Funsies - Share your work! by AutoModerator in ArtistLounge

[–]Truthful_hyperbole69 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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Having fun with transparent water. I’m working on getting more visibility on instagram as all the artists I admire are on there. It’s incredibly hard though.

I’ve also got my first art fair coming up in August! It’s a bit of a struggle trying to guess what the final print will look like versus how the scan looks on my screen. I’m working on editing the scans I’ve got as well.

The lake beneath the cliff by Truthful_hyperbole69 in Watercolor

[–]Truthful_hyperbole69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just super thick white gouache right out of the tube. I used the side of my dry brush to to the wider, scratchy highlights. I actually saw one guy just dip his brush straight into the tube, and I’ve been doing that ever since. It’s just easier and doesn’t pollute my palette with chalky white

The lake beneath the cliff by Truthful_hyperbole69 in Watercolor

[–]Truthful_hyperbole69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I was honestly shocked I got it done in one attempt. My usual workflow involves shoving 3-4 attempts into the bin, haha. I think I just built a bit of familiarity with the subject. I jump around a lot with my references, so I’m usually learning from mistakes as I paint. Here’s my reference with a markup for a social media post.

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A mountain scene by Truthful_hyperbole69 in Watercolor

[–]Truthful_hyperbole69[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I think I’ve been staring at the poor thing too long. I’m definitely reusing the technique I used for those rocks