Finally Finished the Gourds

I left them here, unable to decide how to give a background that was not too detailed, but gave some depth and a bit of a "story".  Also, I was not keen to mask the gourds, possibly damaging their rich coloration.

I put a thin wash of new gamboge over the entire background, dried it, and then put in a thin graded wash of phthalo blue/cobalt blue for the sky. Then I painted the suggestion of grasses around the fence with mixes of gamboge, carmine and cobalt blue. I think it's enough - depth and an idea of space. 

More Gourds ... or ... Another Process YAY

This is the photo I was taking when those seed pods caught my attention.

Simple sketch for watercolor.

Light glazes to start.
For gourds, I use aureolin, new gamboge and quin. siena
For fence, it's indanthrone blue, quin. violet and quin. burnt orange.

I did a bit more shadowing before getting into the local color.

Intensifying the gourd colors

Starting the pattern on the large gourd.

I've painted the stems with a light brown, and the dark is the phthalo green mix.
I have pretty much completed the patterning, and my eyes are going cross-eyed, so I think I'll call it a night!!
As always, all comments are most welcome!

What I've Been Playing with Today ...

Sketch, loosely based on some of my photos

HAH ... looks like there is nothing there, but there is a very thin glaze of aureolin.

Still pussyfooting, with very thin washes

Ah ... that's better. Colors used are aureolin, quin. siena, phthalo green [blue], new gamboge

Just intensifying colors on all the gourds

Gourds I
6.5 x 7.5 in. framable image


I didn't want to put much of a background, just a bit more of a connection between the gourds.  I loved the pattern on the large one; it caught my eye when I was shopping last week. As ever, all comments and questions are most welcome!