This Is Why I LOVE Watercolor ... and Dressage, for that Matter ...

I was here last night.

I've been blocking in the shadows on the iris wet-in-wet, with quin. pink and cobalt blue.

I truly love the spontaneity and fluidity and grace of  a w/w application.
And a horse ridden well, in harmony with the rider, is equally beautiful - the elegance, grace and power ...

Back to the painting. If I can maintain this ease and looseness, I'm in heaven. I thought I would lift some of the background to create the appearance of leaves. And I will do some color swatches to get just the right color for the iris.
As ever and always, please be welcome to leave any comments!

OK ... I Am Blaming the Chinchillas for This One!

This was getting a bit wild-looking for me.
The chinchillas pooh-poohed it!

The leaves were looking wubbly, and in using the hair-dryer, I  forced some staining green onto what was to be a pale yellow petal.

So, guess what ... I started again! What a fool for punishment!!!
I've done graded washes of aureolin, quin. pink and quin. burnt orange.

More graded washes - quin. pink and cobalt blue, and a bit of indanthrone blue.

It looked too flat and tame, so I placed the painting upright, and drizzled pink and blue on it, wet/wet. 

I may have gone too far - it's a little too strong for what I imagine Jos would like, but I like it!
I've started on the petals, again w/w with thin applications of quin. pink and cobalt blue, and let them mix on the paper.I may not be able to do the iris as pale yellow. Perhaps a yellow with thin coppery drizzles [hmmm ... the word of the day] on the stands; those are what the upright petals are called.
And I am slowly getting on with Buddy, too.
I have also been delegated the dog trainer for Shayna, the latest member of our extended family. She is young, full of piss and vinegar, and too much of a handful for Pat [my landlady]. She was almost taken back to the shelter. She has a week's reprieve, during which time I will work on her attention and manners. Wish us luck!!!

As ever and always, please feel welcome to leave comments or questions - love them!

Yes ... I'm Curious, Too!!!

I left off here ...

I decided to go bold and purple.

I'm doing a lot of w/w washes, not using masking.

Now I am here. I think the next step will be to do some w/w with aureolin on the leaves, before moving into the greens.

I actually did a color swatch. The left is  quin. violet + aureolin + phthalo green. The right is quin. violet + aureolin + phthalo +  indanthrone blue.

I really don't quite know what the finished colors will look like - part of the intrigue of watercolor. The woman for whom I am painting this [ a very sweet dentist with whom I occasionally work] loves her blues, violets and greys. I'm hoping she doesn't find the yellow iris too jarring.

I Was Hoping to Be Able to Procrastinate on This ...

Masked water drops.
Shadows in green/grey and warmer brown/grey.

Starting to paint local color.

More local color.
This iris is such a fragile yellow. I was hoping to put off painting the background till later, but I think I must do it now to get an idea of the intensity of hue of the flower.
RATS!!!!

Reference photo. Isn't it gorgeous???

Eurythmy with Geese

Eurythmy by Ferdinand Hodler

My version   Eurythmy with Geese


I don't know why, but this painting by Ferdinand Hodler has always appealed to me.  He was a late 19th c. - early 20th c. Swiss painter.  I believe he was presenting his interpretation of a therapeutic movement, called eurythmy,  that arose in the early 20th c.  I think it started as a type of expressive dance, and has evolved from there to include even the physical movements of painting as a therapy.  It is still utilized in performance art/dance, education, and movement therapy. But the geese just use it to get around!
After the last post, I worked on their feathers, and did another w/w application of blue around their feet, this time using indanthrone blue, to darken and subdue.

Since It's Windy Enough to Blow Me Right Out of the Saddle ...

Two foreground geese masked.

Start w/w washes.

More washes, and loose shadows.
With background geese, I tried lifting while wash was wet. It worked quite well.

Mask off.

Starting on their heads,  necks and feet.

More detail painting on heads and feathers.

More detail to heads.  And I added some more colorful and intense shadows directly under their bodies, and on their backsides.
OK, Jane and Pat, I REALLY like this one! Even though I am very critical of my work, I am thrilled with how the geese turned out. There is still a bit of painting to be done on their bodies and on the feathers, and some shadowing to go on their feet, but essentially it is all here.
As ever and always, all comments and questions are MOST welcome!!!

Reinstatement of the "B" Word ... or ...I'm Back for More

I am here. I really like this background better - much more depth and interest.

I did a trial run to see how the head would look with this background, using the "Buddy 5.0" version!
MUCH better!!!