Day 49 - Tom again

Tom hiding

This time he's  in the clean sheets. He does love to hide in anything fabric or a bag or a small space.  Can a cat be right handed? He's fond of sticking his right foot out.  All those white sheets...shading done with cerulean and yellow ochre, cobalt and sienna.  Once againTom was done with a wash of a light buff yellow, then sienna, piemonite and burnt umber.  I think this one should be called practice practice practice...because it really does make perfect.

Sunday on River Bend

Painted with cobalt and cerulean blue for the sky color.  The rest is done with the Primateks.  Really enjoy the way they granulate...alot of fun in both the clouds and the trees.

Instead of a wet wash for the sky I painted the sky color first to define the shapes of the clouds...Then I added a wet wash for the trees and the water.  I also tried to time painting this painting..as in I quit after about 15 20 minutes.  Sometimes more is NOT better.  

Day 46 - Daniel Smith Watercolor 66 Sample Chart

I tried out my Daniel Smith Watercolor 66 Sample Chart today. I bought it at Binders-Atlanta for about $5 last weekend.   First I made samples from the colors. Then I painted three small paintings using it.

River  Bend Summer

This is the first painting I did using the color chart.  I really like the way the Primateks granulated in the trees...A nice effect I think.  I also used Pearlescent white on the tree trunks to give the effect the sycamores give when you look at them.  They seem to glow. To the left of the painting I listed all of the colors I used painting this picture so I wouldn't forget.

Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Try It Color Chart

Primateks, Quinacridones and Cadmiums

The 66 color chart is a great way to try out all the colors without buying the tube. I got mine at Binders for about $5. Primateks are quite expensive. Lapis Lazuli can cost $30 in an art store...$20 on Amazon.

Now I know which Primateks I like and which ones I don't think I want.  What did I like about the Primateks?  I liked the way they granulated and that they were very transparent. Even used in heavy applications they retained their transparency.

I had been really wanting Lapis Lazuli.  Now I don't.  Its neither as bright or dark as I thought it would be.  I do want the greens and two of the other blues - Sodalite, Blue Agatite, Diopside, Jadeite and Serpentine. I have Hematite and Piemonite.

I already own all of the Quinacridones and just love the bright pops of color they give and I have New Gamboge which I use frequently- a perfect color for sycamores this time of the year.

Pearlescent, Iridescents and Duochromes

I love sparkly pearly colors.  These do that so well...but they are best used over another color to shift the color.  I own most of these except for the Duochromes which color shift into two different colors.

Stay tuned for Part 2 Tomorrow...two paintings done with the paints.

Day 32 - You thought I would quit?

Evidently I have more to say and more to paint !! I have been painting the clouds, the trees and the river for a while now.

Kayak Weather

Which is almost any day from April til November on our stretch of the Savannah. If it's sunny someone's going to be out there paddling a kayak.

I decided to paint it vertically in my moleskine and to add a kayaker because I was getting tired of just sky trees and water. I like the way it turned out.

The clouds grey is - you guessed it! Cerulean and yellow ochre. Got a little dark so I lightened it with a wedge of that fabulous Mr Cleab eraser!

Oh here's a TIP :

To make the kayaker stand out after I used that white gelt roll pen to make him  as bright as possible.

I did some negative painting of darker greens around him even though the water was really sparkly around him. He was disappearing into the sparkle so next time remember it's all about contrast!!! You have to make the background darker!!!

 Well that's if you want an object to pop!!

I also think it could use a crop. An inch or so off the top and bottom. That's just me. What do you think?!

Time to paint something else !!