shape design

Daily watercolor painting #152

approx 8x11 on cold press

Well, Today's painting goal took a couple of detours. The idea was to record the visually interesting pattern of a frame with its' reflection on a glass table with a minimal color palette of yellow, purple and payne's grey. I decided early on to keep to paynes grey and finally to invert the image to accent the shapes that initially caught my interest!

amaryllis leaves

Daily watercolor painting #151

Approx 81/2 x 11 on chold press

Today's painting goal was to focus on the technique of gradation color blending of the past 2 weeks. This time, using the beautiful shades of green on the amaryllis leaves.

color, space and movement

Daily watercolor painting #150

approx 5 x 81/2 on cold press

Today's painting goal was to follow up on a light bulb idea I got this morning to consider what would happen when using less predictable lines and color in a trajectory of objects. We know that to achieve spatial depth within a composition we can use incremental decreasing of objects size. What if we were to keep the objects a uniform size and focus on manipulating color, would there still be a spatial depth, movement in the composition? Could we compose a design that would still compel the viewer's eye to "roam around the painting?"....interesting and simple questions to use as a fun challenge for a color exercise. For ease and convenience I employed 3 colors, one pair of complements and white(which allowed for easy harmony within the composition) I used uniform shapes by outlining a quarter. For interest I gave subtle changes to the trajectory path of the shapes and finally for color I used one dramatic contrast and then I avoided further typical dramatic gradations in favor of "pushing the middle and light values"

Altogether an interesting color exercise that produces a simple picture and yet gives the viewer several points of interest.

gradation exercise

Daily watercolor painting #149

4x5 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal was to add complementary colors to this gradation exercise. The green form was added for interest to the design.

mistylou

Daily watercolor painting #148

approx 8x11 on cold press

Today's painting goal was to create a pet portrait composition the emphasized the negative spaces of the composition using graded washes with a limited color palette. The gradations of the color lend a spatial gradation with figures that provides a context for movement in space.

Maxie on the lookout

Daily watercolor painting #147

8x12 watercolor on arches hotpress

Today's painting goal was to paint a picture with elements of a winter landscape and a pet portrait of my dog Maxine. My goals also were to utilize the grid technique to record the photo image on paper and paint with a limited palette of paynes grey, ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

grey and brown study

Daily painting #146

approx 13 x 15 watercolor on arches 140 lb cold press

Today's painting goal was to apply new techniques with 2 colors paynes grey and burnt umber to model the forms of the objects in this still life. I began with laying in the background to establish a tone to judge the values of the objects, then worked to build up the overall balance of the composition. Another important exercise was the completion of the painting from memory.

3 cheers for sledding!

Daily painting #145

4x6 watercolor on Arches hotpress

TOday's painting goal was to use a limited palette of pthalo blue, burnt sienna, purple and paynes grey to depict from imagination a winter scene. This was actually an effort to push the colors in a winter scene( from those of daily painting #142.) I used wet on wet techniques for interesting blending and I utilized dry on dry technique for linear interest. I also took the leap to add action figures which added interest to the overall improved visual results.

"A road in the Loess Hills in October" study

Daily watercolor painting #144

4x4 watercolor on cold press

and

9x12 watercolor on hotpress

Today's painting goal was to use one of my OCtober reference photos for a study of colors(without looking at the original Oct 27th painting)

Then I studied the original painting and decided to bring out the shapes and add more visual interest to the composition by adding darks and details.

enhancing edges study

Daily watercolor painting #143

approx 8x11 on coldpress

Today's painting goal was to consider an unfinished painting that was in middle stages and develop that painting. THis was an interesting and enjoyable exercise which resulted in an interesting, balanced and decorative piece. I enhanced the edges throughout the painting with accents of alizaron crimson, paynes grey and purple!

winter landscape study

Daily watercolor painting #142
approx 8x10 on coldpress
Today's painting goal was to utilize a limited palette of payne's grey, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue, very common color combinations to create greys and browns to depict a winter landscape that was captured in a photograph by Loess Hills photographer, Ruth Pickle.
will post when scanner available!

modelling with wet on wet technique

Daily watercolor painting #141

approx 8x11 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal was to utilize the wet on wet wash technique with 2 colors, purple and burnt sienna to model flesh tones for an imaginary portrait. Utilizing the dark to light gradations in the background further gives an interesting mood to the picture.

2 colors exercise

Daily watercolor painting #!40

approx 4x5 watercolor on Arches 140lb cold press

Today's painting goal had three distinct exercises 1.utilize wet on wet technique 2. create composition from memory using a figure 3. utilize two colors, burnt sienna and purple.

floating orbs study

Daily watercolor painting #139

approx 8 x11 on Arches 140lb cold press

Today's painting goal was to concentrate on a watercolor technique of "wet on wet" washes to create "modelling of form" of spheres. Add the graduated values of background tones to create an interesting and colorful optical composition of "floating orbs"

tricolor landscape study

Daily painting #138

watercolor approx 8x11 on coldpress

Today's painting goal is to continue to explore painting with lemon yellow, phalo blue and burnt sienna. Permission for the photo reference of trees is copyright Marion Boddy Evans, the painting guide for about.compainting.

tri-color study

Daily watercolor painting #137

approx 5x9 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal was derived from a photograph, copyright permission fromMarian Boddy Evans . THis photograph was accessed at the instructional site , www. About.com.Painting developed by Marian Boddy Evans, an artist living in South Africa. I was looking for some fresh ideas and information about copyright rights and this site provided ideas for exercises and photographs that may be referenced by artists. I depicted a watercolor landscape limited to lemon yellow, phalo blue and burnt sienna, which is a project for January.

purple complement study

Daily watercolor painting #136

41/2 x 81/2 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal was to incorporate aspects of the color wheel by focussing on the contrasts of a hue (yellow) and its' complement(purple) Because orange, the secondary hue made from yellow and red was utilized, its' complement blue was added also. The reference object was the interesting colors emanating from the base of a lamp. When I was satisfied with the build up of blended colors, the image was rotated and revealed this interesting "landscape" image!

spatial optical exercise

Daily watercolor painting #135

8x8 watercolor on coldpress

Today's painting goal is to create a simple design with few hues that illustrates optical illusions of spatial depth. The blades of grass have similar value however they appear to come forward against the dark background and recede in space against the white background. To further the spatial range, more flower and grass clusters were depicted on a smaller scale.

color wheel painting

Daily painting #134

8 x9 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal continues the experimentation with design that uses the inherent characteristics of the hues of the color wheel to develop interesting optical effects.

color wheel exercise

Daily painting #133

8 x8 watercolor on coldpress

Today's painting goal is a continuation from yesterday to use the color wheel to explore the optical characteristics of warm and cool hues and high and low values on the way colors recede or come forward on the picture plane.

color wheel

Dailywatercolor painting #132

8x9 watercolor on coldpress

Today's painting goal was to paint the "color wheel" which begins with the primaries yellow blue and red. The remainder of the composition actually evolved with some leaps and preferences which is not the usual method of these exercises. The final piece is an overall splash of color.

illustration exercise on drawing paper

Daily painting #131

watercolor over pencil sketch

Today's painting goal is a continuation of the exercises to create action figures with landscape elements.

study in green

Daily watercolor painting#130

6 x 7 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal was inspired by the range of values on a solitary leaf. It began as a study of values in a monotone composition, green, and then the composition evolved into an imaginary plant stalk and landscape background.

study of color for spatial depth

Daily watercolor painting #129

8x9 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal was to create an image from imagination incorporating elements of color to elicit the optical illusion of vast space in a landscape and figure composition.

floral contrasts

Daily painting #128

8x10 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal was a design utilizing contrasts and large shapes modelled from a photograph by Becky Muir.

optical illusion study

Daily watercolor painting #127

approx 9 x 10 watercolor on coldpress

Today's painting goal was to create a design that emphasizes optical illusions created by contrasts of hues' high and low values.

grey quilt

Daily watercolor painting #126

8x9 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal is a study in greys.

landscape hue study

Daily painting #125

approx 9 x10 watercolor on cold press

Today's painting goal was to work up cool and warm hues and range of values for a landscape referenced from a photo.

red study

Daily watercolor painting #124

approx 9x12 watercolor on arches hotpress

Today's painting goal was a study of reds, utilizing a bunch of artificial roses as a reference.

complement study

Daily painting #123

approx 7 x 9 watercolor on arches hotpress

Today's painting goal was to emphasize complements of yellow and purple, working wet on wet for a portrait.

contrast study

Daily watercolor painting #122

approx 5x9 watercolor on arches hotpress

Today's painting goal was to continue to explore limits of intensity of colors for portraiture. Today's reference painting was a portrait by David Hutter, British watercolorist.