
Flower close up watercolor painting
This is a 11 x 15 inches watercolor painting of a close up of a flower. Fisst a sketch was made on Arches cold press watercolor paper from a photograph. Then watercolor paint was applied from the top left hand corner towards the lower right hand corner of the watercolor paper. Each time the area was completely dried before the next are is painted. Wet in wet technique as well as gradated wash is used. Care is taken to not go over the wet area with too much water and watercolor pigment to create a run back. I am experimenting the use of Paynes Grey to darker the shades and found that it creates very interesting blacks and if not too much is used, it would not turn the initial pigment into muddy color.

Flower close up watercolor painting
This is the finished painting of the flower close up #2. I have learnt that the watercolor paper is very important because I have been using a different watercolor manufacturer for this watercolor painting. The paper I usually use is from Arches and the paper is 140 lb cold press watercolor paper. The paper I used for this painting has a differnt texture and absorbancy. It is not that much differnce at the beginning when I am doing large areas but it makes a big difference in detail work and expecially when I try to lift some watercolor paints off the paper surface. It seems not as easy to lift paint as the Arches and the paper surface does not stand for serious scrubbing. I do not know the manufacturer of this paper but I found from this experience that it is good to know the characteristic before you choose the paper for your watercolor painting.

Flower close-up watercolor painting #2
This is a smaller watercolor painting I did of a flower close up. I outline the flower carefully with pencil and then go on to wet the entire paper with clean water. Then I put on a lingt watercolor wash for the background making sure the hightlights are saved by not putting too much watercolor pigment into it. When the watercolor paper is still wet, I hold the paper at various angle to let the watercolor mix itself on the paper. This will create a different color mix you get from mixing the color in the palette. The painting is left to dry before more layers of watercolor is being applied to outline the background.

Flower close up watercolor painting - 15x22 inches
This is the final watercolor painting for the flower close up watercolor I started last week. It is on 15×22 inches Arches cold press watercolor paper. I have added deeper and stronger shadows in many areas with layers of watercolor pigments. Details are also added onto the flower petals as well. Some areas of the background are painted darker to help with the overall contrast.

Flower close up watercolor painting - 15 x 22 inches
I have painted the rest of the close up flower watercolor painting. All areas have at least one or more layers of watercolor wash. I started each area with painting the highlights with clean water and then add the watercolor pigments. Then I move the paper around to get the color mixing on the surface of the watercolor paper. I use 140 lb Arches watercolor paper. The next stage will be to paint the shadows and add more layers in areas where it is needed. This is the hard edge the watercolor painting need to bring out the three dimension of the close up flowers.

Flower close up watercolor painting - 15 x 22 inches
I have started this flower close up watercolor painting on a sheet of 15 x 22 inches Arches watercolor paper. First I use pencil to sketch in the outline of the flower close up. Then watercolor paint was applied to areas in a wet in wet watercolor technique. Clean water was put on the areas of the petal where the highlights are. After it has been dried with the glossy sheen dissapear off the surface, color is applied. A large watercolor brush is used in some of the larger areas. Winsor violet is the major color used in this flower close up watercolor painting.

Landscape painting with ink outline - BC watercolor landscape
This is the final watercolor landscape painting I did of the Brithish Columbia landscape. I have lifted the color off the light house to achieve the much lighter value that it should have. Other colors are added and lifted as well. What I like about the ink outline is that the shpaes of the landscape element are more well defined. Watercolor pigments are added within a hard edge which gives sharpness and well define edges although gradated wash is used in many of the larger shapes. When outlining a watercolor painting, always keep in mind of the over all shape of the subject. Also it will train the eyes to look for large shapes and how it’s placement within the landscape.

Ink outline watercolor landscape painting
This is the progress of the watercolor landscape painting of British Columbia coast line I have started. I have started with a under painting and then various watercolor pigment was added on top in layers. Now it is the addition of ink outline. I have used a Sharpie Permanent Marker to do the outline of the landscape watercolor painting. I love this step because it defines the shape of the landscape in the watercolor painting. The ink outline is freely drawn with often reference to the photograph I took of the landscape scene. Next step to this watercolor painting is to add more layers with watercolor pigment within the boundaries of the ink outline to create a more interesting and colorful watercolor painting.

BC Landscape watercolor painting - 15 x x 22 inches
This is a watercolor painting based on a photo I took on my way to Mayne Island off the British Columbia coast in Canada. I did the underpainting using Ceulean Blue and after it is completely dry, I appled the various color on top in layers. First I painted the background trees and hills with more blue green pigment. Then the foreground was painted in sections and layers with Burnt Umber and Windsor Green. The lighthouse should be left unpainted but it was painted over by a wash so I need to lift the color out later on. The final result composes of various layers of watercolor pigmnet layering one on top of the other. Basic wet in wet was used as well as some gradated wash.