Tag Archives: flower arrangement

Daily Watercolor – Orchid watercolor painting

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Daily watercolor - Orchid watercolor painting

Continue with my Orchid watercolor painting last night doing the last two orchids in watercolor paint and also change the background to much deeper color.  The dark color was a mixture of green, blue and red to produce a deep dark background.  This is the first dark watercolor wash on top of the light ochre background and there will be many layers more so that it will be close to black watercolor.  I might eventually try some black watercolor in this case which I have never used before.  I think for a certain areas near the orchid I need the very deep dark to contrast the orchid.  I am trying to make the orchid pop out of the dark background.

Watercolor Painting – Flower Arrangement Final (Washing Off Technique)

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7.5 x 10 inches Watercolor Painting - Flower arrangement

7.5 x 10 inches Watercolor Painting - Flower arrangement

I have finised, or should I say re-finished the flower arrangement watercolor painting using the washing off technique as described on yesterday’s post.  It was lots of fun and although I still am not too happy with the result of the vase and it’s shadows, I think it makes a vast imporvement from my pre – washing off technique effort.  I like the softer overall feel that this washing off technique yield to the watercolor painting especially to the background and the flower arrangement.  Using this technique means the painting is painted, then the surface watercolor layer is washed off and repaint again.  This can be done as many times as the paper can take.  A fun technique to try out and explore.

Flower arrangement before washing off technique

Flower arrangement before washing off technique

Watercolor Painting – Flower Arrangement (Washing Off Technique)

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7.5 x 10 inches Watercolor - Floor Arrangement

7.5 x 10 inches Watercolor - Floor Arrangement

I have reworked my watercolor painting on the flower arrangement using the technique called washing off.  It is a technique where you subject a finished water color painting under water and use a scrub or a brush to remove the surface color.  Then the painting is dried and repainted to yield a more richer and more fully integrated effect.  I have picked my flower arrangement painting for this technique becuase I think the background was too dark and disorganized.

7.5 x 10 inches Watercolor painting - Flower

7.5 x 10 inches Watercolor painting - Flower

I have posted the ‘before’ painting in the Dec 14 post above and you can see how dark the painting used to be.  I have shown after the washing off technique with layers of watercolor being applied on the background including the dark shadow areas.  I still need to work on the flower area, a bit on the shadows  and on the flower pot as well.   Painting everyday is very helpful to my watercolor progress, a time to quiet down and listen to music on the side.  Do a small watercolor sketch or part of one  if you do not have time to do a whole painting every day.

Watercolor Painting – Flower Arrangement

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7.5 x 10 inches Watercolor painting - Flower

7.5 x 10 inches Watercolor painting - Flower

I have finished this 7.5 x 10 inches watercolor painting this weekend.  The dark background is quite a challenge and I found that painting background is just as time consuming as doing the subject.  I have used gradated wash on most of the background with layers of watercolor to get it to the desire color and effect.  I need to practice more on the flat wash which I have use mostly on the background of this watercolor study.  Gradated wash is also used and it the the intensity of the dark color that I have problem with.  The mixing of various colors to get the right dark grey or black watercolor is so important.  Also I found the watercolor texture I try to do for the background is very challenging to me as well.  I should practice more on the basic of doing texture in watercolor painting.

Watercolor Painiting – Flower arrangement

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Watercolor Painting - Flower Arrangement 7.5 x 1o inches

Watercolor Painting - Flower Arrangement 7.5 x 1o inches

Last night I started a watercolor painting and the subject is a flower arrangement.  I painted from the pictures I took last Sunday at Church.  It is s nice arrangement in a brown beige earth tone pot.   I saw sunlight hitting a few of the pews and took the arrangement and sit it on the edge of one of the pew with the light shinning on it.  It was quite nice as the light hit part of the pot as the background receive no illumination at all.  I took many shots turning the arrangement around for future reference for  watercolor painting.  The one watercolor I did last night was drawn on a 7.5 x 10 inches Arches cold press water color paper.  I started on the top left hand corner painting the green stems and work my way through to the bottom right hand flower bud.  It was a good watercolor exercise involving wet into wet wash as well as gradated wash.  Although there is still lots to be done on this flower arrangement watercolor painting but I am quite happy with the progress and I cannot wait to put on the dark wash for the background so that the flowers and buds will stand out from the white paper as they are suppose to.