Painting 33

Ref 1064.- Watercolor pencil & watercolor brush over litmus color paper

Tools & Materials; I start the sketching with watercolor pencil, which facilitate work accuracy and confidence, they are easy to use wet or dry (I start in dry condition).--- The paper is Stardream litmus color paper 105 lbs. I do believe also known as dolomite color paper it is basically smooth, like hot press, allows me to get lighter strokes , it does not hold pigment like cold press watercolor paper so it is necessary some practice with the brushes to get what you expect.
Main watercolors used are Indigo blue, Payne´s grey, yellow, orange and violet finally completed with permanent White "gouache"
My reference is an oil painting found into the web which now I try to represent with watercolor

Step 1.- Dark blue and black watercolor pencil for guidance and sketching but firs of all;
Paper preparation.- Lay the sheet onto a hard surface and wet it througly, squeezing wáter from a sponge and let it dry, to make easy the watercolor pigmentation addition through following steps

Step 2.- Primary and/or light color pencil addition (in dry condition)
Step 3. there are 4 strips of adhesive paper holding your paper to a flat surface, preventing for buckles as much as posible, therefore I did use an old flat brush (semi-hard by its condition) which help me to rubbing over the colors to mix them and achieve a compacted and shiny effect

Step 4.- Now basically from the center towards the sides, I added with care wáter with a big loose round brush, making eay and faded the pencil mix combination, and many times I tilted like you can see in the photo to facilitate the effect always from light to dark from the light source

Step 5.- With watercolor and brush, is easy to work and start with dark colors---- and colors can be integrated with an absorbent paper lifting it out also adding just wáter you can change hues as required

 Progress of darkening

 

 

Step 6.- AS I said it is easy to add wáter any time you need and integrate the different hues, paper its quite noble but do not overwet, (better wait to dry).- the color of the paper underneath is part of the painting hues of the different áreas so take advantage

 

 

Step 7.- Now the White addition which can mix with colors below depending in wáter added

 

 

Step 8.- Final touches.- White added with less wáter and fine brushes for details and before make my last violet glazing I need all painting be completely dry in order do not disturbe brush lines below which I added in some shadows to make it more colorful

     

                            "People don´t take trips; trips take people"

 

 

Final notes.- My original plan was to paint around a seies of shapes in order to define them;  this practice is know and "negative painting" so you need a careful drwg to assure you can build up a methodological layer.- is a tricky technique but essential for a painting light again dark, at the end I didn´t - I get carried away, by the subconscious but with such technique the painting will be more defined