Lifting makes a difference

There are so many techniques (and tricks) with watercolor! This particular class we were going to be experimenting with 'lifting' - that is, removing color.  We were painting trees (as described in a book we were using) and began with a pink background on very wet paper.

It is so hard for me to just paint without doing a sketch or having a real composition in mind - just put the paint on the paper. . .  Well, I started dropping in color until it seemed I had created three trees. Also, the background went from pink to green and gold and suddenly the trees were reddish-pink!  I thought it looked pretty grim until I added some dark darks. It began to have some promise. So, I let it dry some. Actually, I probably used a hair dryer, I don't remember.

Then it was time - I began lifting some color. Using a brush with clear water and wetting an area where I wanted to lift color, I found shafts of light in this strange forest by the side of a stream. And, there are now ripples in the water reflections.

Ta da! The shafts of light connect the composition and it comes together into a painting - after all!

Amazing! How weird it that?

A new year - out of the comfort zone

After taking some time away from my blog - yes, the holidays and their priorities do come first - it's time to get back to some art.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I had an opportunity to substitute in the watercolor class again. We were trying new techniques to get us all out of our comfort zones.  You know, when I am told that I do NOT have to come up with a 'pretty picture' - that it's really okay just to 'play' with the paint and paper - it is very freeing.

I started out with wet paper and a limited palette - that is, just a few colors.  I dripped, blew the paint around with a straw, spattered, and threw in some darks. The hardest thing was trying to reserve some whites. Once I got started doing this I just wanted to cover the whole thing.  Well, this is what happened!

The photo is a little unclear, but perhaps you can tell that I did have fun!