Why a pineapple? She just likes them...
I forgot about her request and thought maybe she would, too. Then more recently she asked me if I had painted the pineapple yet. I knew I needed to get busy.
It is interesting to me that once someone mentions something, I see it everywhere. It is amazing how many pineapples there are on posts, wallpaper, clothing, lunchboxes, t-shirts - you get the idea. Hildry's family will be moving to a new house in the next few months...and yes, there will be pineapples in her room.
So, I got started... I sketched it out in pencil and began to paint. Sometimes a painting just paints itself. After a very few minutes, this is what I saw on the paper!
I decided I'd better back away from it and take a good look. I put it on an easel across the room. Another one of my 'tricks' is to photograph a painting in progress. It helps me to really see what the painting needs. I did both these things and left it alone to dry. I didn't want to mess with wet watercolor at this point.
The next day I went back to it and tweaked it a bit. I darkened the shadow sides of each section of the fruit - giving it a rounded effect. Then I added darks to the leaves. I finished by highlighting some streaks on the leaves. That is done by wetting a brush, touching the part I want lighter and gently wiping the area with a paper towel. I also erased some of the pencil lines...not all of them. I think it's fun to see some of the original drawing.
Christmas morning, unwrapping gifts...she loved it!
As I thought more and more about pineapples, I remembered that they are a symbol of hospitality and welcome. The end of December is the perfect time to share this - let us welcome a new year. May you all have many experiences of hospitality in 2018 - of giving this gift to others and allowing others to give hospitality to you.
Happy New Year!
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