Animals!

Last year, my watercolor instructor and a friend who teaches a creative writing class teamed up for a joint project. The writing class had done several stories about trees. Our watercolor class was asked to read through the stories and each of us paint a tree that was chronicled in one of the stories. Unfortunately, I was away at the time and did not get a chance to participate.

This year we are reversing the precess. The painters are all working on animals, We were told we could choose any animal (or more than one) and offer it to the writing class. The writers will look at the paintings and then each write a story about one of the animals.

Where we live, on Maryland's rural Eastern Shore, there are always paintings of ducks, geese...birds of all kinds. We also see dozens of deer, squirrels, an occasional fox - you get the idea. I didn't want to paint a normal, everyday sighting. I have painted lots of dogs - but they were mostly pastels and this is a watercolor class.

I finally settled on a praying mantis. I googled photos of praying mantis and was amazed by how many different kinds there seemed to be. Perhaps it was just differing views and lighting, but there was a variety of colors and bodies! I decided to make sort of a composite of several rather than try to be anatomically correct. After all, it is my painting, I get to choose!

I began with a simplified ink sketch and a little color. I love his expression!

He is all the same value - that needs work. I added some darks to him and to his tree branch. What a difference. And, he needs antennae and a background...

He's ready to go!

Then I thought it would be fun to do another animal... I haven't painted a pig before (except for a sketch here and there). Back to google to look at photos and begin another painting.

I drew out a pencil sketch and took it to class. By the end of class I had gotten this far. I had limited color choices with me...he is very pink and purple.
I love the idea of a pig emerging from a dark background.

When I got home I defined some of the shapes a little better and added some more color. He's looking a little shapelier.

What I haven't learned how to do with watercolor is make this guy look hairy. I tried adding a little ink suggestion of his scraggly hair. It helped a little, But, I couldn't stand it any longer...

I went over to my pastels... There I could soften the edges between the dark background and the hairy pig. I added a few more colors into the mix and some highlights on his snout. I filled out the shadows under his snout and feet.

I think that's enough - at least for now! Oink...