Working on Watercolors
I switched to a watercolor sketchbook today instead of the mixed media one I was using for the first set of watercolors this month, and it feels so different—not in a bad way, just different. I appreciate the ability to layer more on this thicker, rougher paper. I especially liked this when painting my first beach scene, as it allowed me to essentially "erase" areas that weren't working. The gentleman on the beach was the main reason I was excited to paint this scene, but my first attempt was terrible. I wasn’t observing the shapes and values correctly; I was painting what I thought a human body should look like. Fortunately, I was able to lift most of the paint with a damp brush and blot it clean. There was some staining of the paper, but not a lot. My favorite element in the scene is the umbrella.
I was also excited to paint this scene because of the bright orange rocks contrasting with the water on the right side of the composition. As usual, after completing the piece, the section on the left page became my favorite. I love how loose it is, and the transition from blue into the yellow-green hill is my favorite color blend.
I initially had a different idea for how I would paint the flower garden with the gate scene, but it ended up looking like my previous works. I may need to repaint it at some point to emphasize the gate as the focal point. I also realized I wasn't observing as carefully as I should have.
For the scene featuring the water against the mountains, I aimed to make it look like glass. I'm not sure if I achieved that, but I think it at least resembles water. I needed more variation in the mountains in the background. To add depth to the front mountains and foreground, I went in with colored pencil. Again, I want to repaint it, but I do like the colors.
Here are the last three spreads of my sketchbook.
