Watercolor, 4-1/2" x 6-1/2"
Was planning to take photos at each stage while painting this, but got so involved that I pretty much forgot about the camera- hence the big jump between the initial drawing and first wash and the last two pics. In the final version I darkened the background at the bottom. I wanted the petunias to stand out more. Not sure if that was a good decision or not.
I'm learning to "step back" while I'm painting. What a painting looks like when it's right in front of my nose, and what it looks like from 8-10 feet away is quite different. Since paintings are usually viewed from several feet away, I'm trying to keep this in mind so that I'm aware of how the painting reads from a distance. Periodically, I set the painting somewhere in the house where I can stand across the room and look at it. Amazing what you see from this viewpoint. This also helps me to fiddle around less, because from several feet away you can't see all those darling details!
The final pic has a violet cast to it... but the colors are truer in the middle pic. It was raining when I took the last pic so the light was poor.
Oh, an update on the blueberry picking... I've now picked 92 quarts and am thinking of having all the blueberry bushes cut down.
Just kidding ;-)
27 comments:
Nice work! The point about standing back is so true. I find it hard to remember and often get stuck at close range for hours. I hang a mirror on the wall behind me so that I can turn and see the painting from a distance in an instant - an a mirror image too which is a bonus.
This is lovely. You have put in the right amount of detail and kept it looking fresh and clean.
Like the glossy cherries too.
Hope you have been well.....obviously you have blue fingers due to your marathon blueberry picking!!!!! I have been MIA...trying to get back around to everyone, will eventually. LOVE your painting...standing back and checking it out is a good thing, looks to have done your work well! Love the cherries also, though you shared your, uh, missteps, it is nonetheless beautiful! The pies look scrumptious!!!!! Take care!
I'm so proud of you making sure to have some art time. this is very pretty and I love seeing some of the steps.
Teresa, It was a great decision to darken the back ground, the flowers just pop out, they look very much like what they are supposed to look like, soft and silky, you have used just the right amount of colors. Very pretty!
What do you plan to do with your blueberries? Jam/ Chutney? :-)
So where's the blueberry painting? :lol:
This petunia is stunning. Will you frame and hang it?
Thanks so much for showing the step by step. I'm learning a lot about water color painting from you! I'm thinking about giving it a try at some point... maybe... Your petunias are wonderful!
What a beautiful delicate painting - love it!
We don't have blueberries to pick at home but come Autumn (Fall) will be kept busy picking damsons from our fruit trees to make jam with - its going to be another bumper crop this year.
The flowers look so translucent and delicate. I like the bottom of the painting slightly darker too. You are so lucky to have so many blueberries. Here in England I have 3 blueberry bushes and have about one handful of blueberries between the three!!!
Lovely delicate work Teresa. I get so involved at times and forget the camera. It's nice to see the stages you did .
Wow, lovely!
Good job and great idea to darken the bottom to make the flowers stand out!
Yep, the petunias stand out since you darkened the background. They are lovely and so soft. Great job!
92 quarts of blueberries! My goodness! If I lived closer, I would have helped you - especially with the prospect of having a piece of blueberry pie afterward... You could dangle the pies you baked the other day in front of me until I got all the rest of the berries picked. The only blueberries around here are the ones I bought at the grocery store.
Now, I'm off to Google "damsons". I'd never heard of them before I read Sue's comment.
Well I don't wish to hijack Teresa's blog, but for those who don't grow damsons, they are a type of small plum - a little too bitter to eat raw but wonderful stewed and used in jams/jellies ... or better still made into damson gin (like sloe gin liqeuer but sweeter).
Adding the final violet layer was absolutely the right decision. The flower glows with life. Really beautiful work, Teresa!
Wow--beautiful work. You just get better all the time!
I agree that looking at the painting from across the room is helpful. So is looking at it upside down, sometimes. My first watercolor teacher also had us put a mat around our paintings when we were about finished. It was amazing how the mat made the painting look "done" and you could see if there were areas that required a finishing touch.
Like how they seem to glow, you have caught the sunlight on them perfectly. And the strong background adds so much to that.
I always favor the mirror viewing as mentioned. You get double the relooking.
The word verification I had to type was DERSWAYS, which is the direction you end up facing after a sleepless night in a strange bed.
Gorgeous painting! I think the darkened area at the bottom works perfectly. And those flower petals - oh my, they are beautifully painted!
Teresa, Beautiful! The violet and yellow really vibrate!
I so love this painting how it all blands together wonderful
Wow! I confess to never really liking petunias before but your lovely paintings have made me see them in a different way.
Kiitos paljon sinulle Teresa blogini sivuilla käynnistä ja komenteista.
Sinunkin sivusi ovat kivat ja näin vierraillen on hauska tutustua muihin maihin ja niiden ihmisiin.
Thanks you Teresa
Teuvo
Finland
Wow Teresa,This is looking so good!!!The dark corner makes the flower shine... beautiful!
Ah, Teresa. The dark makes the flower pop. Beautiful.
belos trabajo ....Felicidades!!! te sigo y te invito a visitar mis blogs... un abrazo
I do the same thing too - check out the painting from across the room to see if the values are strong enough. Love the violet tone on the painting. And blueberries?? Will your fingers ever be flesh-colored again, or are they permanently stained blue?
like button. This is wonderful.
Post a Comment