Category Archives: photo realism in watercolor

Brushes

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Here is a way to contain all your brushes in one neat spot. This is bead holder found in the jewelry department. I am sure you can find one on-line. It is a Bead Bellishment Bench by ArtBin, I found this at AcMoore art and craft store. All I did was buy sand from the Dollar Store and added about 60% in each jar leaving the lid off. Added my favorite brushes and it works wonderfully! My brushes are not as long as oil brushes can be, they are watercolor brushes mainly. As you can see in the picture it really works well. I guess you could use beans, rice or tiny beads instead of sand, but sand works. I like this because I can see where the brush I want easily and I don’t need to put a brush cover on any. When you are traveling with your brushes DO NOT just throw them in the bottom of your bag! If you do not have anything to contain them at a quick moment at least roll the brushes up in a paper towel. If you don’t want to buy anything, at least use a paper towel cardboard tube; simply roll the brushes up in a paper towel and stick in the tube. You can find many tube like structures to use around the house. In the Dollar stores you can buy a straw table place-mat which will allow you to stick or weave the brushes through the straw and roll the mat up.

Increasing realism

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I usually don’t render with complimentary color, but I started to take in the shadows with blue. I have a long way to go on this and I will get it done for the juried show I am planning on entering in December. I need to work on the hands and fingers, I am taking my time painting. I just worked on the top boy’s thumb.  I will work more tomorrow afternoon. Busy day today. A very busy day tomorrow as well. Thank God for His Blessings today.

Proof reading

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As many times I looked at the painting of Adam and his car I never noticed I forget to paint the “e” in the website that is painted on the back of my car. Joan noticed it today!!!Thank goodness she did and I had enough time to fix it and resubmit it to the juried show. Wow! Can’t believe I missed it. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered? IDK,,,,but glad the mistake was caught in time, the deadline is Monday. Tip: double and triple check the spellings in the composition. Plus, when you sign your work give a bit of space; in other words don’t sign on the edge. Awe…what an art day today!  Also, do not write your name large enough to see it before you notice the artwork itself! Do not be so vain……it kills the attitude of the artwork. If you want to write your name in large print….do a painting of your signature. Seriously, your signature should be discrete towards the bottom not seen unless looked for or in the pattern of the composition. Look at the Masters.

Watercolor continued.

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I knew when I started to draw this times three this was going to be “One of those” pieces! Very frustrating composition….maybe it’s my summer so far? Hot and humid as anything outside and just crappy weather. I wanted to paint a few landscape watercolor paintings this summer outside, but It is really hard to enjoy the day in the blazing heat. Anyway…could be 100 inches of snow.

Saturday; I need to draw up some lessons plans on how to Follow the form 101 for an artist friend of mine and I will post them. Maybe they will help some whom need drawing advice regarding realism. I will post these by Wednesday.

I had a chance to work a bit more, but I made the man’s head too small. So, now I need to figure out how to make the head larger on established wc. I can do it, “I mmm skilled” lol… Tip: when working realism use one color for the flesh tone; Burnt Umber is a nice base for flesh tone. Watercolor realism is about layers. FOLLOW THE FORM. Paint in the direction of a shape or form.  All the tones so far on the people are a base of Burnt Umber. After the forms are in then I will start to add washes of pinks, crimsons. Paint your people with the base color first. Every layer added even with the same base will add increased color to the form or shape; every layer adds to the depth of color. There are NO LINES on a face; they are creases, hills and vallies. In my old set I don’t have fancy colors, I am trained “Old school”. Make your own shades and colors. “Learn how to paint with less” Mr. Sorrels would say. If you need a richer brown add a bit of Vandyke brown. If your portrait needs more of an olive skin type add a bit Raw Umber; found in Fancy sets. I was taught the less you have in a paint selection the better you will learn to mix color! It is true. Today there are too many colors, shades of color, hues of colors and you don’t learn how to mix colors on your own!  With the 12 pan set or less you learn how to mix any color you may need. I just knew I didn’t have the money as some of my peers in college for art supplies and felt quite poor actually. BUT,,,,I can mix you any shade or color you need from my tiny 12 pan set which I still have. So, who benefited? I can afford the 45 pan set now and it really doesn’t impress me as I thought it would.

This is the point I painted too. I need to detail the hands and fingers and start to work the detail. I have time, the show isn’t until Dec. something deadline. I also need to draw up a background. I don’t mind comments and some are really nice, then there are ones for enhancing drugs and porn ads….please don’t send me them! It is a pain in a**  to weed through the crappy nasty sex comments and I have decided to pray for you all with such conflict or feel you have the need to email such exposing subject matter to everyone in your lives. Thanks. I do appreciate the nice comments and look forward to reading/answering them……over 500 and counting!

Watercolor 101

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I believe I will have a window of time to continue working on this watercolor,  it is quite large. Which is obviously taking longer to work the entire composition, but taking more time and patience on my part. I wanted to finish this and enter two watercolors instead of one for a juried show in New York, but I realize if I rush it will not turn out like I expect and envision. So, the mature thing is to wait, not get frustrated, finish on a timely manner and look for another show to enter. There will always be shows to enter somewhere. Why add more stress to already the stresses that come with each new day? Just do the best you can today and let God handle the rest.

This watercolour had been a challenge for the size like I said before and I decided to paint the two boys a bit older when this photograph was taken. I don’t know why….I drew it three times and I realized the painting was coming out that way so I went with it! Maybe a bad idea? Sort of has a new level of challenge. I have too much time in now to toss it….and never just put a piece of artwork to the side and think you will finish it sometime,,,,,later never comes.  I like the way the forms are starting to define themselves in the legs for example. This wc has a long long way to go. As you can see in the photo the background is a bit busy, I need to tone that down when I sketch that out. I like the idea of the fence on a diagonal, it adds to good composition. You want objects in the composition taking your eye through the painting. So, the diagonal fence I will sketch in and some blacked eyed Susans, other than that I am stuck. If I raise the fence in the background I can add more grass and less sky? I don’t want to paint trees in, the subject matter is a more up close view. Always look at the distance in composition and how the foreground subjects are. Awe….this needs a lot of work. This new show called Splash 15 has a deadline Dec. 3rd., so that works.

watercolor and water….

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Saturday: I did paint a bit more and I have come to the conclusion that this wc I won’t be able to rush and place in an upcoming juried show. There just isn’t enough time to finish the way I’d like. If I rush then it will not host the skill level I wanted respresented. There will be other shows……awe.

This is how far I was able to get so far today. Now I need to come up with a background….I have something in mind  just need to draw it out.

watercolor painting continued.

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This is as far as I got tonight……awe! I only have a week to finish this. It’s all about layers of color. I want to work the entire composition and then I will come back and work the realism…..

watercolor painting

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I got pretty far last night and than this morning. Watercolor is all about adding layers of the same color to create form. In realism it is hard to just jump to the darker forming colors at the beginning. You must paint the form first. I want to work the entire picture first; then I will go back and put in the major details. I’d say the top child is about 70% done. The darks or darker values will go in last. I like to work the composition to a certain point, let the paper rest and go back with more dry brush wc. If you are impatient then wc realism will kick your butt and it will frustrate you. You must play by the watercolor’s rules. Watercolor is not to be feared….you can paint with any medium…you must respect the medium and learn how to use the paint and what it can do. Keep working on your skill and learn the medium.

It is extremely difficult to paint abstract anything until you know how to draw it realistically. How can you paint abstract  if you can’t draw it first? Start by working in life drawing; work on drawing skills and values of graphite. Start by drawing a sphere, if you don’t have a sphere [ball] get an egg and draw that. More later.

watercolor painting

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LOL! This doesn’t look like the people in my picture….augh. At first the hair didn’t look like it should, then the highlights! Remember the highlights when painting, not after. Adding lighter highlights  afterwards is harder and the paint [watercolor] looks thick then. Plus, the flesh color layers of color are really sun-kissed and that is throwing me a bit too. Just remember to paint the face as form and normal color first, then add the tan rosy hues. I only had about an hour to work on this late last night, so once a background goes in I hope it starts to resemble Adam better.

It has taken me until to now to realize I rather paint up close realism, but I need to expand my artwork subjects and not get stuck painting the same subjects just in different comps. If I do that my work will get boring even though the skill is top-notch. This wc is large and hard to arrange the board to hold or put the board an angle to actually paint. The size is a bit overwhelming at first. I drew this three times! Once it came out too small for the subject matter and the second I had it drawn larger and beautifully….I had spaghetti sauce on the back of my hand and didn’t see it and I even washed my hands very well! Guess where the sauce went? If that isn’t a kick in the ass…..I drew it again. Understand, this is what it is to “keep pressing through” the situation you’re in. Here I have this great composition to paint, which I think has a good shot at least getting a mention in a show if I paint it well. Then here is the devil coming against me trying to destroy me through stupid sh** like the spaghetti sauce. He knows the Great things God has for me and if I give up too quickly or don’t keep trying I will lose and he wins. Thought for the day; Don’t give up and be defeated….keep pressig through”.

Sometimes in your drawing or painting  [and the actual artwork skill is good] but, something just does not look right to you? Maybe it is the size? Are you drawing it too small? Some subjects need to be larger drawn to “MatcH” the subject matter. For example; when I drew this smaller it didn’t look right to me. When I drew it again larger it “Fit”. But don’t overwhelm yourself at first with size…..work your way up to sized compositions.

Thank you to Gabrill and the office mates for all the kind words and checking out my artwork…….God Bless.

Juried shows

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Entering juried shows today is so easy compared to the “Olden days” before heavy use of ordinary people computer usage. I have found two kind of juried shows so far; a show where you are only required to enter online by submitting digital imagines without being matted. Other juried shows where you first submit a digital imagine and then if you make the first cut you will need to take the actual artwork to the show location. Make sure of the rules before you enter; you don’t want to enter a show half way across the US. I guess you can mail an entry, but you better check with the show before you mail. Most shows will not be responsible for the condition once received and or returning the art to you. If you are looking for art completions to enter the best way is to get an art magazine such as The Artist’s magazine or American Artist magazine and or go to your local book store; most will have several to choose from.

TIP: When taking a good photograph take the picture in natural light if you can and not in direct sunlight. Direct bright sunlight will wash the colors out in the picture. Do not add color and change color or whatever in a photo program!!! If the show requires art submitted created in the past 10 years for example don’t change the date and enter. Firstly, it is cheating, dishonest and simply wrong. God can’t and will not take your art to the next level based on a lie and you want to be Blessed for the get go!.

 I entered a juried show today for the first time in a long time. Honestly, who has an extra $100 just lying around? It cost $60.00 for three entries which was the cheapest I have come across compared to some other shows. What are you gonna do? If you want your art to be “Out there” you need an extra $100. Bucks!