#WorldWaterColorMonth! Day 30 Wild Things: Learning to Fish

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Day 30---ONE MORE TO GO...

I splurged yesterday and bought an 18x24 Canson Water Color Pad 140# Cold Press paper,

 at 40% off. Art online stores charge for shipping unless over $50.00, so this ended up being 50 huge sheets for $23.40. Besides I got to touch it...and liked the feel and thickness of the paper.

This is still student grade---but reasonable enough I can let the Grand paint on a Big scale too. 

My challenge today was to paint Wild Things, I had just done a frog---from our pond. Then I thought of the Raccoon, that dragged clams up from the lake---(2 blocks away) to wash them in our pond, after cracking them on our rocks. Also probably the same raccoon that stole all the goldfish we put in the pond one year. 

Then I thought of my son's cats who were feral kittens and are still wild at ages 14. They are big orange and white tabby now--one striped and one patched, so this is imagined

 Leo, "Learning to Fish".

First, working on a big space on good paper is very freeing. 

Layers and layers of color washes built this up. And it quickly dried enough to take as many layers as I could put on.  Learning when to stop---I think that is the biggest lesson of this painting.

Second, I chose a huge 1 1/4" Mop brush and an old squirrel bamboo brush. The bamboo is a 1/4" brush. Both were originally purchased for ceramic under glaze and glazes. The mop is at least 30 years old, the label is gone, but it must be a synthetic to hold up to glazes. The bamboo brushes I would use up in 6 months because glazes are really grainy and damaging. 

The Mop carries a ton of water, but also makes wonderful shapes when you twist and turned it, All of the goldfish was painted with the mop---except for the eye detail. I was having too much fun to take a series of photos. 

The fish is one of those ugly koi--not the carp ones, but the one with bulgy eyes and lumpy bodies. We don't have koi in the pond, no sense feeding the raccoons.

The paper was very absorbent, held it's shape, I used the smoother side which was still a bit textured. I'm anxious to try the rougher side tomorrow. 

I would have like to work more on the eyes...but I know you can really screw up a painting or a drawing...going in for the one last bit. 

I had filled up my palette with some new colors by Grumbacher Academy and

 Winsor Newton.

Palette: Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Yellow Ochre,Alizarian Crimson, Winsor Red, Sap Green, Hookers Green, Cerulean Green, Manganese Green, Prussian Blue, Cobalt Blue, Thalo Purple, VanDyke Brown, Burnt Sienna, Lamp Black. 

The palette looks like I used everything. Well, did Leo catch a fish...of course not---!

Hope you are enjoying summer! 

Please visit Doodlewash  

if you are interested in starting to watercolor. There are lots of talented and beginners there, and the community and shared information is wonderful. There are continuing challenges to get a newbie or pro to paint!

I'm not advertising, I just think this is a worthy cause:

Please don't forget Dreaming Zebra Foundation, 

 the above supports art materials for children...

take a peek.

Disclaimer: Any products I am using are not a recommendation, but only for reference for the reader's use. I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies or products, or have I received compensation or products. 

My painting projects will be posted on Pinterest, Flickr and Facebook with the hashtag 

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question. 

Join me at these fine blog parties:
Happiness is Homemade
Vintage Charm
Talk of the Town
Friday Favorites

 Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, 

Sandi 

#WorldWatercolorMonth! Days Days 26-29

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Wow, sometimes life gets in the way. Between catching up in the garden, therapy, listing many new items on Etsy(research), driving, and trying to resume some real life--last week got away from me. 

We have some beautiful weather now in Chicagoland, so I moved off the kitchen table out onto the porch to paint with windows surrounding me. This is really ideal, no direct sunlight except early in the morning and lots of room to spread out. I'm sticking with the suggested prompts. I need some sort of discipline, because I have none of my own, LOL. 

ONLY TWO MORE, after this.

Day 26 Natural Wonders. 

Between the woodchuck under the kitchen porch, the possum under the deck, the gazillions of birds (we feed them), the hippies, squirrels, we have a small pond and frogs. So we have 'Natural Wonders' everywhere. Our frog this year is tiny--but we never know when a big one may show up, we have had large fat happy frogs in the past. I worked this pretty wet, spritzing water in various areas and letting the paints spread.

Palette: VanDyke Brown, Cerulean Blue, Prussian Blue, Prussian Green, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Thalo Purple, Cobalt blue,Lamp Black

Day 27  Fruits, 

I worked this very wet---you can see the paper has buckled. In a way it helped with the translucence of the glass but I lost the plate/bowl. I wish I had just done the glass, but the watermelon piece and rind looks nice and juicy. 

Palette: Prussian Green, Yellow Green, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow pale, Lamp black, Prussian Blue, Cobalt, Alizarian Crimson, Winsor Red,

Day 28 Mettalic

This was fun---it's a galvanized metal drink dispenser, we only use it for Water when we have a big group. Late in the day and with two light sources on it, there were tons of reflections and variations on the surface. The shadows kept changing, so my colors did too. I tried to work loose and not overwork anything.

Palette: VanDyke Brown, Thalo Purple, Prussian Blue, Burnt Sienna, Lamp Black, Cadmium yellow Pale.

Day 29 Glorious Green

Our whole yard is green, this is the back corner of our garden where the squash plants are going crazy, climbing up the fence. Sometimes they make it to the roof of the neighbors shed and make their fruit up there. It's very late for the garden this year, we hope we get some ripe squash, they are great keepers and we usually have squash until spring  in the cabinet designed for potatoes,onions, etc. This was worked very wet with built up washes and lots of over painting.

Palette: VanDyke brown, Prussian Green, Hooker Green, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Prussian Blue, Lamp Black

I'm planning on posting one painting experience a week, when this ends. Please visit Doodlewash  

if you are interested in starting to watercolor. There are lots of talented and beginners there, and the community and shared information is wonderful. There are continuing challenges to get a newbie or pro to paint!

Please don't forget Dreaming Zebra Foundation, 

 the above supports art materials for children...

take a peek.

Disclaimer: Any products I am using are not a recommendation, but only for reference for the reader's use. I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies or products, or have I received compensation or products. 

My painting projects will be posted on Pinterest, Flickr and Facebook with the hashtag 

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question. 

Join me at these fine blog parties:
Happiness is Homemade
Vintage Charm

 Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, 

Sandi