Blue shutters and bright red geraniums…I can envision this window along the busy streets of Paris or perhaps the narrow streets of old Quebec. To make this watercolor painting, I followed a watercolor tutorial by John Lovett and used my new birthday present, a paper stretching board by Ken Bromley, to ensure an unbubbled surface. Both the board and the tutorial worked well. I am happy. (Click on thumbnail for high-resolution image)
My drawings are always hit or miss, especially when learning new techniques. For this painting, I used a fine line waterproof marker to assist with my character drawing, prior to filling it in with watercolors. I realized, after the fact, that I should have applied the same amount of detail to his clothing as I did his face. As it is, the vagueness of the background and shirt don’t quite match the detail of the head. But it… Read More
Watercolor attempt #8. This painting was not so easy. Even though I taped the paper down onto a board, the paper warped in ways that my previous paintings didn’t (I’m not sure why). Note the cockled marks lining my photo. BLEECH! I also found that painting a tutu skirt is a lot easier said than done and that very few instructional video’s exist on the subject. But it’s finished and I can brag that I… Read More
My sister came to visit me from Canada, and we practiced watercolor washes. This is my first attempt at doing a wash “correctly.” It was fun.(Click on thumbnail for high-resolution image)
I have been procrastinating from writing my Writer’s Journey outline for book number 2 in my Eden’s Gate series. It’s an enormous mental task which requires both brain power and uninterrupted time. Lacking both, I’ve thrown myself into another creative outlet – watercolor painting – in the hopes that someday I’ll be able to use the skill to illustrate my own children’s books. Here is my watercolor attempt #6. (Click on image for full-resolution image)