It's finished and framed, ready to take to the gallery tomorrow along with another one that I posted awhile back but decided this week it needed more punch.  It's the Sunflower

The yellow still looks dull in the photo but it has more punch in real life.  These will be going to the gallery tomorrow for a show with 10 other watercolor artists.  The exhibit opens May 1.  I've been up to my neck in framing and I still have more to do so this entry has to be brief.

Almost finished the pour

Several pours later and the mask removed... it's now hanging on a wall in my studio so I can study it.  That silver spot at the top is a giant clothes pin I use to hang paintings in process.  The wall is not readily visable as I work on other projects so I get glimpses... that way when I look at it carefully I'm getting a fresh look.  I still need to add the detail to the door but beyond that I'm still thinking about what it needs.  I see a problem in the lower right corner that needs more dark, part of one of the cross bases is floating.  I'm also leaning toward another light wash on the lightest parts.  Final decisions on this won't be made right away, it needs to sit awhile.

The boat... a disaster.  I love the shapes, everything about it but the colors... I used Winsors, Red, Yellow and Blue and I don't like the resulting darks... very muddy.  So that one will get scrubbed and become a mixed media piece.  I haven't taken another picture yet but will try to remember to do that before I start on it again.

Finally putting paint to paper

Finally, the transfer of the drawing is complete, I've decided on the colors, painted the door blue and added just a touch of the blue on the window before masking them and then did the first pour to take the white out.  The first pour was Raw Sienna.  I want an old look so I decided to use Minnesota Pipesto (Daniel Smith,) Indigo and Raw Sienna.  I've never used these three for a pour so from here on it's experimental as well.

I also did a couple more layers (pours) on the boat and did a little 2" x 2" of an English Cottage.  In addition I started a piece with dancers but more time was spent working out how I would do that than on getting it started.  Next post I'll have something to show I hope. 

Pouring, another step in my process

This is the tedious part.  It's not so much when I'm doing something with only a few shapes but when I get several as there are in this church it's tedious.  I've transfered the traced image to the watercolor paper; however, when you trace something using the 6 to 8B pencil there is a lot of graphite and it is sitting on top of the paper... one wash and you have graphite mixed with the paint and you've lost the image.   So I go over the lines carefull with a harder pencil then, using a kneaded eraser, I push down with the eraser lifting the loose graphite.  Once all this is done I'll be ready to do my first pour since I've decided I don't want any white.  Since this is laborious and I'm ADD, I have another one going at the same time...  not so many shapes in this one...

The next step

Moving along to the next step in the process. You see it reversed. I decided it could be reversed because the place is not important, it was the blue door with the wonderful hinges that I was in love with so that saved me a step. I put the traced image down on my paper and gone right over the lines. Now I will be able to do it again sometime... but with the door on the other side. All I have to do is turn it over and go over the traced lines again All of this part is done with a 5 or 6B pencil so the lines will transfer.

The next thing to think about... do I want to save any whites or do I put a wash over the entire sheet before moving on. I'm leaning toward a wash but not certain yet.

The next step in the process

I've finished the drawing in my sketchbook. Now that it's done I've decided I didn't want those grave stones so prominent so you'll notice I lightened them a tad (or maybe you didn't notice so I'm telling you.). I do like that they are crosses but in the painting I don't want that it's graves to be prominent. My next step is to scan the page in the sketchbook, enlarge it and trace it onto vellum or tracing paper. I trace because I don't want to damage the watercolor paper and that may happen if I try to draw it again. Besides, I've done the drawing, I don't feel a need to do it twice. OK...I've done it again. I have no idea why part of this text is underlined and therefore no idea how to get rid of the underline. (I just looked at the post on my site and the underline only shows up when I run the mouse over it... who knows why?

Now I'm off for a few days of skiing... the last chance this year. When I get back I'll work on the next step.

I've been celebrating all week ... it's my birthday month and this past week was the actual birthday week. I did a lot of sketching and looking but no major work completed. However, I did get one started and I thought some of you who pop in to see what I'm doing might be interested in seeing my process.... so I've posted the start. This will eventually become a poured watercolor piece but there are many decisions yet to be made before I start the actual painting. The drawing is approximately 7 x 7 in my sketchbook. I'm working out the values. Once that is complete I'll determine the colors I'm going to use and the size the actual piece might be. One thing I know already, the door will stay blue though it may not be that blue. It was the blue door that got my attention first so I plan to keep it. The painting may be the same size as the sketch but not necessarily. I've also posted the photo I'm working from so you'll have an idea where I'm going...