Underpainting Workshop Session - Part Two - Daffodil Drama

As I get back to posting, I realize I haven't filled you in on my workshop session on underpainting.

After my first step of wet in wet painting and using plastic wrap to make a really cool design for the background, I then used an overhead projector to pencil a close-up drawing of daffodils in a vase over top.

This was not as easy as it sounds because it is very difficult to see where and what you're drawing! The creative part of this, though, is that you can pick and choose where you want to draw your flowers (or whatever subject). You're not limited to drawing the whole picture just as it is.
Does that make sense?

Once I completed that task, I began painting the flowers, beginning with the negative shapes (the background darks). A good way to do this is to think back to front and paint what is furthest away and move gradually forward, leaving your detail work until last. Easier said than done but well worth the effort!

Here is my finished piece. I'm calling it, "Daffodil Drama," not because it's a dramatic piece, but because I went through such drama to finish it!
Enjoy!

"Daffodil Drama" - Watercolor by Deborah Carman

A Winning Hand

 
"A Winning Hand" - Watercolor by Deborah Carman

Prints available at: http://deborah-carman.artistwebsites.com

My history with card games may not be very exciting but as I stroll through memory lane, it seemed to weave an interesting path through my life. The condensed version goes like this:

As a kid in the 60's, I was fascinated with watching my parents and their friends play "Pinochle" on game night.

My mom taught me "Solitaire" and a comedic cousin taught me "52 Pickup," a game I've since shared with my grandchildren!

Sitting in on a game of "Hearts" as a teenager was the beginning of a dating relationship that I will simply describe as a "mistake from day one."

I learned a fun and friendly game of "Poker" from my father-in-law, and a lively game of "Canasta" from my mother-in-law.

We taught our children "Uno" when they were old enough to enjoy it and they, in turn, taught us "Hand & Foot" when they were grown.

And there you have it.

So, in keeping with tradition, here is a watercolor of my poker-faced granddaughter and her sweet cousin playing a friendly game of "Uno."

Watching Paint Dry

Last Wednesday I attended the first class of an 8-week Watercolor Workshop. We met at this great Art Supply store called Plaza Art in Nashville, TN.

My very first art workshop, about 8 years ago, was with the same instructor, gail McDaniel (that's how she spells her name), well known for her fabulous watercolors and her yearly fundraising campaigns benefiting children's school art classes. It's great fun being under her tutelage once again and learning more of her watercolor "secrets."

In this first session, we learned how to create a beautiful underpainting
for our painting project using wet in wet painting and plastic wrap.
Pretty cool!

But it is more time consuming than I am used to. I'll admit it. I am very impatient. And I was nervous as a cat doing the thing I love, watching paint dry! (Okay, that was a bit of sarcasm). One thing for sure, I'm definitely learning patience with this project.

Even with the hair dryer it wasn't drying fast enough!

But as you probably suspect, I finally got through it and went on to the next step..., which was penciling over top a subject from a reference photo. This is a photo of both first step pieces. I made a warm one and a cool one. The warm one has the beginnings of the daffodils that I'm starting to paint. I'll keep you posted as it progresses.

Beautiful Bloomin' Blumen

 

On Valentine's Day, my thoughtful husband surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

They were freshly cut and just beginning to blossom so I was looking forward to their blooms opening.

The next morning I made a beeline for the sunroom where the blooms had opened quite a bit with more to go...

Twelve days later (yes, you read it right) those gorgeous blooms are still open! I am in awe!

Capturing A Moment

I need to learn to keep my camera with me at all times, it seems.

 

 Hundreds of "photo opps"  fly by me in a day and what's terrible is I don't even think of them as a good painting possibility until it's totally too late.
I need to work on that.

An artist needs to see a little differently. Some of it comes naturally but it can also be learned.

Here's one moment I did capture and it resulted in this watercolor of my grandson, Lucas and my father. I like the way it turned out.

Too Much Time Away

I guess you could call me a "round robin" kind of artist.

I call myself that because I find that I cannot spend all my time, day in and day out on one type of project. Instead, I find wonderful satisfaction in spending a week, two weeks, maybe a month working on watercolor painting. And then after a time, something switches over in my brain and tells me that I need to work on some crafty art project.

That's what happened last December when I was creating doll furniture as a Christmas present for one of my granddaughters. Something took off in my brain and I began this whirlwind of doll furniture making! I was having so much fun, before you know it, I was opening a shop on Etsy to see if anyone else liked it as much as my granddaughters. Six rooms of doll furniture later, here I am.

And like so many times before, I'm starting to get that feeling and the messages in my head are telling me, "...too much time away - it's time for some more watercolor..."

So, all I can say is, "Watercolors, here I come again..."

Sit Still and Think a Minute

That's not as easy as it sounds.

Even though my husband and I are emptynesters and the house is child-free most days, I can still get wrapped up in noise, chores and activities that rob me of my "think tank" time.

Grandson, Joey in Thinking Mode

I have found that simply turning off the television and radio is very helpful. Music may be soothing for some but for me, silence is golden.

My artistic dilemmas are often solved when I take the time to think them through. As much as I want to rush and quickly achieve results, it doesn't seem to work that way.

So, as I sit still and think a minute I can take a breath, direct my focus and in time, accomplish the task at hand - my newest masterpiece.