Madrone Madness #7

Painting #1 on Fabriano 300# 7 x 9 inches

I didn’t plan on painting but when I saw the lighting and I was swept away….again. What can I say? I love to paint. My first two paintings were very rough and my plan of attack was not working. I couldn’t decide how to depict what I wanted and was very divided. I simply sprayed them off and will re-use the paper. The above painting I enjoyed painting the foliage but the trunks seem stiff and awkward. They were as dark as you see, but I wanted more of an artsy look.

painting #2 on Fabriano 300# 7 x 9 inches

This painting was a little easier and I decided to go a little more detailed, at least for me. I can detail the crap out of a painting which is my inclination from the perfectionist me but I don’t let that “me” out of the box too often. When I do, I refuse to go as detailed as the old me use to. It has taken all these years to learn that I don’t enjoy tight and perfection, my left brain does but that is a whole another story.

Learning Points:

• Let loose, I don’t have to know where the painting and watercolor is leading me.
• If a painting fails, no problem, spray it off and re-use the paper.
• Don’t spray too much water into my wells as I found that I ended up with too much water on my brush every time I dipped for fresh paint.
• Coffee does not work as well as water and I  am sure it doesn’t add the right flavor that I enjoy, not a good idea! Stay aware where I keep the water bucket and my coffee, preferably not close to each other.
• A good idea to loosen up with sketches and painting prior to serious painting. I always seem to forget this. It takes at least 30 minutes for my brain to coordinate with my eyes and painting hand.
• Learn to soften edges, hard one for me to let loose and allow watercolor to do its thing, a common denominator with this medium.