In preparation for teaching a workshop next weekend, I have been practicing more flowers with no pre-drawing. This is the painting so far:
Cosmos (watercolour 13.5 x 21.5 inches)
How I got there
Step 1: The thumbnail (1 x 2 inches)
This is the first and most crucial step in the whole process for me. This is were I establish the rhythm and balance of the painting. I have defined three large shapes of light, medium and dark values and where the focal point will be. At this point I am making all the major decisions about how I will approach this painting including colour and paint application techniques. I have a plan to follow when I start painting but I don't stick to it slavishly. I allow myself to react to the flow of the paint.
The first wash
I wet the top third of the paper and started with the yellow centres of the flowers. As the paper loses its shine I can start to define some of the petal shapes with pink. Where the paper has dried too much I sprayed and splatted some more water to help the paint flow. Any back runs at this point will add textural interest. Let this dry.
Laying in the darks
I have used the darks to define the petals on the main flowers. I tried adding salt for texture but once again proved that I have no facility with this particular technique. Perhaps this is a subject for a future posting, "Louise does salt trials"
Adjustments
I added more cool darks to the upper left and softened the edge between background and middle distant area. At this point, I let the painting rest over night and completed the details the next morning.
The end
I worked slowly, assessing each step as I worked.
