(sigh) I was disappointed in today's efforts. I wanted to add some pale blue to the more shaded areas and then apply some more red to the right side of the right flower. I don't think it turned out so well. The blue-ed areas look muddy and have a distinct line to them that I don't appreciate, and the right side of the right flower looks washed out and lifeless.
It could have been that I used the wrong brush. I noticed that when I was adding the wash today, some of the previous wash "lifted" out onto the brush. I used a natural hair and it might have been better to have used a synthetic (since they don't tend to pick up as much colour). I'm not sure how to correct this.
Obviously blue was the wrong colour to add to the flower (muddy), I wonder if a purple would have been a better idea? It might have kept the life to the shadow area since it has some red in it as well. I will give that a try next time and see if that helps. As far as the right side of the flower is concerned, I will likely have to hit it again with a proper wash and see what that does.
the definition on the poppies really seems to be popping out with the second wash... I really wish I understood how you are doing this.. I wonder if showing what you are doing in steps when you are "doing" a wash?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment! I think what you may be seeing is the addition of contrast. When you add a darker value near a lighter one, definition takes shape. This is true of any medium you work in be it painting or drawing. I will try to set up an example in the future, once the poppies are done to demonstrate it better.
ReplyDeleteSome of what you are seeing is the wonder of watercolour too. The soft lines inside the petals are created when I lay down fresh water over the whole petal and then paint in the lines where I want them. The pigments will naturally run in the water slightly creating a "fuzzy" appearance. When seen next to the hard edges of the petal, the petal gets more definition.
I apologize if this answer was overly wordy. I hope it helps!