Faculty Instructor, Vera Champlin shares the step by step process of painting from life in watercolor. Her finished work is titled
Romanza.
Here's my set up. I knew I wanted high contrast and drama but I didn't know how I would
paint this or complete the composition. Still, I needed to begin if I wanted to paint from life and my roses were
in full bloom.
I put tracing paper over my mounted
Arches 300 CP watercolor paper paper and drew the vase and all details from direct
observation. It's a total challenge for me to draw anything that's like architecture,
but I actually enjoy it. I measured, I dropped plumb lines and finally the vase felt right enough.
I was only able to get the outline of my roses, before they drooped. I switched to my reference
photos to get petal details and for painting.
After I completed my drawing on tracing paper, I tucked transfer paper underneath it and
drew over my lines to get a clean drawing with no erasing.
For my palette, in addition to my regular colors I added 2 sparkly ones: Amethyst Genuine and Kyanite Genuine.
Also I included a wonderful, highly granulating black called Lunar Black. All three paints are Daniel Smith brand.
I painted my roses first by doing wet into wet very pale yellow washes. When dry I added petal details
with Amethyst Genuine alone or mixed with my yellows.
I began the vase wet into wet with pale washes of yellows as well as mixes of cadmium red, ultramarine blue and Kyanite Genuine.
I had subtle sparkles in the roses and wanted the same quality but different colors in the vase.
When that was completed, I began the background by wetting the paper lightly with a mop brush and charging it with Lunar Black
mixed with Kyanite Genuine. Sparkles everywhere! Then I added a decorative gold foil rice paper that I had shaped
using my original tracing paper drawing. Almost done!
To finish, I add gold rice paper leaves and touches of cadmium red here and there. I settle on j
ust a little rice paper collage for my "tablecloth". To finish I paint in more background color,
deepen values, and check edges. La fine!
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