Class Watercolor Stage 2

An update from my November 15th post. Much like choosing spices for a recipe, we developed a limited color palette by looking at the reference and making little mixed color swatches. A limited palette brings unity to the painting. The little color wheel indicates the pigments chosen. Both the color plan and value study will guide us along. Pictured here is the painting after our first class. The lilies were masked, then an underpainting was applied over the entire paper. The bushes at the top are done in alternating layers of paint and masking fluid, working from light to dark. In fact, all the paintings we do are painted from light to dark, building up in layers, working over the entire painting, a very traditional approach. I don't normally use mask when I paint, but for beginners and teeny things it's helpful. I hope this information is helpful to somebody out there. To see the previous stage "Thumbnails and Value Sketches" go to labels at the bottom of this post. Click on watercolor and scroll down to November 15th.