Cookies for Santa

Cookies for Santa

Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

Merry Christmas!

My watercolor above, Cookies for Santa, is my way of wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!  This is a fun and quick painting......with very little actual drawing and a great way to get into the holiday spirit while painting!

Watercolor tip:

The window panes were simply drawn in with a white Crayon so that when the blue was washed in for the sky the panes did not take up the color....no masking fluid or tape required. 

So, get your cookies and cocoa ready for Santa tonight and have a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Painting!

Karen



Mug for All Seasons!



A Mug for All Seasons:  Mug liners for Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall

Do you need a quick, but personalized Christmas gift? 

I purchased some of the insulated mugs that have a screw off section to allow placement of photos, pictures, children's drawings, etc.  Then I cut out a template from a piece of watercolor paper  and painted several watercolors.  The one above is a "mug for all seasons" as I have interchangeable paintings for each of the seasons of the year. 

Mugs can be personalized with paintings of a person's favorite subject, sport, flower, season, landscape, etc.  These would make a quick Christmas gift for someone along with tucking a gift card inside to go along with their favorite activity.  Even a coffee shop gift card, a few packets of hot cocoa mix or tea bags would be a fun gift to give or to receive.

When selecting your subject for painting, select a painting that can be done quickly and has bright colors to show well through the plastic cover.

There's still time before Christmas to make a special gift for someone on your list!

Watercolor tip: 

Include washing instruction when you give this gift.  Just in case there is the chance of a "leak" if submerged or soaked in soapy water,  remove the mug liner from the cup and only wash that section.   When dry, replace the liner without worrying about getting the painting wet.

Happy Painting and Merry Christmas!

Karen Cooke

Let it Snow!

Snow Days
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

My watercolor above, Snow Days, continues with the winter palette.  Notice the use of a very limited palette to paint the house, barn and surrounding buildings as well as the trees.  Remember the following colors for the winter palette:
• Payne’s Gray
• Ultramarine
• Burnt Sienna
• Sap Green
• Burnt Umber

I did not use any green, but used combinations of the other colors.  However, I included one or two other colors to add interest and direct the eye to the snowman and sled.  Using bright red and yellow ochre helped liven up the cold winter scene.

So, fix a mug of hot cocoa and sit down to a fun afternoon of watercolor painting.

Happy Painting!
Karen

Seasonal Palette - Winter

Fence Posts in the Snow

Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

My watercolor above, Fence Posts in the Snow, is one of my favorite winter season paintings for my watercolor students to paint.  It utilizes several techniques, but is a painting a beginner can accomplish and enjoy.

This week, I'll introduce the winter palette.

Even if isn’t covered with snow, the winter landscape rarely contains bright colors. Although bold red and yellow colors may be useful in other season, they are usually unnecessary in winter. Even bright greens may have limited use, as winter foliage tends to be dull and subdued – particularly the dark evergreen of conifers and the faded grey-green of grasses that have lost their summer freshness.

Winter Palette Colors:

• Payne’s Gray
• Ultramarine
• Burnt Sienna
• Sap Green
• Burnt Umber
A palette of only 5 colors is usually all that are needed for the winter palette. The slightly cool Payne’s Gray is a good starting point for all mixes. It can be used with Ultramarine for the sky and cold shadow colors. Sap green is good for foliage with burnt umber and burnt sienna to all some warmer tones.

Trees and their shadows are made from the following colors:
• Sap Green
• Payne’s Gray
• Burnt Umber

Sky and shadows reflecting the sky are mixed from:
• Ultramarine
• Payne’s Grey

Warmer foreground shadows are mixed from:
• Ultramarine
• Burnt Sienna
• Payne’s Grey

Winter Light
With so few local colors present in the typical winter landscape, your choice of colors will be dictated by the weather and the light. On a cloudy day, the landscape can appear monochromatic – simply a range of blacks, whites, and grays with subtle tinges of green, blue, and brown. In this case the emphasis will be on mostly neutral colors – Payne’s gray and burnt umber.

Colored Shadows
If you are painting a winter scene in sunshine, the sun will bring out a spectrum of blue and warm good that require the addition of ultramarine and burnt sienna. Sunlight winter grasses will require solid sap green.

As the sun appears closer to the horizon in winter than it does in summer, it creates longer shadows. These shadows contain a lot of color – particularly blues and green. Against the whiteness of snow, they can appear very translucent and bright with color.

Contrasting Tones
Snow creates extreme contrasts. The lightest tone is the dazzling whiteness of the snow itself; the darkest tones will be created by the silhouettes of trees and other objects.

Watercolor is the perfect medium for a wintery painting because you can use the unpainted white paper to represent the snow. The bright whiteness of snow makes everything else in the landscape appear dark in comparison.

Opaque White
Opaque white can be used in the final stages of a winter painting. This can be used as scattered snowflakes, which lend a decorative and realistic touch to a scene. This is an effective detail, which you can add to any snowy landscape.

Simply spatter the finished painting lightly with white and grey. The white will show up against the dark tones; the grey will stand out from the white snow.

Warning: White paint contains chalk. When white is added to other pigments the resulting colors become pale and chalky….this can destroy the natural transparency of watercolor paints. White paint is best reserved for special effects.

Happy Painting!
Karen






Happy Thanksgiving!

Drying Time
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

For those of you who do not live in an area where tobacco is grown or have never traveled through parts of the United States where tobacco is grown and dried, I wanted to let you know that the watercolor above is of tobacco drying in a barn.  Tobacco is grown in the southern United States, especially in Virginia and if often seen drying in large open ended barns.  Although I don't smoke, I like the color of the dried tobacco leaves and the throw back to earlier times.  Virginia tobacco leaves go from green, to yellow, to brown.  And my painting above shows some leaves in various stages of drying.

In my painting above, I focused on the contact of the dark interior of the barn and the lighter wood of the barn, and of course, the various shades of the drying tobacco.

Watercolor tip:
The tobacco leaves were first painted yellow and using a wet on wet technique, shades of yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and Van Dyke Brown were dropped in and allowed to blend.  After the tobacco leaves were dry, veins were added.  Color was lifted to lighten the veins, then Sepia was used to add a little detailed veining on the rest of the leaves.

Although this is not a traditional Thanksgiving painting, it reminds of the the fall season, harvest, and the pilgrims who settled the United States.

Happy Painting and Happy Thanksgiving!

Karen

Fall in the Smokies!

Autumn Cascades
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

Fall is almost over.....snow fell in the upper elevations of the Smoky Mountains this past week.  So, trees like the ones in the painting above will some be bare. 

Since the rocks will not change, but remain the same for all seasons, my blog today will give directions for painting the rocks.

How to Paint Rocks:
The rocks are painted with a wash of raw umber, burnt umber, ultramarine. Light washes are added with the darker colors added to the bottom, sides and edges of the rocks. Apply clean water to the drying paint to add texture. The water pushes the paint outwards, breaking up its regular drying pattern, scattering the particles of paint. As they dry, the “watermark” can be seen, providing an appearance of wetness and texture.



How to Paint the Mountain Stream:
As water tumbles across rocks and boulders and breaks around them, areas of white water appear. In watercolor, the best way to convey this is to leave areas of white paper showing as you paint around rocks and boulders. The more white paper you leave, the faster the water appears to be moving. Remember: Water rarely flows in a straight line. Paint the water area with a light wash of yellow ochre and will in with lines of raw and burnt umber….very light washes. Remember to leave areas white. When dry scratch off tiny flecks of paint with a sharp knife to represent light bouncing from breaking water. To create a feeling of distance, space the scratched areas of paper unevenly – closer together in the far background, further apart in the foreground. Reflected shapes in moving water appear as colors rather than discernable images.

Happy Painting!
Karen


 

Grab Your Salt Shaker!



Seasons at Herb Parsons Lake

Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

An old tree with with a broken off limb made for an interesting subject found during an outing at a nearby lake.    This early fall scene made for an interesting subject to paint.

The background was painted in shades of green and orange which were allowed to blend together with no definition of trees, grasses, or leaves - only the impression of them.  Thus the emphasis was placed on the tree trunk and leaves.

Watercolor tip:

Now grab that salt shaker!

The lichen was painted by dropping in several shades of green and generously sprinkling with salt.  When the paint and salt dried, it was bushed off to the reveal the white areas of lichen shaped spaces.  No extra painting required!  This same technique was used in the area of the tree trunk on the upper right side where the bark had fallen off.  I dropped in various colors of paint:  Paynes' Gray, Yellow Ochre, and Burnt Umber painting wet on wet.  While the paint was still wet, the salt was applied.

Use different types of salt to create different sizes of shapes.....table salt, pretzel salt, and even ice cream salt make some interesting designs in the paint.

So grab that salt shaker and see what happens!

Happy Painting!

Karen

Fall Glow!

Fall Glow

Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

My watercolor above, Fall Glow, is another in a series of paintings using the auturmn palette I discussed in earlier blogs.  This painting was done from a photo taken in the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains. 

In order to paint the foliage with consistency across the tree area, I masked off the large trees trunks before painting.  However, I did not mask the split rail fence in the foreground. 

I also painted the sky from the top to the ground level in a pale wash of Phathalo Blue adding clean water as I drew the color down to the horizon.  This allowed a little bit of blue sky to show through some of the tree foliage and the color became also white as it reached the horizon.

I placed a wash of color in for my background trees first and then used a deerfoot stipler to dab in foliage using several shades of yellow, orange, red, and even some green.  Once the background foliage was dry, I removed the masking and painted the tree trunks.

Watercolor tip:

Some of the tree trunks and branches were painted using a "secret" technique.  Some of the smaller trunks and branches were painted by applying paint to the edge of a piece of mat board and pressing into the dry foliage.  This allows for a quick application of paint and a consistent fine line. 

Happy Painting and Happy Halloween!

Karen

How to Paint Rust!

How to Paint a Rusty Hinge Using Sand Texturization

One of my favorite things in watercolor painting is using different "things" to create texture.  In this instance, sand is used to give the appearance of rust.  This is the technique I used in my painting above.  Below are the steps involved:

• Sketch the hinge.

• Begin with a flat wash applied to a damp surface and let it dry thoroughly. This needs to be the base color of the iron. I use a mixture of indigo (sepia and ultramarine mixed together) and burnt sienna.

• Over the dry base color, stroke on a varied wash of yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and touches of indigo.

• Sprinkle sand over the wet wash.

• DRY COMPLETELY.

• Remove the sand by brushing off with either your hand or an old toothbrush.

• Add details using a wet on dry technique. A wet on wet technique will “dissolve” your texturization.

• Spattering can be used to add texture as well as scraping paint off with the craft knife.

Watercolor tip:
Do not try to peek at your painting under the sand UNTIL the paint drys! 

Happy Painting!
Karen








Brush Stokes - Answer to Reader Questions

I have had inquiries from several readers about how to get started in watercolor painting; but was unable to respond personally because they failed to provide an email address.   

Early blog entries will provide some tips on setting up a palette, supplies needed, paper to use, etc. as well as providing  instructions on specific pictures.  

Also, you can find instructions on a new site I have recently joined, VideoJug pages.  Here is the link to that site:  http://pages.videojug.com/users/BrushStrokesbyKC

Please feel free to email questions and provide me with an email address if you would like a personal response.

Happy Painting!
Karen

Pumpkins for Sale

Pumpkins for Sale
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

Seasonal Palette - Part III
My watercolor above, Pumpkins for Sale, is another example of the autumn seasonal palette.  A limited palette was used with these colors being mixed together to create the various shades in the pumpkins.
 
The colors used to paint the above painting were:

• Cadmium Red
• Cadmium Yellow
• Sepia
• Payne’s Grey
• Burnt Sienna
• Sap Green
• Phthalo Blue

Steps involved in painting a pumpkins:

1. Apply clean water to the pumpkin working around the stem.
2. Apply a wash to yellow first to the entire pumpkin surface.
3. Drop in shades of orange (mixed from the red and yellow), burnt sienna, sap green, and sepia.
4. Add the deeper colors where one pumpkins touches another.
5. Add drops of sepia, gray, sap green, etc. to indicate dirt and other imperfections in the pumpkin surface.
6. This is my favorite part of painting the pumpkins - letting the colors blend together.
7. Be certain to leave some of the underlying yellow showing for highlights.  And spot of unpainted painted can be left as well to indicate reflected light.

Watercolor Tip
Each pumpkin must be painted separately and must be dry before the adjacent pumpkins can be painted.  If not, the colors will run together and the pumpkins will look like one big blog! 

Don't rush this painting by not following the "watercolor tip" or you will be disappointed.

Happy Painting!
Karen

Sleepy Hollow: Seasonal Palette - Part II

Sleepy Hollow

Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

Seasonal Palette - Part II

Last week I discussed the autumn seasonal palette and displayed a painting that used "traditional" colors associated with autumn.  I used the same seasonal palette to paint my watercolor above, Sleepy Hollow.  Titled so--- because I think one could see a headless horseman ride by any moment!  :) 

See my watercolor tip from last week:

Watercolor Tip:

Color sets the mood for the painting! This is true no matter what season or subject matter. Remember this when selecting the colors used in your painting.

Color definitely set the dark and somber mood for this painting.  However, I still used colors from my seasonal palette: 

• Sepia
• Paynes' Gray
• Cadmium Yellow
• Cadmium Red
• Burnt Sienna
• Sap Green
• Phthalo Blue

I created the sky first in this painting.....using very little blue and mostly gray with a drop of yellow and burnt sienna.  I wanted the sky to look dark and foreboding, not clear, bright and cheery as the one last week. 

After the sky dried, I put in the distant hills and the large, dark mass of trees/hedges.  The trees were painted using mostly gray and sepia.  I misted the trees with a light spray of water to help the trees blend into the sky.

The grasses were laid in next using clean water first and then dropping in a weak wash of gray also dropping in a weak wash of yellow and orange.  The orange was mixed from my red and yellow.  After this wash dries, dry brush in some grasses with a foliage brush.

The pumpkins were painted last.  

Watercolor tip:
Leave the pumpkins mostly white dropping in only light washes of yellow and orange.  This will make the pumpkins look as though they are washed in moonlight!

Happy Fall and Happy Painting!
Karen








Autumn - The Seasonal Palette

Harvest
5" x 7", Mats to 10" x 12"

AUTUMN - The Seasonal Palette
Depending on the weather and climate, autumnal trees can be either brilliantly colored or neutral and understated. Brilliant fall colors can be spectacular when with paired with a bright blue sky.


Autumn Palette Colors:
• Cadmium Red
• Alizarin Crimson
• Cadmium Yellow
• Sepia
• Payne’s Grey
• Burnt Sienna
• Sap Green
• Phthalo Blue


Basic Leaf Color is made from the following colors:
• Cadmium Red
• Cadmium Yellow
• Sepia

Redder Leaves are mixed from:
• Cadmium Red
• Cadmium Yellow
• Burnt Sienna


Distant Trees are mixed from:
• Cadmium Yellow
• Burnt Sienna


Deep Colored Leaves and Shadows are mixed from:
• Alizarin Crimson
• Phthalo Blue


Dark Green Tones are mixed from:
• Sap Green
• Payne’s Grey
• Sepia


Muted Green Tones are mixed from:
• Sap Green
• Sepia


Painting Trees:
The foliage on any tree is usually multi-colored, visible as tiny flecks of color and tone that represent the leaves. The palest flecks are the highlights – reflections caused by the bright light on the leaves, darker flecks are the shadows on the underside of the foliage. A helpful technique for capturing the effect of broken color in foliage is a manner of applying color. Instead of mixing red and yellow to create orange, try dabbing separate dots of color red and yellow onto the picture. The two colors merge in the eye of the viewer to create a vibrant orange. Dabbing on color also creates an impression of movement.

Word of caution: leave some spaces white to keep the painting from looking messy.


Using the colors in the autumn palette, brilliant or quiet autumn scenes can be created. Depending on the amount of colors mixed, the colors can tend to be bright vivid colors or shades of brown or gray.

Painting the Autumn Sky:
A bright wash of Phthalo Blue will make a nice contrast with brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows to indicate a clear, bright and sunny autumn day. However, a diluted wash of Phthalo Blue with a little Burnt Sienna will subdue the color and blend well with clouds and leaves of shades of brown and gray.


Watercolor Tip:
Color sets the mood for the painting! This is true no matter what season or subject matter. Remember this when selecting the colors used in your painting.


Happy Painting!
Karen Cooke

White Watercolor Paint?? What? Why? When?

Storm Tossed
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"


Use white watercolor paint?  Should I or shouldn't I? 
In my watercolor painting above, Storm Tossed, I used white watercolor paint to make the white water created when the waves hit the rocks and the shore.  By using white paint as well as leaving some areas white, I was able to create a turbulance that would be difficult to achieve any other way. 


Watercolor painting in its purest form doesn't use white paint to tint colors or provide highlights.


Instead, white areas of paper are covered with only a very pale watered-down wash to simulate light areas or, to achieve pure white, are left unpainted altogether.


This means you have to have a good idea where these areas are going to be before you start painting. This involves some pre-planning of your picture - which is actually a very good discipline, whatever paint medium you use.


In other more opaque mediums like oil painting and acrylic painting, the artist relies on adding the finishing highlights with lighter colors or white paint. This gives a bit more flexibility if you change your painting half way through.


However, don't be put off by this. Great watercolorists often used white in their watercolor paintings.


Turner was a good example. He had to use white for some of his highlights as he frequently started off by staining his paper with tea, coffee or even wine to create a particular atmosphere!

Watercolor Tip:
Never use white to mix with other colors to produce a lighter shade. This is done with oils and acrylics, but never watercolor. Adding white to other colors will only “muddy” up the color.When Does a Watercolor Artist Use White Paint?



The following are suggested time to use white paint:


a. Snow - applied via spattering to create an overall effect of snow falling.


b. Spray from water, etc. (like in my painting above)


c. Highlights that would be very difficult to achieve any other way.



Remember, there's only one rule in painting and that's to enjoy yourself. So if white paint's good enough for Turner and the other greats, you go ahead and use it as well!

Happy Painting!
Karen

Lazy River - Part 3: The Water

Lazy River
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

Part 3: The Water

This week I will discuss the last main element of this painting - the water.
How to Paint the Water:
Using a large round brush block in the river using broad horizontal strokes of Ultramarine.  Use deep color in the foreground, diluting it as you move towards the distance.   While the color is still wet, smooth out brush strokes with water and a fan brush. 

Start to paint the foreground reflections into the wet Ultramarine paint, using mixes of burnt sienna and indigo with vertical and horizontal strokes.  Refer to the painting above for location. 

Add distant reflections next.  Wet the far part of the river with water.  Using a smaller round brush, work over this area with vertical strokes of yellow.  Add darker bands with mixes of lemon yellow, Payne's grey, and burnt sienna.

Remove the masking fluid  in the water area.  Paint strokes of indigo mixed with burnt sienna between the lines where the masking fluid was removed. 

Make squiggly lines to capture the movement of the water with the indigo and burnt sienna.

Finishing the painting:
Remove the masking fluid from the background.  Pant a dilute mix of indigo, burnt sienna and green among the trees.  Add reflections of green in the water for these trees.  Define the bank using washes of cerulean blue, turquoise, and yellow.    Paint the posts in the foreground using burnt sienna and yellow.

Check your painting for any areas than need emphasis:  shadows, reflections, etc. and fine tune.

Sign your name!  Your lazy river is ready to enjoy.....

Happy Painting!
Karen

Lazy River - Part 2: The Trees

Lazy River
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

Part 2:  The Trees

As mentioned in last week's blog, there are three main elements to this painting.  Now that the grass and foliage have been painted, I will discuss how to paint the trees; and we will finish with the water next week. 

How to Paint the Trees:
Use a small round brush (a No. 4 or No. 6) and paint green bands ACROSS one of the tree trunks with a dilute mix of indigo, turquoise, and yellow.  While still wet, define the trunk of the tree by quickly dragging a wash of Payne's Grey quickly down (vertically) through the bands of wet paint.  The paint will run horizontally to suggest branches.  Paint one tree at a time so that the paint is still wet when the Payne's Grey is applied.  This is a handy technique to paint trees quickly. 

After this initial wash has dried, paint the bark on the trees using Burnt Sienna--don't over do it.    Work from the wrist to make natural shapes that are not too "set" and geometric in shape. 

Finish the trees using a rigger or liner brush to put in the smaller branches. 

Watercolor Trivia:
In the 19th century, marine artists and architects often used a tail feather of a woodcock to paint fine, even lines.  The feather, which is very springy and holds a surprising amount of color, works like our current fine liner brush or a rigger. 

Next week, we will finish this painting by putting in the water element!

Happy Painting!
Karen

Lazy River

Lazy River

Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

In my watercolor painting above, the bright yellows in the foliage and grass are used to indicate areas of sunshine streaming through the trees.  The small amount of foliage on the trees and bushes indicate an early Spring day.

There are three main elements to the this painting:

1. Water
2. Grass
3. Trees

Each one of these elements are treated separately and a different technique is used to paint each of these different sections.  Over the course of the next few weeks, I will address each of these elements and how to paint each one.

First, sketch your painting with minimal detail.  Spatter masking fluid in the tree area in the background and dab some masking fluid between the trees.  Also, mask out distant horizontal reflections in the water and the stumps in the foreground.  Refer to the "white" unpainted areas of my painting above for placement of the masking fluid. 

Watercolor tip:

How to Paint the Grass and Foliage

Spattering is the key to the fresh, grassy river banks.  The first spattering is made with clean water and then paint so that the paint finds its way into the pools of spattered water.    The first spatter of paint looks like an explosion of tiny stars, but as each layer of color is applied the impression of grass starts to take shape.

Be certain to create perspective in the painting with larger spatters in the foreground and smaller ones in the distance.  

Add darker colors of green in areas of the bank to create the shadows from the tree trunks on the opposite side of the river.

Next week I will discuss painting the trees.  The water and details are put in last and will be discussed the 3rd week.

Happy Painting!

Karen

 

It's All About the Sky!

 

Seaside Villa
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

In my painting above, Seaside Villa, the emphasis is on the sky! In this painting, it appears that sunlight is trying to break through a gap in the heavy clouds illuminating the little cluster of buildings on the cliff top. Notice how the color of the sky differs on the right and left sides of the painting helping to create the storm clouds and imply ilumination behind the clouds.


Watercolor tip: How to paint the sky
Mix your sky washes before you being to paint. You will be working wet on wet so that the colors will flow and mix easily together.

I used the following colors for the sky: cadmium red, cobalt blue, a mix of these two colors, Paynes gray, and sepia.

Use a large round brush to paint in the sky.

Place your first wash of a diluted cadmium red in the lower sky.

Drop in some colbalt blue at the top of the sky, leaving some of the paper white.

Add a mix of the two colors and paint in cloud shapes wet in wet on the left and right side of the paper.

Use the point of the brush to paint in smaller clouds lower down.

Paint dark clouds using Payne's gray to create a stormy look on the lower part of the sky behind the buildings. Drop in a little sepia.

Spray a mist of water on the sky if it is getting too dry to work well.

Lift some areas of white shaping the clouds using a tissue.


Clouds can be an interesting part of a painting.....sometimes the painting is really all about the sky!

Happy Painting!
Karen

The Dome

The Dome
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

My watercolor above titled, The Dome, is an excellent example of layering wash upon wash to build up color.  The painting above was executed by laying in thinned washes of uniform and varied tones, applying color wet-in-wet, and overlaying washes onto dry colors to build up deep tones and color.  The broad area of shadow is not painted in one tone of a single color, but created using wet-in-wet technique.  Different colors are added to a wet or damp area and allowed to mingle and fuse.  This will allow for some interesting colors and results. 

Note:  The whitest area of the dome was left unpainted allowing for the greatest contrast of light and shadow. 

Watercolor tip:

Working successfully with wet-in-wet techniques relies on a balance between control and spontaneity.  Limit the effect of the technique by wetting only specific areas of color or tone, such as the side of a column shadow, as shown in the painting above.  By dealing with separate areas in this way your paint will move freely within those areas only, but will not run out of control over the work as a whole.

Happy Painting!
Karen

Poppy Splash!

Poppy Splash
Watercolor 11" x 15" Mats to 16" x 20"

The watercolor painting above, Poppy Splash, was painted using a fun technique.  The painting composition was not drawn on the paper before I started painting.  I wet the paper and flooded in the colors for the flowers and the foliage.  I tipped the drawing board while the paint was still very wet and allowed the colors to merge and blend and then allowed them to dry to see how they settled on the paper.   I drew my composition on top of the wash.  The shape of the flower does not have to take up the entire area of color.  This painting is intended as an abstraction and the colors of the flowers, greenery, etc. may be "outside" the lines of those shapes.  The extra paint will indicate a "blurred" flower or leaf in the background.    Paint was then applied on top of the initial wash and deepened in some areas and lifted in others. 

Try a different approach like this one and see how much fun it can be!

Happy Painting!

Karen

Doors and Windows

Doors and Windows
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

Interesting doors and windows have always been a favorite subject of mine for paintings.  The watercolor above incorporates both in this simple arrangement.  From barn doors to European doors, one can always find something interesting to put on paper and give the viewer the desire to wonder what interesting things or people might be found inside. 

Watercolor tip:
This watercolor uses a resist to add texture to the stone wall, around the window and the door on the right.  I used oil pastels applied to the watercolor paper prior to painting. 

A resist is defined as a method of preventing paint from coming into contact with the paper, or other paint layers, by interposing a paint-resistant coating, such as wax.  This is often used to preserve highlights, or for specific textural effects. 

If you have not tried using a resist, give it a try.  You do not have to use oil pastels, plain old "Crayola" crayons will work as well!

Happy Painting
Karen

Fog Comes On Little Cat Feet

Fog Comes On Little Cat Feet
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

Fog

by Carl Sandburg

THE FOG

comes on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

My watercolor above, Fog Comes On Little Cat Feet, received its title thanks to Carl Sandburg.  I remember memorizing this poem in elementary school and this painting brought that poem to mind.

Watercolor Tip:

How to paint fog:

I completed the entire painting using very vivid colors - much brighter than I would have ordinarily used so that when the fog was added the color would show through.    After the  painting was completely dry.  I applied several washes of white paint using a dry brush.  The first application lightly covered the entire painting.  The second application covered from the top down to the a spot half way between the yellow and the red boat.  The third application covered the sky and mountain area.  This allowed the fog to be more concentrated in the distance and lighter in the foreground. 

Caution:  Work quickly and DO NOT have the paint too wet or you run the risk of completely hiding the painting.  Also, do not overwork the area.  Work from top to bottom with single strokes across and move on. 

Happy Painting!

Karen

Why Paint?

Faceless China

Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

Many times I have been asked this question:  "Why do you paint?"   There are many responses to that question. 

• I enjoy it!
• I like to express myself in pictures rather than words!
• It is a relaxing way to spend time.
• It is my hobby.
• It is a stress reliever!    It calms the mind and the body.
• Painting is a way to release creative energy.
• Paintings can capture a moment in time.
• Paintings can make a statement.
• People paint for a living and a career.
• People paint because they can!
• Paintings is a way to learn something about themselves and the world around them.

All artists have their reasons; some that I have mentioned and other reasons of their own.

My watercolor above, Faceless China, was enjoyable to paint, but it also makes a statement about the many people in China.  Because this person's face was painted with minimal  detail and the clothing could be worn by either a male or a female, this person stands for every person in China and depicts a culture, a way of life. 

No matter what your reason is to paint - do it!

Happy Painting!

Karen

Golden Days

Golden Days
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

The watercolor above titled Golden Days is a painting of one of my favorite summer

birds.  We always plant sunflowers across our back fence - both because I love sunflowers and because the finches love them as well.  We leave the sunflowers once the blooms have faded for the seeds to dry out and attract the birds.  Finches seem to be especially drawn to these seeds.    We also have several varieties of daisies in our flower garden which also attract a finch or two. 

Watercolor Tip:
How to paint weathered wood:
Begin with a pale, varied wash applied to a damp surface and let it dry. Wood colors vary. Use a wash of the following colors:
Yellow Ochre
Payne’s Gray
Sepia

Do not paint all washes over the top of the other washes, but blend the colors together.

• Use a  flat brush with the bristles fanned out slight to drybrush in wood grain lines. Use a medium dark wash of Burnt Umber/Payne’s Gray or Sepia/Indigo.

• Finish with wavy lines creating a woodgrain using Gray, Sepia or black. A fine liner brush can be used or a very fine line pen. These lines need to be soft, not hard heavy lines.

• Detail can be added using the following techniques:
Spatter
Alcohol drops to “bleach” out some of the wood color
A knothole created using your knuckle. 

Enjoy these golden days of summer while you can and paint a memory or two to carry you through the cold winter days ahead!

Happy Painting!
Karen

Greek Holiday!

Greek Holiday
Watercolor 11" x 13" Mats to 15" x 17"

It is travel season and we sometimes think of exotic places to visit.  I did not make the journey physically to this Greek isle, but traveling via my painting is one of my favorite ways to travel.  (Much less expensive means of travel, too!   When you think of how much money you are saving by traveling via painting, the splurge of a new paintbrush is not a big deal!)    The painting above is of a clifftop village of Oia with cobblestone walkways, on the northern tip of the Greek island of Santorini. 

Notice the sharp contrast of the black hillside rock and the whitewashed builings.  The black rock of the island is due to a unique landscape from volcanic eruptions.  A volcano, still active, stands at the center of the ring of islands with Santorini being the longest island in this group.  The colorful bright blue doors bring out the beautiful blue of the sea and sky.

Watercolor tip:
The volcanic rocks were painted by dropping in various shades of brown paint and scraping the shape of the rocks in using the side of a credit card.  

So, if you don't have a "real" vacation planned, do what I do......take a trip with your paints.....and you'll have a little money left over to splurge on a paintbrush!

Happy Painting!
Karen

Artist Trading Cards - Part 2 - "How to Paint ATCs"

ATCs or artist trading cards are a fun way to share your "style" with other artists.  At the conclusion of our Artist Trading Card Workshop, we traded cards.  Scattered throughout this blog are individual photos of some of the ATCs done by the artists.

Essentially ATC’s are miniature works of mixed media art. Using a wide variety of materials to create new works of art is not new. We all remember Raushenberg, Duchamp, and Matisse to name but a few. But what makes it fun and interesting is that this is meant for everyone. All levels of work are welcome. The main goal is that they are created with the idea of sharing them with each other. They can be seen as an artist calling card, and can be whatever the artist wishes them to be. It is art after all, would we expect less?

But ATC’s themselves do have rules. The only rules being that the small works of art are, (1) exchanged and not sold, and (2) that they must be 2 ½ X 3 ½ inch or 64 X 89 mm in size.

Artist trading cards, or ATCs, began in the tradition of business cards, but with a personal, artistic twist. Most ATCs are created on paper, but they may also be any other medium that can be worked in a suitable size. ATCs are traditionally the size of baseball cards and other trading cards. They're a fun way to exchange your own one-of-a-kind artistic flair with other artists you meet. Also use them as business cards.

Instructions

• Start with the size in mind. Artist trading cards are generally 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches. This is the size of playing cards and other trading cards. You can even start with mismatched playing cards as a base for collage or altered item artwork.

• Express yourself or show your style, using your preferred medium or media. If you can do it inside of 3.5 x 2.5 inches, you can make an ATC.

• Work somewhat quickly. You don't need to be careless when making an ATC, but there's no need to work your masterpiece in miniature, either. ATCs should be simple pieces that you're willing to give away when you're done.

• Make lots. You'll need a selection of cards. Remember that you will be giving your cards away. "Lots" can be relative. It could be half a dozen or a few dozen, depending on how many you expect to trade.

• Show your style. Is there a particular palette or medium you prefer or a technique you've been exploring lately?

• Sign your cards and attach contact information, if you choose to. An email address or website is a good compromise if you'll be giving these cards to strangers.

• Title your work. The title is optional, but it will give your recipients or viewers a context in which to view your work.

• Share. The whole point of ATCs is to trade with other artists, so once you have a selection of cards, trade them.

o Find artists or groups in your area that trade cards.

o Attend gatherings of artists in your area, and remind them to bring ATCs to share.

o Carry them with you as you would business cards, so that if you find an occasion to trade or give away a card, they are with you.

o Spread the word. If your local artist community is unfamiliar with artist trading cards, you may have to give away a few cards or offer them with a request for one in return before you get many back.

o Organize a gathering to swap ATCs. Let people know what ATCs are about, and get together to try trading some.

o Look on-line. There are on-line groups that will match you up with others the world over who can mail cards in exchange for yours.

Collect others' ATCs. Because they are the size of other standard trading cards, most will fit in trading card sleeves. ATCs should be as unique as the artists who create them, so enjoy the selection. Start a collection of ATCs and try to get as many as you can.

Happy Painting!

Karen