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