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