Art in a Different Shape!

I have been on vacation these past couple of weeks and was unable to post to my blog from Arizona. I love all sorts of art and collect pottery. I added to my collection while in Arizona and wanted to share a little information about Navajo pottery as well as the photo above.

I collected two pots. The one of the left is Horsehair Pottery. The unique design of Horsehair pottery is created by applying horsehair to the finished pottery piece. Immediately after the prepared clay pot has been fire, a thin layer of horsehair is artistically spread over the pottery. During this process, precise timing and temperatures are required to allow the horsehair to correctly burn into the clay. After the pot has cooled, the Navajo artist cleans the piece and finishs it with a high polish.

The small bowl on the right is also Navajo, This piece was made by a 12 year old Navajo boy using the coiling method. Long strips of clay approximately the diameter of a pencil are coiled together and smoothed to create the desired shape. This bowl was fired in a outdoor fire pit which allowed it to achieve many color variations. This young Navajo artist is learning his trade via the age old methods and is already quite skilled.

I have taken many photos during my travels for watercolor paintings and will be back to a watercolor demo blog next time. Until then -

Happy Painting!
Karen

Pour It On - Finishing Touches!

The dogwood painting is almost complete. In this blog, we'll add the finishing touches.

The photo above is the finished dogwood painting. The photo below will show the next step in the process.

How to paint the main branches:
Prepare a wash of the following colors:

Ultramarine Blue
Sepia
Van Dyke Brown
Medium Yellow

Start by painting the large branches with clean water. Allow to dry only until the paper loses its shine. Using Sepia, paint along one side only of the branch allowing the water to pull the paint up through the water to the other side of the branch. While still wet, add the following in various places along the branch to indicate shadows areas of light and variation in colors:

Ultramarine Blue
Van Dyke Brown
Medium Yellow

Dip a piece of a plastic credit card or a palette knife in a wash of Van Dyke Brown and add the smaller branches.

Look over your painting and add any details you would like. I like my paintings to be Impressionistic rather then detailed, so I added only a few detail lines in the dogwood blossoms.

Sign your name. Congratulations! Your dogwood blossom is now complete and will last much longer than the blossoms on the trees!

Happy Painting!
Karen

Pour It On - Step 2

The background paint from the last blog has dried. If you are not satisfied with the intensity of the color, you can pour more paint onto the paper to deepen the background. I wanted a muted background; therefore, I did not add any additional paint.

Once you are satisfied with the background color, it is time to remove the masking from the painting. I use an eraser to pull up an edge of the masking and then pull the masking off with my fingers. You can use the eraser to remove all of the masking or remove it by rubbing lightly with your finger. What ever method works better for you is the one to use. The ease in masking removal is also dependent upon the thickness of the masking fluid applied. The thicker the masking, the easier it is to remove.

The photo above shows the dogwood blooms with the masking removed.

Prepare a wash of the following colors:

Crimson
Sap Green
Sap Green mixed with Ultramarine Blue
Medium Yellow
Van Dyke Brown

How to paint the dogwood blossoms - petals:
To paint the dogwood blossoms, wet the entire petal area. You will need to do each petal separately. Drop in Crimson in the tips and allow the water to pull the color down toward the center. A little bit of brown is also added to the very tip. A diluted wash of Sap Green is dropped in near the center of the bloom and allowed to pull to the edge. Medium yellow is dropped in several places along the edge of the petals. Allow to dry. When dry, drop in some sap green in the center. Do not completely fill the area with color. Allow to dry.

How to paint the leaves:
Wet each leaf with clean water and while still wet, drop in sap green, ultramarine blue and medium yellow. Allow these colors to blend.

See the photo above as an example.

Next blog, we'll add the branches and finishing touches! Until then,

Happy Painting!
Karen