Sunshine, Blooms and Painting Outside

After a morning of yard work, I could not think of a better way to relax than to do a quick loose watercolor outside in the yard. 

Painting outside can be challenging if you are painting on location away from home; however, painting in one's own yard is an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon or just an hour.    I set up my portable easel in from of an azalea brush that was just starting to bloom. 

All elements of this painting are loosely painted with minimal amounts of detail.  The painting was also painted on a slight slant to allow the paint to flow on the paper. 

Supplies Needed:

Watercolor paper (type and size of your choice)  - I used a 9" x 12" pad of practice paper 140# weight

Note:  Practice paper is intended for practice of brush strokes, quick paintings, etc.  This paper does NOT allow for very wet paintings or overworking.  Paint cannot be lifted from this type of paper without damaging the paper.  Feel free to use what ever type of paper you would like. 

Brushes: round (size of your choice based on the size of your paper)

Paint:

• Alizarin Crimson
• Sap Green
• Hooker Green
• Ultramarine Blue
• Cadmium Yellow Dark

Note:  if you are painting outside you will need to be portable with all of your equipment.  If painting at a location away from your home, double check all of your painting supplies before you leave home.  While it is easy to simply run inside for a forgotten item when painting at home, a forgotten piece of equipment can often mean an abrupt end.

Painting Instructions:
Lightly sketch the flower on the paper.  Do not make this a detailed sketch.

Background:

Using a round brush and  washes of Sap Green, Hooker Green, Ultramarine Blue, paint in the background area to give some color and shape to the branches of the bush.  Drop in some Alizarin Crimson in a pale wash to indicate other flower blooms.

Flower:
Using the round brush and a pale wash of Alizarin Crimson and painting wet on wet, paint the flower working from light to dark and leaving some of the spaces unpainted and white for highlights.  Refer to the photo above for color placement.   While the wash is still wet, use the tip of your brush and place some dots of a deeper Alizarin Crimson on the middle petal and the two pedals adjacent to it.  Refer to the photo. 

Stamen:

Using the round brush and a deeper wash of Alizarin Crimson, paint in the stamen and dot the end with Cadmium Yellow for the pollen. 

Finishing touches:
Add a few leaves, using your round brush and various shades of Hooker Green and Sap Green.  Refer to photo. 

Tip:  Loose watercolors are intended to be loose and flowing, so not attempt to paint in details - that is the joy of loose watercolor painting!

Happy Painting!
Karen