Not a Nosegay…

| Laura (Createarteveryday)

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…but a start!

My watercolor flowers tend to look better at a distance, but I really do enjoy working small. For me, it’s a little easier to go into a painting that way.  So….these are really closeup shots.   (I wish I had photography skills, the way so many of you do!)

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These paintings were each done on business card sized Arches 140# cold press. The paper is a joy to work with. I found it easier to control the paint, and not sure why, but it’s definitely harder to produce runbacks than it was before.  I still have a long way to go with watercolor and with florals, but I’m enjoying the journey.

Happy Friday Eve to you all.  Smell a beautiful spring flower today. Smiles guaranteed. 🙂

35 thoughts on “Not a Nosegay…”

    1. Heather, I never could either. I’ve been persistently working at art since last September. Mainly because it won’t let me alone. Admittedly, photography has never called me that way, as it’s called you. You could always buy a crayola set at Walmart and give it a try, see if it’s speaking to you. It’s fun to play with color, I think.

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    1. Thanks, Kirk. I have a loooong way to go, it seems. And I think in the pansy, I left too many white sparkles. I tend to overdo a good thing sometimes. I’m glad you like the rose. I wasn’t sure whether I should even post that one. I definitely got lost in the petals, but I was determined to try a WC rose after the cp drawing.

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    1. The paper I’m comparing to is also 140lb with a strong texture, but it’s a good bit less expensive. More $ doesn’t always equal more quality in my experience, but in this case it does, I think.

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  10. how right you are that there are rewards for working small. personally (and every painter is unique) I prefer Arches Hot Press Aquarelle Paper 140 lb. for working small because it has no texture, and absorbs the pigment nicely. but every time a painter changes to another paper, there is a need to understand how it responds to pigment. my procedure is to get my pigment(s) ready, then put a clear water wash over the whole paper and drawing. I wait and keep checking the paper until the sheen of water has been absorbed and the paper is damp but only just. that’s when I go in. keeping the paper somewhat moist the whole time helps prevent harsh, hard edges. then, when you are happy with that first go-round, and the paper is allowed to dry, that’s when detail can be added to the dried painting–very carefully and with just a tinge of pigment, to bring the depth of the flower into focus. remember that these are just ways one painter does things–and how you will achieve effects will become your own. don’t get frustrated because a watercolourist has to sort of adopt the temperament of a golfer–patient forbearance (smile).

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    1. Thank you very kindly for those tips; I do appreciate them. Yes, I have a feeling this whole process may be a patience lesson for me. It’s always been a struggle for me to have patience. Maybe that’s why WC draws me in so much.

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  11. I find that painting with watercolor can be a very meditative practice for me. It reminds me of beading with thread in some ways. I have to slow down, pay attention and allow my work to slowly transform. The only nicer part about beading is I can always take it out and with watercolor it is more difficult to fix mistakes. I am impressed that you enjoy working so small. Your flowers are both lovely! ❤️🌷🌈

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      1. no….I think you just need to keep painting…what you are doing is lovely and if it brings you joy….I learned in sketchbook school today that it is okay to copy your idols, mentors…..cause you learn so much and your own style will definitely come through…it is the process of finding the style that appeals to you…..

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        1. Thanks, Rebecca, I appreciate your time. I learn so much from you and the other artists here. I watched a video (again) from Joanne Boon Thomas doing sunflowers in her loose, beautiful fashion, and it made me wanna try something similar. Irmgard Rawn also has one on roses in the same kind of style. That kind of thing will prob be my next WC, but I’d like to be able to render flowers more realistically too. I prob would choose the loose style, but I’d like to be able to do either one, if that makes sense.

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