This painting is a watercolor on a tissue paper collage over an old, discarded painting, with a touch of Zentangle thrown in.

I textured the tissue paper with Gesso before I collaged it to the old painting.  This was a class project for my watercolor class and I encouraged them to find their own floral inspiration and they all did a wonderful job.  Some even changed the subject to sea turtles, angels and fish.

Whirligiggs!!!

"Whirligiggs!"

I used an old watercolor painting as my base and then collaged green tissue paper over the entire surface allowing some of the original painting to show through.  Then I collaged pieces of white tissue paper on which I had painted and stamped gesso patterns.  

 Then I took a stiff bristle brush and softened the edges and drybrushed white gesso over the entire painting allowing the green tissue to peak through..  At this point, I drew the koi fish and then painted the composition with watercolors which worked really well over the gesso.  I was happy with the results because I love the textures which are showing through all the different layers.    This painting is approximately 12" x 16".

Autumn Leaves Final

I think that I have finished this - finally!   I will leave it unframed for a while and look at it and analyze, etc.  This is a full sheet of  watercolor paper - 30" x 22" and is totally transparent watercolor.  This was painted on 1140 pound Fabriano Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper.  I love this paper - it is very responsive and workable.  I am open to suggestions, criticisms, etc.
This is from a photo I found on the web site Paint My Photo by Andre van de Sande. 

Psychedelic

A "Blast From The Past" - a  psychedelic ZIA -Zentangle Inspired Art! This reminds me of the colorful art created during the 60's and 70's.   I did this today for my Monday evening class - they seem to like the ZIA's.  This time we will do the composition first, then the Zentangle work and then finish  with the watercolor.  I am going to give them some pictures of flowers and landscapes found in some ZIA and then they will do their own compositions. Mine is loosely based on one I found on Pinterest, which I think was actually created with computer graphics, created entirely on the computer.  Mine is not.

This work is 12" x 9" and is done on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

The Vintage Rainbow Truck

I recently finished this old vintage truck painting - this is one in which I pushed the limit in using color.  I was happy the way it turned out.

The painting is 11" x 11" and is painted on Cansons 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.  It is entirely transparent watercolor. The blues are Antwerp Blue and Ultramarine Blue and the reds are Dragon's Blood and Cadmium Red Light.  The oranges are all mixed from Cadmium yellow and the reds already mentioned and the greens from lemon yellow and Antwerp.

Peggy's Cove

I finished this painting for my class yesterday...It is approximately 12" x  7" and is painted on Canson 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper from all transparent watercolors.

We will probably start painting this on Monday evening during our intermediate watercolor painting class.  I like the way it turned out - especially the colors.  I hope they enjoy it!

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 14: Abandoned House (2)

Today I am painting, but will not finish a painting.  I am working on this painting which I started last week with the contour drawing I posted.  It requires a lot of effort and detail and will not be completed in one day.  I assure you, I will continue to be painting most of the day!

This painting is 12" x 9" and is on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 6: Jean

This is my painting for day 6 for the Challenge, 30 Paintings in 30 Days from the Slices of Life website of Leslie Saeta.

This painting is 12" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Canson watercolor paper.  The linear portion of this painting was painted wet into wet using a skewer dipped in Payne's Grey watercolor on wet paper and then the shadows were painted on   with a brush.  This is completely monochromatic - Payne's Grey on white paper.  The photo appears to have a rose tint - this is not in the original

.

This will be the lesson for my watercolor class this coming Monday night at Riverside Art Center.

The source for this painting is a photograph I found on Wet Canvas from the photographer Lost Art.

Antique Glass Bottle and Pears

I finished this painting recently - the inspiration was a photograph from the Wet Canvas web site reference library.  I think that this has a sort of old master/renaissance feel - maybe because of the colors.

The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper with mostly QoR watercolors from Golden.

This painting will be a lesson soon for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Courtney Kay's Awesome Bloom

This painting will be our lesson for Monday night's watercolor class.  This   flower painting is taken from a beautiful photo taken by our neighbor, Courtney Kay Gasson.  She recently won honors for the photo at the Shelby County Fair in Shelby County, Ohio, and graciously allowed me to use it as the source photo for my painting.

The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Canson watercolor paper with mostly Holbein watercolors.  I know my watercolor family will enjoy painting this one.

Courtney's Beautiful Photograph

At Rest on Wrestle Creek Road

My friend and art student, Bridget Weller, knows that I love to paint old trucks, so she brought me this picture of an old International Dump Truck, which is "resting" on her farm on Wrestle Creek Road.  I also plan to use this painting as a lesson in the watercolor class so she will also paint her truck.  Thanks, Bridget!

The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on Canson 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper with QoR watercolors from Golden paints.

My new painting, "Visionary", is another experiment in mixed-media.  The painting is 16" x 12" and is done over another discarded painting from the "archives!"

I first tore text areas from a magazine and collaged them over the old painting which was done on 140 lb. cold-pressed Arches watercolor paper. I stamped and painted textures on white tissue paper with white Gesso.  I used rubber shelf paper for the stamping, and the rest of the designs were hand painted.  I then tore shapes from the tissue paper and collaged those on top of the magazine text.  I did this at random - paying no attention to where the various textures were going to be in the final composition.  I used matte acrylic medium as my collage medium.

When this dried, I drew the image on top of the collage with an HB pencil and painted the image in transparent watercolor.  I added a few areas of white to the beard with block-out white to finish.  I did not use colored pencil on this as I did on the first.  I love the way the stamped and collage images show through the watercolor.

Mixed Media Portrait Study

I have been experimenting with some mixed-media collage type studies. 

 In this, I started with a discarded watercolor and did a partial collage on top with torn areas of text from an old book.  Then I painted textures on scraps of white tissue paper with white gesso, and then collaged those scraps on top of the text .  All of this allows some of the original watercolor to peak through, but not that it is recognizable.  

I then took an image of a man's face, made many changes so that it is my interpretation of a face and drew it on top of the collage.  I painted it with watercolors, and then added prismacolor pencil shading and details. 

 Finally, I used block-out white and a small pointed brush  for the beard stubble and mustache.  I like the way the gesso collage shows through the watercolor.

Autumn Trees

I saw a painting similar to this one on the internet and felt that this concept had value as a lesson for my intermediate watercolor students at Riverside Art Center.  This would be a lesson in drawing with liquid mask - using it as a tool to  use it as expressive line which becomes part of the compositional format.  

The painters will actually draw with the mask as they would with a pencil or pen.  This painting is 11" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano cold-pressed watercolor paper.  It will also be a lesson in wet-on-wet watercolor painting in basically warm colors except for the blue in the sky.  This is different from the work we have been doing.

Riverside Art Center Intermediate Watercolor Class

My wonderful intermediate watercolor students painted flowers last night and did an awesome job on their paintings.  They didn't get them finished and will finish on their own.  I thought they were far enough along to take a photograph.  It always amazes me that they can start with the same basic drawing and come up with such individualized results - their styles and personalities take over and make them unique to each individual. 

This particular lesson was one where we studied the effects of strong sun light and shadows on a flower.  They quickly caught on to the techniques and did a great job.

Moo Bossies!

I have always wanted to paint portrait of a cow!  So - here is my first cow portrait painting.  It is a painting of a Hereford cow...my friend, Rose, who used to have them on her farm when she was a child, always called them "Moo Bossies!"  She says she thinks this one is "with calf child!"

This painting is 9" x 9" square and is painted on 140 lb. Acquarello cold-pressed watercolor paper.  This will be a lesson for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Golden Girl

I have been testing and experimenting with the Golden watercolors again. Something I love to do is to create a shaded pencil portrait on watercolor paper and then watercolor over it, so I tried it with the new Golden watercolors.  

This painting is 6"x9" and is on 140 lb. cold-pressed Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper.  I used a #2 graphite pencil for the drawing and the new watercolors for color.  I was happy with the way it turned out.

Peace Rose

This is the latest painting for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  It is 11" x 7" and is painted in transparent watercolor on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.  This painting photographed a little more intensely  than it really is and the background is not pink and blue - just white and blue.  Wish I could figure out this camera of mine!!!

Christmas Still Life

I painted this watercolor this afternoon as a lesson for the painting I am teaching this coming Monday evening.  One of the painters, Dave, requested a Christmas theme painting, so this is what I came up with.  I used several pictures and borrowed different objects from them to form my composition.  

The painting is done on 140 lb. cold-pressed Strathmore Windpower watercolor paper - not one of my favorites, but this was better than some I have used recently.  I had not used Strathmore papers in many years, and was pleasantly surprised that this paper is much easier to work with than what I remembered from the Strathmore papers from years past.

I tried, also, to loosen up some of the washes in this in my futile attempt to become a "looser" woman.  I don't know why I try..."I yam what I yam," as Popeye would have said.