1.
The drawing is done with an H pencil, easier to
erase if you don’t want your pencil lines to show. It is on an 8”x8” Sennelier
watercolor block.
2.
I used Winsor Newton colors; Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, French Ultramarine
Blue, Antwerp, Windsor Yellow, Aureolin, Paynes Gray, Windsor Red, Permanent
Rose. (If you have never used Windsor Red, use caution, making sure it is well
mixed with water.) It can create a beautiful glow but try it first on a scrap
piece of watercolor.
3.
The round brushes are Windsor Newton red sable
series 7, size 1, 3, 5 and 7. The flat is a Raphael sable.
4.
For the first wash, I used Cobalt Blue, Windsor
yellow and Windsor Red, I activated the colors with water, but didn’t dilute
too much.
5.
I sprayed the paper surface with water, and let
the excess drip off
6.
I applied the paint to the wet paper, yellow
where the sunflowers were, pink on the Gerbera Daisies, and blue where the
Delphiniums are placed. Working quickly, I lightly sprayed the surface again
and allowed the colors to run together, tilting the paper until I achieved the
saturation I was looking for, and allowing the colors to blend. I never play in
the wash with the brush. I apply the colors once, spray to achieve the desired
effect and then leave it alone.
7.
Let the paper dry. This may take a couple of
hours if you are using watercolor block. How do you know when it’s dry? When it
is no longer cold to the touch.
8.
I then began to add glazes of color to the
flowers. Permanent Rose for the Daisies, Aureolin for the sunflowers. Cobalt Blue
and Cerulean for the Delphiniums. The greens were made with the yellow and cobalt
blue or Antwerp. Ultramarine blue was also used to mix greens. A brighter green
was used for the Bells of Ireland. The bottom of the jug is Paynes gray, the
jug is Windsor Red mixed with one of the green mixtures and a little yellow to
make brown.
9.
A little
more than half way through the painting I darkened the line where the table met
the wall. I also used that same color for the shadow under the jug. I allowed
that to dry and then began to glaze the jug and flowers again. Copyright Linda McCoy 7-21-2012