I Just Can't Do It

 A few weeks ago, I posted this watercolor sketch. I chattered about attempting to work soft, serene, pale, pencil and diluted color only. As I view it here on my screen it looks okay, I like it in an uncommitted way.


But it just isn't me.

I must have been swaddled in a red baby blanket or something equally bright, as I seemingly only navigate to the brilliantly bold.

It is the same with oil and acrylic.

A few days ago I pulled out some photos taken in Indonesia. I knew there was no time to do a full blown oil painting. The next best option would be to do watercolor sketches.

Once again I tried for the softer look (WHICH BY THE WAY I DO LOVE AND GREATLY ADMIRE.)

This time I used some really nifty Japanese skinny-mini sketch pens in sepia. Loved them. Happily I swished over the fine lines with diluted water color.

  

Not bad, one can certainly see the fine sketching. An easy way to put detail into a painting. 

(In Indonesia I fell in  love with the magnificent multi-layered umbrellas used in ceremonies and at holy sites. Only Harry Potter could stick a 10' umbrella, dressed in tutus of ruffles and embroidery, into his luggage!!)

I came home empty handed...

The fishing boats in Cambodia are like none I have ever seen. How I wished to be on one and ask a zillion questions...but the fishing vessels are small,  delicate and I am not. It would have been the end of their livelihood. 

Same sepia pen, diluted colors, but getting a bit stronger. Couldn't help myself from ratcheting up the color a bit!

Just not sure what I think of this softer approach. 

After all is said and done, it truly isn't the end of the world.

But I think I will go back to my bold, yummy jelly-bean colors for awhile!

Testing the Colors

You might say she has gone Abstract.  You might say she can't imagine anything to paint. You might say she is doodling around

out of boredom.

None of the above.

Basically most of my work is in Oil, Acrylic, Oil Stick and  Gouache. These are my main standbys my painting buddies. 

But lurking in the back of my mind has been the desire to try TUBE watercolor. 

"Oh, no the most difficult of all mediums to use," my inner critic wailed and moaned.

I pretty much listen to my "inner critic" who calls the shots.

BUT

I kept lingering over the myriad of wonderful water color sketch books, blogs, magazines, children's books, galleries and artwork of friends...

"Watercolor is just too expensive, those elegant sable bushes, tubes of color, special palettes, and 300 lb paper," she nagged on.

A compromise was in order as I was planning on sneaking around my inner critic.

I would work slowly, very slowly into purchasing a few tube watercolors. But they couldn't be any ordinary colors, no there had to be a punch and a wallop to them.

Taking a long hard look at my pan watercolor swatches, the question was: what is missing. Nothing wrong with my pan watercolors, but where was the Wow Effect?

Enter

Daniel Smith, Quinacridone Watercolors...eleven glorious, punchy, wowed, glorious over the top hues.

A fairly pale,  nondescript watermelon sketch was the test...just how much zip could I put in that red watermelon.  Rose, Red, Fuchsia did just the trick!

Next was to create an entirely new painting with a minimum of pan watercolor.  Off to my photographs for inspiration. I found two that appealed to me on several levels: color, styling, size, texture.

The Muse was set, the I.C. silenced and 

Rougeatre Aubergine makes its debut.