Monday, September 22, 2014

Spiky Succulent

Spiky Succulent
Image size 15" x 22"
Watercolor

I really fought with this painting!  I planned for it to be a poured painting but as soon as I got the paper wet, I knew I was going to have problems.  Even though I haven't had this paper very long (maybe 18 months) the sizing was gone so it acted like a blotter paper.  Of course, I have no way of knowing how long the paper was in the art supply store before I purchased it.  

I did do a couple of pours but because there was no sizing, the paint just soaked in and didn't move so I got streaks instead of flowing color.  I had spent so much time drawing this that I didn't want to throw it away so I began to paint it with a brush.

When there is no sizing, it's impossible (for me anyway) to build strong darks because the paints continue to soak into the paper and disappear so I decided to paint a layer of matte medium over the whole painting to seal it and then continued painting.  Of course, once the paper is sealed it is no longer absorbent so the paint sits on the surface and when you try to add darker layers, it tends to lift your previous layers.  I had to use a really light touch and dab rather than brush on the paint.

I used the QoR paints again and started with that same triad - quinacridone gold, indanthrone blue and alizarin crimson.  One interesting thing about the paper not having any sizing is that the paints meld together and sink into the paper and become so soft looking that it almost looks like the painting is on suede.  After I sealed the paper, I decided that the colors were almost too soft and neutral because they had all blended together, so I added a mixture of thalo blue (green shade) and green gold to bring some brightness to the painting.  I'm really happy with the way the colors look and it was nice to use these paints in a way that shows off their subtle colors since the other paintings that I've done with them have been pretty bright.

In the future, I don't think I would choose to paint on paper without sizing (like printmaking paper) but I do have a lot of watercolor paper that I've had for years and since sizing seems to degrade over time,  I will probably be in this situation again.

Even though it is a challenge to paint on paper with no sizing, I think that forcing myself to make it work was a very good exercise.  

I'm really happy with how this painting turned out so I'm glad I stuck with it and didn't let the paper win!  This painting is one of my favorites so far which is saying a lot since I've painted well over 300 paintings in the past six years.

13 comments:

  1. OMGosh, Nancy!!! This is SO beautiful...!! I love the light...and all those colors in this cacti plant! Congratulations on an AMAZING PIECE...Love it!!!!

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  2. Bonjour chère amie,

    Vous avez fait un pacte avec Dame lumière ! Il fut durement négocié mais votre talent est là et la réussite de cette dure labeur est bien belle récompense.
    Cette peinture est magnifiques et j'aime toutes les multitudes nuances de vert.
    Gros bisous♡

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    1. Merci Martinealison. J'aime jouer avec les verts et les peintures qui sont principalement vert sont mes favoris.

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  3. Nancy this painting is so beautiful with no indication of any struggle you had with it! Bravo!

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    1. Thank you Kathleen. I saw your painting at WW on Sunday and it's amazingly beautiful. I loved it when I saw it on your blog but the picture doesn't do it justice. I can't wait to see it again once it's hung so I can stand two inches away with my strong glasses to see all of the details!

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  4. This turned out so beautifully!! No one would ever know you had struggles with the paper!

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    1. Thank you Theresa. Even though I struggled, it was an exciting painting to paint.

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  5. I love those subtle purples down into the leaves. Really beautiful and oh so well done! I am not sure I've ever dealt with sizing-less paper. But who knows?

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    1. Thank you Sherry. You would know immediately if the paper had no sizing. It looks different when it's wet than sized paper and you would not be able to move your paint.

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  6. Well you may have been stuck, ok sorry, but you definitely won the war. It doesn't look like you struggled. Instead you do have a beautiful blend of colors and variations. Congrats to you for hanging in and know you learned a lot but hope you haven't lost your paper. This so looks like you did this from life, did you? It just has a fresh feel. Very nice Nancy.

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    1. Thank you Nelvia. No, I didn't do it from life. It's one of the few photos that I've taken that turned out with really good shadows and light.

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