LESSON #1 - Cosmos Painting

[Hazel.P]

My Cosmos painting can be seen here - http://www.paintbasket.com/members/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=295

[claude]

Good job Hazel! I've been trying for 3 days to look intelligent with watercolors to no avail. I've used up a whole pad of wc paper and am still producing manure. No matter how much or how little water I put all I get is puddles of pale ugly colors. So I figure maybe it's the quality of the paint. So tomorrow I'm going down to the store and gona buy me one red, one blue and one yellow tube of the highest quality watecolor they carry and try for the umteenth time to get it right. My watercolor paintings so far look like they were done by a  4 year old.

[eftpower1]

HazelP,  outstanding! I'm looking forward to the replay so I can try my hand,

Claude,  I think it's a good thing that we do NOT live too close together, 'cause if we did, I suspect we could get into  a lot of fun together!!   and I do see the "rezembalence" between you and Mr. Cruise

 I also am from the  DSUW, about a 1/2 hr SW of Cornwall, Ontario

and Nolan, I think ALL of us who help you overload the server deserve listing at the end of the MGM movie when they "roll" the credits 

Regards to all
  B.

[dennis]

Very well done, Hazel  The only thing missing to really finish it off is the very dark moroon mix I used for the shadows underneath the stamen clumps. These shadows are needed because of the solid height.

Claude I think the reason of the very weak mixes is the fact that you are not adding enough of the pigment to the water mix. The less pigment to the specific amount of water the paler it gets. Watercolour uses the white of the paper as a white (mix) - the less pigment the more the white paper shines through. The more pigment added the darker the mix and less light (white of the paper) shines through. Do that first before going out and  buying other paints.

Keep at it as it is a new technique that has to be learned Reasonably soon you will not be falling off the bicycle

[NHC50]

Hazel awesome job! 
Nina

[Lillian]

Nice work on the cosmos, Hazel.   

Claude, you can turn the paper over and try again on the other side.     The back of the paper is a little different to work on, seems to accept the paint differently I've found, but I've done this many times.  I have a large portfolio full of failed attempts so don't be discouraged.  It takes lots of practice.  There's a lot to know about watercolor painting. 

Thank goodness Dennis is here!!!

Good luck Claude!

I'll probably be    mine tomorrow.

I went out and did some errands today, including a trip to the copy shop to get Dennis' documents in my hand.  I read through them and did some work on getting started to paint.

[C.Bodine]

   Great job, Hazel!

[dennis]

If you are using the 300gsm (140lb) paper and you feel that you have messed it up you can, as mentioned on the forum, use the back of the paper as well. Alternatively you can still use that paper to practice on and even recover it enough for a final painting by holding the paper under running water and gently sponging off the colour as far as you can.

This will leave a feint image on the paper (specially if you have used transparent colours and not staining ones) over which it is possible to paint over again as if you are using the tracing only. This is often done even by professionals to recover spoiled paintings.  Give it a try.

[claude]

Merci monsieur Dennis. I will take all your suggestions into consideration and ATTACK the cosmos, third time, tomorrow at the latest. I did a lot of practice on the messed up paper and am now confident I can lick this or die trying. 

[Hazel.P]

I squirted my first background down with the strong jet of a spray bottle and had another try which was more successful and didn't erase the masking fluid.

[dennis]

The water jet spray us very useful when cleaning up a small section of the painting. Just need to protect the surrounding areas.

[Maryna]

Here is my try for the Cosmos. Still need allot of practise, but I really do like it and I was so scared 

First time I worked with a rigger brush - love it 

[C.Bodine]

Maryna, what a lovely painting! You did a great job!

[Lillian]

Maryna!      You did a super good job on the cosmos! 

[magda]

I love the way Hazel's and Maryna's paintings differ: the first one is so moody, the atmosphere is so thick and almost mysterious and the second one is so light and soft... It's beautiful example of how one and the same subject can be done in many different yet still wonderful ways by different people :-)