Stargazer Lilies in Watercolor

Nearing completion! Finally! I keep grabbing time where I can but now have some paper work that must be done so not sure if I can finish this in the next few days or not but sure will try! There was an upper petal that was just too big so I have split it in two and I have been refining edges etc...still more to go but today I put a sizable dent in this and feel it is very doable now for this week end!!! The slow turtle still finishes...might not be first but I do get there!!!

Double Stargazer Lily Watercolor Update

Well I only was able to put in another hour today because of errands etc but I still am making progress! I sure hope this inspires some of you who have families or jobs that even a little here or there on your painting will eventually give you a finished piece of art and some satisfaction! It is always doable and should make anyone believe that they can do a painting no matter what the time constraints. That is the beauty of watercolor! So here it is. I still have hopes of completing it by Thursday but so far my week has been not mine so I will just roll with it and see how far I can get! It still is getting close and that is all that is important!

Double Stargazer Lily Update

I was so hoping to post where I am at on the lily but our weather is terrible...I do not dare to step outside to try to get a photo of it. We have a lot of wind, intermittent sprinkles that turn to snow and back again. I really hope this is not a sign of what winter will look like! Argh! But it does keep me inside and painting! I would maybe be done but we have been helping our son move and all the work that goes with that so I try to just get a little in here and there. As you know, that is my motto and it still progresses so that is good...I might not be known for my speed but I also live my life and enjoy other things these days so I just do what I can do and continue again the next day. Life is too stressful and my art is there for me when I need it! So...tomorrow I hope to give you an update!! Thanks for your patience!

Double Stargazer Continues!

Life has a way of happening and keeping me from my art room but I have managed to move a little closer to the finish...I am hoping by the weekend to actually finish this one. The thing that has been hard has been to capture the greens correctly in my photos...they seem very off but hopefully once it is professionally done it will look better. Still a ways to go! I could not get my program to rotate the painting today either so it is side ways and yet I rather like it this way and am wondering if it is not a better direction for it to be! I will have to think on that but my thinking now is I like this best!

The pinks are just not right either...I think ever since I changed cameras it has not been capturing things accurately at all...this certainly can be frustrating! ha! 

Double Stargazer Lily Wip 4

Well I finally took a picture even though it is so gray. Actually even at noon today it was like early evening and then we had some snow so taking a picture has not been easy. You will see how gray the paper appears and that has changed the colors on the entire painting I am sure. But at least you can see that I am working on the background. I decided to find all the shapes in the background before finishing the flowers to know how deep my values will have to go. This is a full sheet so it is going to take some work to cover all this paper but hopefully by the end of this week I will have made some progress!

Double Stargazer wip 3

I know I have not gotten far but still it is progress. I hope this encourages you that even a little bit each day gets you closer to your goal and is better than nothing at all!
We have been trying to get last minute yard work done as snow will come soon and we want to get as many leaves up and work done in the gardens before it happens. We still will not be done but everything helps that is for sure. So this is where I am at. As I have mentioned before, the weather has been such a dark gray for so long and getting good pictures that are true seems most difficult but it gives you an idea where I am at. At some point I will begin taking time to begin drawing on the next painting. I like to get a drawing going so that once I complete a painting I am close to beginning another. For some reason it helps me get through with the painting at hand because I begin to get excited to see what the next painting will become so I tend to stay on task better...guess I just have to fool myself into sitting in this chair! ha!

Double Stargazer wip 2

Well I have been able to work a little on this today and so will post it. I am so sorry I cannot get good whites and color as our skies have been so gray for so long it is getting to be the norm! It use to be we would count the gray days as we had so much sunshine...but this year it is very bad and so then so hard to step outside to get a picture that is true. This will have to do!
I am still finding shapes. Once I have more of this filled in I will begin to combine shapes but I always make sure each petal is fluid and accurate before I begin to combine them with shadows and glazes. It will be awhile yet before that happens but so far it seems to be coming along ok!

Watercolor of Double Oriental Lily

I a m beginning a full sheet watercolor of a double Oriental Lily...I love how it is so curly in places and more petals! I sure hope it can make it through my cold winters...I am wondering if I should just lift the bulbs of this one to try save it or let it be...see if it can make it through our harsh winters...so very hard to know!!!
I had taken the first picture with my iphone and slipped it up on Facebook but the colors were not right at all...so I have retaken that first area so the colors are more true.
I often say to my students, first look for the shapes. If you can capture the shapes you will most certainly have the form more true to it's real identity. I also say there are very few straight lines in nature and you will notice I am trying to make each petal fluid and graceful. This always makes for a better flower...and hopefully this one will have a dancing quality about it when I am done!
So what you will see is the steps I took yesterday and then second picture is what I have done this morning. The rest of the day is spoken for so I tried to at least find the shapes which will speed things up in the end for me. I am sorry that the background is somewhat gray...light is not great here today and I had to take what I could get!
Thanks for watching!

Chicago Fountain Watercolor

I have not been painting much at all lately...and this has been done awhile but I was unable to get a good photo of it. I had it professionally done today and even he said that blue was very hard to capture I guess...so this is as close as it will get and I have it in a very low resolution so I am sorry it might seem rather grainy.
This fountain is at the Chicago Institute of Art in the special outdoor courtyard for members only that I managed to get in to...and yes this wonderful duck was there resting on the head as if she had been doing this daily for some time. I placed the egg in the hand because it was such a high contrast area but not sure it still drew enough attention...but mallard eggs are vey bland eggs.
I still do not have a title either other than Keeper of the Egg and Just Ducky...Egg Dancer ...just nothing hits me!!! Help!

Painting Was Put On Hold!

I have been so busy this summer that painting was put on hold a lot. I do have a full sheet that I have been working on every once in awhile and will try to get back to that and finish it up. These are small...the landscape is 10 x 7 1/2 and done to hopefully bring to Wyoming but not sure...I am not too crazy about it. ha!
The other two are stretched paper over stretcher bars and measure 8x8. I have two coats of varnish on them at this point...but I think some of the greens bled and faded...I could see green in the mixture as I varnished. So they are not the greatest either but wanted to get them done. They do seem to sell at $75 so I try to keep them on hand. I will show a side view too.
Maybe next week I will get back to the full sheet I have been working on. I think in less than a week it would be done so it would be nice to get it under my belt so I can start something new!

I'm Back!

I am sorry I have been so out of the loop lately. I feel like I have met myself coming and going and that will not end until July sometime but it is all good and life just has a way of happening like that!
I was so honored when my painting "Sacred Shadows" was selected to be in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America Exhibition. Even though I have had awards and have my signature with them I have never been able to attend until now. I had such a wonderful time! I was also able to meet up with many of my art friends there and make new ones so it was wonderful. If you go to their website and check out the latest exhibit you will be very impressed! http://www.watercolors.org/exhibitions/2013/

I hope to begin painting again in July. It is drawn and the first wash is on...I am rather excited as it is very different for me so I will keep you posted as it progresses! Thank you for your patience!

Umbrellas Watercolor Demo #6

I am unable to get the correct colors with my camera. The blues will not come true at all...but I guess this is not one to worry about anyway...several things have gone wrong. The background is just not becoming even...There seems to be something on it in several places and then in one small area of background it is a different color than it should be. I have no idea how that came about. ha! I used out of the same pile I made and yet it is appearing totally different. This had potential to be really cool but I think I missed it. I still have some areas to work on and will do that tomorrow and call it done...but I am disappointed as I can see it could have been quite an interesting painting had it worked better...but time to be done and move on!

Umbrellas Watercolor Demo #5

Slow as molasses is what I am. I just cannot seem to stick with this at all but did make a little progress. I have to figure out how to paint that complicated background as I do not have any masking and this has so many turns etc I think I almost need it...so I have to give this some thought before I move forward! Here is where I am now and I hope the next time I post the background is in!

Umbrellas Watercolor Demo #4

Well I am sort of surprised at how long it is taking me to paint this! I knew I was slow but really! ha! I am trying to find those crazy cast reflections that are odd but need to be sort of accurate to read the umbrella above...I nearly have it. Hopefully tomorrow I will close the gap on this part...then deciding on the background value will be my big task as when I took this picture outside the background was a dark gray blue. I am worried that everything will get lost in that color...so I have to put my thinking cap on. Now this would be where knowing how to use photoshop would really come in handy!!!  Something tells me there is a simple app on my phone that might help me with this if I can figure that out...but first I need to get the umbrellas and reflections done! 

Umbrellas Watercolor Demo #3

I have worked a little more on these umbrellas...I thought I would be much further by now but I think it is still moving forward and that is the important thing. It was my birthday today so I only painted for a few minutes but even like today with a lot going on I try to get in even 30 minutes and it can make a big difference! So here we are...closing in on the last of the umbrellas!

Umbrellas Watercolor Demo 2

Well it might seem I have not gotten very far but figuring out the details to keep these shapes accurate is like doing a puzzle...once I have it drawn the easy part is painting it! The painting on this is pretty straight forward...but the shapes need to be right on for me...
I might work for another hour today and then call it good...we shall see. An hour can slip by pretty fast! Since this is 1/2 sheet rather than full it seems every detail is so small because I am not use to working this size at all. I could play with the washes more it seems if it had been larger but I just do not have the space for larger pieces anymore. So we shall see how this looks in the end!

Umbrellas Watercolor Demo

I have begun a new painting and it feels like it will take forever but it will get done alot quicker actually as it is just a 1/2 sheet...I finally finished up alot of the drawing on Monday. I felt like I needed to begin painting and then do the finish drawing as I go now because I keep getting lost so adding the color helps to define each area so I can draw within that space. That is what I do every time it is a difficult piece. It really helps you narrow it down to one place and it is easier to focus.
I might work a little bit more today but I might instead go outside and enjoy the weather as it is very sunny out and warming up to near 30 today! It is wonderful after such a long winter.

Iris With Bee

I am calling this done finally! If there is any tweeking that I might do it will be ever so slight and will not change how it really looks.
I have not figured out a name for this yet but surely hope to come up with something that makes sense to me. I have no idea if it should refer to the wildness of the grasses I have made up in the background or refer to the bee. It could simply be The Pollinator I suppose...we shall see.
Well guys I usually have the next one drawn but this time that has not happened. I will hopefully begin working on the drawing tomorrow and in a few days be able to tell you what I plan to paint next.
I hope this demo has helped those of you who like to paint iris or flowers to see how I work carefully in with slow glazing and not until toward the end do I get the intense color so there is no bleeding. I also always have a very good drawing so that I know it is going to look just like I want it.

Have a great weekend!

Watercolor Iris Demo #9

Well I have not gotten far but I have been cleaning edges and working on the bee. just a few areas left to work on. What I do notice is that the veins in the wings do not show up so perhaps they are too soft and I need to do more. In person however it seems I see them well so will have to decide that later.
There have been distractions again but still I manage an hour here and there so that helps! I know that I can finish this on the weekend now and so hopefully by Sunday you will see the final pictures!!

I did a close up so you could see how losely I am handling some areas.

Watercolor Iris Demo #8

Well I am home from clothing market in Vegas with my daughter and son-in-law and it was work but fun. I enjoy every minute of it. Think I missed my calling. ha!
I hope that you can see I am developing some areas now...at this point I am really sliding in carefully so that nothing gets too dark too fast unless I want it that way. I have some decisions to make yet but one I made today was to not make the hairs on that front petal defined as it would become the center of attention and detract from the bee. I may still want to put more there but for now I am leaving it alone to make that decision later.
The grasses behind are just a continuous problem because if I darken one it seems I have to darken ten...but that too will resolve itself as I go along.

It was good to finally find some time to paint. After returning home it seemed there were so many other things that needed attention but now I hope I can work on this through the weekend and finish it up...It has begun to buckle on the large petal which is odd to me so I will have to flatten this before it goes to the framers.

Watercolor Iris demo #7

I had hped to have this done but I am getting ready to leave for a week to help my daughter so had to many other things I needed to do. My hubby doesn't cook so that means I get his food all lined up as well! ha! Plus the bird food, cat food and dog food...so you know I have been a busy girl! ha!

When I get back I will finish up the bee which will allow me to then decide the values of the leaves in the background and how dark some need to go yet. I will also look at some of the values on the iris but felt I needed the bee done first to determine how to make it the center of attention or do I want it to be sort of hidden and a secret find to the viewer...we shall see! Have a good week everyone!

Watercolor Iris Demo #6

Well if you have been watching the news you will know that we have had alot of snow that last few days so all I have accomplished is shovel! ha! But I did try to sneak in a little time this afternoon. I had hoped to be done with this painting by Friday but I do not think that is going to be possible at the speed I am going! Seems if there is something to get in my way it will...guess Murphy is working as hard as he can to keep me from completing this. The reason I wanted it done was I was leaving for a week to the Vegas clothing market to help my daughter. I usually go with her and help her with buying for the store and we have so much fun! So I thought it would be nice to be done with this iris but if it doesn't get done it is going to be very close so I just am not going to worry about it right now. What will be will be!

Now Phyl you can really see the location of the bee better. I think that will be the last thing I work on as far as those blacks because they can bleed and I just do not want a problem over there...so I will wait until the very end to bring in the darkest darks.

Watercolor Iris Demo #6

Well again I had hoped for a full day of painting and company arrived! This is life and we just have to roll with it and at least try to get a little time in...every little bit helps! You can now see the area where the bumble bee will sit and I am beginning to define the center of the iris...I am hoping tomorrow afternoon to work that center of the flower and complete it...I will lay in a few values on the bee before I finish those leaves so I have a feel for the values it will require. My hope is to be done by next weekend or before...so we shall see! I guess the older I get the more I realize what will be will be and not to let it bother me as much as it use to. I just need to enjoy the journey!

Watercolor Iris Demo #5

Well I had to stop at this point because I was unsure of the leaves I am making around the bumblebee...I am just making this part up and I have to rethink where the darks of the bumblebee will be so that perhaps the leaf can turn and be light or dark where needed...so that is what I will do next...I want everything around the bee to be done before I put him in so there is no bleeding back and forth of colors...and then once that is in I can decide if I want areas darker and how to finish off the middle and top of the iris...I need to gauge the values when I am making this up so they still make sense...hopefully! ha!

Watercolor Iris Demo #5

Well I guess it is time to stop as football is starting and then there will be no concentration in this house! Ha! I am hoping that my background doesn't become too busy for this flower...I can always tone things back and soften them when things are done to see what works. Originally the spaces between the grass blades was to be dark but now I am unsure. I always leave myself options and right now I am wondering if the bottom is dark and it rises into the light perhaps we want that area very light so I will stop with any work at the top until the bottom starts to take shape. The bottom is a problem because when I look at my photo the stem is mostly hidden and now it feels odd...so tonight I need to decide how I will design that area to support this massive flower. I truely was hoping to have this done before next weekend but now I am wondering if that is going to be possible. But each day I make progress and so who knows! Just keep trying ones best is all we can do!

The greens are Daniel Smith Sap Green...that is all. The purple is Carbazole Violet and then I use some Quin. Purple and Quin. Rose also from Daniel Smith. In a few areas you will see some Phthalo Turquoise as well.

Watercolor Iris Demo #4

Well this was one of those days I was unsure I would even get to paint but finally I grabbed an hour and 30 minutes and got to try out some background. It really doesn't matter if you do not find alot of time..the most important part is to find some time. Just getting a little of this in helps me get excited where this is going. I like to weave grasses and even if they are not realistic I just love to make them go in and out like a basket...in the end the flower will be center stage and this is just backup material...space filler but filler with interest vs just a solid color which so many resort to because that is easy...I would rather take the chance and try something else even if it doesn't work. Anyway, this is where I am at as the sky gets gray. It is hard for me to paint in the evenings as I just do not see that well anymore with night lights...even if they are bright it just is not the same as natural light for me.

Watercolor Iris Demo #3

I did not get to work all day on this like I had hoped but still I made progress. I think we as artists have to be happy when we make progress no matter how small because it is still a good thing. We are sometimes too hard on ourselves but we do have lives too and we need to enjoy our art but our homes and families as well! I mostly found the shapes within that front petal...Now I will maybe bring more color into that area but perhaps work on another area to find the shapes. A painting is so much easier for me to paint when I see the map of where I am going. I am trying out Quin. Purple to help liven up some areas and I really do like it alot!

Watercolor Iris Demo #2

I am not very far on this as the last 3 days have required me to be gone but I have done a little and wanted to post that as it helps me to stay on track knowing you are waiting for an update! Seems life can get in the way sometimes but the important part is doing a little when you can as it still is then moving forward.

I have spent time with the drawing in some of these areas to know how the pattern actually goes and think I have alot of that figured out now. I have just gently added some of the front veining to just see if I like the way it is looking...I can now do some washes over them and then decide how dark they should go. Hopefully tomorrow and through theh weekend I can get more done. It is hard taking the picture because we are -30 with windchill so let me tell you...I run out the door and take this shot pretty fast! ha!!! Hopefully next time it will be a more intersting looking flower developing.

Iris Watercolor Demo #1

Well I have begun a new painting and thought I would try to document it more carefully than my previous ones...I have it nearly all drawn and have begun to lay in some of the colors that are light in the upper parts. The fall that comes forward is much darker and I will not start it until I have alot of this background area solved. I am not sure of how much time I have to work on it but I thought if I put it out there and you were watching it would force me to find more time and keep painting! ha! Thanks for proding me on!

Laughing Girls Watercolor

I have been working on this off and on for some time. I hesitated to show it because it has not worked and it was alot of time and effort but perhaps by showing you I can help you. I have been thinking of this painting for more than 3 years. I had seen some of these mannequins and just wanted to paint them into a painting. I always tell my students to know and have references for what you are going to paint but in this case I did not have that. I attempted to make up much of this and because of that I discovered it did not work like I had hoped. It feels like a wasted month or more but I learned my lesson. ha! Maybe someday the solution will come to me but in the meantime it is going into storage. I should get a close up of the bike reflection for you as it is not easy to spot so will do that and post that as well.

White Daylily #2

I decided to do a similar daylily on stretcher bars but not go as dark for the background and see if I liked it better...I am not spending alot of time on these but still are taking alot of time I guess. ha! But at least with these I allow myself to stop and not over work them. I am going to leave both of these now until the weather warms up before I spray them with fixative and then varnish them. That will really bring out the colors and perhaps they will be similar enough to be companion pieces.

Now I am going to spend a little time getting the studio back in shape and get ready to start something new!

White Day Lily Watercolor

I am finishing up some things that I just did not bring to completion this fall. I have one more that is drawn and will try to do it similar to this one so they can be a pair. This is 8x8x1 wrapped arches on stretcher bars. This still has not been varnished and once that is done the colors will be much more vivid. These are sort of fun to work on and just something different for a change.

I am sorry the first one is not very straight and then from the side I do not know how to use a program to block out the background to make it solid...guess that is the next thing I need to learn!