Marcia's Blog

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I will leave the flowers for now and will start on the buds and stems below them. Added shadow colors to show contours of the petals, back and front. This photo was taken at night and the previous photo during early morning. There is definitely a difference in intensity of color with the yellows and reds being more vibrant in the morning in natural sunlight.

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Working petal by petal and jumping from flower to flower, never painting next to a petal that is still wet. Otherwise, the water or paint from the new petal will flow back into the still wet one you just painted and cause a "bloom." I am really enjoying painting big and watching the paint flow over a larger area.  I also like using larger brushes. (Sizes 8-14) The colors in this photo are accurate and photos are better viewed on the computer than on a cell phone where the colors appear too intense, especially the yellows.

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I added orange over the yellow in the centers of the flowers and down the stems. I like the feeling of this painting so far. For those who paint, I have discovered that since the Saunders Waterford paper has less sizing than the Arches cold press, the layer of water I lay down first absorbs more quickly than I am used to and the paint does not "float" as much so I will have to lay down more water for future glazes of color. I do like the smoothness of the paper though.

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I decided to add the shadows later in this new painting. I generally put all the shadows of the petals in first.  I started with the yellows today.

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This is my reference photo for another plumeria painting in watercolor. Planning to play around with a very light and what I like to call "airy" background.  We shall see.  

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'Lei Rainbow' is declared done!  I am taking it to the printer today to be photographed before presenting it at my next fair. The original is 22x30." Prints will be available in a week or two and will be 18x24."  He can produce other sizes upon request. 

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I am developing the buds and darkening some areas of the background as well as adding leaves at the top. This variety of plumeria has very dark red buds. I still have to work on the three remaining flowers and background.

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Have been busy with my elder care clients. Back to 'Lei Rainbow' before the Friday evening (5 to 9) and Saturday (8 to 2) craft fairs at the Vet Center in Lihue. Defined lowest plumeria, added a bright green glaze over the leaves and started the buds.

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More leaves have been defined and first and second layers applied. I may have the flower and bud stems meet in the middle of the painting. I will paint the buds next to help decide what will go behind them at the top where the background is not in yet.

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I have added another bud or two on the right and will add a couple more on the left so there is not so much background space on either side. Started on a few more leaves.  

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I have done the first layers of the buds and leaves. Also started to define two of the leaves. The flowers are large so the leaves look gigantic. This time, I am going to do the turned up sides of the petals after I get what is around them painted. I was getting edges that were hard lines when I put the finished the petals first and then adding the surrounding color. With these larger leaves, I am laying down the color and then lifting the veins and midrib out rather than painting the leaf, section by section. The leaves have 3 layers of glaze at this point. They will probably go darker after I get all the leaves in.

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I added more shadow to show petal contours and then added more yellow and pink.  The pink over the yellow gives it an orange glow toward the center although the centers need to be done later. I have not worked on the turned up edges of the petals either. I will be starting on the first layer of the buds next to remember where they are before adding the leaves.

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I added the first layer of pink plus petal veins.  The pink will have to go darker. Generally, there are four or five layers of paint per petal. It is better to go darker gradually.

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First layer of yellows are in on all flowers. I lay down water first, drop in the yellow, then move the color around. For this painting, I am using Saunders Waterford paper which is smoother than the Arches brand I have been using.  I suspect that it will not be as forgiving if I want to remove paint with a hard brush or Mr. Clean sponge. 

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I am calling this one finished.  I went darker with the background to help the flowers come forward. I tend to overwork a painting and then regret the additional touches so it is best to stop when I am wondering if the painting is done.

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I ended up eliminating the plumeria in the background upper left. In the end, it just did not look right in the composition. Have also gone bluer with a bit of purple in the background. A little more defining of the flowers and buds and I should be able to call this one finished.  

  

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I have changed the shape of the plumeria on the top left.and have gone darker with the background.

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