Back Lit Jardin Elements

Here's a demo in progress. Two images were combined from my garden. I had to tweak the light source

 The process is wet into wet with dropped in color. Take a look at the unfinished leaf area on the left side.

 I painted a glaze with dropped in red and yellow hues onto the leaf shapes. The shadow patterns were quite complicated and became too busy. I ended up softening edges.

 On the right side....take a look at the brick shapes. The line was too distracting so I scrubbed out the edge  and added a new geranium leaf to overlap. The process is ever-changing and challenging......hopefully, I'll finish this one up!

Spiky flower tutorial

February is already in full swing and I'm offering a fab workshop at San Diego Botanic Garden in a couple of weeks on Sunday, February 23
9:30 am – 4 pm

Here are the correct details....

Water Color Fusion 

This process will allow you to discover ways to define the shapes of growing things with contrast and brilliant colors. Part of the beauty of this technique is revealing some of the underlining  botanical imagery once the paint settles  in selected spots. Metaphors and messages can play a whimsical or thoughtful role in your finished piece with added bits of collage and text.  Paint on a smooth hot pressed watercolor paper for a vibrant look. Work with some very contemporary, good vibe iridescent, interference, and opaque watercolor techniques to further enhance and embellish the surface.

And here's a mini tutorial  that I created  last week in one of my local Watercolor classes.

      

I started with a wet into wet background with mostly cool colors. The paper was moistened for over a minute and I made sure it was well saturated. 

 

When the background was dry I painted the leaves, stems and buds with dropped in color
...shape by shape. Sometimes I let the colors fuse between the shapes. 

Then I committed a  sin...I used white ink!( Daler Rowney Pro White opaque watercolour) This used to be a bad no-no in transparent watercolor school. It feels so decadent to use opaque hues! Forgive me, for I have sinned.....he, he, he...