I started the centre very confidently sponging some dark green to give texture and a sense of the shape which is ovoid. I had already drawn some wax pastel marks to suggest the white hairs. Then I painted and over-painted and generally messed up. And I thought it was horrible. But because the colours are transluscent and could be lifted, after it had dried, I wet the whole area with clean water and mopped up and managed to pick up quite a lot of excess pigment using a tissue. Some paints … [Read more...]
Silver Ghost 4 – Battle of the Greens
Battle of the Greens This is a watercolour term because paintbox greens were so awful in the olden days. There was emerald and viridian which were garish, and that flaccid sap green which was transient. I don't remember olive green. And look how gorgeous they are nowadays! Here are the colours I am using for my monochromatic painting of The Silver Ghost Thistle. Look at the last three posts for the beginnings of this thistle. I thought I'd show you how I get my greens using just four … [Read more...]
The Silver Ghost 3
I am painting a thistle called Silver Ghost - if you look at the last two posts you'll read about the process so far. I'd like to convey this thistle's loveliness without getting sentimental. Botanical Painting is altogether different because every aspect of the artwork needs to describe the plant, right down to the number and colour of each hair. I want the plant to be identifiable but for the brushstrokes and colours to have energy so that the viewer responds to the plant on a different … [Read more...]
Silver Ghost 2
I am beginning the next thistle - this will be the fourth large square watercolour thistle painting - this time the lovely pale green thistle called 'Silver Ghost' I'm going to do two of Silver Ghosts - one pure watercolour and one more experimental one, hopefully with watercolour, layering and lettering. This is the first one which I'm doing first in pure watercolour. I am working from a photo 20cm X 20cm and the initial drawing is 'blocked up' because it is scaled up to 50cm square and with … [Read more...]
The third thistle is complete
I want to do a series of thistles and I have just completed the third one. And I have discovered that is is also a Woolly thistle, like No.2 but at a different stage of flowering. I thought the base was the flower and that it was like a globe thistle. The florets are about to errupt from the centre.Here are the colours of the palette: Left to right: Thistle base (flower): I used mostly quiacridone magenta mixed with phthalo green, with a little burnt Sienna for warmth. Sometimes the green has … [Read more...]