When it is spring in Washington State the flowers bloom. There is nothing more inspiring than taking a walk around my yard to see what plants will provide me with beautiful inspiration for my next art project. Join me, won't you and let's paint a beautiful landscape the fearless way!

For this project, I will show you how to paint a landscape with a lilac tree that grows in my yard. I will show you how I look at my photo inspiration and the decisions that I make to create a successful painting. In the following photos you will see how I layer my watercolor paint and work with both wet paper and dry paper to create a range of values and gorgeous colors.

I like to begin my painting projects with a photo. As wonderful as it is to paint en plein air, somedays, when the weather is not cooperating and it is cold or rainy, having a good photo means that I can be inspired and work in the comfort of my own studio. 
I have found that printing a black and white version of my original picture allows me to step aside from just studying the beautiful hues of nature, but also to correctly "see" the values that will allow me to create a painting that has depth.

For this painting, I chose to use the following Daniel Smith Watercolors : Quinacridrone red, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Pthalo Blue ( green), and both Hansa and New Gamboge Yellows. I drafted my idea onto my 140lb cold press Fabriano watercolor paper.  I have also made a mental note of where I will create my lights vs range of darks.  I think it is important to remember that the more choices that we make prior to painting the easier the painting experience will be.

In this photo you can see how I have begun the process of working on a wet surface in order to allow my early washes of color to flow across the paper surface. In working wet onto wet , I am able to create flowing soft edges of color throughout the painting and as the paper dries, my strokes of paint begin to create hard edges, which further define my subject matter. ​

I continuously layer diluted paint to build up the values that I see in my original photo. With each stroke my colors become more dynamic, richer and I can start seeing depth in my painting. The question on my mind is always the same : Have I painted enough layers
(think values) that I am starting to create an image that has a three dimensional element?

Taking intermediate photos during my painting process makes for an easy method for analyzing and seeing where I need to paint areas darker vs. where I need to be mindful of my light hues, so that I do not loose the freshness that is painting with the watercolor medium. 

In this picture, I am comparing my painting process to both my original photo and a black and white version. This helps me to "see" what needs to be done. As an artist, I have learned that when painting I spend 80% of my time studying my painting and photo and perhaps 20% actually working with my brush and paint.
Throughout the process of creating, I continuously "critique" my work in progress, asking myself questions such as :
a) Is there a dominance of color or of mood?
b) Are there interesting color combinations within the work?
c) Do I have a full range of values that lend themselves to my composition?

If the answers are yes, than I am ready to move onto the next painting step.

Can you see in this black and white photo how my range of values is starting to create a naturalistic  look to my composition. I have interesting strokes of  warmish colors in the foreground. As I move towards the back of the yard, I choose to paint with cooler and darker hues to create a bit of visual drama. 

The questions that I need to ask myself at this point is " Am I done, yet?" ​Alas, the answer is no!  I feel that I have gone too dark in my background! I also feel that I have begun to loose my fresh light purplish pinks in my lilac blossoms. Oh, dear what am I to do?

It was an easy fix to lighten the background that bothered me. I couldn't help but feel that where the dark trees stand behind the lilac I had layered too many stokes of rich saturated Pthalo blue and this area had to be modified.
By taking a scrunched up damp paper towel  I was able to lightly press and blot the too dark area where the background trees grow. Mind you, I do not rub my WC paper, I merely pounce the towel lightly over the painting surface where I want to lift color. In this fashion, I let the paper towel absorb and remove a little bit of the darkness off of my painting without damaging my wc paper. ​

Are you wondering how I will "save" my light values and bring them back out? I have a magical recipe given to me by an artist friend that has helped me in many of my paintings. 
Kathleen Conover is a marvelous, nationally acclaimed artist and she came up with a sure fire way of dealing with lost lights in a wc painting.  She calls her recipe "gesso juice". It  is  made by mixing 1/3 water with 1/3 gesso + 1/3 acrylic matte medium.
​I mix my "gesso juice" in an old bottle shake well to properly emulsify and use on my painting! This recipe creates a somewhat transparent but also some what opaque pigment that allows me to repaint areas and bring back out the lights again. I can also mix small amounts of my diluted watercolor paint on a separate palette, to make slightly opaque and vivid mixtures of colors. With a clean brush, I use this mixture in what ever regions that I feel need a little help. In this case I repainted my lilac blossoms with strokes of gesso juice mixed with my quinacridrone red to make a tint of pink.

After painting some small strokes of "lights" correcting my dark values in back and adding a few what I call "dark jewels" in special spots like under the lilac tree and the rocks, I am ready to sign off on this painting. I hope that you had an enjoyable time painting in my back yard. 
Now it is time , for you to take a walk and find a beautiful landscape that will inspire you to paint! As I tell my students "Carpe Paintum" that's right "seize your paint" and lets go and have some fearless fun! 

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Thank you for visiting this blog post. If you would like to learn more about my artwork I invite you to visit my web site  www.beattieartworks.com and check out my original mixed water media paintings and art shop.

Are you interested in learning more about painting fearlessly with watercolors or acrylics? Please visit my art classes page, where you can register for my Fearless Painting classes? Here is a link to my in-person and online art programs for painting with watercolors or acrylics sponsored by Spokane Community College. I also teach private online programs for those interested in a more personal approach to learning how to paint. 
https://www.beattieartworks.com/art-classes.
#art , #fearless painting , #Elise Beattie , #art classes , #painting , #watercolor

I am a painter, whose art is inspired by the photos that I take. Every day, I walk around, my world, with some type of a camera. I snap pictures inspired by the beauty of my world or the wonderful people I meet.
The blog you are reading is a tutorial to help artist students understand the methods that I use and teach for using personal photos as inspiration for painting whether it be with  any medium. 
​

 This art project began with watching small birds enjoying the seeds in my bird feeder. Setting up my camera on a tripod, I was able to "discreetly" watch & take pictures of my feathered friends while they enjoyed their meal.
The resultant photo was one that I thought my students would enjoy working on in one of my "Fearless painting" water color classes.

Thus, begins a new adventure in painting with watercolors! Shall we let the fun begin as we explore the possibilities of creating a work of art inspired by this photograph?

I find that creating a simple line drawing or as I think of it, a road map to success is the best way to begin. There are many ways to draft an image onto watercolor paper. The drawing can be done freehand by studying the picture and comparing placement of lines and shapes. But, an easier method is to print a copy of the image to the same measurements of the watercolor paper and use a graphite paper.



​My favorite product is Seral graphite paper. If a copy paper is not available, not to fear, it is very easy to make your own graphite paper!



Watch my video , from my YouTube site on how to make your own graphite copying paper.

Once, I have complete a drawing, with a 3B semi-soft pencil, on my watercolor paper I am ready to begin making choices about the values I need to use, relative to the original photo.

I do this by turning my photo into a black & white image, so that I am better able to see  a range of values in the photo. I begin by assigning a #1 for the lightest lights ( or white of the paper) and for each of the darker values I assign a larger number 2 ( medium light),3
( slightly darker), moving up the scale 4,5 each getting darker & finally when I get to #6
​(I know that these regions will be the darkest areas of my painting).

Next , I pick out the colors that I will use to describe my feelings about the subject matter. I choose a warm and cool version of each of my primary colors.
For this painting, I chose : new gamboge & hansa yellow, Permanent alizarin, organic vermillion crimson, pthalo blue (green) and ultramarine blue.

​Splattering paint with my brush is a fun method of creating patterns on my paintings. By using paper towels , I can protect areas of the painting where I do not want expressive splatter.

I used the splatter technique to abstractly create the illusion of the bird seed in the feeder.

#art , #fearless painting , #Elise Beattie , #art classes , #painting , #watercolors