Long Time - No See!

So sorry I haven't written in awhile! I have been really busy preparing for the Artworks of Eau Gallie show, that happened this past weekend. What a great time we had! There are so many amazingly talented people in this area it just blows me away! I feel so privileged to be a part of the show. You can see more photos of the show and see the list of award winners at: http://www.brevardartnews.com

 

At left is a miniature painting I just created last week for part of my new miniature series. It is framed in gold and measures (with frame) 6 x 8 inches.

For those of you who are just coming back to Florida from the cold north, classes will resume in January. You can see a brief schedule on my website. http://watercolorworksart.com/Classes

I do have a workshop coming up:
Beginner’s Watercolor Workshop
Saturday, December 12, 2009
From 9 AM – 3:30 PM
At Art & Antiques Studio & Fine Art Gallery
1419 Highland Ave., Eau Gallie Arts District (EGAD) - Across the street from Ralph’s Art Supply
$65.00 – bring a lunch.

This workshop is for those who are new to watercolor. We will set up our palettes together, discuss tools and materials, learn the basic washes and brush strokes, and practice together each step of the way.
In the afternoon, we will practice techniques taught in the morning session, and create a small painting together. Students will develop a a better understanding of the exciting medium of watercolor.

Art supply list on Debbie’s website:
http://watercolorworksart.com/Classes
Pre-registration and payment is required to hold your spot.
Space is limited, so register online or print registration form from website and mail to Debbie.
This would make a great gift for someone who would like to get started in watercolor!

I will be adding a new Blog Lesson just after Thanksgiving. Hope you have a great holiday!
Debbie

Student's Work of Koi Fish

October has been a crazy-busy time for me, so I haven't posted as much as I wanted to, but I felt this was something nice to share.

Mike is one of my winter students. He brought this painting in, which he has worked on in his spare time, so that the class could see it. I thought it was such a nice piece I wanted to share it with you!

Great job, Mike!

Candy Dish Lesson 13

Ta Da!!! The finished piece. I am craving chocolate... I'm glad it is almost time for those little trick-or-treaters to visit my house. I may munch on some candy, too!


If you would like to order the reference photo and drawing for this lesson, please visit my etsy online store and click on the Online Class icon. Let me know which lesson you would like. Thanks for visiting.



To learn more about my classes and artwork, please visit my website: http://watercolorworksart.com

Candy Dish Lesson 12

The remainder of work on this piece is just to refine the details in the candy dish, continue with various glazes of wet, transparent colors on the candies and to lift and soften areas that need either lighter values or softer edges.



I used a number six round Silver Black Velvet brush (cheapjoes.com) for the detail areas. I used the colors from the candies and shadows to pull this together. I kept a close eye on the reference photo to indicate where the details were necessary - if they aren't necessary don't put them in!!!

Candy Dish Lesson 11

It is time to remove the masking that was applied at the beginning of this project. I like to use a rubber cement pickup. You can purchase these at any art supply store and also at Cheapjoes.com. They work great! You can really scrub this tool over your paper to pick up every last bit of masking without worrying about damaging your paper. If the edges of this tool get black and crumbly in appearance, simply use a scissors or razor knife to scrape down to a clean edge.
Now that the masking is off you will see the sparkling white of the paper. I chose to soften some of these areas using a number 4 Fritch Scrubber brush. This is a small, stiff-bristled brush that I dip into clean water and gently brush over the edges of the masked areas. Then I quickly press the area with a paper towel to lift the moisture and scrubbed pigment. Be frugal, don't over-do this technique or you will loose your whites. The direction of the scrubbing motion will determine how the lifting looks, so be conscientious about the direction you push and pull the brush. Use your photo reference as a guide for where to lift and soften. One thing to note, this DOES chop up the paper somewhat, so only do this in areas where you do not plan to add any more color!!!

Candy Dish Lesson 10

Today I wanted to paint the chocolate-coated candy. In my painting there is only one! I used Burnt Sienna as an underglaze, then I used VanDyke Brown to glaze over that to create more of a chocolate color and some of the deeper shadows. French Ultramarine Blue was used for the deeper shadows in this candy - but each color was applied after the other glazes had dried.

I also used French Ultramarine Blue and some of the other, previously used colors, to develop the shadow areas around the candies that are in the dish. Be sure to check your photo reference to capture the value, shape and color scheme of each of these little shadow areas. This is a good time to correct some of the candy shapes if they are not quite perfect!

Candy Dish Lesson 9

Okay! Now it's time to dress up the table a little. First, I used a one-inch flat brush with very soft bristles. I loaded it with clean water and gently pulled a puddle of water over the entire table, including the areas of shadow under the dish painted earlier. The only things I left untouched with water were the actual dish, and the candies both in the dish and on the table.

(Special thanks to Anna, one of my students, for shooting these pictures for me!)

It is extremely important not to put pressure on the brush - use a VERY LIGHT TOUCH!!! The brush should basically just push the water around, not really even touch the paper. The less you can stroke the less wash-out or heavy bleeding of pigments you will have.

If you used very thick, heavy pigments for your shadow areas it will lift a lot. You will notice that lots of color flows into the water. All I can say is that this is a good lesson to keep your pigment applications thin, transparent and use lots of water with each glaze!

Now that the table is covered with a generous amount of water, you should see a shine to it. Some areas may still have measurable puddles. Gently tip your board to be sure the water is absorbing evenly into the paper. While it is still shiny, apply small amounts of French Ultramarine Blue and Permanent Alizarin Crimson by dripping it into the wetted areas. Put your brush down and tip the board to create soft areas of slightly blended color.

Notice that I have added some Winsor Red to the red candies. Use any of the bright, warm reds on your palette for the candy glaze. I have also deepened the yellows with a glaze of New Gamboge and a little Quinicridone Gold.