Happy New Year!
Here is the final painting! I went over many areas with some subtle washes to define and refine.
Now I have added a wash onto the apple. I used a slightly damp kitchen sponge to soften the white areas of the apple. After allowing that to dry, I applied another wet wash of Permanent Rose to tie the apple into one unit. I also, after the apple was dry, used VanDyke Brown and French Ultramarine Blue to add the details to shadow areas in the stem and shadow at the bottom of the apple.
I have added another glaze of French Ultramarine Blue onto the napkin. Each glaze creates a different value. Keeping the glazes wet and transparent adds to the eventual depth in the color.
Prussian Blue is used here in some of the shadow areas on the napkin, around the apple and in the shadow on the table under the napkin.
I have added some Permanent Alizarin Crimson to the apple and napkin. Alizarin Crimson is a cool red, so it works especially well in the shadow areas.
The technique used for the top of the flower pot is again used in the bottom of the flower pot. I have dropped VanDyke Brown into the very wet wash again to create shadow areas. This technique also helps to create the organic-look of water stains. On the left center of the pot I added a little water back into the damp wash to create a "bloom".
For this installment of the apple and napkin study, I want to get a glaze of color on the flower pot. I have mixed a very wet puddle on my palette of Burnt Sienna, VanDyke Brown and Quinicridone Gold. I applied this wash to the top of the flower pot and then, while the glaze was still wet, I applied some of the individual colors directly into the wash, in a wet-in-wet style. I used VanDyke Brown to emphasize the shadows directly under the leaves, being sure to apply it only to one side of the leaf to indicate a shadow. Remember, the light will usually be stronger from one direction, which will cast shadows in the opposite direction.
I like adding the colors directly into the wash when creating a flower pot because it replicates the various rust and water marks that usually exist on the clay pot.
Using both Hookers Green and Sap Green I have added some very simple shadow work to the leaf area. This area is not the focal point, so I have to work hard to keep it simple and loose. Because I just love those details I have a really hard time not going in there and painting every stem and vein.
It's time to add a wash of color to the background! I mixed some Indigo, with a little French Ultramarine Blue and a touch of VanDyke Brown. I started with a number 10 round brush and worked from the leaf area out toward the right edge of the paper. Once I worked around the leaves, I quickly picked up my one inch flat brush and completed the flat wash. I tried not to brush an area more than once. I applied a "row" of paint, then scooped up more pigment and just barely touched the brush to the already wet area, as I applied it to the next "row".
After completing the right side, I turned my paper around and used the same procedure to finish the left side. Remember that it's fine (and sometimes beneficial!) to turn your board as you go. Especially when working with large, wet washes, it is a good idea to allow gravity to move the paint around the wet area. It eliminates some of the brushwork, and helps the pigment to flow evenly. Notice that the value of the paint lightened quite a bit after drying!
For this section of the painting I have added a medium wash in French Ultramarine Blue to the napkin. The napkin is plaid, so I will have several washes to glaze on to make the total effect. I used a very wet wash and the puddles actually help to glaze shadow and texture in this wash. I used darker values behind the apple and on the edges of folds.
I have recently updated my How To Paint Trees in Watercolor Booklet. It is chock full of techniques, step-by-step instructions and photos for painting trees in watercolor. You can now purchase this little gem on my etsy webstore. If it's sold, just send me an email and I will post it again! You can either have it shipped as a booklet or you can have it sent to you as a pdf file and print it yourself.
The table now has the first glaze of color. I will add more details later. As I move around the painting I have decided to add a very wet wash of Aureolin Yellow and Sap green to the leaves on the plant at the top of the painting. Again, for my underpainting I have used a wet-in-wet wash. The blending of colors gives a lime-green look to the leaves. I dropped in the Sap Green in areas where I wanted to create the soft illusion of shadows. Later I will add more detail to this, but for now I am happy with the wash.
The first thing I do is wet the entire table area with lots of water. The water will keep the pigment edges soft and will allow any additional color I add to blend. Lots of water is required for this stage so the paper will stay moist and provide time to work. Keep the other areas of the image dry. For instance, I painted the clear water AROUND the apple and napkin.
Now, while this mixture is still wet, working quickly, I use my Number 12 Round Brush to add a fairly strong, yet wet solution of VanDyke Brown. I don't want this to totally blend in. I just want softened edges. This will provide a foundation for the look of wood grain on the table. I apply this mixture in "V" shapes to replicate the shades of the grainy wood.
like the look. It is important not to scrub the paint brush on the paper at this stage. I just want to use the brush to push the puddles around and to drop wet paint onto the wet surface.
I have a new painting in progress and I wanted to share it with you. I used two different photo references for this piece, both taken from my own "stuff". One photo references the apple, napkin, and the bottom of the flower pot. The other photo was my reference for the flowers in the container. I want to make the apple and the napkin the focal point. I would like to keep the composition very simple.
I washed water over the image of the apple, leaving the areas I want to keep white dry. As I flow pigments into the water, I work to avoid the dry areas so the whites will stay crisp and clean. I use Permanent Rose, Permanent Alizarin Crimson and Aureolin Yellow with only a little water. I don't need much water because the colors will be diluted in the water that I have already applied to the paper to control the wash area.
The finished painting!
I am just tweaking areas that can use depth. I continue to use the same colors used previously to glaze little washes throughout the painting. Each glaze, whether in the same color or a different color, will enhance the values and intensify the colors. Using subtle variations of soft and hard edges also adds depth and realism to the piece.
At this stage of the painting I have continued to add Burnt Sienna to areas of shadow in the stems, leaves and shadow areas. I have also used Hooker's Green to develop some of the shading in the lower leaves. Notice that I have used both hard and soft edges. To soften an edge I apply the green, then use plain water with a damp brush to touch the edge of the still wet paint. The pigment flows into the wet area and the edge softens. It's important to pull the water from the dry area into the wet pigment. If I pulled the water from the pigment out, I may cause a bloom, or I would just continue to pull the pigment out and still have a funny edge where the pigment dried.
This particular geranium had a beautiful dark variegation on the outside of the leaves. This was added with a brush-dance type of stroke (holding the brush straight up and down and using the point of the brush only), using a number 10 round brush with a good point and natural hair. I used Burnt Sienna for the color and I used it very wet. The water is what gives the variation in the values of the pigment. I painted this very wet onto the dry surface of the leaf. 
I have added a very wet, Sap Green wash to the leaf area. As I come close to the red bud at the bottom, I allowed the green to come over the red a very tiny bit to create a shadow where the green leaves surround the petal. I added small touches of Hooker's Green in some of the shadow areas to intensify the value. I allowed some water to spill into the bottom of the large clump of leaves in the center. I think the underpainting, when glazing like this, should have some variations in value and tone to add subtle depth and interest to the subsequent glazes.
This is the second installment of How to Paint a Red Geranium.
A few posts ago I showed a red geranium painting that I did with my students. I thought it would be fun to show you how that painting was developed.
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