Watercolor Workshop and The Art of Watercolour magazine

I had 19 wonderful students for my workshop over the weekend.

I just got back from a  fabulous time this weekend in New Orleans.  I was hosted by the Louisiana Watercolor Society workshop chairman Susan Henning and she has hosting down to a science.  It was a wonderful experience including a dinner party and wonderful dinner out at La Provence restaurant.

I thought I would share with you some of the photos from my workshop.

"Vintage Appeal" 18" x 24" this is the work in progress I worked on in the workshop.  I also  worked on an  8" x 10" version.

I also had an exciting text from a friend while I was in New Orleans saying that he saw my painting in The Art of Watercolour Magazine.  I knew it would be out at some point but didn't know when.  My painting "Going Green" won 2nd place last summer in the 43rd Louisiana Watercolor Society's International exhibition.

Mixing Greens

I've had several requests to share my green palette and mixing techniques so I thought I would devote todays post to greens.

These are the greens I have been using in my green bottle paintings.  The pans at the top are Schmincke watercolors on the starting from the left is Pthalo Brilliant Grn, Delft Blue (not used in these paintings but wanted to identify what it was), empty space, Sap grn, Hooker's grn, and May grn.  The tube colors below are all Daniel Smith paints starting from the left is Undersea grn, Spring grn, Green Apatite Genuine, Green Gold, Sap Green, Cascade Grn and the end tube on the right is Holbein's Shadow grn.

The yellow I used in this painting is Daniel Smith's Quinophthalone, love this yellow it's in between a cool and warm yellow, kind of a bright fresh neutral.  Love it!!

I also wanted to show my favorite turquoise which is Schmincke's cobalt turquoise.  I always try to sneak a little of this into every painting.  One of my absolute favorite colors.

I always save my paints because I just can't stand to wipe a way paint, feels like I'm throwing money away so I work from dried paints.  Plus I started using pans and they are always in a dry format.  I understand that some artists prefer fresh colors for each painting but I really enjoy using some of the colors I mixed from previous paintings.  Some of my best colors have come out of that.  I do keep my paints segregated by like colors.  So  this palette has only greens.  A tad of orange in there because I used that to mix some of my neutrals.  I always mix my neutral grays by mixing the compliments.  Also my black areas are always a mixture of Indigo and Sepia both Daniel Smith.  But Schmincke makes my favorite Sepia.  

"Going Green" work in progress 18" x 30"

In the painting "Going Green" I began by laying in my lightest colors.  I try to avoid using masking fluid because it can leave such a hard edge, I try my hardest to reserve my whites and paint around them.  It just takes a little more planning but I feel worth it in the end.  So I started with my Quinopthalone yellow.  In the areas that were cooler I laid in a Pthalo Grn mixed with a bit of sap green just to warm it up a bit.  I also lay my darks in right away so I can get the values that I want.  It ensures that the painting is working and helps me to avoid that awkward stage a watercolor can go through if you don't establish the darkest darks at the beginning.  The darks I use in the painting are a mixture of Indigo and Sepia.  To darken any greens I mixed in DS Undersea green or Holbein Shadow Green.  I also mix in a bit of the orange color for a great neutral which in this case was Quinacridone Sienna.

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I just kept working the above process throughout the rest of the painting.  I followed my reference photo and had my bottles in front of me while I was painting.  If the bottle was warmer and more yellow I stuck with the Quinophtalone yellow and sap greens, in the cooler areas I used phthalo greens and brilliant green.  

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them.  Leave any questions in the comment section and I'll reply.

Carrie

Going Green original watercolor 18" x 30"

"Going Green"18" x 30" original watercolor on 260lb Arches by Carrie Waller

Hi Everyone,

I can finally share my completed painting:)  I had so much fun with these glorious greens.  I just love incorporating dramatic natural light in my compositions and this painting was a great vehicle to do just that.  The inspiration for this painting came when we were trying to find a bottle of red in our collection that didn't go bad during our move this summer in 116 degree temperatures.  So even if the wine was a loss at least the bottles were put to good use. 

Getting wine labels off bottles is no easy feat.  After a warm bubble bath they were still stubborn so I had to bust out the goo gone.  It worked like a charm.  Among the wine bottles there are also some small Perrier bottles and a Tabasco bottle as a nod to my Louisiana crew.

This painting is the beginning of a new series I am going to be doing.  I really want a cohesive body of work with some continuity in my subject matter, so expect some more glass bottle paintings.  I've already been scoping out the flea markets for bottles.  I hit the jackpot on amber glass the other day, and my in-laws are looking for cobalt bottles:)  My father-in-law found several cobalt bottles of Riesling and Vodka,

I do have a few commissions coming down the pike and a couple smaller projects intermixed. 

Come back Wednesday for the work in progress pictures of "Going Green".

Sam graciously offered to be my model.  Thought you could get a better sense of the scale.

Carrie