Category: watercolor

Christmas Card Art, Part One: ornaments in watercolor

Published on by kmgunnart4 Comments

The days are beginning to get shorter here in the northern hemisphere, which means it is time to get ready for the upcoming holiday season that kicks off with Halloween and ends with the New Year. Here at the beginning of August, it means it is time to think about what art you want on your Christmas cards! I have two paintings from last year, both five by seven inches, both ornaments hanging on the tree that I have not blogged yet to go along with my Winter Snowman watercolor painting also from last year.

The why behind the art

This was actually a test of a company’s watercolor paper; the red one is on hot press and the blue one on cold press, which really matters more to me as the artist than anyone who doesn’t paint. (The brand is Legion’s Stonehenge Aqua, for other artists reading this who may be wondering.) After finding a reference photo that I really like, I painted them side by side. I was pleased with how both turned out, and it gave me a good idea of what to expect from each … along with two cheery and festive paintings that both look just right for cards!

Blue Ornament, watercolor painting on paper, 5x7 inch
Blue Ornament, 5 x 7 inch watercolor painting

Where to purchase this artwork

Both originals are currently available for $35 USD each either in person or through Daily Paintworks, and are the perfect size to fit inside most greeting card envelopes. Prints and card pack for the blue ornament are available at this page on my Pixels site, and for apparel, small prints, and cards through RedBubble click here.

Red Ornament, 5x7 inch watercolor painting on paper
Red Ornament, 5 x 7 inch watercolor painting

For the red ornament, here is the link to prints and cards at Pixels, while the RedBubble link is here.

As for why I have titled this post “part one,” I plan to paint more designs for greeting cards through the year and for more holidays as well, so keep an eye here for the newest ones!

Sunrise at the Beach watercolor painting

Published on by kmgunnart2 Comments

After six flamingo paintings, I guess I got restless and on a whim I painted this lovely little beachscape, which is my term for a landscape that features a beach (rather obvious). It also has elements of a seascape and a cloudscape, but the sand and some shore grass tip it firmly into the beachscape classification in my opinion. It’s the sunrise part that makes the clouds so interesting to me.

The original is on paper that was sold as ten inches by ten inches, but a careful measure shows one dimension to be about an eighth of an inch short. This was the first time I had noticed this deficiency on the block (glued pad of pre-stretched watercolor paper that buckles much less than taping a sheet down myself) even though I have already done a previous painting (will post that soon!). While I can fix that on the scan, the original is not quite square. I am not at all versed in the intricacies of framing art, so I don’t know if that will have an effect.

Sunrise at the Beach watercolor landscape
Sunrise at the Beach, 10 x 10 inch watercolor, original available $100 USD plus shipping

Overall, I think this is my best landscape so far. Then again, this is only my fourth landscape I’ve done this year, so not a whole lot of competition there! I am asking $100 for the original, and do ship. Prints are available at my Pixels page, and apparel and accessories are at my RedBubble page for those who like to wear their art.

I do still have a pile of paintings and pastel works to post, so stay tuned!

Flamingo in Rippled Water watercolor painting

Published on by kmgunnart7 Comments

I did complete the seven day art challenge, even if I didn’t post everything here.  In all, I have six flamingo paintings and one beach sunrise painting, all in watercolor. This is the flamingo painting I like best of the six, although others have said they prefer another from the series … but that is probably why we are all individual people!

watercolor painting Flamingo in Rippled Water
Flamingo in Rippled Water. 9×12 inch watercolor on paper, original available

A pink flamingo feeds in rippled blue-green water along the shore, with its feathers and the water ripples catching the early morning sun light.  This is a twelve by nine inch watercolor painting on watercolor paper.

The (unframed) original painting is available, sealed with art wax and in a plastic sleeve to protect it, for $125 USD.  Prints are available at my Pixels store, and accessories and apparel at my RedBubble store.

Award-winning watercolor painting

Update: I entered this painting into two art contests. The first was the inaugural art competition in the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans’ Healthcare System Creative Arts Festival (say that one fast) and it took first place in the watercolor division, though it did not place at the national level. We veterans tend to be quite the talented bunch. The second time was in March 2022, when I entered in my local county fair. The judge bumped it up to the professional category, and awarded me a red ribbon (which had a prize of $2.00!). Considering the Best in Show went to someone in the youth category, and that will look great on a college application, I have no regrets.

I should probably note I am working on repainting this on a 16×20 inch stretched canvas. I have the layout done, and a thin layer of acrylic as the base because charcoal and graphite tend to rub off canvas. Watch for a further post on this piece, which will be a one-of-a-kind since my scanner can only fit 11×17 inches, so there will be no prints of it.

Let me read this to you

I am trying something fun: recording myself reading the blog post (with a little extra) as a podcast. Listen here.

Flapping Flamingo in watercolor

Published on by kmgunnart4 Comments

A new art challenge has begun!  This is a short seven days, with the theme of “liquid,” which to my mind cries out to be done all in watercolor for the medium.  I have my seven reference photos picked out, cropped, and gridded … and all seven involve one or more flamingoes, which are wading shore birds so it was merely a matter of making sure they aren’t on dry land.  I have been wanting to paint a flamingo for almost two years now, and have done sketches to get a feel for the bird’s lines.  Now, it is time to paint some.

page from sketchbook of several flamingoes in various poses
page of flamingo sketches from my trusty sketchbook

First up is a young bird, molting from the grey-purple chick down to the vibrant pink feathers of the adult flamingo.  The wings change over before the head and neck, just like chickens.  The brilliant rose pink is a perfect contrast to the blue-green I used for the water, with the distant shoreline a blurry combination of yellow ochre for sand, brown in the shadows, and three shades of green.

Flamingoes usually don’t come this far north, nor this far inland, in Florida, but down in the southern part of the peninsula they are believed to be starting to come back and be a part of the wildlife again. Personally, I love the thought of the American flamingo regaining its Florida native status.

Flapping Flamingo, watercolor painting
Flapping Flamingo, 12 x 9 inch watercolor on paper, original available $100 USD plus shipping

The original is twelve by nine inches, sealed with wax to protect against humidity, and available to purchase through Daily PaintWorks.  Prints – both smaller and larger – are available at my Pixels store.  Tee shirts and accessories are available at my RedBubble subdomain.

Winter Snowman watercolor painting

Published on by kmgunnart2 Comments

We are now in the second half of the year, which means it is time for those of us in the gift-making sector to turn our focus to the year-end winter holidays like Christmas.  I will certainly be doing Florida-themed paintings very soon, but I thought I should spotlight the watercolor paintings I did at the end of 2020. First up is this whimsical piece I just call Winter Snowman.

I had a very enjoyable time painting this, with the merry red scarf and hat, the black buttons, and the blue and purple shadows, with the swirling green in the background to make the reds pop.  Just pulling this painting out again to scan and upload has brightened my mood today!  I often use the word “whimsical” to describe this one.  While it has a different look compared to most of my other artwork, I still love it. Sometimes, it is just fun to experiment with different styles to keep myself from feeling too “stuck in a rut.”

Links to purchase original artwork and prints

The original is listed at Daily Paintworks, available for purchase if you have a eleven by fourteen inch space on your wall or desk.  For smaller or larger (up to 30 by 40 inches!) prints, visit my Pixels store.  If you want apparel or accessories, there is both my RedBubble subdomain and also a few at the Pixels site alongside the prints. (links open in new tab/window) I think it would make a great set of Christmas cards – both Pixels and RedBubble offer those. In fact, you could team this piece up with my two watercolor paintings of red and blue Christmas ornaments that are also perfect for greeting cards. I recommend ordering this early in the year at avoid shipping delays.

Winter Snowman watercolor painting
Winter Snowman, 11×14 inches, watercolor painting on paper, original available $140 USD