Category: watercolor

Pink Rose in watercolor

Published on by kmgunnart2 Comments

Continuing with my love of roses, here is a small square watercolor painting I simply call Pink Rose.  While I painted the flower itself in a very realistic style, I went completely abstract for the blue-green background, just making the outline along the petals radiate towards the edges of the paper.  My husband commented that this stylization of the background is often used in comics, which I had not known previously.  Of course, at this moment, neither of us can come up with the name for this effect.

Shadow layer in blue

I actually started out using just a normal photo as my reference to get the shapes and particularly the shadows right. Once I had it sketched out, I had to decide what kind of background I wanted to give it. Since I already painted the shadows in blue I figured a light wash with a bit of green would be perfect.

shadow layer for 7x7 watercolor Pink Rose
the blue shadow layer for 7 by 7 inch watercolor Pink Rose

The original is available through Daily PaintWorks, and is on the small side at only 7 by 7 inches.  It is wax-sealed to protect against humidity, spills, and dog drool.  I can ship to buyers outside the area.  If you would like a print, I have up to 24 by 24 inch prints available in my Pixels store.  Accessories and apparel are available in my RedBubble store.

Pink Rose watercolor painting finished

square watercolor painting Pink Rose
Pink Rose, 7 x 7 inch watercolor on paper, original available $49 USD

I’m not really sold on this small of a painting. Along with the issues of finding a frame in this size, it just feels so small. Maybe it’s because I spent an entire semester working on an 18 by 24 inch sketch pad, or maybe I just feel an urge to work larger. Either way, I will likely not be tearing through this small watercolor block just because it really does feel tiny to me.

Electric Yellow Rose watercolor painting

Published on by kmgunnart7 Comments

I finished up this close-up watercolor painting of a yellow rose this evening. When it was dry enough, I showed it to hubby who immediately commented, “Wow, electric!”  That’s where the electric part of this painting’s name comes from.  Hubby says the combination of yellow with purple (or violet, if you prefer) just pops in a beautiful way.

watercolor painting Electric Yellow Rose
Electric Yellow Rose, 12 by 9 inch watercolor painting on paper, original available

Original is 12 by 9 inch watercolor, sealed with Dorland’s wax, and I will take it to El Amigo Restaurant in Crescent City for display locally, ands also listed for sale at Daily Paintworks for those outside the local area..  Prints in larger and smaller sizes are available at my Pixels store, and accessories at my RedBubble store.

I should mention that I saved the contour sketch for future artwork, probably in different media just because I am very pleased with how well the simple line drawing captured the shape and layout of the petals.

Another reaction to the painting

Along with my husband’s reaction to it as soon as it was dry, Elizabeth at El Amigo was amazed when I told her I painted it with watercolor.

“Wait, THAT is watercolor?! It’s so bright!” was her remark.

I told her I found a brand of paint from South Korea (Mijello Mission Gold, for those curious) that had wonderfully vibrant colors. Apparently, the general perception is that watercolor paintings have delicate, light color. Or perhaps people think of those student sets that have low pigment and really terrible brushes. Either way, I love bold and vivid colors most of the time, and will work to achieve them in whichever media I use.

(Update: she had about the same reaction when I brought in my Flapping Flamingo watercolor painting later. Also, she was surprised at the vibrancy of color in my oil pastel Blooming Pink Rose, because of the confusion about what the word pastel actually means.)

Red Tulips watercolor painting

Published on by kmgunnart2 Comments

I am still catching up here on this new blog, and today I am spotlighting my red tulips painting, done in watercolor in an Impressionistic style, using eye-catching red and green on white watercolor paper. This piece makes for an interesting contrast to the more exact Johnny-Jump-Ups I also painted in watercolor.

Inspiration behind the painting

These were a certain sign of spring when I was growing up in Indiana.  Previous occupants had planted both red and yellow tulips in between the decorative shrubs, and these would bloom even before the purple irises on either side of the back gate. Our house and garage were both white, with a light gray concrete foundation, so when I stumbled upon this reference photo showing red tulips against a white background, I knew I had found the perfect photo for me.

As a child, I remember being fascinated by the cup shape of the fully open tulip flowers. As an adult artist, I now find myself more interested in the tulip buds as they are opening. This is likely because of the promise and potential inherent in opening flower buds, and what could better embody the promise of spring than flower buds as they are just starting to open?

red tulip buds opening against a white wall, watercolor painting on paper
Red Tulips, 9 x 12 inch watercolor painting on paper, original available $100 USD

Purchase information for Red Tulips

The original is 9 by 12 inches, sealed with Dorland’s wax to protect against humidity and spills, and I can ship to buyers outside the region also.  Prints are available at my Pixels store, and accessories are at my RedBubble store. My personal favorite accessory is this painting on the front of a spiral notebook, available at both Pixels and RedBubble.

Monarch Butterfly on Coneflower watercolor painting

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The inspiration for this piece came when I asked my son if there is anything he would like to see me paint, and he immediately informed me he loves monarch butterflies and would love to see what kind of paintings I can do of them.  Of course, he credits the cartoon The Venture Brothers for sparking his interest (there is a comical villain called the Monarch in it, complete with henchmen dressed as butterflies), though the more he learned about the real butterflies, the more he likes them.

I was happy to oblige, as I think monarchs are beautiful butterflies, and wanted to see if I could capture that lovely orange of the sunlight coming through the wings. First thing to do was draw in charcoal, to “get the shapes and shadows” prior to painting in color. I wasn’t particularly interested in making much other than a green blob as the background, mainly because I wanted all the focus to be on the butterfly and the flower. A secondary reason is a bit more pragmatic: it isn’t always easy to do details in watercolor, especially the first decade or so when you begin watercolor painting.

Purchase information for the monarch butterfly watercolor painting

The original is still available, an 8 by 10 inch watercolor, sealed with Dorland’s wax (that is actually an art medium made for use with oil paint, but heartily adopted by watercolorists for preserving and protecting watercolor paintings).  A slightly larger range of prints are available at my Pixels store, and a range of accessories are at my RedBubble store for those who are interested.

watercolor painting Monarch Butterfly on Coneflower

One of my early watercolor paintings, but still one I enjoy using as an avatar at various platforms, including Spotify, Pinterest, and sometimes Facebook. It’s bright and colorful, with enough simplified lines to be easily recognized even when shrunk in size.

Johnny Jump Ups watercolor painting

Published on by kmgunnart3 Comments

Beautiful purple Johnny-jump-ups, also called purple pansies and even blue violas, painted in watercolor against the soft blurred green background of their foliage.  They may not be large flowers, but they are certainly pretty and I love the combination of purples with the splash of yellow on the petals. The indistinct greens in the background, with just a touch of blue to harmonize with the pale part of the petals, give just the right contrast to the complementary pair of purple and yellow of the flowers’ petals. I do love a soft floral painting!

Links to purchase this painting and art prints

Original is 9 by 12 inches, watercolor on hot press paper, sealed with Dorland’s wax.  I can ship to buyers out of the region, and you can purchase the original through Daily PaintWorks, which uses PayPal.  Prints and accessories available through my Pixels store and also RedBubble (which also has apparel).

watercolor painting Johnny-Jump-Ups, a common name for purple pansies
Johnny-Jump-Ups, 9×12 inch watercolor on paper, original available

Art supplies used for the painting

Painted with Mijello Mission Gold watercolor paints on Stonehenge Aqua paper. I enjoyed working the different shades of purple, ranging from violet lake to a mixture of quin magenta and ultramarine blue, which is also present in the greens which include green-gold and what Mijello calls bamboo green, which is the yellow shade version of phthalo green.

Some inspiration behind the painting

Prior to painting, I worked up this composition in a graphite drawing in my sketchbook to test the layout and value contrast. Ironically, drawing actually takes longer than painting, though the sketchbook and pencils are less expensive than paints and brushes, not to mention good quality watercolor paper (which makes a HUGE difference in how the paint behaves). If I am honest about it (and I tend to be) I will confess that I enjoy drawing, even when it takes hours. I find the soft scratching noise of a pencil on paper to be soothing and almost meditative, and feel as though it helps me to focus on the important parts of a composition.