Hi Everyone.

I hope these photos will inspire. I can host this challenge until May 17th. No rules, except to have fun. Any form of artwork using a brush is welcome -- watercolour, gouache, acrylics, tempura, oils, etc. If you use a medium other than watercolor, please mention it when you post your image. Beginners feel free to join in. I've only taken a half day watercolor workshop myself. If you'd like to host the next challenge for May/June, please PM me so we can set it up.

Happy coloring! Marisa

Click to view attachment
Actors taking a break at the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg, Russia

Click to view attachment
Lilac Breasted Roller, Botswana, Africa

Click to view attachment
Near Chamonix, France

Click to view attachment
Butterfly in the Swiss Alps

Click to view attachment
Route 66, Nevada, USA

Click to view attachment
Manatee baby suckling, Miami, Florida USA

awesome marisa, i shall love to try one..

Splendid idea!

That would be great! Love to see your interpretations.


Wonderful. The Greek boat you did on the weekly challenge was beautiful.

I just could not stand it .. !!!! the photo's here are so Watercolor !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the thread !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Carol

Carol,

Your butterflies are gorgeous! That is very well done.

Marisa great pictures!

Beautiful work Carol!

Here is my try at the bird.
Click to view attachment

Paulette, the botswana bird is also on my list. Very good rendering.Bravo!

About the challenge.Who will be in charge of the host list for this monthly event?
And can we call it painting challenge in order to include other media like gouache, tempera,acrylics, oil pastels.
Anyway I congratulate Marisa for the initiative of bringing the colors of summer so close to home.

This is so exciting !.. wish I had more time .. Just had to do one more before I head out to work today .. I love the soft colors I am seeing !!
Paulette looks like we both love that gorgeous Bird.. !! Great job !!

Carol, I was sure you will be attracted by the butterfly. Excellent work.

wow, fantastic your bird, Carol.

Ah Carol you make it look so effortless, just wonderful work!

Carol, Paulette! These are wonderfull paintings! This is why I love watercolour. It's so versatile and fresh! Sadly! I have packed mine away ready for my trip! So I can't participate here! Very frustrating!

WOW..you guys are amazing, those are simply gorgeous..I am puttering away here, I chose the butterfly too

We'll hold it hostage til you get back.. Have a Great trip.. Be Safe my friend .. and for crying out loud .. Try and stay out of trouble !

Kay .. take your time .. I just did mine in a hurry .. would have liked to have taken a few more steps and added some more Stuff.. !! However I am thinking .. Fast isn't so bad..

Carol, I have a couple of questions since I know that from a seasoned artist like yourself we can always learn.
First did you put down an outline in pencil first, second did you use ink also or the black is wc?
Thank you.

Seasoned .. :oHa .. maybe one of those good days when Inspiration hits me like a ton of bricks ! I don't know if everyone has those moments but for me It happens ever so often..

When I watercolor on something as Light and Pastel as this I rarely use a lot of reference lines.. Unlike the ones I would use for say .. my Cars.. Hard lines scare me with watercolor so if I can avoid them I do.. The black is watercolor.. No inks at all.. The black is put on in layers as to build the dark.. Same with the other colors .. Light to dark..

Hope that helps..

I've been called 'seasoned' before. Well actually, I was called an old pro, but I think they meant seasoned!

I know what you mean about inspiration hitting! That's how I felt when I did the boat! You look at something and you just have to get it down on paper!

You're welcome. My pleasure. Lovely blending on the muted colors on the blue flower, green sepals and the butterfly.

Very nice Lilac Breasted Roller Paulette. I love the way you handled the white feathers!

Carol, That's a Beautiful Botswana Bird. The pink highlights in the background really packs a punch.

OK, I adjusted the title on the thread. Want to volunteer to host the next one? :

here is my attempt.. I had lots of trouble.

OliverandJazz - Nice painting. Perhaps add another layer of color on the butterfly and flower? It looks incomplete to my untrained watercolor eye. Any other suggestions watercolor people?

Lovely, Kay. After seeing two great butterflies here i have second thoughts

I think it is my light today, the painting looks rather flat, It is raining and dreary and the house is dark, I should have darkened the background and the flower, but i was afraid to get it looking muddy if i kept going, so i think i shall try it again. Its all such a great learning process. thanks for some great pics too.

Kay, I guess that your approach need to take into account the kind of media you use. You tried and suceeded to render accurately the photo.
Now, in my humble opinion on wc. the approach in water media is different. For instance, The white contour of the wings should be either light color or the paper, from there on you build your three layers of color increasing the intensity of the paint. So any dry media like oil pastels or Cp would have a white color pastel or CP contour, the water media only suggests that.
And this again on every place in the photo that has highlights.
Even Adolfo spoke to us about it.Now I am curious if I can do that with the brush better than with my words.

It looks really cool and all but I have never watercolored before :s I do have watercolor paint that I received for Christmas but I haven`t used them yet and it's maybe because I don't know how...

I think you are heading in the right direction Elena with leaving the white of the paper alone.. I add white only in some areas that felt I needed that extra punch.. watercolor is from Lights to Dark's unlike oil is dark to light.. I don't know what paper you are using Kay and what sort of watercolors are used .. but in this painting it appears more opaque than transparent.. less is more.. waiting between dry areas before introducing another wash is helpful.. could be helpful also to have a scrap piece of water color paper nearby to experiment before putting it on your painting .. what color added over another color may look like and waiting to see how it dries.. the drying will look so much different as when it is wet.. use a hairdryer in between washes is helpful if you want to see it faster..
I'm at work but I'll keep checking back.. Carol

Last year I created a thread with links, demos, you tube videos, and tips from members and artists on watercolor. There are many WIPs and demos of our members, valuable info in this thread called Let's ...watercolor.
You may wish to check it out.

Oooh thanks I'll check that out

Tried both butterfly and bird and couldn't come up with a satisfactory painting due to my limited level of skill in this medium.
Yet i was able to do a decent demo on the flower and how to approach highlights by leaving the white of the paper to suggest that.

thanks for the tips guys. I see how much the colors dry and get much lighter so when i apply i shouldn't be afraid to use them, punch them up..the ones i used on this drawing are suppose to be translucent, I also do work hard at trying to maintain that white paper but i end up losing it most times and using china white for highlights..AH..THAT WAITING TO DRY..that is where i mess up..waiting for things to dry, i shall break out my hairdryer . I welcome any hints from the skilled in the watercolor area that could help. I think mostly at the time, I am getting used to what they do, how they work together, the degrees of pigment from wet to dry, etc.I am loving it very much though..

thanks again guys
Kay

Good Flower Elena..a bit Blurry to see but I can tell enough. .. With your Chinese Painting it should be a Breeze..

Practice Practice Practice .. but most of all Have Fun with it !!!

Thanks, Carol.I will scan the demo. That was a photo. My Chinese painting is still in its diapers and the big difference is that in Chinese brush I just paint from imagination not reference; very few lines to suggest the bird. But it's a good ideea. I can try to do it in this style.

Scan of the flower and several failed attempts at the bird.Just to see my efforts.

I see lots of potential. Love the vanishing lines...

I agree with you Marisa .. Along with the subject it is the amazing soft colors that go together so well.. Nice job Elena !!!!!

I tried the lake at Chamonix. Watercolour is not my 'thing'!

You did a lovely job on the lake's reflections. I want to try this one but have to wait until I finish a "commissioned" work that my husband assigned me that was due last month

Texaslady I think your butterfly and flower is absolutely gorgeous. That is so rich looking even the background is nice.

Thanks Nancy.. I think the color pallet used is appealing to most everyone.. I love the soft pastels.. Just calls for a watercolor don't you think ? I think that is why the bird subject was favored in the beginning.. beautiful Spring Colors..

I'm not exactly pleased with this one but will post it anyway.. Carol

Carol, your colors are so deep. That lake feels nice and cool.

Marisa and Carol, i appreciate your encouragement.

Norma and Carol, two versions of the possible approaches of watercolor.
Norma you said wc is not your thing but you did an excellent job.
Carol, I wish when I am not satisfied with my wc that my works look like yours. You have a way with the brush that speaks of your experience and talent in the water media.

This thread looks more interesting with every new piece of art posted. I have a feeling that the emulation of this challenge will bring motivation for more people to try this wonderful medium.After all we want to be able to paint one day, don't we?

But I really like this painting. What is the trade mark of the materials you used ?

Winsor &Newton on Strathmore Cold Press 140lb. Watercolor paper and for the most part I use a Dagger Brush Robert Simmons..

As I put my whip and chair down, and my watercolours slink into some form of submission ( ) I am in awe of the work here. You girls are doing such great work, and I 2nd Elena's comments Carol, if only my unsatisfactory work looked like yours...........no actually I would be happy if my good stuff looked like your unsatisfactory work!

Carol you have spilled the beans on your favoured brand of watercolours, and now I am wondering what brands others favour and if there is a basic palette of colours that you tend to use. Perhaps when you post your images you could list the colours used (or if you are like me try to remember ha ha), and your preferred brand.

I love reading art articles like in International Artist etc, where the featured artists list the support they use, the medium, the brand and the colours. It really helps me to try and see how they have created their piece.

If it isn't too much to ask of each other perhaps we could (if we remember to) list some of these - to see that perhaps the way they got the light on the water was more due to the rough paper than a dry brush etc.

Sound knowledgeable don't I......... ...........it is so much easier to read about it than to translate it to the page - especially as me and my paints don't agree as to who is in control!

I am going argue with my watercolours tomorrow and try and get one of these beautiful images down on paper.