I started out with a navy colored pastel paper and drew on it with watercolor crayons.
I liked this stage so much that I almost didn't go any further. However, Watercolor Wednesdays implies the fact that I should probably use some water. So I got out my spray bottle, which made it look like this, which I also liked.
This morning, I really wanted to use acrylic to finish the painting, but first I tried regular watercolor paints. That wasn't very effective on the navy paper (I knew it wouldn't be, but it never hurts to try). So I decided to use my gouache paints.
Note: I don't like gouache. I can't make it do what I want, it smells weird, and it cracks after it dries.
But I decided to use it anyway, since this was an experiment. The first bits of gouache I painted didn't look good, but I stuck with it. I like the way it turned out, other than the cracking of the paint as I untaped the painting from the board. (Anybody know a way to make it crack proof?)
Here's the final result:
7 comments:
Thanks for showing these stages. That's something I always enjoy reading about. It looks like you had a lot of fun doing them and I like the way your experimenting made them more spontaneous looking.
And about the gouache, I've never used it personally before, so I have no idea how to help you with your problems. Sorry!
It's so nice to show the process of how to got your beautiful illustration. This is so beautiful! Very lovely portfolio place as well. I adore the bunny under the tree!
How fun! I think they are all great. I always paint gouache on a stiff board so I don't have the cracking problem. I don't know if that helps.
I also enjoyed watching your stages. I use gouache in a more traditional watercolor method. I've never seen it crack except in the palette. Sometimes I utilize its opacity (whew! big words) but I don't push it as often as I could or should. Where I really like it is to lay down sort of an underpainting and then use prismacolor pencils. Anyway, keep playing..awesome things will turn up.
Wow! I love this--and really enjoy seeing the progression. The final piece is stunning. Thanks for sharing that process. I've only used gouache a little--never used the watercolor crayons but sounds interesting. I think we all celebrate trying different media & any time you want to publish something without water, go for it. That's how we learn. Nice image!
I also don't like gouache. Well, let me rephrase that. I love the way gouache looks - that vibrant flat color! I just can't seem to get a hang of it. I think you've done a great job with it though ... and think of the cracking as adding "charm" to your work. Nicely done!
Thanks everyone! I like to show stages because I like to see the stages other people go through too.
Plus I'm finding that I'm experimenting more with Watercolor Wednesdays. Not sure why, except maybe the prompt makes it seem like an experiment anyway, so why not have fun?
mitchowl, thanks for the tip about the board. I might try that in the future, but it might be a while before I paint with gouache again. (I think the last time I painted with it was like 3 years ago.)
Michelle, I'm in the same boat as you with gouache. I can't seem to make it work. I would totally agree with you about the charm of the cracking paint, but it flakes off and then the cat tries to eat it.
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