Spray, don't brush (sometimes).

So...I'm working on some watercolor commissions at the moment.  After hitting My Upstairs Studio again this morning, I realized that the bottom left side of my painting was falling a bit flat.  I needed to darken it.  (to give you a frame of reference...the painting is 36"h x 24"w...the section I needed to fix is about 18"h.)  I didn't really want to go in there with a brush and disturb the lovely stuff I'd already laid down.  So, I decided to spray on some color.  Tell me...have you used this technique lately?  It's scary, isn't it!?

Work-in-Progress:  The hydrangeas are still covered with Masking Fluid so that I can freely paint around them.  I wanted the shadow on the path to be a bit more prominent.  I loved the light & shadow in this garden and definitely want to play that up.

This is a close up of that area (before I touched it up).

I covered the right hand side with paper towels...and I actually added a few more torn up pieces (not shown) into the walk itself so I could protect those light areas.

I took a small spray bottle, added different pigments straight from their tubes into the bottle, added a small amount of water, shook it up and tested the spray on a separate piece of paper.  I added some more of another color and sprayed again.  Eureka!  Just what I wanted!  For those of you wondering, I included Ultramarine Blue, a dark purple and some dark green.  I finally also added some Cerulean Blue.  My hope is always that these pigments will granulate once they hit the substrate.

The result.  I'm happy with it.  See how the light shows up so much better.  You cannot have light without darks.

I have much left to do...I"m getting excited to show you all the final piece once it's done!

www.helenKbeacham.com

Come paint with me! 

In 2016, we're going to Venice again.

Sept 2015 classes have been added to my website!

Check them out HERE.

Spending Time with "Creatives"!

www.helenKbeacham.com

I've been painting with (& teaching) watercolor for so long (30 years) that I don't very often take a watercolor workshop myself anymore.  But I've admired Carol Carter's work for years, and thought it would be fun to spend 3 days with other artists who admired her as well!  Her workshop was organized by the Trenholm Artists Guild in Columbia, SC.

Here's Carol's website, in case you're not familiar with it:  http://www.carol-carter.com/

"Self-Portrait" by Carol Carter

I got to meet lots of new artists, one of whom invited me to stay at her house for the duration of the workshop (thanks, Sonia!).  Her garden was heavenly, and I came home with tons of great photos of hydrangeas (one of my all-time favorite flowers).  You just wanted to cup these flowers in your hands and fondle them!

Now that I'm back in town, I'm looking forward to teaching my next 1-day watercolor workshop, starting tomorrow morning!  Happy Father's Day to everyone today, and I'll see you back here real soon!

www.helenKbeacham.com

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