Posts
Black Cat Watercolor
Black Cat (watercolor)I spent several delightful hours yesterday with my artist friend, Jennifer Mark, in her studio. She is a fabulous watercolorist who gave me several hints and tips on working with watercolor.
She stressed the importance of using high-quality paper (this cat was painted on 300# Arches), spraying the paper with water and wiping it down prior to painting (this removes the starchy finish), and using a tough little brush called a "scrubber" to lift color and make highlights.
I drew this cat for my grandmother Margaret, who loves cats (but can't have pets where she lives) and is celebrating her 98th birthday tomorrow.
She stressed the importance of using high-quality paper (this cat was painted on 300# Arches), spraying the paper with water and wiping it down prior to painting (this removes the starchy finish), and using a tough little brush called a "scrubber" to lift color and make highlights.
I drew this cat for my grandmother Margaret, who loves cats (but can't have pets where she lives) and is celebrating her 98th birthday tomorrow.
8 comments:
How sweet! Great colour choices for the background, really makes the dark stand out.
One question - did you mix your black, and if so what did you use to mix it? Lamp black etc can be very harsh but this isn't harsh at all, it's a lovely warm tone.
Your grandmother will treasure this and congrats to her.
Hi Angeltreats,
That is a timely question because I have been experimenting with mixing black hues in my last two paintings (the St. Bernard's ears in yesterday's post actually look greenish. I used Winsor blue, let it dry, then Winsor red, let it dry, then Winsor green, then a little more of one or the other to get the right shade).
For the cat, I was using my friend Jenny's palette so I don't know the exact colors but they were something like: permanent magenta and a green topped by indigo and a touch of Payne's gray.
I will start keeping better notes for future reference. Who knew there were so many ways to make black?
Very interesting and a lot more adventurous than me! When I've mixed blacks it's usually been something like ultramarine and burnt umber mixed in the palette. Oh, I really need to do some painting... tomorrow for sure!
Angeltreats, I gleaned the idea of painting black in separate layers of primary colors from a terrific book called Wonderful World of Watercolor, by Mary Baumgartner.
I'll give your idea of ultramarine and burnt umber a try next!
Such a cutie!
Thank you, Owen and Kate.
This is such a sweet painting, really charming.
Post a Comment