Monday night I had the privilege to demonstrate my watercolor technique to the Milbrae Art Club. I was requested to paint a flower since they had no members who do portraits. I searched my photo archives and found this beautiful agave plant. I love the shapes and shadows it forms but the color was uninspiring for me. Green and more green! What can you expect from a plant. I put the photo through it's paces in Photoshop Elements and managed to get some color that was exciting to me. I have posted the before and after of the photo.
I was delighted to find many friends in the meeting and everyone sat around the table I was using while I painted. I love intimate settings like that. It was a fun evening for me. I hope it was an informative evening for those that came. I had hoped to finish up the painting yesterday but time got away from me. I worked on it this afternoon. After deepening the values, I needed a way to pull everything together and make the various colored shapes make sense. Having discovered a Maxine Masterfield Book in a used bookstore the other day, I decided to use her White Line to good effect. I couldn't find my white acrylic ink so I used white gesso in the drawing bottle. That worked fine! I made sure I flushed the needle in the cap with clear water so the gesso would clog it.
Speaking of the bottle with the needle in the cap, the Masterfield book gave the supplier of this item (Maxine had discovered this tool back in the 80"s!) The company still exists and probably supplies Cheap Joe and Tap Plastic. Google Gaunt Industries in Chicago. It is the Hypo 200, 25 gage needle. The best part is you can order extra caps!!! I have permanently clogged some of mine, so now I can replace them.
On another note, a gentleman filmed my last demo at the Los Altos Art Club using Tyvek and Hydrus Liquid Watercolors. It was the other floral painting, not a portrait. He did a wonderful job filming and editing. Anyway, I have asked his permission to duplicate and share the dvd with others. I haven't heard back from him yet, but I am hoping to have that available for interested artists.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
DEMO RESULTS FOR MILBRAE ART CLUB
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11 comments:
Very clever, Myrna! I never thought of using gesso that way. Your demo experience sounds wonderful and I'm certain everyone was enriched by it.
Myrna, Stunning! I am impressed at how the white lines really help make this piece special.
Your line work on that flower just brings it to life,love it
I thoroughly enjoyed watching you work in the hydrus paints and also work the room, everyone at the millbrae art demo was engaged. wonderful to learn so much in one fun filled evening, thanks again for your willingness to impart any and all knowledge.
The linework - with gesso, no less! - really makes this one dance :)
Wow, you are a wealth of information an ispiration!
Thanks.
I echo all the comments -- I have to invest in photoshop and some of these gadgets :) Thanks for the inspiration!
wow i love the different versions!
Maxine's book was what got me started. I took another look yesterday at Virginia Cobb's book too. Love what you did to make the plant colors much more interesting.
Thank you all for your generous comments. I appreciate that people stop by the blog and take the time to leave me a message.
I love the way you altered the original image's color. I have one of those needle cap bottles. Your post inspires me to go out and try to do more with it.
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