Still water reflection and a few ripples

Hmm, there is a mark in the sky - but maybe that is the lens of my camera - it is not on the painting.  I am still continuing with this painting.  I'm still working from top to bottom.  Since the bottom of the paper does not have much there yet, I cropped it off to show just what I'm working on.  This paper really behaves differently.  Just when I think I've done damage, a little wipe with a damp brush, and all is restored...

Weekends can be a little difficult to paint.  Here is the reason why:  here is my watercolor studio!  The kitchen table.  On weekends I make a big breakfast for my husband and I, and then there is also lunch to have....and then dinner....all on this table!  I have to put away, take out, put away.... oh well.

Continuing with Watercolor Painting of Hope Valley

We have a new storm blowing it.  The sky is getting darker, so I thought I would photo this before the flash comes on and spoils the image.  Then I will go back and work some more.

After painting the first day on this, I realized I grabbed a different paper than I usually use.  I usually paint on 140 lb. Arches cold press.  I was wondering why this paper was so stiff!  But I like how it doesn't warp and buckle!  It is the left-over piece of 300 lb. Fabriano Artistico that we used in a workshop.  It is an interesting paper.  It has a little bit of texture and it has some kind of gell on top of the paper, so your paint doesn't soak in.  You end up pushing it around on top.  So, my mountains and sky look different than I was expecting.  No matter.  I will try things differently and learn something in the process.

Starting a Watercolor Landscape

This painting is going to have several layers of distance.  I started with the sky because it is the farthest away.  Usually I don't do the foreground so soon, but the water is reflecting the sky and I wanted to block it in so that it would relate to the sky colors.  Eventually, the water will be a little darker than the sky, because what I've been told in painting classes, the sky is lighter than the lightest reflection in the water.  Next, I blocked in the mountains, then I wet the paper and put in the background trees.  When it dries I can put in the trees that are in front, then the bushes in front of the trees, then so on and so forth.

Drawing for the next painting

I had a little time today, so I began my drawing for the next painting.  Since the drawing is so light, and I have an incomplete area on the left middle edge, I am also showing my photographic reference.  I took this picture last fall in Hope Valley, California, during the Lorenzo Chavez workshop.

Home Again - so much to do - no time to paint! Rats!

Well, we had a lovely time in Hawaii (who doesn't anyway?) and we came back to a freak snow storm in Reno, Nevada!  Since then, I took my Mom to her new doctor appointment, and tomorrow I take my car to have the body work done (from the rock that was thrown at it), then I have body work done to me (just kidding - getting the grey hairs dyed!), and then the next thing on the agenda is to take my Mom to the lab to have her bloodwork done.  Then, I will be free to start a new painting!  Yay!

Rocky Beach - watercolor sketch

Our last day here.  I did a morning painting sitting on the only patch of rough sand I could find on a rocky beach - rocky with broken coral and chunks of lava rock.  Tomorrow we head for home.

Hawaiian Cottage - a watercolor sketch

We are having rather cool weather this morning and WINDY!  So this morning I painted from a photo that Stan took while on the golf course.  I loved the bouganvilla in bloom.