A Peek Into the Studio

 Peek over my shoulder as I create a new watercolor for my Garden of Sight Series.

After the initial drawing is transferred to my watercolor paper, I start adding some color!

If you painted too dark, you can use a little bit of paper towel to blot up color anywhere you need to. It won't remove it completely, but it will lighten the area.

I saw another artist who had done a wash of the background color over the whole painting instead of painting it carefully around the main subject, so I thought I'd give it a try.

We have to be a little bit brave sometimes, and I know you can't win 'em all, so I was holding my breath, but it turned out ok.

A few darker details. I use white Gouache (an opaque watercolor) to bring back any little white spots I lose while painting.

And ta-da, we have a weird little flower! I think I might have to do prints of this one. :)

Watercolor may feel intimidating because it can be difficult to control, but it is more flexible than you may think. It is much faster than oil for building layers, and it's a great way to do color studies for larger pieces you may have planned, so that the results will be more predictable in the final piece. You can use paper towels (quickly!) to blot up areas when you go too dark, and if you have gone too light, you can paint over the top and darken up the previous layer. I rely on Gouache (which is an opaque water soluble paint) to bring back any small white areas that may have gotten obscured during my painting process, so you can always bring back that sparkle. Some people consider this cheating, but I feel no shame about using it, haha. It doesn't necessarily pay to be a purist all the time. :)
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