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Full Bloom

Blogs: #7 of 14

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Full Bloom

The subject of this piece is a freshly blooming flower, still savoring the kisses of morning dew. Often the most beautiful things are right under our noses. I let the watercolor do most of the background work, by applying wet washes of pure Windsor and Newton Hooker's Green, with the occasional sprinkle of salt. The flower was painted with Grumbacher Alizarin Crimson and Thalo Crimson, straight from the tube when ever possible. Shading was provided by Grumbacher Prussian Blue, which is probably my favorite watercolor of all time. Initially, I had wanted to paint the scene exactly as it was on the photograph I took, with the hint of a fence in the background and many distinct, soft leaves in the background. Eventually, I decided to take a more "take it as it comes" approach, and let wet-wash watercolor effects take care of the background for me. This way, I hope to keep the focus on the flower and leaves in the foreground, without making the painting too busy. Last, I added a few strokes of brown around the leaves to "ground" the flower and leaves a little bit. I am, so far, pretty satisfied with this painting, but of course, I always like constructive criticism on the composition. What would you do differently?