Pastels and Watercolors (and a few other art media)

SquarePeg · Jan 21, 2022

I did give that floral another try with a bit more structure to the flowers but I don’t like it as much. I may try this concept with a blue and grey palette.

terri · Jan 21, 2022

Love it. This palette doesn't bother me a bit - very light and cheerful.

And I really like the shape of those stems and leaves, too. Nice work!

SquarePeg · Jan 23, 2022

Finished the blue and grey - added just a touch of greens and yellows for contrast. I think I prefer the warmer more vivid tones.

terri · Jan 24, 2022

Another beauty! I do like these cool, pretty palettes, but I think I'm with you on the warm ones, too.

Nice work!

SquarePeg · Jan 26, 2022

Some orchids. I’m leaning toward the first looser look. What do you think?

terri · Jan 31, 2022

Your orchids are beautiful! I actually like both of these, but the second one has a minimalist look that is very appealing. It has an Asian feel to it, very delicate.

SquarePeg · Jan 31, 2022

terri said:
Your orchids are beautiful! I actually like both of these, but the second one has a minimalist look that is very appealing. It has an Asian feel to it, very delicate.

Thanks Terri. I’m still riding that line between loose and not loose enough. I think they need to be looser. It’s hard to make them loose but still recognizable. Working on it!

SquarePeg · Feb 5, 2022

Painted today for a bit. It’s much too cold here to venture out shooting. The first is from a wonderful tutorial by Ellen Crimi Trent. It was a lot of fun to paint. Not sure if the texture shows through. The second is a mash up of several paintings that I’ve done in the past based on other tutorials. Ibises the salt technique to create the background flowers and texture.

terri · Feb 6, 2022

A couple of beauties! Really nice palettes in each. I haven't done that salt technique in years, but always liked the effects. Nicely done!

SquarePeg · Feb 12, 2022

Am stuck indoors recovering from surgery. Painting is about the most effort I can make right now. Here are a few from the past few days. Lots of room for improvement, especially on the dandelion! Tried the “bokeh effect” on the background- do you think the circles need to be more defined? My masking fluid tore the paper on the dandelion center

. Will have to try that one again.

terri · Feb 14, 2022

These are so pretty! For me, the bokeh effect looks fine as is.

@snowbear would know more about playing with it than I would, I have yet to mess around with watercolors. Being at moms house now might be a good time, since they're supposed to be easier to set up than oil pastels.

Hope you do some more!

snowbear · Feb 14, 2022

Very nice, Sharon. I really like the use of masking fluid. As far as the bokeh effect, I think it's fine. I'll have to look at how I did it, maybe just patches of color.

snowbear · Feb 14, 2022

Set-up can be as easy as grabbing a brush, some water, a paper towel, and a set of paint pans. I've gotten happy results with a Crayola set of eight colors. That actually makes it a bit more challenging as you will probably want to mix more. Add thinks like masking fluid, different size and shape brushes, a sponge or two, and salt if you want to expand your techniques.

If you want to "move up" you can look into the pan or tube sets geared towards artists or pros. I'm using both and don't have a real preference.

SquarePeg · Feb 14, 2022

terri said:
These are so pretty! For me, the bokeh effect looks fine as is.

@snowbear would know more about playing with it than I would, I have yet to mess around with watercolors. Being at moms house now might be a good time, since they're supposed to be easier to set up than oil pastels.

Hope you do some more!

snowbear said:
Very nice, Sharon. I really like the use of masking fluid. As far as the bokeh effect, I think it's fine. I'll have to look at how I did it, maybe just patches of color.

You guys are being way too kind and while I appreciate that I won’t get any better that way.

I have very harsh critique for myself on all of these!

The dandelion stem is awful. It looks like it’s a utility pole. No bend or curve at all.

Wisteria tree too symmetrical and too big for the paper. No light direction or shadow.

Lavender and grasses painting is much too opaque. Really doesn’t use the beautiful translucency of watercolor at all and the sky is too striped - awful job of a gradient there.

Overall I think these are awful and am going to blame post surgical brain fog and exhaustion for them.

terri · Feb 14, 2022

Well! Respectfully, I disagree!

I totally understand wanting actual C&C, just as with photography, in order to get what you may be able to improve on, based on what is perceived as a "mistake."

BUT - I don't see these as having any major flaws UNLESS you were looking at a reference photo or image, or following a tutorial and your end results look way different than what was expected. In that regard, I can't say anything because I never saw a ref image - and besides, based on their own merit, they really do look fine to me.

SquarePeg said:
The dandelion stem is awful. It looks like it’s a utility pole. No bend or curve at all.

One of the stems is straight up, and the other is on a diagonal. If you were trying to show your viewers some wind, you might want that curve. Otherwise, usually stems with such lightweight things as tiny dandelion seeds will pretty much go straight. I just didn't detect an unreal view.

SquarePeg said:
Wisteria tree too symmetrical and too big for the paper. No light direction or shadow.

It might be a large subject for the paper size and, now that you're pointing it out, I do see where, instead of letting the line of the tree branches go straight off the page, creating an imaginary line of extension, you did crowd them, or some of them, and in a few areas the blooms look a little squished. A few areas - not all. Overall, it's no different than seeing a full-frame image with the subject going from end to end. So, visually it just didn't bother me. The colors are light and pretty, the shape of the tree is good. I agree you didn't add any blue for shadow under the tree or make any other light-directional mark - but, so what? This looks like a drawing not trying to be based in realism, and I come across paintings like this all the time that don't try to represent light source.

So - again, from casual looking I still say these are very pretty. I like your dandelions and the flowers, your sky palette is also lovely, and without comparison to any ref image, I don't have a lot of negative critique. C&C doesn't HAVE to mean negative all the time.

Anyway - hope this helps. I don't work in WC at all, and couldn't address the issues of opacity or how to back off or add more if you paid me. :lol: