Tag: Botanical Illustration

Lavataria–Commonly Called Silver Cup Mallow

Lavataria in watercolor

This painting was based on a tutorial from Fiona Peart’s book, “Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Watercolor Flowers.” I may drop in a background at a later date, but for now I’m calling this painting done. Charles Rennie Mackintosh was an internationally celebrated architect, designer, and watercolor artist. His paintings did not become popular until after his death in 1928.

My Mom’s Coral Elder

This is my mom’s third painting. The improvement over her first two paintings is remarkable. She now has her own watercolor supplies and has begun painting on her own. Can we get a collective, “go mommy, go mommy?” This painting was based on a tutorial from Sherry C. Nelson’s book, “Painting Butterflies and Blooms.”

My Sister’s Watercolor Tulips

This is my sister’s second watercolor painting. Aren’t these tulips gorgeous? For this painting she combined two tutorials. The tulips are based on a tutorial in Fiona Peart’s book, “Tulips in Watercolor” and the background is based on a tutorial in Janet Whittle’s book, “Watercolor Roses.” What a great combination. You rock, sissy!

Maigold Roses

I worked on these Maigold roses for several hours again today and still didn’t finish the painting. I got close, but lost my light and had to stop for the night. I still have a few leaves to finish, some shadows to refine, some edges to clean up, and I need to add faint veining in the petals. For a tutorial on how to create a similar colorful background, pick up a copy of Janet Whittle’s book, “Watercolor Roses.”

Parrot Tulips in Watercolor

parrot tulips in watercolor

This painting is based on a tutorial from the book, “Tulips in Watercolor,” by Fiona Peart. I’m really loving the intensity of the colors in this painting. I only have two more paintings to go, and then I’ll have worked my way through the entire book. Watercolors on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.

Progress Report: Parrot Tulips

I worked on this painting for several hours today but had to put it aside to go to a dentist’s appointment–I hate it when that happens! For this painting I used a base coat of cadmium lemon on every item except the blue background and vase, then glazed additional colors on top, mixing them directly on the paper instead of on my palette.

My palette consisted of cadmium lemon, cadmium yellow pale, cadmium yellow deep, permanent rose, cobalt turquoise light, winsor blue (green shade), and indigo. My daughter said my palette always ends up looking like a rainbow, and she’s right. Here’s a photo of my palette:

Work in Progress–Parrot Tulips

I went to the farmer’s market this morning and followed that up with a visit to a quaint Amish store called The Farmer’s Wife plus a quick stop at a local Mexican shop called Cinco de Mayo to pick up some goodies to get us through the week. I love living in a small, rural area. Everyone calls me by name when I enter their shops and we chat for a few minutes and catch up on what’s going on around town.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon working on a new painting but had to stop at sunset when the shadows got so intense that it was difficult to see my sketch on the paper. That’s normally the time when I grab my camera and snap a few pictures to post on my blog. I love how vibrant the colors look in the strong afternoon light.

I hope you did something equally relaxing and enjoyable this weekend. Watercolors on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.

Pink Hibiscus

I had a seriously busy and productive weekend–I had guests on Saturday and Sunday, completed several home improvement projects, and spent Saturday afternoon working with a professional dog trainer–I even managed to stay up late and complete this hibiscus painting. Watercolors on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.

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