Another Marathon

Another Marathon 

Just completed a watercolor marathon with yet another Russian artist and instructor. This time, I learned from Ivan Kryokuv. I gotta say, Ivan is a character with a sense of humor. Some of the phrases used by the AI translator were pretty bizarre and hilarious; I really wish I knew what they really meant in Russian. 

Bee

This one was tricky, but it’ll do. Interesting addition of colored pencils and markers. 

Lilac

Wicked difficult to paint in this loose style. Maybe I’ll try again with cotton paper and get a better result. 

Mushrooms

I quite enjoyed doing this one. Using Saran wrap on wet watercolor gave the texture seen in the (blue!) grass. I used masking fluid to create the spots on the mushroom caps. Again, a colored pencil and marker provided the final details. 

Leaf 

Negative painting technique was tricky on this one. Will definitely try this one again now that I get the concept; cotton paper may work better. Using Higgins black ink was a novelty. 

Raindrops on Window

This piece took forever and was technically difficult. Starting with the application of masking fluid . . . yuck . . . messy and difficult to get a smooth-edged shape. Not a fan of masking fluid.

Next was the far background. Lots of fussing with a damp, clean brush to smooth ALL edges. Several layers of paint later, it was time to tackle the drops. Painting the inside of the drop with a reflection of the background was tedious work, and I am not pleased with my outcome. Finally, painting the black rims of the drops, which I later outlined more cleanly with Posca pens. I kinda like my piece if I stand far back to look at it. I might try redoing this one when I have an entire day to devote to just art!