Making changes in a painting when it's nearly completed must be done slowly and carefully. One or two strokes of the brush can make a BIG difference - or ruin the freshness of a watercolor. Stepping away from the painting frequently helps me see how much more needs to be adjusted. In fact, when a painting is nearly finished, it's common for me to paint only two or three strokes before stepping back to check the progress. These little Tufted Tit Mice visit our feeder often and are delightful creatures. The earlier unfinished painting, below, has now been lightened in some areas, and more twigs and a bit more foliage have been added to help move the eye through the painting. The top inch of the painting was cropped, too, to 'set' the birds higher on the painting.
The colors are very high key for me - especially for a painting on YUPO. Normally I paint with stronger colors, so I'm battling with myself not to add darker values. The textures add an effective and subtle touch to the home of these feathered friends.Time to head to the studio and paint .... after I feed the birds. Let me know if you have suggestions for further changes.
"VISITORS" Transparent Watercolor with Graphite and Charcoal on YUPO 18 x 14" COLLECTED
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6 comments:
This is beautiful! It is amazing the difference that a few small changes can make.
Very beautiful work. Bravo !!
Oh, it looks great! I love what you did--subtle, but excellent. These birds are so sweet.
The previous commenter certainly has found the right word to describe this work 'subtle' in the colour scheme. Thanks for reminding us to be absolutely sure before adding the tiniest additional stroke and your photos show us why.
No suggestions for future improvement. This is lovely - the birds stand out just perfectly and the background is just enough. Any more would be too much.
So glad you all stopped by to see thses little friends. It's good to have something appreciated that is a new look - at least a new look for my style of painting.
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