a try on yupo

Last month I received a piece of yupo to try on from Renate. Finally today I got some time to sit down and tried my brush on it. I posted this piece here, although it is a trash, only to show how I managed to use watercolors on yupo for the first time. Since I didn't know how watercolors will react on it, I struggled somehow in finding the way to work with it. I observed that this yupo is not absorbent, the watercolors were just flowing on its surface when they were still wet, and it took longer to dry. As you can deduce from this image, I need more practice to be comfortable with this yupo. But I found it interesting and definitely I will try it again. Thank you again Renate for the yupo and for some information about it. Incidentally, the shop where I buy my art supplies is selling this yupo. 

pink rose in acrylic

I realized that I have not been posting in this blog for awhile, so I quickly did this small rose in acrylic. I used a watercolor paper for this. I'm sorry to all of you for not visiting your blogs, I'm busy with other things nowadays.

the finished grapes

I have already finished painting the grapes which I was busy with. You can see it below. 

Some of you might had noticed that I was absent for more than a week in the bloggerworld. The reason was that I did some preparation for our painting club's exhibit which took place yesterday. It was fun having such activity although I was not able to sell any painting. But the nice comments I got from my new batch of paintings are more than enough to compensate all the time I spent for the preparation. 

This painting is 30x40 cm and in watercolor.

first grapes

Right now I am busy with my first grapes painting. I borrowed a reference photo from a member of our painting club who also kindly enlarged it for me. The above image is only one of the sections of the painting; and hopefully I can share here later the whole painting. I wish you all a colorful month of April, just like these grapes.

bird's sketch

Birds are not my favorite subject to paint. So as an exercise I try to sketch them once in a while. This one above is a watercolor sketch of a robin. I came out with this composition based on some images of the bird which I had seen from a number of references. The sketch is 24x30 cm in size.
Advance Happy Easter to all of you.

watercolors and candle

Two weeks ago, I saw the original image of this painting from the book of Lisbet Braren-Weinrich which was being used by one member of our painting group. The book is in Dutch and its title is Hoe schilder ik in aquarel - stilleven. I was curious of how the texture in the image was done. So I asked someone from our group and she said I can use candle on the paper. When I read the book, indeed the author suggested that one of the ways to produce the texture is to use a candle. I decided to do an exercise and used the author's image. On rubbing the candle on the paper, I did it either before or after applying some watercolors on the paper. Obviously, I did the rubbing of the candle when the paper was dry. And so the above painting is my version of the author's painting shown in the book.

open matured coconuts

 

This is another practice I've done in watercolors. I decided to put lighter colors in the background to see clearly the shadows and to make the painting simple. Meanwhile as I look further in the painting, my eyes are  telling me to do some more finishing touches with it, but at the moment I don't know how to go further. So I'll leave it like this for now. Good weekend to you all, :-)

tulip in violet

Tulip again. I used mainly my flat brushes in this painting. I am not comfortable using these brushes that's why I 'm trying to use them as often as I can. I didn't have live tulip or photograph of the flower to use as a reference when I was sketching for this exercise. So I had to think everything to come up with this painting. In the absence of any reference material, I think our knowledge of the character and properties of the subject is very important.
This is in watercolor, size 27x35 cm. The weather has been rainy and gray, so it's difficult to have a good photograph of the painting. I can see from the left side of the painting a trace of light from our stand lamp. Have a good weekdays ahead everyone.

playing with flat brushes

I'm not fond of using my flat brushes except when I'm putting washes for a background. I use mostly round brushes for my watercolor painting. But three days ago I played with them and I got this painting, 27x35 cm. I thought it's not bad at all so I share it here. I used the 3/4 inch flat brush mainly in it. I hope to do more practicing with these flat brushes so that I'll be familiar with them.

chinese lantern

I wanted to post something today so I decided to show here this chinese lantern which I am still working on. I don't know yet what colors I will use for the background. And I also think the leaves need to be darkened a little more. This is in acrylic on a canson acrylic paper. I want to know more about working with acrylic that is why now and then I try to use it.