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Description
My entry to this month's based on a photo by MontyMouse ~

Link to photo: Aira Force Waterfall, Ullswater. and to challenge: Paint Photo Challenge 11 (May 2019) #paintphotochallenge

I painted this on half piece of Arteza 300 gsm watercolor paper so around 13 cm x 22 cm. I mostly used Cotman watercolors but I found a tube of Van Gogh Burnt Sienna in my storage a few weeks ago which I decided to use prominently for this because it is such a rich color especially when used beside Cobalt Blue. I wanted to experiment more at using different techniques to force myself to work both transparently and opaquely like my watercolor hero John Singer Sargent. I also took inspiration from the techniques he used to add texture to his watercolors including was resist and use of white gouache in select areas.

This was my first try at painting it. I took a long time drawing it and tried to construct the rocks really carefully. I then painted it with a very free hand to achieve spontaneous looking marks. In the end, it ended up quite messy but out of all three, I think the water here has the most energy. I also already really liked the colors I used so I decided to use the same ones for the next two painting that I did.

This was my second try and I drew it quite fast and also painted it really fast. The water still had quite a bit of energy here which I guess is the result of painting around the negative space of the rush of water before the first layer had completely dried. I also used a white candle this time to do wax resist effects for the water, but I did it rather haphazardly. I like the composition here the best out of all 3, though.

For the final version, I used the candle again to save the whites in certain areas of the water , and different colors of crayons for the dried leaves scattered on the rocks. I also used the white included in my Kuretake Gansai Tambi set to add subtle highlights to the rocks, and also to paint the mist and spray of the water. As for composition, what was in my mind was to make the spray of water at the very bottom most prominent so I was careful to save the white part there.

There are many things that could be better about it, though. First is my lack of good understanding of light. I think the part with the dried red and orange leaves is a little too bright and too detailed and competes with the water for the viewer's focus. Second, the rocks in the final version look very smooth compared to the nice abstract jagged-ness of the surfaces in the previous versions. Lastly, I still don't know how to group warms and cools in a composition so I rely on just relying on my reference. I recently realized something after reading through several art blogs, that good paintings have to be designed rather than just observed. I really wish i can understand the fundamentals one day so I can make the best stylistic judgements when painting.

Anyway, sorry that came out a bit long-winded.

Description
My entry to this month's based on a photo by MontyMouse ~

Link to photo: Aira Force Waterfall, Ullswater. and to challenge: Paint Photo Challenge 11 (May 2019) #paintphotochallenge

I painted this on half piece of Arteza 300 gsm watercolor paper so around 13 cm x 22 cm. I mostly used Cotman watercolors but I found a tube of Van Gogh Burnt Sienna in my storage a few weeks ago which I decided to use prominently for this because it is such a rich color especially when used beside Cobalt Blue. I wanted to experiment more at using different techniques to force myself to work both transparently and opaquely like my watercolor hero John Singer Sargent. I also took inspiration from the techniques he used to add texture to his watercolors including was resist and use of white gouache in select areas.

This was my first try at painting it. I took a long time drawing it and tried to construct the rocks really carefully. I then painted it with a very free hand to achieve spontaneous looking marks. In the end, it ended up quite messy but out of all three, I think the water here has the most energy. I also already really liked the colors I used so I decided to use the same ones for the next two painting that I did.

This was my second try and I drew it quite fast and also painted it really fast. The water still had quite a bit of energy here which I guess is the result of painting around the negative space of the rush of water before the first layer had completely dried. I also used a white candle this time to do wax resist effects for the water, but I did it rather haphazardly. I like the composition here the best out of all 3, though.

For the final version, I used the candle again to save the whites in certain areas of the water , and different colors of crayons for the dried leaves scattered on the rocks. I also used the white included in my Kuretake Gansai Tambi set to add subtle highlights to the rocks, and also to paint the mist and spray of the water. As for composition, what was in my mind was to make the spray of water at the very bottom most prominent so I was careful to save the white part there.

There are many things that could be better about it, though. First is my lack of good understanding of light. I think the part with the dried red and orange leaves is a little too bright and too detailed and competes with the water for the viewer's focus. Second, the rocks in the final version look very smooth compared to the nice abstract jagged-ness of the surfaces in the previous versions. Lastly, I still don't know how to group warms and cools in a composition so I rely on just relying on my reference. I recently realized something after reading through several art blogs, that good paintings have to be designed rather than just observed. I really wish i can understand the fundamentals one day so I can make the best stylistic judgements when painting.

Anyway, sorry that came out a bit long-winded.