peppers

As my daughter's two weeks sleepover at my mom's place during summer holiday is over, my unofficial holiday is officially coming to an end! This "peppers" painting could well be the last painting for quite awhile. I can't really foresee when I can paint again!
Anyway, I am very happy with this painting which was done against a reference photo available free from the web. I am happy with the vivid color, the shadow, the reflection, as well as the "not-so-boring" background. Isn't it strange that I don't self criticize my painting? Well, if I were to self criticize this one, it would be my signature. Isn't it too small for a good painting?!

26cm x 18cm
Bockingford 140lb CP paper
W&N watercolor

Aug 2010

Dragonflies and bees

A series of bees and dragonflies. Copy cats from a watercolor guidebook though (Wonderful watercolor with Paul Brent)!

Mini paintings: 1ocm x 10cm each

Bockingford 140lb CP paper

W&N watercolor

Hmm, I'm gonna to frame them altogether and make it as a decorative piece!

Aug 2010

bee, daisy, iris, plum on a tree, seagull

The drive goes on and I did 5 more paintings in the past two days! I must be mad, some of which were done with staying up unitl 4am in the morning! Tiring, but felt so contented and happy.

All drawn against reference photos available free from the web.


Bee

31cm x 26cm
Bockingford 140lb CP paper
W&N watercolor

I wish I could make the background richer in order to make the bee and flower standout more.


Nonetheless, it's a good attempt versus I used to paint with no background at all!













Daisy

This painting actually looks better as a photograph than the actual painting. Thanks to the amazing photography technology these days, the painting turns out looking more vivid and has better layering!

A smaller painting vs the Bee
26cm x 18cm
Bockingford 140lb CP paper
W&N watercolor





Iris

I was brave enough to try some different techniques at the background, by unfortunately the main object, the iris, didn't come out too good, especially the bottom one.


Oh well, it's the process that counts, i keep telling myself!

31cm x 23 cm
Bockingford 140lb CP paper
W&N watercolor





Plum on a tree

Like the Daisy painting, this one is a small piece. Too small for me to draw the details such as the background leaves and the branch in well-define. Depth is not enough either.
Anyway, i know i can do it better after knowing these self critics!

26cm x 18cm
Bockingford 140lb CP paper
W&N watercolor



Seagull

The best I like among all these 5 recent paintings!
I suppose I can do more with the background, but half way through painting this, I decided to give it to a friend as a present (will you be the lucky one?!) and so I didn't want to risk messing up the background.

Something very funny happened with this painting! It was painted versus a free reference photo from the web. I got the orientation wrong and made it a landscape instead of a portrait layout (as you can tell by the way I put my signature there!). It's only when it came to saving the painting as picture in my PC which I also stored the reference photo, would I come to realise the wrong orientation!!!
This doesn't only make the signature orientation wrong, the intensity and changes of the background wash also becomes wrong too because of the wrong oreintation.
Oh well, maybe people won't notice!

I'm going to name this picture "freedom". And because I'm going to give this to a friend, I deliberately add the pairs of claws / legs on the seafull which weren't shown in the original photo. I don't want my friend to be "a bird with no legs"!

31cm x 23cm Bockingford 140lb CP paper
W&N watercolor
Aug 2010

Apricots, Swan, Cherries, Tulips

Still trying to catch the days to do as many paintings as possible while my daughter is still sleep over at my mom's! This time, go back to the basic. Despite I manage to achieve the objective - quick painting, done within20 mins, surprisingly, basic isn't easy. And once again I didn't manage well. Anyway, why not posting the paintings here. They are how I spent the time in the past two evenings.

All: drawn vs the guidebook "Barron's Easel Series - watercolors: a new way to learn how to paint"
26cm x 18cm
Bockingford watercolor 140lb CP
Winsor&Newton watercolor

Gerbera and Gladiolus

Aug 15, 2010
While my daughter is taking her summer holiday at grandma's, i've the luxury to do some paintings. Instead of pursuing the 2010 painting objective, all of a sudden I very much wanted to do some floral paintings for which I used to do quite a lot.

Gerber is one of my favorite flower, however, this as well as the gladiolus painting did not reach my sastisfaction. I seem to have lost the skills of paining wet-on-dry and blending. I wish I could be more decisive when comes to painting. 乾淨利落一點就好 la!

Gerbera 非洲菊

30cm x 23cm
Bockingford Aquarelle 140lb CP

Winsor&Newton watercolor

Gladiolus 劍蘭

26cm x 18cm

Bockingford Aquarelle 140lb CP

Winsor&Newton watercolor