Tag: #LegionPaper

Rain and Reflections


Artwork-Holbein and Winsor & Newton Gouache on a Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper. Brushes: Jack Richeson Richeson Grey Matters Synthetic Watercolor Flat 1/4 and Princeton Heritage Synthetic Sable 4050 Round 8. Reference Photo courtesy of Pexels on Pixabay.

Bright lights dancing to the music of the rain. To splashing feet, syncopated beat, raindrops twirling, puddles swirling, serenity in energy.

Doodlewash prompt: Rain & Reflections

Tools:

Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper

Wet Paint Custom Holbein Artist Gouache Set

Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache

Jack Richeson Richeson Grey Matters Synthetic Watercolor Flat 1/4

Princeton Heritage Synthetic Sable 4050 Round 8 

Sunflower – Gouache on Gouache


Artwork-Holbein Artist’s Gouache and Acryla gouache on a Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper.  

There are two kinds of gouache – watercolor and acrylic. One of the nice things about acrylic gouache is that it has a matte surface and you can use watercolor over it. Of course, transparent colors won’t show up very well, so you need to use either gouache of the watercolor kind or very opaque watercolors.

I was experimenting with switching that around – using the acrylic kind over the watercolor kind. I’ve found when painting on black paper that I often forget to leave enough black showing. It’s the same principle as remembering to leave the white of the paper.

I decided to try adding acrylic black to bring more of the black back, jack (sorry! I couldn’t resist the rhyme).

Anyway, I used a really cheap brush when applying my acrylic lines and couldn’t make them thin enough. So I applied some of the watercolor gouache and then some of the acrylic and … well – it was gouache on gouache.

Turns out that it works pretty well.

The difference between Gouache and Acryl or Acryla Gouache was discussed in my post Gouache VS Acrylic Gouache.

Tools:

Orchid On Black – Postcards for the Lunch Bag


Artwork-Holbein and Winsor & Newton Gouache on a Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper. Brushes: Jack Richeson Richeson Grey Matters Synthetic Watercolor Flat 1/4 and Princeton Heritage Synthetic Sable 4050 Round 8 

Did you know that the world’s smallest known orchid is only about 1/8 inch across while the largest species can be over 10 feet tall?

I have to admit Orchids are not my favorite flower, either in real life or for painting. Not sure why, but they just don’t stir my creative side. But, truthfully, that’s a good reason to paint one, once in a while. It pulls more from my analytic side and it’s a good idea to get both sides communicating!

Doodlewash prompt ‘Orchid’.

Tools:

Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper.

Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache:

Holbein Designers Gouache:

Jack Richeson Richeson Grey Matters Synthetic Watercolor Flat 1/4

Princeton Heritage Synthetic Sable 4050 Round 8 

Leafy Sea Dragon – Postcards for the Lunch Bag


Artwork-Holbein Gouache on a Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper. Brushes: Jack Richeson Richeson Grey Matters Synthetic Watercolor Flat 1/4

Today, my hubby took a Leafy Sea Dragon in his lunchbag. Did you know that the Sea Dragon is not a sea horse, though they are related to them? Their leafy protrusions are such a good camouflage that they have no known predators.

Doodlewash prompt ‘Seahorse’.

Even when I’m not feeling artsy, I try to do something artsy every day. I usually go abstract on those days – can you tell this was one of them?

Opal Dinosaur – Postcards for the Lunch Bag


Artwork-Holbein Gouache on a Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper. Brushes: Princeton Neptune Travel Brush, Series 4750, Round, Size 8

Today, my hubby took an opal dinosaur in his lunchbag.

Doodlewash prompt ‘Rainbow’. An opal has a rainbow of colors so I’m claiming this for the prompt!

With Australia in the news, all sorts of odd trivia is popping up. I discovered that fossilization and opalization occur under similar circumstances, and that in some areas (such as Lightning Ridge, Australia) fossils are found that are partially opalized. Including dinosaur fossils!

The opalization tends to occur in gaps where the fossilization misses, so you won’t find whole dinosaurs (or shells or wood, etc) that are totally opalized, especially not to the extent that I’ve painted mine. But once I discovered that this happens, I had to paint a fully opalized dinosaur skull – that’s where imagination exceeds reality!

Sad to think that many of these fossils may be destroyed in the fires – another tragedy among tragedies.

Mountains of Morning


Artwork-Holbein Gouache on a Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper. Brushes: Princeton Heritage Brushes 4050 Synthetic Sable. Photo reference courtesy of enriquelopezgarre on Pixabay.

Sometimes you see a view or a photo reference and think ‘I just gotta paint that!’ That happened with this beautiful scene. I was a bit intimidated by it though. I know from experience that a view like this looks simple, but that doesn’t mean easy. I’ve messed up enough of them in the past to know.

This time though, I used black paper – half the job done. Combined with the bright goauche colors, all I had to do was move the brush around.

Instant drama! Who needs Black Velvet (either the cloth or the booze!) when you’ve got black watercolor paper!

It isn’t exactly galatic but it has that feeling of vastness so I’m claiming it for the Doodlewash prompt: Galaxy

Chameleon – Postcards for the Lunch Bag


Artwork-Holbein Gouache on a Stonehenge Aqua ColdPress Black watercolor paper. Brushes: Princeton Neptune Travel Brush, Series 4750, Round, Size 8 Photo reference courtesy of cocoparisienne on Pixabay.

Today, my hubby took a Chameleon in his lunchbag. Doodlewash prompt ‘Chameleon’.

Chameleons are interesting critturs. Just a few of fun facts about them:

They don’t change color according to their environment. In fact, different species change color for different reasons. Some for anger or fear, while others respond to light, temperature or humidity.

They change color via nanocrystals – two layers of specialized cells under their skin.

Their tongues can be 2.5 times their body length.

Almost half of the chameleon species live in Madagascar.

They cannot regrow their tails like other lizards.

The smaller the chameleon, the faster the tongue. They’ve been clocked at 8500 feet per second.

Their spit is super sticky!

They do not have ear openings, but they are not deaf. They can detect sound frequencies in the range of 200 – 600 Hz.

They never stop growing during their lifespan.

They see better than humans, with vision in both visible and ultraviolet light.