Dancing the Night Away
8x10 inches
Watercolours and watercolour pencils on watercolour board
I have always loved watercolours - not actually painting them, for this is a medium I never seem to master, but because of my struggle, I have all the more appreciation for those who do master this beautiful medium. My biggest problem is letting go and allowing the paint to do it's thing. I really wanted to do this painting in watercolours alone, but then that need for detail and tightness reared it's ugly head and so I ended up relenting and completing it with watercolour pencils. Nevertheless, I will continue to play and practice and research and see if I can't one day produce a piece that I am truly satisfied with.
One of the things I have also struggled with is using masking fluid. This time, I tried watering it down slightly, and that seemed to make the liquid much more managable. I have read on numerous sites that the masking fluid is impossible to remove from your brushes once set, however I use a wonderful product by Pascoes called Oomph Glue Remover for removing everything from adhesive to chewing gum, and to my delight this liquid removed all traces of masking fluid from my paint brush restoring it to it's former glory. It smells a little like the Zest-it used to blend coloured pencils, so I'm wondering whether the Zest-it might also work for those who have some.
7 comments:
Adorable!
Hi Karen. Well you certainly do justice to any medium you try. Love this and I understand the need for detail as I am just the same.
When I do Roses in watercolor I have to use the watercolor pencils to get the detail I love so much.
It's so hard to be lose when you love detail.
Great job on this as always.
Thank you so much Karla!
You make me smile Dors, to think you're the same way. I guess you either love detail, and in that case there's not much point in fighting it, or you are happy to be looser and more free. I'm sure I could be much more productive if I could let go, as doing all that detail can be very time consuming, but then often it is also the fun part :)
Welcome to the world of detail Karen, there are many like us. I often use fine black pens to bring in the darks and the detail that I crave in my work. I guess it may come with working in miniature as well, when you go larger you still love those little tiny detailed spots in your work. Lovely happy feeling to your picture.
Thank you Wendy. I guess the reason we are drawn to miniatures in the first place is that love for detail, but I know the judges often like to see a looser, freer look.
Well, I agree with all that has been said here regarding detail!! Karen, these are so delightful! Thanks for the tips on removing glue. I never had much luck with masking fluid and didn't think to water it. Also, I don't think we can get Zest-it here in the states.
Thank you Barbara - I'm not sure if the Zest-it actually works, but certainly the adhesive remover that I have works, so maybe other brands of adhesiver remover work too.
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