Category: Watercolor

Morning Frog

I decided to do a quick watercolor pencil sketch before I got ready for work.

First the shape, then the laying down of colors.  The point of this was to be quick!  I just chose colors I thought would work – about 5 or 6 pencils.

Final result.  I used a small round, and worked the lightest areas and moved into darker.  Where I needed more contrast or detail, I used the pencil in the watery areas.

Total time:  about 20 minutes from beginning to end.  Below is each step.

Layered watercolor pencils
Final sketch

Bee & Borage – First Colors

I did this first layer of colors in the gloom of the evening, after work.  I was tired but had played out some of the painting earlier in the day in between whatever I was doing.  I used a small brush and deliberately tried – and will continue to try – a delicate approach.  Both the bee and the borage have a lot of fine hairs which I want to express and preserve.  Looking at the scan shows a need for contrast in the center of the flower, along with on the bee’s back, behind the eyes.  In these areas, I will be working on glazes to create better contrast, and I hope a better sense of depth.  As it stands now, the whole painting is rather flat and nondimensional to my eye.