step 16

Another dark value wash put on the areas in shadow. This flower is definitely at the ugly stage. I am nightshift tonight so I won't get any more done today.

Step 15

I did a little more on the last flower today. You can see the ghostly image after applying the first washes. I have to let this dry thoroughly before doing more glazes of colour. The colours in this photo aren't exact but I'll get a better one tomorrow.

Step 14

I'm finally starting on the last flower. I finished the other flowers today and worked a little on the stems and the reflections of colour in the crystal dish. Once everything is basically done I will go all around the painting correcting colours and values.

Step 13

I got a little time to paint this afternoon before nightsift again tonight. I darkened the background one more time with a wash of blue. I also darkened some of the values on the main tulip on the left. I am almost finished with that one. Just a few more adjustments on it to go and I can start the last flower.

Step 12

I am concentrating on the front tulips and just started the one on the right while waiting for the other one to dry between washes. I am having a hard time getting the colours and values where I want them but it should get there with more glazes of colour.

Step 11

I have started on the first of the two main flowers. Only the first washes are down and there are still many more glazes of colour to go. I will be making the shadowed areas of the flowers quite dark to make the light areas really pop.

Step 10

I had time to do a little more this afternoon but it's nightshift again tonight. Work really gets in the way of my painting LOL. Tomorrow I will get a lot more done because I'll be sitting at our art club's open studio again with nothing else to do but paint for 4 hours.

All of the background petals are at least started if not finished. Once they are completed I will start on the two front tulips.

step 9

These petals are getting tedious because I have to sort out which one belongs to which flower so I can get the values and colours right. :) I did more on the background flowers but had to stop to let it dry. I won't have any more time for painting today because I'm nightshift tonight.

The colours in this photo are a little off because they were taken using my work lamp. It is grey and raining today.

Step 8

I worked on the top left flowers today until it got to hot in my studio. Still more glazes of colour to add but the values are getting there.

Step 7

I did a couple more hours on the petals this afternoon. I don't want to start the front two flowers until all the background ones are completed. There are still many glazes left on them but they are pretty wet right now so I have to take a break for them to dry before adding more colour. My intention was for the background ones to look almost abstract or at least difficult to make out which petal belongs to which flower. That is how they looked in real life and I want the focus to be on the front tulips which will be much clearer.

Step 6

I had a little more painting time today. The leaves are finished (I think) as well as the bowl. I will go back and look at them again for final corrections once the flowers are done.

I started on the first petals getting a feel for the colour scheme I want and the best way to get it to look how I picture it in my head.

Step 5

Despite working today I managed to get a lot done on this. I added a purple wash to the background and the shadows (the tulips will be peachy colour). I also worked on the crystal bowl and the leaves. I want to get everything else done before I start the flowers.

Seeking the Light step 4

I didn't get much time to paint today but this evening I started the first washes of green on the stems and some shadows on the table. I also added small amounts of masking fluid on the crystal bowl that the tulips are sitting in. The photo has a pink cast to it because I took it by lamp light. The white areas are still white in real life.

I won't have time to paint the next few days because I'm working so you will have to be patient for the next steps. :)

step 3

I added a second wash of black to the background. That is the last of the black I will use and the rest of the washes will be colour.

Seeking the LIght step 1 & 2

I looked through my reference photos for something to work on next and decided that these tulips bending towards the light would be fun. I might have said in an earlier post that I am going to paint smaller for awhile but changed my mind for this one because it needs the larger size for more impact. It is 18 x 24"

I corrected the drawing that I started yesterday and put on the first wash in the background. I am using lamp black for the first washes to speed up getting the darks established. I will use washes of colour on top of it.

The first picture of the drawing was hard to photograph when it is just pencil lines on white paper. The second photo shows the background but you can't really see the drawing.

Magnolias finished

I finished working on this one started at the workshop last weekend. I deliberately left this a little looser than my usual (although it might not be too obvious :-) ).

Reflections on Breakfast finished

I have decided to call this one finished because not only am I tired of working on it, but also because I am frustrated by the masking fluid I couldn't remove. It will never look the way I wanted it to. I am happy to move on to something new at this point.