Day 23 : #30x30DirectWatercolor2018 : So close I can taste it!
Day 23, 28/30! <soooo close!!!
You may recall me saying; If it gets tough, we can always cut corners and do some little ones :)
These are 3-up on a 1/2 sheet, so that makes them about 7″ high. Post-card sized.
I can taste the finish line now. Tried to paint something more serious, but gave up and just jumped ahead with these super-fast mini’s. I was really tempted to just finish today – but – this filled the only sheet I had taped, and I still had to scan. So……
So – what’s interesting about these?
They’re done with a very quick underpainting – very messy – which I then spritzed down with an atomizer bottle. (The one I use to mist my pans in the paint box). That’s what’s giving the bled-out edges and weird dripping.
Why?
I dunno.
Just an experiment, done out of frustration. I was thinking – ‘these are not doing it for me’.
‘Maybe I’ll trash ’em but – – – what if I do this. *spritz *spritz *spritz’.
Edit: I just remembered when I figured out this trick. Back when I was drawing in water-soluble ink. <spritzing first shows up in this old post].
I went back in and tightened up the focal areas with opaque-ish-strokes. But I kind of wish I hadn’t. It would be neat to see if I’d left the misted-out stuff alone. Whether they’d have stood up to later examination.
By the way – the reference photos for these came from @castellidelmondo on Instagram. I don’t know them. They seem like one of those re-poster channels on IG where they re-broadcast anything they find in their niche.
Just the thing for random inspiration! Nothing wrong with that when you’re on day 23 of a painting exercise.
~m
Citizen Sketcher 
I can’t understand why you don’t like these. I don’t think they aren’t interesting either. I’m not saying this just to be nice. To be able to put that much feeling into a little painting–or any size painting- is very interesting. They don’t read as copies of photographs.
Wonder what you will paint when the 30 days are up??
“Bored” with your 30 by 30?
Why don’t you try using unfamiliar pigments. You know you have almost tubes floating around- we all do lol!
Oooooo! very nice!
I know how you are feeling, I’ve got two to go, hope to finish today. It’s a press here at the end Marc, but I’ve gained a great deal from it, I’ll share at the end.
Erik Madsen
I cannot stop seeing a face in the bluff below the castle in the 2nd painting. 2 eyes, red triangle nose and long straight line of a mouth. HELP!
Hah! Now you’ve done it! Once someone points out that sort of thing, I can’t un-see either!
The scarecrow from the wizard of Oz is haunting your painting ; > }