Fearless Friday, Hibiscus in a Blue Pot
Happy Friday!
I am continuing to explore the wet in wet technique we discussed last week
I find it fascinating to let the colors blend on their own
and watch wonderful effects appear on the paper
This painting, “Future Raisins” was painted for the Doodlewash May prompt of raisins
I did the grapes above with this technique
and had a lot of fun with different color combinations
Today we’re going to paint this sunny hibiscus in a blue pot
First I laid down a clear wash of water where I wanted the 3 yellow blooms
I dropped in lemon yellow and let it flow in the wet areas,
adding a touch of New Gamboge for some darker areas
Next I established the pot with a few quick wide strokes
Then leaf shapes
Stamens
Here’s where it went a little South…
I decided to drop in some ultramarine blue into the yellow blooms for interest,
Yikes! 😱
I tried to lift it out without much luck…
I decided to leave it alone for awhile and went to work on the leaves
I finished the vase and darkened the leaves,
hoping the dark blotches on the blooms would recede 🤞
I added the shadow by first painting a clear wash of water
where I wanted the shadow to be
and then dropping in the colors from the flowers, leaves and vase
Ultimately I used yellow and orange gouache to help cover “my mistakes”
using dabs of the gouache to camouflage the blue and add texture
Gouache is an opaque watercolor paint,
You can use white gouache to add highlights too
You can get an inexpensive set of gouache paint on Amazon here
I also added some darks to the flower centers and the suggestion of a background
The final touch was ink to make the shapes really pop
“Hibiscus in a Blue Pot” 9″ x 12″ watercolor and ink on 140 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper
Juicy Details
I use a mixture of tube watercolors, mostly Daniel Smith and Windsor & Newton, which I put in half pans in metal tins
The half pans have a magnetic strip on the bottom so they hold in place. You can rearrange them too. I got an extra pan recently because I wanted space for more colors. I put the yellow and orange gouache in the bottom corner of the tin on the right to keep them separate from the watercolor paint
The tin on the left is filled with my favorite colors that are indicated by position on the watercolor chart…the tin is upside down 😬 in the photo, pretend it’s flipped around and then the half pans would match the positions on the color chart…the bottom 2 rows of the chart are the colors by position in the top of the second tin
These are the closed tins, they are approx 3 1/2 inches wide, 6 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch tall. About the size of a smart phone! You can toss them in your bag and add a waterbrush and you can paint anywhere!
These tins hold 40 half pans and are available in many designs on Amazon here
I use plastic palettes for mixing
The flower shaped one is great for mixing large amounts of washes
Oh!
the blue crab that was used for an example of wet in wet last week
was so popular
He is now available in my Society 6 Shop here
“Crabby” Framed Print “Crabby” throw pillow
“Crabby bath mat” “Crabby cutting board
I’m going to get the Crabby bathmat for the boys bathroom,
they will love stepping on him when they get out of the shower 😂
There are always sales going on too!
Happy painting, Be Fearless!
🎨 🌼 🎨
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Meal Plan Monday Love Your Creativity What’s for Dinner?
Between Naps on the Porch, Make it Pretty Monday
Turn About Tuesday Celebrate Your Story, You’re the Star
All About Home/ Common Ground Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Tasty Tuesday Oh My Heartsie Girl Full Plate Thursday
Thursday Favorite Things Creatively Crafty Creative Compulsions
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[…] from The Painted Apron shared not only this lovely painting of hibiscus, but also her step by step process. If I had any […]
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Jenna, the watercolor is stunning and happy at the same time. I love hibiscus and don’t have one this year. Thank you for sharing your many talents with us. Wishing you a delightful weekend!
Thank you Pam, HHjr loves hibiscus and plants them every year. We have two blue pots on the pool deck with these sunny yellow hibiscus and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy seeing them everyday!
Absolutely beautiful! You are so talented, Jenna! Crabby is awesome too. (I had to giggle as “Crabby” is my step-daughter’s nickname.)
Michelle
Thanks Michelle, but uh oh, I hope she’s not really crabby!
Jenna, It is fascinating to watch and read how you are doing your painting. It is stunning. You are so talented and quite a good teacher too.
Thank you so much Bonnie! I am following your daughter on Instagram, I love her abstracts!
Hibiscus is one of my favorite blooms Jenna. Amazing watching you at work with each step for this watercolor. I have blue pots and I usually have plants with pink blooms, I wold love to find yellow for this summer. I’m sure the blue post and yellow blooms look stunning on your deck. Have a wonderful weekend……
Thanks Emily, I am loving the yellow, so happy!
He got the hibiscus at Home Depot
I am fearless but not when it comes to painting! My red hibiscus have been lovely for a couple of weeks. They make me happy in the mornings when I go to the porch to read.
I love love hibiscus, and they are hearty too!
Gorgeous painting, Jenna!! 😊💚
Thank you! 🌺
Very pretty! Really like the yellow and blue.
Thank you Cyndi!
WELL DONE covering that blob of blue. It looks great — love how you did the vase and the blooms are so pretty. Very happy. My neighbor gave me hibiscus seeds and I don’t know if they’ll come up but I figured I’ll give them a try. Maybe I’l have my own models!
Thank you Jeanie! Have you painted with gouache? I haven’t played with it much, but it sure came in handy saving this painting! Good luck with your seeds, be sure to give them plenty of water hibiscus are thirsty! 🌺
So beautiful, Jenna! Love the colors! Mass. hasn’t opened up yet and I’m fine with that. My hubby’s hotel was supposed to open 6/1 but now it’s 7/1. My hairdresser is only doing one at a time. I have my first appt. in 3 weeks. Hopefully, my anxiety will go away. In any case, your blog always makes me happy. I am in awe of your talent! Stay strong and stay healthy, dear Jenna.
Aren’t you sweet, thanks Katie! I do try to keep things cheerful…I hope you begin to feel less anxious and things improve…
Your watercolor show and tells are always fascinating. It makes me smile to see that even an expert (you) can have an “oops!” moment and turn it into something good with patience and effort. That sounds like a good metaphor for life!
Thanks Linda, yes definitely a metaphor for life!
Beautiful! It was very interesting to see how you made your ‘oops’ work out in the end.
thanks Allyson~
Love this Jenna! Especially with the final touches of ink to make it come alive. ♥
Thanks Mary, I love hibiscus!