Watercolor is my favorite medium to paint with on summer days
I was drawn to this photo of a rose with a dark background
I loved how the darks made the flower pop
Normally I would paint this in acrylic but I decided to try it in watercolor
I started with the lightest rose petals
I indicated the center with dark pink
Then the smaller blooms were placed
Darker washes of color were used to build the flowers
Stems and leaves were painted with shades of green
and at this point I was very happy
I decided to start laying in the background with black
and knew right away I’d made a mistake
I kept going, but it only got worse as I got impatient and sloppy
At this point I stopped and walked away…
it was definitely a hot mess!
And then I had an idea 💡…
black gouache
Gouache is opaque watercolor
you can thin it out like watercolor if you want,
but it dries as an opaque layer like acrylic
Once the whole background was filled in it looked much better
I added more details and color to the blooms
To finish I did some loose ink outlines with a fine liner pen
“Night Rose” 9″ x 12″ watercolor and gouache on Fabriano 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper
Have you ever painted with gouache?
My experience is almost zero
so if you have any tips they would be much appreciated!
Try something new and Be Fearless!
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado/ Love Your Creativity
What’s for Dinner/ Between Naps on the Porch
All About Home/ Common Ground & Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Oh My Heartsie Girl / Turn About Tuesday
Karin’s Cottage Linky Party / Creative Crafts / Crafty Creators
Full Plate Thursday/ Creatively Crafty/ Thursday Favorite Things