11″w x 9″h watercolor monochrome (dioxine purple) on 140lb Fabriano wc paper.
Here is my portrait AF in monochrome. Amalia Fisch is a fellow artist in the Spokane Watercolor Society Club. This portrait was done for the January challenge to do a painting in monochrome. What a challenge it is to do work using only one color. The single color chosen for this image was Dioxazine Purple by Blick Artist’s Watercolors. Below is the painting in the process after a few light washes had established the figure.
Yesterday was our monthly meeting at Spokane Art supply at 10 am. It was great to be able to see my artist friends again. Seeing their work is the highlight of the meeting for me. Being able to share and talk about methods is so valuable. I always learn from these meetings.
9″w x 11″h watercolor monochrome (paynes grey) on 140lb Fabriano wc paper.
BO Monochrome Portrait done for the January challenge, to do a painting using only one color. Here is a fellow artist, Bill Okamura for this month’s Spokane Watercolor Society meeting.
What was the result? A realization that “monochrome” changes how I approach a painting. Basically, the values become key, and other colors are not there to distract me as I paint. Use value to get depth and shape.
The chosen color used for this image was Payne’s Gray by Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors economically available at Spokane Art Supply. Below is the painting in the process after only a few light washes establish the figure.
Our monthly meeting for the Spokane Watercolor Society was at Spokane Art supply at 10 am yesterday. Seeing my artist friends and their work is inspiring to me. Bill did a monochrome painting of an old car that was spectacular! Hope he shares with us.
Being able to share methods and techniques is so valuable to me.
Here is a monochrome of Diane, the first of the portraits all finished. I am very happy with the look of this and hope it ranks well in the monthly challenge program at the next meeting. It is a veritiable challenge to get depth and shape in using only one color. I believe it was done using Ultramarine blue or cobalt, now I am not sure. Some day soon I have to go ahead and mark my watercolor wells on the pallet. The only sure fire way for me to keep the names straight. Honestly, I just dab into whatever color feels right to use rather than knowing which color should be used scientifically. It is the artist (lack of) logic in full force.
SWS Meeting
Can’t wait to go to the Spokane Watercolor Society meeting scheduled for January 18th (Saturday) at 10am at the Spokane Art Supply Classroom here in Spokane, Washington. Truly, a case of, “birds of a feather” hanging out together. It is so much fun to visit with other artists and compare methods. I haven’t been able to attend any meetings for quite a while. Health issues prevented me from doing much of anything for the past half year. It is great to be feeling better and I am hoping to be able to get out more now.
I’d be glad to have you come as my guest to explore your interest in watercolor painting. You’d probably like to come check out this meeting with me. It really is a great help to be able to hook up with others interested in art, as you are. Email me here if you are so inclined and we will work out the particulars about where to meet, driving or carpool etc.
Today is a happy painting and writing day for this person.
9″w x 11″h watercolor monochrome (blue) on 140lb Fabriano wc paper. SWS meeting challenge monochrome (blue) portrait Diane Conkright.
A monochrome painting, a “monthly member challenge” of the Spokane Watercolor Society meeting is scheduled for January 18th at 10 am at Spokane Art Supply. I love these different monthly challenges because they make me stretch my abilities and try new things. Being able to see and discuss the methods used with other members makes the lessons learned so much better.
Really, this is NOT something I “never” do. I actually love to do a black and white rendering first for almost every painting done in color. It is a natural way for me to see things for lighting. Where are the shadows, and where does the light burn it white. Yep.
In fact, I took a Ron Stocke weekend workshop last year at Spokane Art Supply and absolutely loved it. Ron is a talented professional that I totally admire, and he does amazingly beautiful Plein air work with a full understanding of architectural design. It was fun learning a different system of painting. Ron’s first step is sketching, followed by a monochrome layout study to paint from. It was a great feeling to see a professional like him use monochrome studies the same way I start my projects.
Dale Latinen is another professional artist giving a great local weekend workshop through the Spokane Watercolor Society, Check it out here at Dale Latinen Workshop , April 2-5th, 2020. Places are filling up fast.
Games kids play. The amazing thing about this whole series of pictures is the changing facial expressions and reactions of all the people as they watched. Jenka affects the whole group and this game got the whole family going. In this first image you can see avid interest as Lottie selects which piece she is going to take.
Jenka Lottie Isaac Ben 04
With the middle of the column already pretty unstable, it was getting difficult to remove pieces without making it fall. Nerve racking. The boys are surprised at which piece she chose.
Jenka Lottie Isaac Ben 07Jenka Lottie Isaac Ben 08
They watch the piece move. Look at the intense expressions while watching with anticipation (including a tongue).
Jenka Lottie Isaac Ben 10
She does it without having the blocks topple over and it blows Isaac’s mind.
Jenka Lottie Isaac Ben 11
Lottie is feeling truly triumphant! Yay! La Dee Dah!
