Chakra Whites

The Chakra whites are still being protected by mastic. So, I am able to add a few more shadows around the shapes in the symbols and on the figure to give it a more 3D feel with the resist still in place.

Once, everything is completely dry, and I mean totally dry! Wait overnight because if you don’t, you will find that watercolor paper does rip and rub off if damp. There is no way to make it look right again if that happens. You have to start over. That is a painful lesson on a finished painting to say the least.

Get ready for a shock when you remove the mastic revealing the saved white areas. After getting the sticky mastic off, I also go across the whole surface erasing as much of the pencil as possible. The difference between what it looks like with the mastic and what it look like without it are always amazing.

Pet Portrait Project

A Pet Portrait Project for me is next. This is “Chrome”, he is a stud owned by Cornerstone Danes, a Great Dane breeder in Oroville WA. Her dogs are absolutely beautiful. Please check out her website. Here are two pictures that she sent to me of Chrome, to work from.

Chrome is an absolutely beautiful dog. I loved the position of one of the pictures and have used it as a reference. But, I have gotten a lot of great detail in lighting from the second reference photo. Here is the beginning sketch with mastic (resist) applied to the paper to help preserve the important white areas on the paper.

Chrome 01

Cape Disappointment 2

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse 2

Cape Disap 02Here is what the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse painting looks like with the mastic applied to all the areas I want to reserve. The resist is yellow, so don’t forget and think that the yellow is actually a paint that is on your paper. Now I will be able to wash colors into larger areas without worrying about ruining all the white areas for later.

Cape Disap 03I begin with a wet wash in the sky above the cliffs using mainly Cerulean blue real wet with swipes and drops of Ultramarine Blue. I want a clear blue sky with a couple of light clouds.