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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Blooming Tuesday and Watercolor class

This blooming Tuesday photo was taken last Saturday on my way to see my family in Berkeley, CA! I think it's wisteria, but you may correct me if I am mistaken. It was gorgeous! On Sunday I took my first ever WATERCOLOR class at the community college. The teacher was the same as the one who taught the DRAWING WITHOUT FEAR class I took three weeks ago. His name is Robert Regis Dvorak and he has a web site: www.youcreate.com. I loved the first class and I loved this one too: The Magic of Watercolor. They were both fun and filled with valuable information, non stop exercises from 9:30 AM- 4:30 PM and we went a bit over that this time. One of the first exercises was to simply use all the colors in our palette in an abstract design. Once done and dried we were to use a small rectangle stencil and pick 3-5 spots that made small finished paintings. These are mine:
I was quite proud of my finished very first masterpieces. ;-) she said humbly.
Then we got a lesson in color and color mixing, complimentary colors, etc. We were to next copy a drawing of a bird and paint it however we wished. Becoming comfortable using our brush, which is a long wooden handled Calligraphy brush: CC3 Yasutomo China
In this exercise we drew minimal light lines and learned about leaving white paper
in this case for a waterfall, starting with sky, painting mountains, fanning the brush to make striations in the mountain sides, and drawing trees with our paint brush.
These trees were done leaves first, then trunk. I neglected to leave white in my leaves for more branches (I'll do better next time)...and shading on the trunks using a darker color.
All the exercises seemed to be done quickly. Watercolors as you know
and I learned dry very very very quickly so you have to work fast.
Then we learned how to make people with little multicolored blobs for faces,
a sideways swish of the brush for shirts, and a downward swish for legs and skirts and pants.
Hair added to point faces in different directions. Most of mine are looking forward.
This exercise felt like pre-school. We painted the blobs of color and then sprinkled salt on them
which gave them the textured look. Once dry we used a plastic knife or a credit card to
scrape off the salt. Then we used a thin bamboo spear to draw lines and trees on the hills, and water fall in between the bottom hills.
And then we were to draw and paint a banana using different colors
to show depth and shading. I am surprised at how realistic mine
looks to me today. I think it aged well over night. Ripened!
And last and quickly done this combo of sky, mountains, trees and waterfall.
Leaving the left hand lower corner open to invite the eye into the picture.
Not bad for a first time ever water colorist?
;-)
It was FUN!!!!

14 comments:

  1. what terrific stuff! I love the rainbow waterfall and the banana - and especially love the idea of the 3x5 little paintings.

    I've got to take a class! you've inspired me.

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  2. ot bad? bloody excellent actually! well done. so lovely to see. And that wisteria is beautiful too.

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  3. What a jammed packed lesson. You will learn so much. I wish I was taking the class with you. I really like the abstract paintings.

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  4. Well done! Your banana looks good enough to eat!

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  5. Wowzers, you created some beautiful art!! A good teacher is priceless. That banana is fabulous! Love the little abstracts. A+ for you.

    Are there more classes?

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  6. OMG!! Will you look at that banana and the other work you did. It is all wonderful. he must be a great Teacher. I will have to look up his website. I like the part where you leave some white to invite the person into the painting. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Mim thanks so much.

    Messyfish, you think? Thanks!

    Lisa, thanks, and the class was just that one day! I'd like more too.

    Heather, welcome to my blog, and you may eat a bite of the banana. Thanks. ;-)

    Teri C. thanks, from a watercolorist like yourself your A+ means a lot! I'd love to take more classes from him but it will be a while till he returns. I'd even repeat this one I think.

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  8. PS.. Yes that IS Wisteria. Its beautiful.

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  9. love it all love it all love it all....wowser!

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  10. Lynn you've got talent. And now you must buy procion MX and paint your own fabric :-)

    Corryna

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  11. I can't believe it. You are a natural! I love the abstracts and the banana.

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  12. That class looks like so much fun. I haven't done fun things in an art class since High School, and come to think of it, it wasn't fun then, it was all so serious.

    More fun with art. That's a good idea.

    I love your experiments.

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  13. Okay Corryna, if you say so I will do it! LOL

    Chris you are too kind.

    Rowena, thanks for coming here today! I enjoy your art so much.

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  14. Wow! So many great pieces to share with us and I love the banana and absract so much!!! Hope to see much more from you Lynn!

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Thanks for leaving your comments as I love hearing from you. Your words of encouragement are why I continue to draw!