MY WATERCOLOR PROCESS

First I get my drawing done with permanent ink so the water won't wash away the lines.  For paper, I always use Arches watercolor blocks.  They are great and won't buckle. This painting is called Kristen III.

Gather supplies!  Light source to the left, I'm right handed and I don't want shadows. Two things not shown but very necessary for me are a squirt water bottle to get the paint wet and tissue to slurp up water and mistakes.

I use a three bowl rinse system.  First bowl for most of the paint, second bowl for an extra rinse and the tiny shot glass for "super clean never been touched by paint" water.  Aren't they cute...my little owl bowls?  Ya well......

My brushes, I have so many.  It's a mood thing for me.  Sometimes my cheap ones seem great and sometimes my expensive ones, I can't live without.

Watercolors!  I use M.Gram watercolors.  LOVE the quinacradone colors!

After I get the area wet that I want to work with on the painting, I spray the color, olive green with my water bottle, get the brush wet (wet on wet technique) grab some paint then apply the color to the paper. 

I try not to cover the whole area solid with the color.  Leaving some white space, darker and lighter areas of olive green, adds depth and texture.

Next I grab a different color, nickel azo yellow.  I didn't rinse the brush in this case.  Sometimes you do and sometimes you are okay with having green in your yellow. :)

I dipped the azo yellow into the wet olive green in different patches. 

I needed to create some more depth with shadow so now for the POP, turquoise!

I used turquoise on the left side, shadow side, of the hill.  My light source, in this painting, is coming from the right.

There all done!  Notice none of the color is solid.  Each color gets to peek through and add it's own interest.

To create some good color composition and continuity, I knew I would need to use the turquoise in other areas.  It's such a dark dominant color.

The hill off in the distance is a nice cool turquoise.  Not as many details or colors as it is father away in the landscape.

SO those cute little owl bowls...lets get real!  I need some big industrial bowls to get the rinse job done.  The rinsing of the brush is so important for the light colors.  You can get hard lines, blooms and muddy colors if you don't have well rinsed brushes.

I decided to go with a turquoise sky as well. 

Here it is!  All done.