WCW272 ~ Autumn in Watercolor - Flowers & Foilage

Today's card was inspired by WCW272 over at Splitcoaststampers featuring MarenaART teaching Autumn Watercolor - Flowers and Foliage.

This was such a fun lesson on painting flowers and foliage reflecting autumn! As I've mentioned before I start by painting in my Strathmore watercolor journal first to get a feel for what I'm painting. In this picture I was able to capture the pearlescent paint that was added at the beginning when I wet the whole paper and added splatters of it. I did it just as it was starting to dry, so they didn't spread as much I had hoped, but was still happy with the result!

Then after I was done with the first painting I cut a piece of Arches 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper to size that I make into a card. I could not get the shimmer to show on the card even though it's on there! I added it when the paper was still very wet and it spread a lot more than my first painting.

Because I didn't paint this the same week the challenge was out I was able to look at the gallery of everyone's creations, and wow am I impressed! It made me realize it's time to challenge myself...a little. lol I have been copying everything as close as possible because I'm afraid to step out and try painting "on my own". I try to match the colors closely as well and paint it as similar as I can to what the artist is painting. I've been learning a lot doing that, so why change, right?! Well, if everyone in the gallery can step out and do their own thing I think it's time for me to start to do that as well. It's all a part of growing and I do want to grow!

While this is still similar to what the artist painted,  it's far from placing everything the way the she did. I had watched the video shortly after it was added to the challenge and of course didn't remember every detail. Before I started painting (about a week or so later) I watched her put in the background, paint the first flower, then skipped to her adding the first set of leaves. She had painted two of the flowers when she added the first set of leaves, so the completed watercolor wasn't in my mind, but that was the point! To make it my own! I also decided to use only colors that were already mixed in one of my flower porcelain mixing trays. That should give me plenty of options, right? I had actually cleaned the tray out and only used it once before painting this. I accidentally mixed one of my shimmer spritzers with my water spritzers when I was activating my paints! I was NOT happy with myself!! That means I sprayed my whole palette and my two flower mixing palettes with rubbing alcohol mixed with Wink of Stella!! I mix these to add shimmer to my cards. Why I didn't smell the alcohol after the first spritz, I don't know! But I did it really quickly so I could start painting, only to be delayed for a while so I could clean everything thoroughly.

Basic White

Petal Pink

Pecan Pie

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Remember all products used are listed at the bottom of each post.

 If you have questions feel free to contact me. 

Just click "Contact Me" at the top of my blog. 

Supplies used on this card:

DaVinci Artist Watercolors - I have the Scratchmade Da Vinci Watercolor Palette, the Autumn Watercolor Set, the Warm Up Watercolor Trio, plus a few random colors - Titan Buff, Joyce's Mother Green, Payne's Gray and Artemis. I also occasionally use FineTec pearlescent colours. I used bronze on today's painting.