Update on Sunflower Painting
(UPDATED PICTURE...8-26-05) Sorry about the really bad scan of my painting. My paper is still stapled to the board...so it's kind of hard to scan it and I would have taken a picture, but I think my husband has the camera and he is at a staff retreat...so I had to make due with this. I just thought you might like to see what I am doing to my sunflower painting. I decided it just didn't have enough color...so after the sepia ink...I am using bright colors of colored pencils and I am getting some wonderful color combinations as well as creating a bit of texture for a rather boring painting. I still haven't totally decided what to do with that background...but I am thinking some Van Goghy swirls and lines would liven it up a bit. What do you think? I also am considering adding more sunflowers over the blue wash I already have...which will be fine, I think, at making them look like they are farther away...and will help fill the space, making it look more like the forest of flowers that towered over me that day. So what do you think? I know I asked before...about what to do about my sunflower painting...but only one person really offered a suggestion. And thanks for that...but I really do value your opinions and if you have one I would so love to hear it. It is so nice to be able to get feedback on my drawings...and since I am really struggling with this I would really appreciate it. I really want to finish this painting. I have mixed feelings about cutting it apart. It's a struggle to push myself to keep going. I am so tempted to quit...and toss it into the corner where my unfinished paintings/drawings reside...of which I have about 10 now! (Don't even ask me how many finished paintings...you don't want to know.) What do you do to get past this point? Just keep going. Discipline? Is that what it's about at this point?
posted by Julie Durocher at 10:00 PM
8 Comments:
Julie, I have never had much succes with painting new watercolor OVER already darkened color (yellow sunflowers over blue backround). I like using colored pencil over watercolor though, like you are doing. If you aren't sure what to do with painting..print some parts of it out and doodle/play with ideas on the print out..then you won't feel like you are messing anything up. I wish we could see the colors better..the one "in field" looked light, and now that you added to one scanned, looks alot darker. Maybe you can take a whole photo when you get camera back from hubby. Anyway, this isn't really alot of advice on what to DO on the painting..but I have found when it becomes frustrating, and is no longer fun, I have to step away from it for awhile. (Yes, I have lots of unfinished work that way too..lol)
Dede
Julie, I like seeing the negative space of the blue without filling it up with swirls or other things. But I would like to see some detail in the big black center in the upper right hand corner. That's where I would do some detailing to suggest more texture. (It is also possible that it is there and the photo doesn't show it, so maybe take this witha grain of salt.) You could use gouache to paint an opaque lighter color over dark.
Hi Julie, I really enjoy your blog. I understand your mixed feelings about cutting apart the sunflowers.
When faced with that sort of situation where I'm not sure with the best way to proceed I usually cheat a bit. I'll scan in something I'm unsure about, print it and play with it to give me an idea of what I want to do.
Julie, I would never have thought to go so bold with your painting, but I like how it is turning out! I can't wait till we can see the whole thing.
I've been captivated some time now by
sunflowers!! I've painted them all over our Pediatric's office but have not done a watercolor of them yet...But I have a great photograph of some that I'm thinking of turning into a watercolor
Julie, I really like the blue background as it is. The sunflower is very strong and has a vivid presence that I think would be diminished if it had to compete with a more intricate background. I do think you should bring some lighter colors into the center of the sunflower to provide the kind of detail that sunflowers have...keep the strong colors and paterns on the flower, but make it pop out a bit more. It's sooo pretty!
Very beautiful!!
Julie, I love the way you have resolved this in the second drawing. The colors really hang together well. One of the drawings I struggeled with was a sunflower and was glad I stuck with it. They are not as easy to draw as it might seem, but a very appealing subject. So bold and graphic. In fact I saw a book entirely devoted to artists renditions of sunflowers. Can't remember the title. I thumbed through that whole thing in the bookstore trying to find a solution to my sunflower problem, but in the end, I had to go home and grapple with it myself!
Lisa
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