Following last week’s video about traditional greeting cards, here is another version : abstract greeting cards !
As i like more and more painting abstract watercolors, i thought that it was quite logical to share a serie of abstract greeting cards. This may not be to everyone’s taste, but they are very easy to paint and have a nice festive looking thanks to the metallic pigments ! Have a look on this beauties :
For this cards, simply let your imagination run freely and release any pressure. There is no need here to paint something realistic, or to make them look like something real. A narrow choice of color is always a good idea, because it will allow you to obtain an unity (very important when painting abstract) easily. For each painting i’ve used only two or three colors and one metallic color. This if enough to have something interesting without loosing ourselves in endless mixing. And of course, have fun ! Play with colors and shapes. And you can also experiment with brush marks. And study how the way of handling your brush have an impact on your paper.
Another tip for successful abstract greeting cards : if you are not confident in your abilities, you can start with a bigger sheet of paper. And after painting it you can cut it and choose the best part to show off !
Abstract greeting cards in video
Supplies :
Brushes : Silver Brush Black velvet 1/4″ dagger shape, Raphaël petit gris 903 nº12, Escoda Último nº8 rigger and a palette knife.
Paper : Saunders Waterford rough
Colors : Indigo (Winsor & Newton), Quinacridone burnt scarlet (Daniel Smith), Ultramarine blue (Daniel Smith), Permanent alizarine crimson (Daniel Smith), Quinacridone gold (Daniel Smith).
Metallic colors : Pearlescent shimmer (Daniel Smith), Iridescent copper (Daniel Smith), Aqua bronze pale gold (Schmincke), Aqua bronze silver (Schmincke).
And here you have the finished greeting cards (click to enlarge) :
