For this week’s video, i’ve decided to associate a technic i’m not very familiar with (creating texture with plastic wrap) with a subject i’ve never done before : succulents.
I have quite a lot of experience with traditional plants and flowers, but i never tried succulentes before this video. And even if it’s still plants, they have a lot of differences in the structure, texture and colors. So i am a bit lost here. But in order to help me find my marks, i decided to work with plastic wrap. When i apply plastic wrap on top of a still wet fresh layer of color, i’m able to create lots of texture with all the folds it creates. And i can move the folds around until i’m satisfied with the texture. With this technique you can create texture for leaves, water and like here rocks.
The final painting for this first try is quite abstract and maybe you need a lot of imagination to “see” the succulents. That’s why i wanted also to show you my gouache painting with the same subject. I painted this one after my watercolor painting. I did want to have a better understanding of the structure of the plants. And by trying many times the same subject, i’ll learn something each time. And maybe later this year i’ll be able to paint another version of the same subject in a more accurate way. Watercolor painting is not success every time but painting again and again in the best way to learn and make beautiful things !
Watercolor’s succulentes in video
Supplies :
Brushes : Escoda Aquario nº18, Raphaël Petit Gris le “803” nº2.
Paper : Canson Héritage rough.
Colors : Phtalo turquoise (Daniel Smith), Rose madder lake (Sennelier), Yellow ochre (Daniel Smith), Lavander (Daniel Smith), Lunar blue (Daniel Smith), Nickel azo yellow (Daniel Smith).
And here you have the finished painting (click to enlarge) :
