This week, i’m doing something a bit different. I’m not making a painting around a subject but i’m painting and demonstrating a color in details : viridian.
This idea came to me after some comments from friends or subscribers to my channel. Viridian is a color that seems very artificial, however it’s the only green i have in my palette right now. For a very long time i did have green gold, phtalo turquoise and undersea green (Daniel Smith). But i always prefered mixing my own greens and even more since i discovered quinacridone gold (beside, the undersea green is already a mix of ultramarine blue and quinacridone gold). And following this idea of mixing, viridian is the perfect color for adding a little bit of brightness in a green color and can also be used to get a natural green easier. I think that it’s better to see this color as a part of a mix more than a color to use by itself.
For this watercolor painting, i don’t have any drawings or reference picture to share with you. I can say that the painting was inspired by thistles and fall nature… Anyway, i have some study to show you that i painted just before the painting in video. Here you have them.
This two littles studies have maybe a better composition than the final painting. But they explore two different ways to use viridian. The first one has been worked with complementary color (permanent alizarine crimson) and showcase the neutral hue i can get by mixing viridian with red. The second one is worked with blues and it showcase more the turquoise possibilities of viridian. And my final painting is a combination of those two ways of using viridian !
Loving viridian in video
SUPPLIES :
Brushes : Escoda Aquario nº18, Raphaël petit gris “le 803″ nº2, Silver Brush Black velvet 1/4” in a dagger shape.
Paper : Canson Héritage rough.
Colors : Cobalt blue (Schmincke), Viridian (Schmincke), Quinacridone gold (Daniel Smith), Permanent alizarine crimson (Daniel Smith), Neutral tint (Winsor & Newton).
If you want to see more paintings using viridian, please check those out : a pine cone, a still life.
And here you have the final painting (click to enlarge) :
