Didn't quite finish this plein air sketch overlooking the west of the Tucson valley. But I was happy with some of the things that were happening in the clouds and rainfall. Still trying to learn this medium, I don't have much experience with wet on wet effects.And the new colors in my palette completely threw me when I tried to paint the mountains. That'll teach me not to mix some samples before going out. I think that splotchiness in the blue on the mountain, center-right, is from something called "granularity" in the paint. I just read about this aspect of pigments in the new Daniel Smith catalog. Maybe some watercolor mavens could straighten me out if I'm wrong.
5 comments:
Well, I guess I'm not much of a watercolor maven! I can't really tell you why this happens. However, I have had the same thing happen with the water mixable oils, particularlly dark blues and reds. I wonder if temperature has an effect...What did Daniel Smith say?
I'm so glad you posted this one.
Daniel Smith seemed to be saying that some colors become "granular" either when mixed with certain colors, or if the pigment is strong in the paint stroke. Sometimes, paints can have a different hue in washes because of the heavier pigment dropping out of a watery mix. Apparently, mixing in gum arabic can reduce granularity (also extends drying time, and increases the ability of the paint to "rewet" successfully.)
I couldn't find the article from the catalog online, but I did find this short tutorial on coloring and glazing.
Say, I haven't seen any more posts. What's going on? I hope you are planning another watercolor and will be able to upload something soon. Thanks for the link to the short tutorial. Here is that portrait poll I mentioned:
click here to see the post
I like the moodiness of the clouds and rain and the splash of color on the land!
Marian,
Yes, it was a very moody day -- right in the middle of our summer monsoon season. Once in a while the sun would peek through, and make the stones vibrant with warm hues. It was irresistable to throw some of it in. Thank you for stopping by.
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