Grace

Dusk

For this project we had to keep working on our scholastics. I chose to work on a portfolio. I was feeling artistically blocked, so I decided to take a break from concentration ideas, and create a painting for fun. I found some magnifying glasses, and took photos of my friend. I chose my favorite of the photos, and printed out a reference image in black and white. I traced the outlines over a light table, before painting it in water color and ink. I really enjoyed making this project, because it felt so open and I felt unrestricted.

Once I was ready to keep working on my portfolio, which I think is going to be leaves, I decided to make a tree. I wanted to use watercolor, but try something different. I started by putting the water on the paper first, and then touching a paintbrush holding acrylic paint to the water, letting it flow through the water. I used this technique for the branches and tree. I then used red, yellow, and orange watercolor for the leaves. I also painted black birds in the sky.

In the background, I wanted to add contrast. I went with purple watercolor. I'm not a huge fan of the way the pigment turned out. I think that it may have been too saturated, because it pulls away from the softness of the tree and leaves. I added dark purple hatch-marks in the back as well to add texture.