For the last couple of months I've been working on several botanical paintings. I've only recently discovered how challenging it is to get this technique under control and it took me some time to practice, practice and practice until it started to look remotely like I wanted it to look. ;)
Watercolour isn't like any other medium, it does what it does: The amount of water one uses as well as the drying process itself has an influence on the pigment which interacts with the kind of paper one uses. You wet the paper, let the paint flow, and add drops of pigment until it dissolves into the paper... You literally have to work it up layer after layer and than the best results are achieved if you let it dry naturally in between each layer. What also fascinated me is that your brush is not just your tool to place the pigment on the paper, but also to 'erase' it off the paper!
It takes oodles of patience but once I started to see the results, I was completely mesmerized by this medium! I can watch how it interacts with different colours and paper, for hours! ;)
My effort resulted in the painting below of an orchard which I have growing in my lounge, and which I photographed myself to get a creative result. Everytime I look at the results I believe I get a lot closer to master watercolour, but it is by no means perfect. Hopefully, as with many artworks created before, they will be the stepping stones to even better artwork in the future!
Botanical illustration of an orchid
Size: 40x29,7cm
Medium: Watercolour on Canson Montval 300gms
Photography: Astrid Keus
© Artwork by Astrid Keus (September 2019)
© Artwork by Astrid Keus (September 2019)
Botanical illustration of blue poppies
Size: A3 (including cardboard frame)
Medium: Watercolour on Canson Montval 300gms
© Artwork by Astrid Keus (September 2019)
Botanical illustration of Red Lilly
Size: A3 (including cardboard frame)
Medium: Watercolour on Canson Montval 300gms
© Artwork by Astrid Keus (September 2019)
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