Beginning Watercolor Class

I just started taking a beginning watercolor class at a local community college. It's every Saturday for an entire quarter and each class is six hours long. I've been attempting to teach myself, but it was definitely time for some professional help. This is the first little 4"x6" landscape painting I made using just Paynes Gray. Fortunately, the reference image, a black and white photocopy, was difficult to make out, so accuracy wasn't a huge factor.

Watercolor Leaves

Being a horticulturalist, I love leaves of all shapes and sizes! So to practice my watercolor mixing, I decided to paint a few. I watched a YouTube video (How to Paint a Watercolor) for some inspiration. While the results aren't exactly the same, I'm slowly getting the hang of mixing colors with a wet-on-wet technique and splattering clear water.

My Desk Plant's Leaf

My poor desk plant lost a leaf today, so instead of just throwing it away, I attempted to paint it with my watercolors. The end result wasn't an exact replica, but it has the general essence.

Watercolor Pumpkin Card

It's been a goal of mine for quite some time to send out more snail mail. When I found out that a good friend of mine, whose birthday happens to be this this week, loves pumpkins, it was the perfect opportunity. To celebrate her birthday and our mutual love of pumpkins, I made her my very first water color card. I folded an 11in x 15in watercolor paper in half and started painting away.

These pumpkins were created with a number of washes each...way more than I expected to use. I wanted to get a vibrant color, but I haven't quite figured how to achieve it and blend in properly at the same time. Fortunately, it's fun to practice.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

I'm determined to figure out how to watercolor pumpkins in a variety of styles. Today, I focused on the orange washes, with a hint of yellow wash from the top down. I skipped the dots and went with wonky lines. I love irregularly shaped pumpkins, so I like the version on the right the best.

More Watercolor Pumpkins

I painted three more watercolor pumpkins today. In the 1st pumpkin, I tried using different colors (yellow, green & orange) to create depth. In the 2nd and 3rd pumpkins, I was trying to get different shades of orange and add a little depth with the dots. I still have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm loving the process of learning.