I don't usually post things outside of the realm of projects I do for Invites by Andrea, but today I thought I'd post about a recent watercolor painting I finished. Since I graduated from Eastern with a double major in Graphic Design and Watercolor, I haven't done nearly as many watercolors as I used to - apparently there was something about having a deadline and being graded on my paintings that motivated me to actually do them - but I've still made sure I painted at least a few.
One of my goals for 2011 was to paint eight watercolors (which, considering I cranked out one every two weeks my senior year at EMU when I was getting ready for my senior thesis, shouldn't have been too difficult to accomplish). So far I've painted only four, and with everything else I have going on getting ready for the Brides-to-Be show in January 2012, I just don't know if I'll be able to get four more paintings done. Especially considering I'm not even that happy with the one I just completed.
It was a massive undertaking. I absolutely love taking photographs of landscapes and scenery on vacation (or just every day), and I always want to turn those photographs into watercolors. But it's so hard! I never get the water to look like water or the trees to look like trees... This particularly painting I've been working on now and then for the last couple of months was based on a collage of five different photographs I took while on my honeymoon on the Greek island of Santorini. I figured if I tried to do five photographs at once I wouldn't overwork any one photograph (like I usually do), and it would be one of the best "landscapes" I've ever done. (And maybe it is - though I guess that says something about my earlier landscapes...)
Of course, instead I just ended up overworking *every* photograph and it came out looking like a muddled mess. It actually doesn't look half-bad from a distance, but up-close I think it really falls apart.
I tried to bring some lights back into it with colored pencil and help define (fix) some of the edges that needed help, and that made it a little better. I'm just so out of practice since I don't paint as often as I did two years ago anymore.
I guess the individual "quadrants" of the painting aren't too bad with the added colored pencil. It's mainly the flowers that I'm most disappointed in - especially considering I have more experience painting flowers than anything else I painted in this piece! They just look like a solid blob of pink and it's just not working for me. It's really too bad, because I think if this painting had turned out terrific it would have inspired me to paint more and meet my eight-paintings-in-2011 goal. And now, I just don't feel like it's worth it to push myself to put in that extra time if I'm not going to be satisfied with the end product anyway.
It's okay - I really do have enough on my plate right now without trying to finish an arbitrary painting goal I put on myself. I still want to try to get two or three more paintings done this year (probably smaller ones), but my focus is definitely going to be on Invites by Andrea instead.
I still have a lot to do to get ready for the Brides-to-Be show! Expect an update soon with some pictures of some of the samples I've been working on, once I finish some more and photograph my whole new collection. :)
Shameless plug time: I know, I just spent this whole post acting self-deprecating about my watercolors, but if you love this painting, let me know! Email me at andrea@invitesbyandrea.com if you're interested in learning more about my watercolors, would like to see some more examples, or would like to purchase one. I can also do commissions! Love a photograph you've taken on vacation? I can copy it for you in watercolor, colored pencil, or a mixed of both!
Please do not steal my images. I am not watermarking them because I want to trust the people who visit my blog, and I can only continue to not watermark them if you don't commandeer the pictures I post for your own uses. I spent a lot of time and energy on this painting (and all the other paintings and projects I display on this blog), and I want credit for my work. Thanks!
One of my goals for 2011 was to paint eight watercolors (which, considering I cranked out one every two weeks my senior year at EMU when I was getting ready for my senior thesis, shouldn't have been too difficult to accomplish). So far I've painted only four, and with everything else I have going on getting ready for the Brides-to-Be show in January 2012, I just don't know if I'll be able to get four more paintings done. Especially considering I'm not even that happy with the one I just completed.
 |
| "Santorini" by Andrea Arbit - 22" x 30" Watercolor and Colored Pencil, 9-10/2011 |
It was a massive undertaking. I absolutely love taking photographs of landscapes and scenery on vacation (or just every day), and I always want to turn those photographs into watercolors. But it's so hard! I never get the water to look like water or the trees to look like trees... This particularly painting I've been working on now and then for the last couple of months was based on a collage of five different photographs I took while on my honeymoon on the Greek island of Santorini. I figured if I tried to do five photographs at once I wouldn't overwork any one photograph (like I usually do), and it would be one of the best "landscapes" I've ever done. (And maybe it is - though I guess that says something about my earlier landscapes...)
Of course, instead I just ended up overworking *every* photograph and it came out looking like a muddled mess. It actually doesn't look half-bad from a distance, but up-close I think it really falls apart.
 |
| Close-up of the upper right corner of the painting (Santorini Cliffs) |
 |
| Close-up of the upper left corner of the painting (Black Sand Beach) |
I tried to bring some lights back into it with colored pencil and help define (fix) some of the edges that needed help, and that made it a little better. I'm just so out of practice since I don't paint as often as I did two years ago anymore.
 | |
| Close-up of the colored pencil additions to the upper right corner of the painting (the town of Oia in the distance) |
 |
| Close-up of the bottom right corner of the painting (a church and sunset in Oia) |
I guess the individual "quadrants" of the painting aren't too bad with the added colored pencil. It's mainly the flowers that I'm most disappointed in - especially considering I have more experience painting flowers than anything else I painted in this piece! They just look like a solid blob of pink and it's just not working for me. It's really too bad, because I think if this painting had turned out terrific it would have inspired me to paint more and meet my eight-paintings-in-2011 goal. And now, I just don't feel like it's worth it to push myself to put in that extra time if I'm not going to be satisfied with the end product anyway.
It's okay - I really do have enough on my plate right now without trying to finish an arbitrary painting goal I put on myself. I still want to try to get two or three more paintings done this year (probably smaller ones), but my focus is definitely going to be on Invites by Andrea instead.
I still have a lot to do to get ready for the Brides-to-Be show! Expect an update soon with some pictures of some of the samples I've been working on, once I finish some more and photograph my whole new collection. :)
Shameless plug time: I know, I just spent this whole post acting self-deprecating about my watercolors, but if you love this painting, let me know! Email me at andrea@invitesbyandrea.com if you're interested in learning more about my watercolors, would like to see some more examples, or would like to purchase one. I can also do commissions! Love a photograph you've taken on vacation? I can copy it for you in watercolor, colored pencil, or a mixed of both!
Please do not steal my images. I am not watermarking them because I want to trust the people who visit my blog, and I can only continue to not watermark them if you don't commandeer the pictures I post for your own uses. I spent a lot of time and energy on this painting (and all the other paintings and projects I display on this blog), and I want credit for my work. Thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment