The Evolution of a Painting

After several years of not making the time, I decided to nurture my soul and pull out my watercolors.

There's something about starting with a blank canvas and adding color and form and texture and detail and finding a captured moment in the result. 

Several friends have asked me about the process that goes into creating a painting, so I photographed the process of this painting coming to life.

Perhaps this will inspire someone to pull out their own set of paints and start creating!

I started with a photo I had taken in Steamboat Springs a few years ago and had always loved.

I used blue painter's tape to adhere the edges of the watercolor paper to a wooden board.

This keeps the paper from trying to shrink when water is applied.

Since the aspen trees needed to remain primarily white, I started with them.

Using masking fluid and a small artist's brush, I painted the areas I wanted to remain white. 

 I knew I wanted to mask the areas for the leaves, as well, since the yellows in the leaves were lighter than the blue I planned for the background.

This is what it looked like after I had painted masking onto the areas that I wanted to leave white.

Next, I wet the entire paper with water before washing blue over the page several times to get the hue I wanted.

As soon as the blue watercolor dried, I carefully rubbed off the masking (it's very similar to rubber cement) and revealed the white spots underneath.

Next, I mixed paint to make the leaf colors I observed in my reference photograph.

Blending these colors, and allowing them to run into one another created a nice fall leaf effect.

Next, I added a vey light wash of neutral color to the trunks of the aspen trees.

I carefully added shadows with a slightly darker shade, and began adding branches with yet a darker color.

Finally, with a very small brush and dark browns, black, and dark greys, I added tiny details to the tree trunks (more detail to those in the foreground and less detail in the background).

Aspen tree trunks are fabulous for their character and markings, so this step was really fun!

 Last, but not least, I allowed the painting to dry and then removed the blue painter's tape from the edges to reveal a white border.

Let me know if you create a watercolor painting of your own!

Love, Live and create intentionally,

Kristi