Monday, March 12, 2012

Friends and Frappuccinos

Last Saturday, three of my friends came over for the day.  They had asked me if I would teach them how to paint with watercolors.  They arrived at 10 am. I made some frappuccinos to enjoy while we painted. 

First, we taped our paper to a board then mixed up a soft glaze of their choice of color.  We painted a light wash on our papers, then applied plastic wrap to the paper.  This creates a mottled design as a base.  We set those aside to dry. 

Our next step was to learn a little about hard and soft edges while we painted some roses.  That was fun.  When we finished with that painting, we took a break for a lunch of potato soup and home baked bread. 

After lunch, we removed the plastic wrap from our boards.  I passed out identical pictures to each lady and they spent a little time drawing the magnolia onto their paper.  Then I showed them techniques to use painting the flower.  Some expressed that watercolor was harder than they had anticipated.  We had a great day and are looking forward to getting together again in the future. 

I have painted six times from the same photograph.  I never tire of it.  I think magnolias are beautiful.  Each time I paint this flower's photo, the result is different.