![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJYEqmdwA_x1OBb71X4bcL26aBDf5x4-eyT5UHSU-07mT8empHzoUg2F746eq47U3wwjaIlxPQD2cerek4iG66eB69vc6GTfMnaVCor8rW_YN011IBWn9A0jVx7Zd23jJ2t0vHa79xOQ/s400/29249908_10211766741629452_8731837914868088832_n.jpg) |
Step #1 |
Finishing "Mardi Gras Iris," which I’d shown in my previous post, meant identifying the colors I used when starting the painting several months ago. I'd neglected to keep color notes, so I had to do some paint swatches to be sure I'd get them right. I wanted to stay with mostly transparent, and staining or semi-staining colors.
Holbein's "Opera" -- an almost neon-bright pink that is fairly easy to identify -- was the main color I used in the center iris blossom. Pigments used in manufacturing Opera make it a 'fugitive' color (unstable, and not very permanent), so I wouldn't normally use it in focal-point areas of a painting. But in this painting, I was experimenting with a more vivid palette and wanted to determine how Opera interacts with other pigments. I do know other watercolor artists use this color to good advantage, especially in detail areas.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTemOB8zMVlQGWjzu0gl6DhPznN1JvC9DtvDrRsZ8kjVBb6Q4dg4RJmBT6Qh3QtMuUChUqLZ7eejrx4BNu-XraNgUCqzbzBTKzY8depSBccJksF2b69yCqUmYPxn_Bvnt_GWBqZqJVCsE/s200/detail+%25231.jpg) |
Background runs and blooms |
After a little experimenting with color swatches, it was clear that I'd used "Winsor Blue GS (e.g. 'green shade'), " Dioxazine Violet," and "New Gamboge," along with "Transparent Orange," "Quinacridone Gold," "Permanent Rose" and "Quinacridone Magenta," all of which are Winsor & Newton, professional-grade paints.
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Circles |
I did the background in a blended wash, using Winsor & Newton's "Permanent Sap Green," "Cobalt Blue," and "Green Gold," making deliberate use of "runs" and "blooms" (detail, above left) in the process of laying down these washes.
Also, I lifted small spots of color (detail right) using a wadded-up paper towel, still allowing the paint to blur and blend naturally.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4pk6HhG5wQRQQaESScjRZmZH39fQkI4XhKPt9BST7IarLKW77QhQbHZuMevrrsqOC7EwHnx6M1U_0J8vcxbhmsgJ7QbUncX45mhYLyeejGkALZ6ErPVLlbjxWcBGEkORgMemCm0XLSI/s400/Mardi+Gras+Iris+%25232.jpg) |
Step #2 |
You can see how beautifully some of these colors combine with each other in the stem and leaf areas -- Winsor Blue (GS) and Dioxazine Violet make a lovely, soft shade when they mix together on paper. When mingling on paper, it is critical to use staining, or semi-staining, transparent colors -- and to allow details to dry completely before continuing to paint. (A hair-dryer set on low helps speed up the process.)
The completed painting (below) shows what a visual impact results when you use intense, saturated colors throughout all areas of a painting. It makes a bright and colorful statement at the tail-end of a snowy New England winter.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgtz14ulGxucW7JtsTiUGiYg3FPRKTlN5EkwC6uiDNtdLlwDkAIiEgTsCo9ZnY9t5ShnY9TbUtwjuCVxM6oas3mN8AM8LB4wCMMvFRJ3TNH30Z45-x9v4xsHzjXN_Q3WWVY6wo8TU5-0/s640/P1040518.jpg) |
"Mardi Gras Iris" 10" x 15" transparent watercolor SOLD |