More Watercolor Studies

I'm still playing with color. Changing the Payne's Gray for Ultramarine Blue really brightened the warm palette. To make an even warmer palette, I changed the red and yellow to Quinacridone Rose and Hansa Yellow.
Above are the secondary colors from the first set of primaries. When I mixed the second set of primaries on the paper, I really liked how the secondary colors showed up with this brighter palette. Mixing this way makes it easier to compare and see differences in the two palettes.

Mixing browns came next. Equal amounts of complementary colors form brown. Below are the green-red browns-

Here's the purple-yellow browns-

and the orange-blue browns-
It really makes one see all the different shades of brown. I prefer the warm brown mixes but see how the cool browns would be great for shadows.

Secret Belgian Book Binding

At our Portland Art Collective Menucha retreat this weekend, Lorraine Jones and Laurie Weiss
taught us how to do the secret Belgian book binding technique. I made two books with magic decorative papers from my stash. The books measure 4 x 5 inches.

The above paper was painted and stamped on artist tissue paper. The black lines are webbing spray paint. Kyrlon makes it in several different colors. Contrasting colors add great texture to painted surfaces.

Here's what the backs of the books look like. You can get online instructions for this book binding technique Here. Now this technique is not so secret. I'm curious how it got its name.

Mixing Watercolor Palettes

I love color and mixing watercolor paints to see the different combinations one can make.

The above two palettes, I experimented with several years ago in a class with Jude Siegel at Multnomah Arts Center.
My friend, Sandy, shared some of her favorite palettes and ways to mix them. We started with the primaries- the cool and warm colors

Then added earth tones to our palettes-

Here the fun began to mix the secondary colors-


My blacks are not very black but my rinsing water sure was. Blacks mix the primaries together. The top is the warm primary mix and the bottom the cool primary mix. I need to play with this more and finish my homework- mixing browns with complementary colors. It's fun to use different paint primary colors of blue, red and yellow to get very different mixtures. Going back to some basics helps to remind me to play more with color in my artwork.

Happy May Day!

May Baskets

Let us take our baskets early To the meadows green, While the wild-flowers still are pearly With the dewdrops' sheen. Fill them full of blossoms rosy, Violets and gay Cowslips, every pretty posy Welcoming the May. Then our lovely loads we'll carry Down the village street, On each door, with laughter merry, Hang a basket sweet. Hey-a-day-day! It is spring now, Lazy folks, awake! See the pretty things we bring now For the May Day's sake! by Evaleen Stein

May Day brings fond memories of filling baskets full of flowers- tulips and lilacs, leaving them on family, friends and neighbors front doors, ringing the door bell, hiding behind a bush and waiting for the delighted recipient to smile and wonder who delivered the beautiful blossoms. Do little fairies deliver May Day baskets today?