Thursday, October 29, 2009

A page for Katie Jane by Caroline

Blackbird Feeding on Berries - Watercolour

click to enlarge


Phew - at last I've done it! It took me ages to decide what to do and I spent yesterday painting a picutre that I was already to post, then changed my mind! We Librans are experts at indecision! So, anyway, here it is!! This is a watercolour painting on gessoed mount (mat) board. Another new technique for me - it's amazing what the watercolour does when you apply it to the gesso surface. All sorts of interesting textures appear like magic - the paint seems to bubble and skim over or settle in brushmarks. You'll see what I mean if you enlarge the pic. However, it's not ideal if you have a fixed idea of what you want or where you want the paint, as the paint can have a mind of its own, but it's great fun to play with. Also the paint lifts off like a dream if you make a mistake! My only regret is that I didn't make the bird a little smaller - she's tending to head off the page here and I think composition wise it would have been better to have positioned her a little further to the right - or, probably better I should have painted the whole in landscape rather than portrait format - ah well, we live and learn! I hope you will like the painting Katie! Now it's on with Lynn's book - I do at least have an idea for hers (which, by the way, is so lovely - everyone seems to being using fabric...!! Hopefully it won't be long before I post again!

7 comments:

  1. I love love love this birdie picture Caroline. Marvelous job. The texture is marvelous. Almost a 3D affect.

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  2. this is outstandingly good art caroline, i am so glad you changed your mind, wow! and katie is gonna love it, i know she is. well done. yahoooo keep going soulsister. xxxxx

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  3. oh I enlarged it, and it IS amazing. I love the technique, and the confident hand!!

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  4. this is a gorgeous page and thanks for the explanation. I was wondering how you got those textures w/watercolors. by the way I dont think I used or will use cloth unless that's the one where I used canvas as the page material. As I dont sew.

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  5. Beautiful! And what lovely colors!
    Oh it is so exciting to know all these wonderful books will pass my hands as well and one day I can admire this myself.

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  6. Oh Caroline! I simply love this! I have so many bird feeders and birdhouses around my yard each summer and I love watching the birds do their thing.
    I've never tried watercolor on gesso. I will have to give that a try. I love the way this turned out and I wouldn't have changed a thing. It's beautiful just the way it is.

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  7. I cannot even believe I am in this group the art is so stupendous. This bird painting is amazing. I wondered what techniques you used to get those lines that swim across the page. Just beautiful. So it's a prepared board/paper you paint on? wow. I want to try that.

    And such hints you give about my book...lots of fabric? How fun. I can't wait to see it.
    I'll love the pages no matter what they are made with.

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