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Monday, May 19, 2014

Something Different

I had taken a picture of goldfish in a pond a few years ago and liked the colors and movement in it.  This is different subject matter for me, having never painted water and fish before.  As detailed as I am, it is impossible to get every nuance of the water and its reflections.  And, as is often said, working from a photo also has its limitations.

I used the sedimentary color of cerulean blue for the water at the bottom to give the effect of sediment at the bottom of the pond.  It is a heavy paint and sinks into the valleys of the paper.  To paint the reflections on the left side, I masked the water "holes,” wet that side and dropped in dark color from the top fish lightening it toward the bottom.

However, there was a problem removing the frisket, which had never happened before.  For some unknown reason, in some small areas and one larger area, it would not come off.  I tried scrubbers and a “magic eraser” to no avail.  The only way to remove it was to scrape it off with an X-Acto knife, which of course damages the paper’s surface.  That spot took the paint and somehow seems to blend in, but it bothers me because I know it is there.  I do not have the patience to do it over, but perhaps will try a similar composition.

Overall, the resulting painting is decent, but not good enough as an exhibition entry.  At least, I am painting and learning.



Golden Pond, Watercolor, 14” x 10”, ©Johanna Cellucci

4 comments:

Reveille Kennedy said...

You are very hard on yourself. No one but you would notice the "flaw". Your work is fabulous!

AprilRimpo said...

It may be obvious to you where the masking fluid stuck, but it is not visible in the photograph to someone who doesn't know where to look. I think you had great success and should try more along this line. I especially love the top third, so it the mask problem is not there, consider cropping.

Johanna Cellucci said...

Thank you Reveille for your kind comments. I am a perfectionist, and things like that really bother me. Yet, nothing in life or nature is perfect. I need to learn from you how to work quick and fresh!

Johanna Cellucci said...

Thank you April for stopping by and leaving your compliments and advice. I had thought of cropping, but feel the painting will lose some of its interest. I most likely will frame this and put it into a non-juried show. Regards.