Do Over Day

I worked on a new Gem yesterday but it just wasn't right.  

It may have been that I saturated the color too soon and set the whole thing off to a bad place.

I knew I was in trouble when I started using white qouache in an attempt to rescue it.

Watercolor shines when the white of the paper shows through and the colors feel fresh and real.

And thats just one of the things that make it a difficult medium to work with.

I'm still learning ways, means and a few tricks!

Before I totally gave up on it I did some scrubbing out.

Now this usually works so long as you don't get carried away.

Scrubbing out is tough on even the best of watercolor papers.  It leaves the surface scratched and the fibers broken.  This can drastically change the value of the color as you repaint the area.

So I have a little trick with a spoon that really works.

After the area is totally dry, take the back of a spoon and gently message the area in a circuliar motion.

After a while the surface will feel mended and smooth.  Still a little tricky to paint over but much better.

Well, I am starting over this morning and already think I'm on the right track this time.

I hope your day goes well and happy weekend!