Flower Girl - First Color Washes

Well so far so good.

The first color washes are in and some hues are established in the flowers.

You can see now in which direction the painting is going.
There are some glorious colors and details hidden in both the flowers and the leaves.

Now to pick out those details and bring in the darkest darks which will make the foreground pop.

This is a large piece so it will take a while.
I'm excited about the look so far and think it will be worth the time.

I will be back as it progresses.

"Daydreamer"

Watercolor, 18" x 30"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

Flower Girl

This reference is from my trip through the flower show last year.

The funny thing is I was so focused on capturing these georgous flowers that I did not notice the background figure until I began to study the photo for a possible painting.

I do remember the red aprons of the assistants scattered around the show.

They were there to help with directions or any questions guests may have.

Once I did see her I couldnt look away.

There she was surrounded by so much beauty and she could not have looked more uninterested.  

I realized that she wasn't actually there.

She was daydreaming.

"Daydreamer"

Watercolor, 18" x 30"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

Behind her is the unfocused effect of her being engulfed in blooms.

The foreground flowers are a riot of yellows, oranges and fuscias.

I am hoping the overall effect will be, just as it was when I first passed by this photo,

that the girl must be seen pass the command of the flowers, as part of the background wanting nothing more than to be left alone.

Figure painting is not my strong suit but, with practice, I am getting better at it.

For pale skin as seen here, I use a combination of 

Permanent Rose

Burnt Sienna

Naples Yellow

and just a touch of Cerulean Blue for shadow areas.

A soft touch is required during a wet into wet application.

After wetting an area, allow the shine to disperse from the paper before blending.

  I am very eager to paint these flowers!

Lady's Slippers and the Bumble Bee

I am in between projects right now.  

After completing the hydrangeas I am in the beginning stages of my next big still life.  

I have set my propts in place and am now working out a composition that really catches my eye.  I have another intense drawing to do for this one and thought I needed a little side piece to work on as a break.

Enter Lady's Slippers and the Bumble Bee

Something a little different from me.

I have been really interested in the botanical illustration look of a detailed painting on a clean white background.  That idea became, "What if I added a border design?", and then "What if that design became a stylized little illustration at the top?"and "What if I gave it a title space?"

It's more a sytlized illustration that may or may not become, dare I say, a series.

The bumble bees have been added because in my research I learned that the bumble bee is the only insect that can pollinate this lovely orchid.

WIP.  I got to take out some toys and gagets for this one.

Just in case you're interested here is some interesting info on the Lady's Slipper orchid.

Christmas Card

Happy Christmas week!

This card is part of an annual tradition I started way back with our first married Christmas.

Back then it was just the two of us and I think I drew our fish tank in there somewhere.

Look how we have grown!

We have a new member of the family with the adoption of the puppy Indiana by my son and his wife.

We have a baby on the way in 2015. Our first grandchild!

And an exciting wedding to plan with the engagement of our daughter.

This is the only cartoon/illustration type of work I do these days.

And it's a really nice way to end a year full of making art.

This is how it begins with a rough sketch.

I then place a sheet of heavy vellum over the sketch and with fine line markers begin

the big doodle project.  

I doodle on it in front of the tv, on the kitchen table while making dinner, 

pretty much anywhere I can grab a few minutes.

The nice thing about working on this vellum is that if I make a mistake instead of white out 

I can just scratch the surface off with an exacto knife.

I also use this as a technique as in scratching away some area to make the smoke from the fire.

If you have not seen my illustrated family cards from years past,
please visit this page and take a look.

I have a very busy week ahead as I'm sure you do also.

A very happy Christmas and holiday to you all and thank you so much for the time you 

take throughout the year to visit my work.

See you in 2015!

Knight Star, The Amaryllis

"Knight Star"

Watercolor, 9" x 12"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

Many festive varieties of amaryllis pop up this time of year, some with stories that can be associated with Christmas themes. 

A hybrid amaryllis, 'St. Joseph's Staff,' was introduced in the 16th century, according to an online resource, The African Garden. 

St. Joseph's Staff is a reference to the legend that St. Joseph was chosen to become husband to the Virgin Mary after his staff sprouted amaryllis flowers during the selection process conducted by a high priest. 

The name, amaryllis, is derived from the Greek word that means "to sparkle," and its botanical name, Hippeastrum, is Greek for "knight star."

Flowers are my go to subject for truly relaxing painting.

And the vibrant coloring is always an added bonus.

In this case the delicate fine lines were completed by first wetting a single pedal, giving it a few seconds to try a bit and then dragging a very thin, loaded brush across the surface.

This creates a beautiful modeled first glaze.

I rarely leave a white background but thought I would try to se how I like it.

I do love the botanical paintings I see at the flower show every year.

And it is a simple, clean look.

The verdict is out however because I'm finding it difficult not to brush in a luscious rich background!

I would love to paint another one but I have to start 

my family Christmas card this week.

Here's a look at last years card.

This year I have the happy task of adding a mother to be daughter-in-law

(Our first grandchild!), a future son-in-law and a new

little adopted puppy.

Yikes, I better get started :)

Spectrum Lights

I had the image of this painting in my head for quite a while before I ever put pencil to paper.

I collected tinted bottles all summer and just squirreled them away.

On a bright, sunny day I brought my carefully hoarded collection to my patio table.

To capture more elongated shadows,  I set up on a large board and inclined it as far as I dared with some close, everything fall to the ground and crash, calls.

The brillant light was my main interest in this painting.

Everything from the tinted shadows it cast onto the fabric, the areas of fabric disappearing

under the glare and the reflections from one surface to another.

This is a large piece so all that was a bit daunting
but it helped to keep a "one thing at a time" attitude.

"Light Reigns"

Watercolor, 15" x 25"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

The title comes from, the power of the light cast throughout the scene
but also, the feeling of the bottles cascading down through the picture plane.
The vertical stripes, I hope, add to the pouring, raining effect of color and light.

 I generally work from light to dark.

But when painting glass I first cover a few select spots with resist to preserve the whites.
Next I lay in the lightest wash of color visible on the glass.
Then I go straight to the darkest color value.

 Once that is in place, I begin to work in all the
middle values with interlocking shapes of color.

Some of these bottles will appear again in future still lives.
And I have some crazy shaped clear bottles and vases I'd like to try.

But for now I have a yen for flowers, maybe some Christmas flowers!

Thank you so much for stopping by :)

One more bottle!

Still here.  I have been slow as molasses with this one!

I don't know what it is.  I love working with all the reflections and I'm feeling more confident with the subject matter.  I am even pretty happy with the way it is turning out.

But I find myself taking lots of breaks and letting myself be easily distracted.

One. More. Bottle!