Wedding...OH lala

Good morning sweet cheeks. Today I thought it would be fun to talk about sketching and watercolor supplies. I was looking at some wedding dresses 2013 style and got VERY inspired. I always like to start out on sketching paper…just to get an idea of how big I really want it to be. Once I draw the flowers, then I can start working on the hands and beautiful dress. I really love a lot of flowers and I found a cool photo that had an enormous bouquet. Once you are sure about the size, then you can go ahead and start sketching on watercolor paper. I used Canson Montval Watercolor paper 140lb. You can find it in a block and it has a flap on the front, so you can put it away easily. I like to use a mechanical pencil, so it’s always super sharp, BUT I make sure to not press down hard. I want the paper to stay nice and smooth. The pencil I use is a KOH-I-NOOR HARDTMUTH 0,5. I’ve only started using this for the last six months, but I really like it. I also use FABER-CASTELL 2B pencil whenever I don’t mind sharpening it often=0)  So, once I sketch everything out I’m pretty much ready to add the watercolors. I’m using l’Aquarell on this painting, but if you are just starting out a Winsor & Newton Compact Set is great. Now the main thing to remember is to start light…it’s safer. I like to take it slow and not add too much too soon. I also enjoy adding several different types of the same color. For example, in this painting I used both greens in my set and even mixed them together to get another shade. I don’t know if you can tell by just looking at it, but I feel pretty scientific mixing it all up. Painting is for fun after all…right? Keep in mind that whatever is wet is going to stay wet for a while, so don’t try to make any fine details until the end. You can always start working on another area and eventually go back and see if it’s dry enough. I like to wait. Some use hair dryers to speed along the process. Once you are sure you are ready to add the final details make sure it’s dry. I do all my finishing touches when I’m 100% sure that it will NOT spread. Then I go back and do all the shading with a light gray wash. Start light and see how you like it. Keep a dry paper towel near by in case you need to dab the paper and remove some of the watercolor. NOW YOU WANT TO GO PAINT RIGHT? You have a lot to work on=0) Hope this was helpful and I’d love to see anything you are working on.