'drink from your own well' ~ watercolors, pencil and ink in moleskine sketchbook

i don't think i did a very good job of explaining *why* i like slant well palettes...

this!

no more digging a hole in the center of the paint in your pans or half pans...

if you want a small bit of paint for a light wash, you can pick up the diluted paint at the front of the well.   because i put a couple drops of water on the paint when i started working, all of the paint is wet;  it's easy to pick up a whole bunch of paint, or a tiny little bit.

i wanted to show you some of the books i refer to for flower painting inspiration and instruction - in case it's helpful.

carrie schmitt's 'painted blossoms' is one of them...   it's helped me figure out how to paint imaginary flowers,

watercolor and ink in moleskine sketchbook.

a little.

there are inspiring artists in it.  one that i especially love is lia porto.   if you don't know her paintings, check them out.

 watercolor in moleskine sketchbook

back to imaginary flowers...  without those darker bits in the rose itself, it's flat and barely looks like a rose.  it's those darker bits - and where to place those darker bits - that i'm trying to get the hang of.

i use these books when i can't think of *any* kind of flower to paint or draw.  there are lots of good shapes/ideas in these books.  looking in them you recognize what makes a flower look like a certain kind of flower.

 watercolors, ink, and pencil in moleskine sketchbook

the basic shape for the morning glories on this page came from 20 ways to draw a tulip.  

jean haines' books, world of watercolor and atmospheric watercolors are what i've used to try and learn how to paint flowers more loosely.  i have a looong way to go on this! 

 watercolors in 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" pentalic aqua journal

some practice flowers from last week.   i added the indigo to the top flower (a columbine) and immediately 'got' how much it helped balance the bright orange.   i have to *do* something like this to get it.  it will not sink in with reading.

watercolors and pencil in 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" pentalic aqua journal

jean doesn't use any pencil, but i did on these turk's cap lilies.  it's so much easier for me...

watercolors and pencil in 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" pentalic aqua journal

ha, this is not very loose, is it?!   

it takes a lot of water to paint the way jean paints, so i looked around for a collapsible water cup that i could stick in my daypack.   i found  faber-castell's clic and go collapsible water cups, and they are fantastic.   the outside is rubber so it's non slip, the top is wavy so you can rest your brush on it, and they collapse down to about an inch tall.    here mine's being filled under a very tiny waterfall where i was painting last week.  it looks like a flower!

 

the last things that i want to tell you about are the ink and dip pen that i use.  my favorite inks are pilot iroshizuku 'ina-ho rice ear', and j. herbin's 'ambre de birmanie'.   i use this nib holder, and this nib - they're inexpensive, but wonderful!

i'm beginning to get caught up on the things i want to tell you.  ; )

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“The artist is the confidant of nature; flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs toward him.” 

~August Rodin