Watercolor Chipmunk

[Hawkmoth]

Claudia - We have chippies and squirrels all over the place, esp. since my cat became late in 2014. Chippies dig a lot and are very destructive. Thanks for the info on the shadow. I tried to add some colors from the chippie when it was wet, but it looked blotchy. More practice needed. Your input/advice is greatly appreciated, as you are very talented. That is why I love sites like this.

Hi Joy
We have grey squirrels here and they are pests too (our native red squirrels are almost extinct here now, only still present in a few remote places of UK).

Glad you appreciated my input. I definitely still consider myself a learner so I'm hesitant giving tips, but if something has improved my painting, it seems worth passing it on! I'm not blessed with lots of natural ability (I'd be lost without tracing paper!), so for me it's been 5 years of reading books, following tutorials, endless practice, and painting the same things over again when they go wrong, trying to correct. It's paying off now as my level has improved noticeably in recent months, but I still go through struggles with every painting, and still end up with many failures (which nobody sees).

For shadows, Have you tried Jane's Grey? (French Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna, available premixed in a tube). It's extremely forgiving and I find it makes shadows much easier. I start with that as my base, and just adjust it each time (eg adding a bit more blue, or a bit of the local colour of the object). It's great for cast shadows and neutral enough that you can add it to the shaded areas on the object too, to bring the whole painting together. I use it all the time.

I also have a premix called 'Shadow' which is a very dark purple-grey and I love it, but it's less transparent and less neutral, so more risky to use!

 

[Joy]

Claudia - When it comes to art, we will always be "learners". I had a workshop with Tony Couch, who stated, "I paint so I can learn to paint". Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated, as we are all here to help each other. I use burnt sienna and ultramarine mix a lot for different neutrals. My two big problems are overworking and using too much water. I know a lot of artists are tracing, which I may try for an outline in the future. I spend way too long drawing, but I won't learn to draw if I don't practice.

 

[Hawkmoth]

Claudia - When it comes to art, we will always be "learners". I had a workshop with Tony Couch, who stated, "I paint so I can learn to paint". Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated, as we are all here to help each other. I use burnt sienna and ultramarine mix a lot for different neutrals. My two big problems are overworking and using too much water. I know a lot of artists are tracing, which I may try for an outline in the future. I spend way too long drawing, but I won't learn to draw if I don't practice.

That's a good motto, especially for watercolours!

I really admire you for drawing everything freehand. I'll draw freehand if it's quicker, or if I want to change the composition, but I really don't enjoy it.

I like colouring/painting outlines from adult colouring books (the artistic type) as well as my own art, so having to draw my own outline at all seems like a chore! I've got a 'Renaissance Masterpieces' colouring book (Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael etc). I definitely wouldn't fancy trying to draw those freehand!