nekowc

Neko 006

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My sixth of n watercolors of Neko Harbour. The image below was taken with dried paint and natural, but shaded, light.

For this edition of Neko Harbour, I focused on the rocks in the foreground. I wanted more texture, less diffusion of pigment, and more highlights. I managed to pick up a section of the pigment with the brush and move it, which was startling to me. I used less watered pigment for some of the shadows, and actually added some pigment to the algae colored snow. I think the foreground turned out well.

After laying the paint down for the middle glacier, I was unhappy with the way it looked when dried. I watered my smallest brush and tried to lift the pigment. To my delight, the lifting created a hard line, similar to the hard edges at the glacier waterline.

Neko 005

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My fifth of n watercolors of Neko Harbour. The image below was taken with dried paint and natural, but shaded, light.

I was not patient with this version. I realized I was avoiding starting the painting, so dove right in with it tonight. I am doing a good job at reversing the avoiding-starting trend, as well at trying different techniques, which is the point of these paintings.

Neko 004

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My fourth of n watercolors of Neko Harbor, poorly lit. The image below was taken with the paint still wet, so the colors are different here than with the painting dry.

I started this one while on a call with Dad. He was talking. He's a Hodsden: when he manages a head of steam, he'll be talking for a more than a bit. Lord knows, I inherited that quality from him. Since he'd be talking for a while, I settled down at the table where I had my paints set up, and started painting. About half way through, he called me out on it.

Neko 003

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My third of n watercolors of Neko Harbor, poorly lit. The image below was taken with the paint still wet, so the colors are different now than with dry paint.

I went slowly on this one. I had spent time planning how I would paint the scene, writing out the steps and reworking the process until I was happy with trying it.

Neko 002

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My second of n watercolors of Neko Harbor, poorly lit.

I moved more quickly on this one, and just do not like it. I didn't give any part of the painting a chance to dry before I started adding more water. The foreground shore is far too light and far too yellow. While the iceberg that cuts through the middle of the image has its edges defined, the hard edges where I painted over dry paint really bug me. I like the start of the coastal fog. I want to work on that one more. Still love the upper glacier technique.

Watercolor on paper, 3" x 2"
Other versions: Reference 1

Neko 001

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My new watercolors arrived while I was in Arizona, and I absolutely adore them. I finally decided on the image I want to practice on: my picture on and of the shore of Neko Harbor. I took this picture last January 14th.

My first of n watercolors of Neko, poorly lit.

I accidentally painted the sky and glacier interface, and I really like it. I haven't figured out the water. I noticed that I'm hesitant to start, so having the small surface is a good way to begin. The paper is 3" x 2", with a quarter inch border, so about 2.5" x 1.5" in size, so small form. The other hesitancy removal was the reminder that this is my experimentation medium: I'm not trying for a perfect painting, I'm learning and especially experimenting.