Category: painting techniques

Posted on

Creek in fall colors and rushing stream

Autumn creek, fall colors watercolor painting

Love challenge

Many years ago, I had done some rough sketch with watercolor pencils on a 24 x 18” Arches paper. Probably in 2009 or 2010. We used to travel a lot back then. The sketch was of a creek with trees in fall colors. While the photo of step 1 is very white and light in value, the actual sketch was not. You might know that it’s not possible to erase watercolor pencil lines. I didn’t like everything in that sketch, but I love challenge. I decided let’s try to make out something of this creek in fall colors.

Using salt on watercolor painting, creating texture on rocks
Applying layers of paint after removing salt, creek painting

Techniques I used

I don’t use masking fluid, but rather prefer painting large and even huge shapes so that it’s possible to paint around whatever I need to. Good, firm and thick cold press watercolor paper allows for lifting and adjustment, as well as layering many times over the basic color. Rocks are great for application of salt. When applying salt, one has to be mindful of timing, there’s fairly narrow window when this technique works. If the rocks are really large and the entire painting is large, we can do numerous extra things.

Steps for watercolor painting of creek in fall colors
Step 2, watercolor painting of creek in fall colors
Step 3, watercolor painting of creek in fall colors
Step 4, watercolor painting of creek in fall colors

Changing and correcting watercolor painting

The photos of painting steps of this creek in fall colors might not have the exact colors and contrast, however they give an idea of how one can change and improve watercolor painting even when initial shapes are not correct. I’m reading in Facebook groups how people describe watercolor as difficult and something one cannot correct. That’s wrong! If you paint large and on good paper, you can change and correct everything. The best colors to lift are all blue shades, even Payne’s grey can be lifted to almost white paper.

Blue part of painting
Blue side of painting
Warm, golden part of painting
The bright, warm part of landscape painting

Use live art classes

I teach all painting techniques in my live art classes. I can see that online class doesn’t give one proper understanding of what and how to use, what timing should be applied, how to use paper towel, lifting and layering and what colors work and what don’t. It was a difficult picture to take photos of because of the distinct cool and very warm colors. Their use is absolutely intentional. That’s also important aspect – color temperature.

Autumn creek, fall colors watercolor painting

Imperfections are fine

Just like always, my photos could better, but I am going ahead and publishing the creek in fall colors. The reason I want to paint somewhat realistic watercolors, even imaginative ones is that abstracts are not challenging enough. I’m not worried also that absolutely everything isn’t perfect. When it comes to painting, I’m all for process and for challenge. If it’s easy, there are no thrills for me.

Black and white painting version of autumn creek painting

For beginners in watercolor painting

If you are a beginner and want to paint with watercolor, go big. You are not going to ever leant painting with tiny brushes on tiny paper. There’s simply no space for any effects. Also, using tutorials and watching somebody else paint isn’t going to help much. Brush and paints are important, but what matters most, is the hand that moves the brush. I would like to remind how important is value sketch in large size. Contrast and values are what make painting appear three-dimensional. To check your values, turn the painting in black and white. If it still shows the subject correctly, values are right, too.

The blue part of autumn creek painting

Enjoy the art!

Posted on

Painting without restrictions, spring landscape

Painting in progress, Highland creek landscape

Being in spring landscape

What to do during the dull and dark February days? Probably, just keep painting. Acrylic painting is a bit more difficult with heating on, but it is also very rewarding. I pick myself up and place in the middle of spring. We used to go for walks along the Highland creek which offers attractive views and many varieties of trees, wild plants, chance to watch animals, jump over rocks and rushing water. Creek is wide in the middle part and water stays quite still in some spots. This is like mental transition in time and to another place. Thus, spring landscape is born.

Central part of spring landscape painting

Central part of Highland creek flood water painting

Imaginated reality

As you know, art has no restrictions. That includes the painting subject, colors we use, parts we paint and parts we don’t. I’m usually not that worried about how realistic something looks when painted. There must be some joy and fun put into every brushstroke. I usually paint as I see something in my head. When I look at empty canvas, I can easily visualize what is going to be there, in this spring landscape for instance. Similar to when we have a piece of fabric and we can imagine how the ready outfit will look. Imagination has no borders, too.

Spring landscape painting, top part

Top part of Highland creek flood water painting

Spring landscape as painting subject

This Highland creek flood water painting was done for the private art classes. I thought spring landscape was very fitting since we can paint much less of it or add much more to any part. We can leave the distant part completely abstract. Well, my student was impatient and here and there jumped over the gradual steps which processing an acrylic painting requires. My demo steps got jumpy, too, but, nevertheless, this painting was brought to completion just a few days ago. What you are seeing, however, is not the painting, but images of it. I straggled getting all parts of it onto pictures.

Spring landscape project, painting steps

See painting steps above

Getting correct colors in acrylic painting

What’s most important for me personally, is whether the mood in an artwork can move us, inspire us, make us want to be there, in that place which doesn’t actually exist in the real world. I am trying to also teach my students patience and correct use of acrylic paints. While any wet acrylic painting might look perfectly right, it will definitely dry darker. The weaker the paint we use, the darker our painting might become. I regret noticing how Liquitex heavy body professional grade paints have lost some of their quality over years. That refers to Titanium white and yellow shades.

Front part of spring landscape

Close-up of front part

The usual acrylic painting principles

Regardless of our artistic intention, we always work from dark to light in acrylic, always from underneath upwards, always from back to front. With heating on, acrylic paint can dry immediately, therefore, we glaze separate parts and work in small segments. The lore layers acrylic painting has, the better it will look. That especially refers to the moment when somebody sees the actual painting in person. I sometimes go over even the final layers if the paint has become too dull in some spots.

Spring landscape painting, creek

Highland creek flood water, acrylic painting 24 x 18″ or 61 x 46 cm

Place yourself in this spring landscape

I hope you love this spring landscape and its mood. I believe you’d hear birds singing and water rushing over wet rocks and grasses if you are able to forget the surroundings for a moment and be immersed in this painting. It’s in great size, not too huge, not too tiny, 24 x 18″ or 61 x 46 cm. The steep vertical format adds a good quality to this spring landscape and pushes compositionally important elements close to the viewer.

Painting in progress, Highland creek landscape

Just like always, thanks if you read my post! I intend to catch up with likes and comments.

Private art lessons

Group art classes

Art collections by Inese Poga

Posted on

Pansy smiles, once again, and new art classes

Yellow pansies, floral watercolor

Pansies, they smile for sure

My garden provides me will all painting subjects which I usually use for floral and still life paintings. I can also see quite a landscape from the second-floor balcony, so I’m all set up for any nature painting without needing to take any photos. First of all, with nowadays cameras, perspective is completely distorted, it would damage drawing or painting to huge extent. Colors are practically never true, and that is a reason good enough to rely rather on our own eyes. This time I’m presenting the new smiling yellow pansy faces surrounded by great shapes of leaves and abstracted background.

Yellow pansies, watercolor painting
Yellow pansies, watercolor painting

Never-ending supply of art ideas

We had big problems buying any seeds this past spring, therefore, I have mostly what grows from my own seeds and flowers and veggies which planted themselves. I got 2 sets of pansies. The one which I painted this time, was larger. It had interesting colors in the middle: not completely purple and not completely dark red in the lower part. Yellow is not that difficult color to paint as it is very annoying getting pictures of it. I can never go wrong with art ideas which grow all around the garden. It’s never-ending inspiration, always something new and more beautiful than before.

Creating watercolor painting
Creation of painting
Creating watercolor
How to paint watercolor pansies
How to paint pansies
How to paint watercolor pansies
Painting process

More art, less reality

When I draw or paint something, I usually change a lot from what it is in reality. I want on my painting more art, more me, more my style, and less reality. That doesn’t mean I will paint my subject in a completely abstract manner. The reason is there’s way too much abstract art already, and also – it is much easier to work on one’s style and maintain it when using recognizable and nature-like things. Pansies are a convenient subject for painting, especially when you have some around. For photo-taking reasons, I will make next painting pink or red because watercolors in such palette shades are much easier captured with any camera.

pansy smiles, floral watercolor

You see what you see

I regret that most of you will ever see only images of my art. I dare saying that you will never know what I and how I paint in reality. I surely can tell you that the camera made the light-yellow spaces white and caused the darker areas look like outline which they are not, I can tell that my colors are crafted and very balanced, but you see what you see. Plus, there’s no perception of size and its impact. It is again a 24 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm painting, and that is quite large for watercolor. As it leans against the white support board, it lights up the entire studio. It’s cloudy and rainy today and this painting just shines as extra light source.

Yellow pansies, watercolor painting

Pansy smiles, purple hearts, watercolor 24 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm

New live art classes

After a long interruption of almost 2 years, I’m resuming live art classes in a very cozy outdoor space which is surrounded by blooming and green plants. This feature will add more safety to participants. It’s just so that I haven’t seen that many yet. To be honest, I’ve never met or had a student who learned mastering their style or medium online. I’ve written about that before: it’s one-sided, and that’s the problem. The human perception is very distinctive when it comes to any art concepts, therefore, everybody understands and applies the same thing in all kinds of ways, and rarely – correctly. In my mind, there’s nothing which can replace a real, live interaction, but that’s just my opinion. I suppose for drawing and painting animated outline drawing or extra simplified watercolor wash, anything is fine.

Real classes versus online: Compare

Mastering medium: Learn more

If you dream to become a master of your medium, you need a real art class. Apply here; Art classes

Posted on

Pink and purple summer flowers with painting steps

Morning pansy, pansy watercolor painting

Summer flowers

When else to use live flowers as a model if not in summer when everything is in full bloom and getting more beautiful by hour? Although, we’ve been hit by a heat wave, there’s plenty to paint outdoors and indoors. I won’t write a long text this time because pictures will display the painting steps I use and also probably inspire somebody to get a brush, pencil and watercolor paper. There you have it: I’m presenting pink and purple summer flowers with painting steps.

Petunias

Petunias are usually in every garden. The pink and purple petunia painting is more abstract. I do usually create a drawing on a separate paper for reference and not to damage the watercolor paper with erasing anything. I transfer my drawing onto watercolor paper using daylight on a glass door and how it perfectly shines through even thick watercolor paper.

Summer flowers, watercolor painting steps
Summer flowers, painting steps
Summer flowers, painting steps
Summer flowers, painting steps
Summer flowers, painting steps

Watercolor paper

Watercolor paper is one of the most important aspects of watercolor painting. I started Bright petunias believing that I was using Arches watercolor paper. After a while, I realized it didn’t work like Arches. If you have painting experience, you know that Arches facilitates beautiful washes and easy flow of paint. It is possible to lift paint also. I discovered that this sheet came from leftover Saunders-Waterford paper. Some 10 years ago, it used to be a good paper, but it gradually became worse and worse, and the last batch they sent me was so bad, that I will simply never buy any Saunders-Waterford paper again.

Washes with big brushes

I always start with basic washes which I am applying to wet paper. Any cotton paper needs to be wet in areas which you intend to work on, except for fine details which we add at the end. Then I gradually build the shadows and shapes using multiple layers of paint. My pictures show how unsuitable the paper actually is. The only plus is it doesn’t buckle; therefore, I don’t have to tape it down as with cheap watercolor papers.

Paints and brush

I always use round brush with fine tip, size 14. I always use large brushes as long as possible for they hold a lot of water and pigment, yet allow getting extra fine edges and lines, too. I switch to number 6 round brush with fine tip only at the end when I need some tiny elements painted. I always use St. Petersburg original and authentic watercolor paints. I’ve never had better paints so far and I have tried very many. I’d give the second place Da Vinci paints, but they don’t sell them any longer at my art store. St. Petersburg paints have all the best qualities of watercolor paint thanks to the manufacturing process and raw materials.

Pink petunias, watercolor by Inese Poga

Bright petunias

The result could be smoother, but for an abstracted painting, it works. I use colors intuitively and carelessly actually and lots of water. For color testing, I am making use of extra sheet of cheaper watercolor paper because it shows the exact color I will have.

Morning pansy

For Morning pansy, I followed exactly the same steps. I’m creating drawing, transferring drawing to paper, making paper wet around the central flowers, starting with applying paint around the main part and allowing it to dry before I move on and start putting paint on flower. Then, I create leaves. The entire painting requires going over and over some parts. At the end I’m adding water drops. In the base of every single painting are the same principles: want impact, create values. Color to me is always secondary and I use that color which I prefer at the moment.

How I paint pansy, Inese Poga
Summer flowers, painting steps
Painting pansy, Inese Poga
Summer flowers, painting steps
Summer flowers, painting steps

Result

Morning pansy, watercolor painting by Inese Poga
While I didn’t try to paint reality since I never do, colors and shapes work extremely well in this painting.

Inspiration

I think that could inspire you to paint your own summer flowers, but I will sell later drawing templates on this website. My art is always based on drawings and I like it that way. Such art reveals progress and refinement of my personal style. I’ve done abstract watercolors, too, but they seem to be way too simple and never a real challenge. I love tricky things and exploration of effects and somewhat realistic art allows me doing that.

Note: Please, respect my copyrights, and since these particular painting steps are not intended for copying, use your own drawing, but apply process and advice.

Art prints, all my paintings which I have uploaded to Fine Art America:

Art collections by Inese Poga

Posted on

November needs more color and sunflowers

Sunflower painting, watercolor by artist Inese Poga

Sunflowers, the sunny flowers

Sun plus flowers equals sunflowers. It is also an excellent painting subject when it gets darker in October and November. We switched from bright fall colors to rainy and snowy start of November. Warmth of sunflower color fills up the entire studio. Gentle, soft flow of light yellow and burnt sienna tones among the strong earthy greens and burnt umber is a very attractive color combination. I am a good example of how artist’s taste and feel for the subject changes over time during a few decades. I was painting a similar image years ago, and my color choices were completely different then.

Large watercolor sunflower

My painting style

Specifics of my painting style include spontaneous and intuitive use of color and improvisation on the spot. I don’t use masking fluid much, especially, for paintings which are done as a demo for an art class. There’s simply no time for that. Ability to improvise helps with demonstration. Many unexpected  and interesting things can happen painting intuitively! Since I have been painting and teaching for many years, I can act and react very promptly, including change of subject if necessary. I love freedom in my own art. I do teach others to treat their painting like that, too. This particular sunflower painting is 20 x 16 in or 51 x 41 cm.

Beautiful sunflower painting, floral watercolor

Red barn in fall

Subject of the following painting is a red country barn which I also painted in acrylic. My watercolor painting is larger than the acrylic one. Its size is 18 x 14 in (46 x 36 cm). Size means a lot in live presentation, but unfortunately not online. This painting relies on combination of saturated fall colors, tree shape and barn. Barn is placed strategically to increase the perspective and feeling of depth. I am trying to take pictures of my art with background in order size of paintings would be more visible. However, it’s not always possible. I love bold colors as much as simple grey and saturated brown tones. This particular image shines because of colors and diagonal use of composition elements.

Barn and golden maple tree

This is a barn which was painted a while ago. I love painting buildings, because of organized and completed lines and perspective. My mom had saved some drawings which were done when I was 12 and 13. That’s like half a century ago. These were my drawings of buildings and plants which I had done looking at the actual subject. We didn’t have internet or cameras then. I always loved drawing what’s around me. This painting is also quite big, it shows a country barn and side building as I saw them. Oranges and reds are also super energizing colors. The same goes for painting: vivid colors help.

Old country barn landscape

I hope you love my sunflowers and other paintings! It was great pleasure to paint the recent sunflowers, and this painting is the newest addition to my watercolor collection also.

Sunflower painting

Enjoy, be inspired and paint! I do appreciate visitors to my sale pages, here is Original watercolors page, it gets updated quite frequently:

Original watercolor paintings for sale

I was also chosen to be a Spotlight Artist in Fine Art America’s traditional still life group with the pumpkin still life which I published before. That is nice!

All prints from Fine Art America:

Art collections by Inese Poga

Copyright notice: Copyright of displayed paintings, drawings, images of work in progress and images of finished paintings belong to artist Inese Poga. Please, respect my copyright. The use of my images is prohibited if I have not issued a written permission. That includes no pinning on Pinterest.