pansy painting Archives - INESE'S ART STUDIO

January 8, 2021October 17, 2024

Good addition to my watercolor flower collection

Watercolor flower collection, flower paintings

My watercolor flower collection grew noticeably

Previous year, while it was not good in many health- and business-related aspects, was a very good year for creating art. I added to my watercolor flower collection quite many paintings. I cannot share all in just one post. I also painted quite a few watercolor roses and still life art. Some of these painting have been published in previous posts, and some I will publish when time is right. I have a habit of painting flowers and spring landscapes from January to approximately end of May. Then, I move to still life, and I get to fall paintings in July and August. Painting flowers and spring in winter is a good habit because it shortens cold and chilly winter days during the dark months.

Addition to my watercolor flower collection: white trillium blossoms on dark background

Missing giving art classes

I was missing the live art classes and interaction with my students. While everything is available online, I think live art classes are the most beneficial. Just ask school kids and teachers, -everybody will tell you that serious and decent learning happens only in person. Art is an easy subject to put online, but there are very many things which you need to touch, to see close-up, to check with your own eyes. I don’t want to make large investments in equipment at the moment, but that’s what I would need to teach online. Space is one more issue. It might be so that I like the live classes too much.

These are spring flower watercolor paintings, fantastic addition to my watercolor flower collection! Magnolia, trillium, wild anemone and daffodils

Daffodils are a fantastic subject for spring flower painting. This is the close-up version.

Not abstract, not photo-realism

Very many artists paint abstracts nowadays, really many. Therefore, I’m glad I’m doing something different. Sometimes I’ve told, I should make my art more realistic, but I don’t intend to. I’m mostly painting what I can see. What I can see is not what camera captures and one can enlarge until every ant on a grass stem is visible. It’s just my opinion, but I don’t want to go into tiny photographic detail and use computer. My art is done by simply using sketch or real flower, or real still life as reference most often. As you know, I can draw anything and do it fast. I would sometimes add a little bit of extras from imagination, like water drops on pansy. So, it’s my own realism with touch of imagination.

Watercolor paintings, fmagnolia painting, pansy painting

Magnolia, pansy Purple variety apples. and trillium and the fantastic purple pansy.

Watercolor painting, purple pansy watercolor

Personalized use of color

White is a good background for flowers, and dark background colors make white flowers pop. I personally do not like black with watercolor, that suits oils or acrylic more, I believe, and makes watercolor too heavy, but that’s just my personal preference. When I was very young and at school, my art teacher told I should never use black watercolor paint. I have followed her advice. I never use black watercolor paint. I took one more advice to never premix watercolor paint, but add color as I go and use it as I see fit. I actually do the same with acrylic: I use paint without previously mixing it, unless it’s for extra-large area or under-painting.

Watercolor painting, pansy, trillium and petunia painting

Decided to leave my website as is

I spent about 3 or even more previous weeks trying to figure out how I could change my website. I tried different things, considered new themes and tested them, asked advice from very well-established artists, who have excellent online presence and whom I know personally. They all told their websites were done by web designers or specifically created for their needs. Most of them have also social media and online representation specialists, video editors and filming teams, etc. Therefore, I decided to leave my website as is. I’m the only one for every single task and I’m doing anything that comes my way. However, I cannot spend all time just editing social media posts and website. I want to paint, draw and create also. Therefore, I prioritized creativity over online perfection. That’s just what works for me right now. I hope you like my flower collection and it inspires you to create flower paintings, too.

Stay safe, healthy and thanks for reading!

Original watercolor paintings for sale

July 5, 2020October 17, 2024

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

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.

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.

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

July 1, 2018October 17, 2024

Share the joy of watercolor painting

watercolor painting, flower painting, painting steps

July is world watercolor month!

It’s probably a good reason for many to participate in World Watercolor Month and share the joy of creating art and using watercolor. Isn’t that great that it has become a tradition already? I read that it started only in 2016, and I believe many people are extra excited about that. I cannot post every day, but I am certainly happy to contribute at least some images and posts.

Manual abilities still matter

While we are swiftly becoming a digital and virtual society which uses devices and apps for everything, there are some things we should not delegate to devices. It’s in our favor to maintain ability to write and draw manually. Manual drawing and painting are extremely rewarding activities which not only make one happy and less stressed , but result in enjoyable art.

My current subjects: summer and nature

Nothing is better than nature, outdoors, gardens, flowers, growing vegetables in the summer. Nature is always genuine and honest. There is no pretense or flirting; that is the most real beauty we can have. I can draw and paint anything, but I have to admit that nature is the richest resource for any goal, any intention, anything in art. Therefore, while teaching and creating art I am teaching people to also love, appreciate and take care of this wonderful resource. Everything is connected. We can only harvest what we have planted.

The dreamy purple of summer pansies

Please, have a look and get inspired by my most recent watercolor project: The dreamy purple of summer pansies. I have posted 3 steps, but the first step is actually to transfer the drawing or draw with very light lines on watercolor paper. I used Saunders-Waterford watercolor paper, but medium to heavy Arches would serve better. The size is quite serious in order to capture flow of lines and shifts of color better.

watercolor painting, flower painting, pansies

The dreamy purple of pansies, step 1, painting in first layers on flowers and leaves, identifying the subject and composition

The dreamy purple of pansies, step 2, painting around the flowers and adding more layers on blossoms

The dreamy purple of pansies, step 3, adding more layers on flowers and defining more the background

Join us, create with watercolor

I know how excellent it is when one can use watercolor or pen and watercolor: it can easily become an obsession. If you were always attracted to watercolor, but are not completely sure what and how to paint, you are very welcome to join our watercolor summer painting sessions. Summer is the time to go out and paint nature. Enjoy the summer, get brushes and paint sets, and let us paint!