tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023979412560752552024-02-08T02:10:38.122+00:00 Polly O'Leary Adventures in Botanical ArtPollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-56433217575073536082023-04-17T14:03:00.004+01:002024-01-09T16:17:59.312+00:00Starting To Paint Botanical Art for Younger People and Students<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWPzoESFDAwmyuuVPAdEv7uVzIceUEjcuP6mW9ql6ypqbffcpw11QJk-Us7_KqgLWSBhDCHbhMwoxsCJD4nVb065dAS1vDgjkvJjgS9sb51GaalsyerLmNQAtJoq5Qq8JwkbeX__EAIGfIS4ZsDIEWimpCBFawWdFfajpjOon-0hcMbzLLglDou7Ldezk/s1417/WC%20Comparison%20Akademie-Aquafine-Cotman%2050cms.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Watercolour Comparisons by Polly O'Leary - Schmincke Akademie-Daler Rowney Aquafine-Winsor and Newton Cotman" border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1417" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWPzoESFDAwmyuuVPAdEv7uVzIceUEjcuP6mW9ql6ypqbffcpw11QJk-Us7_KqgLWSBhDCHbhMwoxsCJD4nVb065dAS1vDgjkvJjgS9sb51GaalsyerLmNQAtJoq5Qq8JwkbeX__EAIGfIS4ZsDIEWimpCBFawWdFfajpjOon-0hcMbzLLglDou7Ldezk/w640-h384/WC%20Comparison%20Akademie-Aquafine-Cotman%2050cms.jpg" title="Seeing Triple" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing Triple!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /> <p></p><p>Prompted by being contacted by several young people, about how to go about painting Botanical subjects in Watercolour, and asking what paints and colours to use, and by the new <b><a href="https://shirleysherwood.com/YoungBotanicalArtist" target="_blank">Young Botanical Artist Competition 2022/3</a> </b>by the Sherwood Gallery, in collaboration with <b><a href="https://www.kew.org/learning/short-courses">Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew</a></b>, I set about checking out the student/enthusiast ranges of well known brands of Watercolour.</p><p><br />I would normally recommend using a small selection of Artists/Professional watercolours, however the price of Artists/Professional quality watercolours has rocketed over the past two years, and while it is still possible to buy some Artist’s/Professional watercolour sets or sample sets at more reasonable prices, if you can find them in a sale, these sets often exclude the colours needed for basic colour mixing, while including colours that aren’t useful if they are your <i>only</i> watercolours. </p><p>Especially for Botanical Art, the right yellows, reds and blues can make <i>all the difference</i> to your colour matching and mixing.<br /><br />However, don’t despair, you can still learn all the important techniques of watercolour and paint Botanical Art with limited funds, and get super results. </p><p>One thing you will notice in my Paint-Outs, is that in the Aquafine and Cotman Sets, I have removed the Yellow Ochre and replaced it with Quinacridone Gold. This is because they are my Field Study kits and Quinacridone gold is far more useful to me than Yellow Ochre PY42, which in both cases is Opaque. I didn't use Quinacridone Gold in the Comparison paintings above, nor did I use Yellow Ochre, so it isn't a must-have, but will extend or speed up your colour mixing. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">All the Paint-outs were made using exactly the same brush, paper and method, the same number of swipes across each pan and the same number of swipes across the paper for each swatch.<br /></h4><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCo8RFL3MppAgI0W_50IhF7lNkJ4ZJy5ZJBwmaUqhnxBKA6Pc6blF0E8mG8q62zNi-yg0JDlA5RU1bNb6PDSoFiOIQywJ7_7oBWjdVKNexqYgfmDFodBczTGQyhz1agbAIwRBCnz3WZCq1ExWmxWuEW4MeZ_aJc5T5xfeRa5JjMmyY7e_9opJQPp1xw/s1807/Student-Enthusiast%20Watercolour%20paint-Out%20Comparisons%20x%201-6th.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Side by side Comparison of Aquafine, Cotman and Schmincke Akademie Watercolours by Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1807" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCo8RFL3MppAgI0W_50IhF7lNkJ4ZJy5ZJBwmaUqhnxBKA6Pc6blF0E8mG8q62zNi-yg0JDlA5RU1bNb6PDSoFiOIQywJ7_7oBWjdVKNexqYgfmDFodBczTGQyhz1agbAIwRBCnz3WZCq1ExWmxWuEW4MeZ_aJc5T5xfeRa5JjMmyY7e_9opJQPp1xw/w400-h186/Student-Enthusiast%20Watercolour%20paint-Out%20Comparisons%20x%201-6th.jpg" title="Side by Side Comparison of each Set of colours" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Side by Side Comparison of each Set of colours</p>
<style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Student/Enthusiast brands that are comparable in handling and quality to Artist’s / Professional watercolours in alphabetical order :</span></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmhlom7AxUoLhK0lBpBSZqzbdn5ONQxSuQo93OlDQn5bLm5b161YnFr0MEDFPzW1MiNJg99f7xqXgKAIYfhKRWVjQ9uAhi67Rai7j4-vNHi4uJluFJfXqsjGcq2_PocYhMXiBTEk9fcFkww6viHspepEAfrWKxeTrWn0soY9Gps9SrdUvrcwAyuhZjw/s831/Schminke%20Akademie%20Paint-Out%20x%201-6th.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paint-out of Schmincke 10 Half Pan Akademie Watercolour Set by Polly O'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="577" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmhlom7AxUoLhK0lBpBSZqzbdn5ONQxSuQo93OlDQn5bLm5b161YnFr0MEDFPzW1MiNJg99f7xqXgKAIYfhKRWVjQ9uAhi67Rai7j4-vNHi4uJluFJfXqsjGcq2_PocYhMXiBTEk9fcFkww6viHspepEAfrWKxeTrWn0soY9Gps9SrdUvrcwAyuhZjw/w222-h320/Schminke%20Akademie%20Paint-Out%20x%201-6th.jpg" title="Akademie Set Colours - No Additions" width="222" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<p style="font-style: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Akademie Set Colours - No Additions</p>
<style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.schmincke.de/en/products/watercolours/akademie-aquarell.html">Schmincke Akademie</a></span></u> – 24 colours - 16 single pigment, 5 double pigment mixes, 3 triple pigment mixes</h4><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.schmincke.de/en/produkte/aquarell/akademie-aquarell" target="_blank">https://www.schmincke.de/en/produkte/aquarell/akademie-aquarell</a><span style="font-size: medium;"><u> <br /></u></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Pros</u></span> - Brilliant colours, the same pigments as found in the Horadam Artist’s watercolour range, finely milled, excellent re-wetting, colours easy to lift from the pan, lovely to work with. All Schmincke Paints are manufactured in Germany.<br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Cons</u></span> – can be difficult to find in the UK and often a lot more expensive than the other brands, but this may be different in other countries, smaller colour range (but all the basic colours covered).</p><p style="text-align: center;">---<>---<br /></p><p></p><p></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSFNY7Wd8ik6Vys7nwoZMwu0VL7_bgUp7gAtscy35TTC8C_J0yZYMfNVXjwvwT2kmA4x6qKZ1O1ifqy-gd_D1blLJeDYMYkWVTsB9I_E1nHw0DpjJWQ2wf_990ak1cVl36s6vqnOs6J6x6JliBt0R1bsLvlcDVbzWm2uKISenn-wCDuHH6rlOI-pVtw/s832/Aquafine%20Paint-Out%20x%201-6th.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paint-out of Aquafine Watercolour 10 Half Pan Set with Additions by Polly O'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="594" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSFNY7Wd8ik6Vys7nwoZMwu0VL7_bgUp7gAtscy35TTC8C_J0yZYMfNVXjwvwT2kmA4x6qKZ1O1ifqy-gd_D1blLJeDYMYkWVTsB9I_E1nHw0DpjJWQ2wf_990ak1cVl36s6vqnOs6J6x6JliBt0R1bsLvlcDVbzWm2uKISenn-wCDuHH6rlOI-pVtw/w228-h320/Aquafine%20Paint-Out%20x%201-6th.jpg" title="Aquafine 10Pan Travel Set colours + 1 change, + Additions" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<p style="font-style: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Aquafine 10Pan Travel Set colours + 1 change, + Additions</p>
<style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.daler-rowney.com/aquafine-watercolour-paint/">Daler Rowney Aquafine</a></span></u> - 46 colours (not including metallics) - 27 single pigment, 14 double pigment mixes, 5 triple pigment mixes</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"> </h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.daler-rowney.com/aquafine-watercolour-paint/" target="_blank">https://www.daler-rowney.com/aquafine-watercolour-paint/</a> </h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Pros</u></span> - Brilliant colours, many single pigment colours, finely milled, excellent re-wetting, and very easy to lift from the pan, lovely to work with. Most are the same pigments as found in high quality Artist’s/Professional watercolour ranges. Excellent price point and easily available. Sets, tubes and twin half-pan packs easily available. Daler Rowney Paint is manufactured in the UK.<br /><u><i>No Chalkiness</i></u> (I know this has been a problem in the past with this range)<br /><u><i>Price</i></u> – This was the cheapest set to buy, and the replacement pans were also cheapest, they also came in pairs, so you get <i>2 for the price of one</i> ! You simply need to choose the pair that works best for you. Don't let the price put you off, they still work really well.<br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Cons</u></span> - smaller colour range than professional ranges, but all basic colours covered.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;">---<>--- <br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiER4CkkRCZFVm_cLjPxVpni8uQKtgILaNkdj9Uaiv8UkTP9p07BlQ0OkIb69WwSYp5RJf1eq1O6uWPOd7RgDnI5X3I06lT1gziwJrmoks3IoJNox-kS3WmnlKTpuaIUf31l015s7BntIeFcxQvzIdzMhRN9BVxp9IdTiUpTKGp6vVfYXDf9ngzSQbpxg/s828/Cotman%20Paint-Out1-6th.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paint-out of Cotman Sketchers Pocket Box with changes/additions by Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="578" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiER4CkkRCZFVm_cLjPxVpni8uQKtgILaNkdj9Uaiv8UkTP9p07BlQ0OkIb69WwSYp5RJf1eq1O6uWPOd7RgDnI5X3I06lT1gziwJrmoks3IoJNox-kS3WmnlKTpuaIUf31l015s7BntIeFcxQvzIdzMhRN9BVxp9IdTiUpTKGp6vVfYXDf9ngzSQbpxg/w223-h320/Cotman%20Paint-Out1-6th.jpg" title="Cotman Sketchers Box colours + Changes/Additions" width="223" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<p style="font-style: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Cotman Sketcher's Box colours + Changes/Additions</p>
<style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.winsornewton.com/uk/paint/watercolour/cotman-watercolour/"><u>Winsor and Newton Cotman</u></a> </span>– 40 colours (not including metallics) – 19 single pigment, 16 double pigment mixes, 5 triple pigment mixes</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"> </h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.winsornewton.com/uk/paint/watercolour/cotman-watercolour/" target="_blank">https://www.winsornewton.com/uk/paint/watercolour/cotman-watercolour/</a> </h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Pros</u></span> - Good colours, handle well. Sets, Pans and Tubes easily available. <br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Cons</u></span> - For me, too many of the basic colours are mixes - eg. yellows/reds. I feel that some of the yellows and reds seem less transparent in use despite being labelled transparent. Smaller colour range, but all basic colours covered. Pans didn't release colour easily as the other brands and it took more work to get the same depth of colour. If you have these, you may wish to pre-wet the pans with a light mist of water. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;">----------<>----------</p><p><b>Method</b></p><p>I have stayed with the well known brands, for reliability and confidence in their information on light-fastness and transparency/opacity. Information on the pigments used and light-fastness are available on their websites.<br /><br />In the interests of being thorough, I tested out the three student/enthusiast’s ranges, using their smallest half pan ‘set’ as a base, assessing the usefulness of the colours included and the cost of adding colours to extend the palette to give more range and vibrancy.<br /><br />To conduct the test, I painted a bright image with a good range of subtle and vibrant colours with each of the sets, along with a black grape to test out the ability to mix deep blacks without using a black pigment, and an unripe blueberry to test out the range of reds and pinks and how they worked with the blues. <br /><br />I used Daler Rowney Langton Hot Press (Botanical) watercolour paper, which I’ve had for a long time and works well for me. It isn’t cotton paper, however it is 100% wood-free acid-free paper (as is Bockingford). So should last well.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">----------<>----------</p><p> </p><p><b>The Paints used were </b><br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOP4pxj16iXHFOMRDnK_9Cdrax-9p0OcJdC_6mVyKdRhpdqiIQUvbkfXzT8j51x6r8LdQPqamrn0f-28HSpTExI50jmgFsnehsXql0qtn9gRaPLpGshBmK8EcyupUKIlIQSVAg1TxUvFCRYv9x_bF2yQclyq9Ym3OKtP2b7qt5EtysHkIu-Gg8SS2SX2tU/s914/Schmincke%20Akademie%20Set%20with%20Painting%20x%201-10th.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="686" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOP4pxj16iXHFOMRDnK_9Cdrax-9p0OcJdC_6mVyKdRhpdqiIQUvbkfXzT8j51x6r8LdQPqamrn0f-28HSpTExI50jmgFsnehsXql0qtn9gRaPLpGshBmK8EcyupUKIlIQSVAg1TxUvFCRYv9x_bF2yQclyq9Ym3OKtP2b7qt5EtysHkIu-Gg8SS2SX2tU/w300-h400/Schmincke%20Akademie%20Set%20with%20Painting%20x%201-10th.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schmincke Akademie Watercolour Travel Set<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><p><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Schmincke Akademie</b></span></u> – Set of 10 half pans – * Pigment or mix also used in Artist's ranges. </p><p>Suggested additions, Magenta PV42* Cyan* </p><p>Orange* instead of English Red. Not a direct swap, but as it's transparent, will give more range for mixing browns.<br /></p><p>Quinacridone Gold* instead of Yellow Ochre (whichever one suits you best)<br /></p><p>French Ultramarine PB 29*<br />Carmine PV19*<br />Cadmium Red Tone PR255* <br />Indian Yellow PY110,PY154* <br />Light Lemon PY3*<br />Permanent Green PO62,PG7* <br />Prussian Blue PB27* <br />Sepia PB15.1,PBr7,PBK9* <br />English Red PR101* (Very Opaque)<br />Yellow Ochre PY42* (Very Opaque)<br /></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">----<>----</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs2pAFEhPcjFfzQrer6yDYI3TfAFXrX2bYAvHz0ur6Wp8mugMzoknm1zJYVwvRSxmmzEgKKzbhTDASj_gdB_LTCWxfmWoiPzZWbh7kAE1JbeVdOY_zCm5jKCHRTNxcWO5TloUXnWrkQVyw02UAQLgWTLsLpX28qBCIrxP5PkoaRioNpJNRd60QsJmkw/s1122/Aquafine%20Set%20with%20Small%20Paintings%20x%201-10thjpg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Daler Rowney Aquafine Watercolour Travel set with trial Paintings" border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1122" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs2pAFEhPcjFfzQrer6yDYI3TfAFXrX2bYAvHz0ur6Wp8mugMzoknm1zJYVwvRSxmmzEgKKzbhTDASj_gdB_LTCWxfmWoiPzZWbh7kAE1JbeVdOY_zCm5jKCHRTNxcWO5TloUXnWrkQVyw02UAQLgWTLsLpX28qBCIrxP5PkoaRioNpJNRd60QsJmkw/w400-h300/Aquafine%20Set%20with%20Small%20Paintings%20x%201-10thjpg.jpg" title="Daler Rowney Aquafine Watercolour Travel Set" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Daler Rowney Aquafine Watercolour
Travel Set</span></p>
<style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Daler Rowney Aquafine</b></span></u> - Travel Set 10 Half pans + 4 Extra - * used in Artist's ranges<br /> </p><p>Suggested change - Quinacridone Gold* instead of Yellow Ochre (whichever brand suits you best)</p><p>Lemon Yellow PY3*<br />Cadmium Yellow Hue PY155* <br />+Indian Yellow Hue PY65* (added to extend the range of yellows)<br />+Cadmium Orange Hue PO71* (Added because it came with the Indian Yellow!)<br />Vermilion Hue PR255* <br />Alizarin Crimson PR176*<br />+Quinacridone Magenta PR122* (added for a Pink option)<br />+Purple Lake PV19* (added because it came with the Q.Magenta!)<br />Prussian Blue PB27* <br />Ultramarine PB29* <br />Leaf Green PY3,PG7* <br />Viridian Hue PG7* <br />Quinacridone Gold* (replaces Yellow Ochre PY42 which is fiercely opaque) <br />Burnt Sienna PR101* <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">----<>----</p><p></p><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cd54DH_RhfpO4lrCbMlmlw6lFJUjkY-4FYKWVw4fAs2CAUxqwJiGTl1_PEseYDV6H02zT0A37pK9kk7gZofHql20H1bDtl7k0fTHUhQ0__YqrP6DKil9j1Jm5uXtvKx6GUNvqD_c-uee02tFhJn8cckQTlUhMItyCqa4vfayK7m7QQhJvijyJPnguA/s914/Cotman%20Set%20with%20Paintings%20x%201-10th.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="W&N Cotman Watercolour Sketcher's Pocket Set with Trial Paintings" border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="686" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cd54DH_RhfpO4lrCbMlmlw6lFJUjkY-4FYKWVw4fAs2CAUxqwJiGTl1_PEseYDV6H02zT0A37pK9kk7gZofHql20H1bDtl7k0fTHUhQ0__YqrP6DKil9j1Jm5uXtvKx6GUNvqD_c-uee02tFhJn8cckQTlUhMItyCqa4vfayK7m7QQhJvijyJPnguA/w300-h400/Cotman%20Set%20with%20Paintings%20x%201-10th.jpg" title="W&N Cotman Watercolour Sketcher's Pocket Set" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">W&N Cotman Watercolour
Sketcher's Pocket Set</span></p>
<style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><span><b>W&N Cotman</b></span></u> </span>watercolours – Sketchers Pocket Box - set of 12 half pans – * used in Artist's ranges</p><p>Suggested change - Quinacridone Gold* instead of Yellow Ochre (whichever brand suits you best)<br /><br />Lemon Yellow Hue PY175* (replaced the Cad Yellow Pale Hue which wasn’t transparent)<br />Cadmium Yellow Hue PY197, PY65 <br />Cadmium Red Pale Hue PR255, PY65 <br />Alizarin Crimson Hue PRN/A, PR206* <br />+Permanent Rose PV19* (Replaced Chinese White which I have no use for) <br />Ultramarine PB29* <br />+Intense Blue (Phthalo Blue) PB15* (Replaced Cobalt Blue Hue – a mix and not different enough to Ultramarine. Sketcher's box now seems to contain Cerulean Hue) <br />Viridian Hue PG7* <br />Sap Green PY139,PG36,PR101 <br />+Q. Gold* (replaces Yellow Ochre PY42 which is fiercely opaque) <br />Burnt Sienna PR101* <br />Burnt Umber PBr7, PY42<br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">CONCLUSION</span></h3><p><br />While I have my own preferences regarding which of these sets works best for me, <b><i>any</i> of them would be a good starting place for someone with serious intent and not a lot of money to spare, who may be daunted by using the expensive paints they've bought, or are reluctant to 'waste' expensive paints at the beginning of their journey.</b> The lower price means that essential play, experimentation and practise, as well as more
serious paintings, are possible without fear of incurring high costs in
replacements, or fear of 'wasting the good paints'. The whole point of these paints is that they will give excellent results while building confidence.<br /></p><p>They also allow upgrading to professional grade paints in the future, as and when each colour runs out, but with no urgency to do so. <br /><br /></p><p>So there you have it. Student/Enthusiast Watercolour quality of the <i>best known</i> Paint Manufacturers has come a long way in the last decade. There are <i>slight</i> differences between these paints and the Artist's ranges, but this shouldn't put you off if you are just starting out on your watercolour journey, or the cost of buying/replacing watercolours is a challenge for you. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-24499109058119158102020-06-14T17:18:00.039+01:002020-07-12T01:38:11.915+01:00TIPS FOR STARTING OFF IN WATERCOLOUR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2sMG73FqZSDMcIIAgFQfYQ8E6VYTdDSi0w5B2LDNjgNNeaui9CzZAaUgLLfO9riKg8oIn01BcLpYUL3A9kPodkZY4BvJZ_x_mjulOHNCFiTpuTfNNdHP3IJc0Z7ho6BhjSXXyhW_jOf8/s1200/20200608_185634_copy_1200x853.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1200" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2sMG73FqZSDMcIIAgFQfYQ8E6VYTdDSi0w5B2LDNjgNNeaui9CzZAaUgLLfO9riKg8oIn01BcLpYUL3A9kPodkZY4BvJZ_x_mjulOHNCFiTpuTfNNdHP3IJc0Z7ho6BhjSXXyhW_jOf8/s320/20200608_185634_copy_1200x853.jpg" width="414" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolour sketch page - Sarracenias<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It’s been too long since I last wrote a blog post, I’m afraid life rather got in the way, but I’m back with something that’s been bothering me for a while. Grab a cuppa and maybe a biscuit, this is a long read<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As well as being a Botanical Artist, I am Botanical Painting Tutor for the London Art College and have noticed how difficult starting off in Watercolour can be. There’s a saying that Watercolour is the easiest medium to pick up, but the most difficult to master and in some ways I would agree with this. <br /> <br /> <br /> I think a lot of that is Where to Start ? When faced with an art shop full of materials and there’s so much choice, it’s really confusing. <br /> <br /> <br /> There’s also confusion about what is the most important element of painting in Watercolour. Because it’s called Watercolour painting, you’d think that the most important element would be the paint. <br /> <br /> <br /> But it isn’t ! <br /> <br /> <br /> As I’ve written further down the page, as long as you are purchasing decent bands of professional paint, even the modern student grades will be good. The range of colours are limited, you do have to check for single/transparent pigments, and they may not be quite as strong as the professional range, but these are minor problems when you are starting out, and are an advantage for beginners in the case of limited range of colours and the very strong Phthalo pigments. <br /> <br /> <br /> In fact, the most important elements in order of importance is 1. Paper 2. Brushes 3. Paint. <br /> <br /> <br /> That’s right, Paper is the most important element ! <br /> <br /> <br /> Why? Because it doesn’t matter how experienced you are, or how wonderful your brushes are, or that you have the finest paint. All this is nothing if your paper is poor or inconsistent or it doesn’t suit your way of working. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 1. PAPER <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fxiTaWpj4b7bXgCIgkGHXyU83-MDdaPzj3u3oStk_AJJqoNi1QauNE1GmrxruaBH149VDjzlMO93f2Qak5kG_o6xwroX1eZJNEYAZouFniTLLV_v5eG7hcFu7KcVyAsZjlyo6DqCrMuo/s1706/20200608_160839_copy_1200x1706.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1706" data-original-width="1200" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fxiTaWpj4b7bXgCIgkGHXyU83-MDdaPzj3u3oStk_AJJqoNi1QauNE1GmrxruaBH149VDjzlMO93f2Qak5kG_o6xwroX1eZJNEYAZouFniTLLV_v5eG7hcFu7KcVyAsZjlyo6DqCrMuo/s320/20200608_160839_copy_1200x1706.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selection of Watercolour <br />paper samples with tests<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /> Even the most experienced watercolour artists can have problems when the paper becomes inconsistent and I’ve written about that here in <span style="color: #0f9d58;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2016/06/">PAPER MATTERS</a>.</span> Katherine Tyrrell has written about Watercolour Paper in more depth here <span style="color: #0f9d58;"><a href="https://www.botanicalartandartists.com/botanical-art-paper.html">https://www.botanicalartandartists.com/botanical-art-paper.html</a></span> scroll down the page to find out what happened when a previously beautiful watercolour paper changed. <br /> </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl0RTm0opC5edrvpzuEmRjixSo5OhSX-3wkamhDrmXmUwQXIoIfKQgs_LlIOne6WUHorK9AqsjVJVaPSiM97_D9rM5k-dFeyyg27ZZmJRYuHbOF1DFuq6QvYcGb0l3jicqqMCrEpODEUf/s1151/20200608_160952_copy_1200x675.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="675" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl0RTm0opC5edrvpzuEmRjixSo5OhSX-3wkamhDrmXmUwQXIoIfKQgs_LlIOne6WUHorK9AqsjVJVaPSiM97_D9rM5k-dFeyyg27ZZmJRYuHbOF1DFuq6QvYcGb0l3jicqqMCrEpODEUf/s320/20200608_160952_copy_1200x675.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Test samples with cut sheets<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /> <br /> So what paper to choose? This is a huge question and perhaps the best answer is to either buy sheets of the paper you want to try and cut them down to suit, or if you have no idea, order a sample pack of watercolour papers. These are packs of paper either from different manufacturers - eg different brands and different types and weights, or a sample pack from a single manufacturer with their different types and weights of watercolour paper. Just make sure the papers are for Watercolour though as anything else is a waste of money. I tend to recommend Saunders Waterford papers, because they do a nice range of student and 100% cotton papers which are reliable and stand up to the different techniques used, and they do a really nice sample pack to try out. But Art materials suppliers also do watercolour sample packs too, which gives a wider range of papers and Brands to try out. My recommendation is to try out as many papers as you can afford and keep notes on the different papers, which ones you like and why, which ones you don’t like and why, so that you can refer back to them later. Go for at least 140lbs/300gsm and you may be able to paint without the paper cockling (warping) depending on how much water you use. <br /> <br /> <br /> Buying a single sheet and cutting it down to eg. 7½ x 5½ inches (19x14cms) will give you 16 sheets to practise on. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 2. BRUSHES <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZxTBF6JAAtfd43EM3YZ23a-hA0Pqxs7lnPFg4xn8YNuMXehz0bi85x07L2I9NdUy_HvKH_nBKRSTbMIftMTPY3WxANwZVrN9d-4ml7Mnwp2Rjs6uZRs7CMbcvAArLxq_NHawGTPWrs3j/s1600/20200608_150218_copy_900x1600.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZxTBF6JAAtfd43EM3YZ23a-hA0Pqxs7lnPFg4xn8YNuMXehz0bi85x07L2I9NdUy_HvKH_nBKRSTbMIftMTPY3WxANwZVrN9d-4ml7Mnwp2Rjs6uZRs7CMbcvAArLxq_NHawGTPWrs3j/s320/20200608_150218_copy_900x1600.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sable Brushes and Synthethic brushes <br />with a tiny paint tin<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /> Brushes can be a source of pleasure when painting, or a source of endless frustration. A good brush should hold paint or water and let it out in a controlled way, there should be no flood of paint or water releasing suddenly from the hairs. It should also hold its point when wet. You can test this by swishing in water and then shaking the brush with a quick flick. The hairs should form a point and the brush should look ‘clean’ with no hairs sticking out. If they don’t, or the point is split, you will struggle to control your mark making and will struggle to make fine details. This is fine if you paint very loosely, but if you want to paint in a realistic way will make things unnecessarily difficult. <br /> Whether you use Sable or Synthetic is a personal choice, look for a brush with a nice point, that holds plenty of water/paint for its size and doesn’t dump it all at once. Whether Sable or Synthetic, look for a specialist brush manufacturer. Prices depend on size and shape. Specialist brush makers such as Rosemary & Co, DaVinci, Escoda, Raphael, Winsor & Newton etc all make both Sable and Synthetic watercolour brushes that are excellent. Be aware that brush sizes aren’t standardized, so sizes in different brands will be slightly or markedly different, there’s usually a picture on the brand’s websites showing their brushes in the different sizes. <br /> <br /> <br /> It’s better to buy just two really good pointed round brushes of different sizes – eg #2 and #4, than to buy a large set of inferior brushes. You’ll get more use out of the good ones and will find that they help you paint rather than hinder. <br /> <br /> <br /> When painting with your lovely new brushes, take care to NEVER lift paint from the pan or mix paint with them, it’s the fastest way to ruin them. Instead, use a cheap synthetic brush and keep it just for that purpose. Also, use a brush size that is suitable for the amount of paint you need, using a huge brush to lift and mix paint can lead to most of the paint ending up in the water jar. <br /> <br /> <br /> When using your brushes, ensure you have just the right amount of water in the brush before you pick up paint. A folded soft cotton face flannel is useful for wicking water out of the brush and with experience you will know just how damp to leave it. I use white cotton flannels as they show if there is paint on them, and can be laundered to remove stains. When picking up paint from the palette, gently roll the brush to remove excess paint and form the point, this should leave you with the right amount of paint and a controlled shape to work with. A spare piece of watercolour paper can be used to test your colour and ensure the right amount of paint for your painting. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 3. PAINT <br /> </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR-yGbhLuzGWDzI4iw5ydCRNr0msIYuc-NIakOIo-rqVJG7TyedOHgFUES5B0YrbWiylAOEHlpd-sZzCbsQkAg84HU-PnTiMzMS330qCLEnflm-RqNrEwG3nihNOr8YbTHxFuws7yv0aM/s1200/20200608_144230_copy_1200x803.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1200" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR-yGbhLuzGWDzI4iw5ydCRNr0msIYuc-NIakOIo-rqVJG7TyedOHgFUES5B0YrbWiylAOEHlpd-sZzCbsQkAg84HU-PnTiMzMS330qCLEnflm-RqNrEwG3nihNOr8YbTHxFuws7yv0aM/s320/20200608_144230_copy_1200x803.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolour pans and tubes showing Pigment numbers<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /> <br /> There are so many different makes of paint, so many different colours, and if there are so many, you need them all right? Well, no. <br /> <br /> <br /> I’ve spent a lot of time and money trying out the different brands, as many as I could find locally and a few that weren’t. And it’s my experience that provided you stick to the well established professional brands (Daler Rowney, Daniel Smith, Senellier, Schmincke, Winsor and Newton, to name just a few and in no particular order except alphabetical) even their modern student ranges will be perfectly suitable for starting off, as long as you stick to a few rules. <br /> <br /> <br /> Get just a few tubes or pans, and stick to transparent colours. <br /> <br /> <br /> Why transparent? Because there is less chance of mixing mud. <br /> The main reason some colours/mixes produce mud is that opaque and/or granulating pigments have been used in the colour/mix and this can lead to very muddy looking colours. Have a look at my blog post <span style="color: #0f9d58;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2014/11/how-many-colours-do-you-need-to-paint.html">HOW MANY COLOURS DO YOU NEED TO PAINT FLOWERS ?</a> </span><br /> You’ll find that the answer is a lot less than you think. If you look at the images there, you can see that even with only the three colours, I haven’t made mud. This is because all the colours used are transparent. With the six colours, every colour you could possibly see can be mixed without making mud. The three or six colours you choose are really important though, as some colours are more suitable for this method than others, which is why I’ve given both the colour names and the pigment numbers – not all colours use the same pigments across the different brands so do check both colour name and pigment number to be sure. <br /> <br /> <br /> By using transparent colours, you’ll reduce the frustration level straight away and can wait until you are confident with your paper and your watercolour techniques to try out those interesting granulating colours and opaques, but without limiting the number of colours you can make. <br /> <br /> <br /> By using a limited number of colours, you’ve done two things, <br /> 1. You’ve saved money on paint, Watercolour goes a really long way, hence the tiny tubes and pans. You can use the dried paint on the palette and you can even use paint dried in the tubes as pans by peeling off the tube. Try doing that with oils or acrylic! Hopefully you will find using the paint you have less intimidating because you don’t have to decide which colours to use. <br /> <br /> <br /> 2. You can concentrate on learning how many colours can be made and the subtle changes you can make with just a touch of one or two of the colours in the mix. I recommend that you keep notes and swatches/charts to remind you of paint mixes, this helps because you don’t have to start from scratch every time you paint. Which means you can concentrate on techniques. <br /> <br /> <br /> My suggestions for limited colour palettes. The numbers refer to the Pigment numbers eg Pigment Blue 15 (which is Phthalo Blue) and can be found on the label of the pan or tube. <i>Note, these are only suggestions, you may find that these colours have differen</i><i>t names. The colours here produce the widest range of colours when mixing. </i><br /> <br /> <br /> Three colours <br /> PY175 Lemon Yellow, PR122 Quinacridone Magenta/Quinacridone Purple, PB15 Phthalo Blue (Green shade or Red shade) <br /> <br /> <br /> Six Colours <br /> PY175 Lemon Yellow, <br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Indian Yellow or New Gamboge (whichever is transparent, both are a mix), Permanent Alizarin Crimson, PR122 Quinacridone Magenta, PB 15 Phthalo Blue (green shade), PB60 Indanthrene/Indanthrone Blue (or French Ultramarine). <br /> <br /> More reading on colour and paper <br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: #0b8043;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2016/06/paper-matters.html">Paper Matters !</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: #0b8043;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: #0b8043;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2014/11/how-many-colours-do-you-need-to-paint.html">How many colours do you need to paint flowers?</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: #0b8043;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: #0b8043;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/12/lightfastness-testing-2-results-2018.html">Lightfastness testing - results</a></span><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <br /> <br /> <style type="text/css">
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Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-43803526130944409452018-12-22T03:42:00.000+00:002019-01-11T23:39:57.116+00:00Lightfastness Testing #2 - Results 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></i> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well this isn't the post I thought I'd be writing when starting the Lightfast Testing earlier this year!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Because of the erratic weather in Wales, I thought that my Lightfast Tests would take longer than one summer. I bought the Blue Wool Scale Cards to more easily know when the test paints had been given the right amount of light, 800 hours or more. And thank goodness I did. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Operas perform better than others</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This summer was the hottest driest and sunniest in Wales since 1976 and because of this, the Lightfast Testing is now complete in just one summer ! I shouldn't be surprised really as the tests were hung outside for 126 hours roughly, though in the last few days they had to be brought in quickly when rain threatened. Add to that the tests were hung outside for 8 to 10 hours a day throughout the summer and the 800 hours was exceeded.</span></span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">About Lightfastmess Testing</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">First of all a note about Lightfastness Testing. Most people realise that paints can fade over time, but did you know that paints can change in other ways? Some can darken or become a different colour completely, though this happens less often. Aureolin PY40, is one of those that change colour, becoming a dirty brown very quickly indeed. Prussian Blue PB27, is another quirky pigment, I found it faded quickly but then recovered after being in the dark and didn't change after that! Both Rose madder Genuine NR9 and Alizarin Crimson PR83, appeared not to change for a number of weeks, then very suddenly lost colour rapidly - most easily seen in the tints, which disappeared almost entirely, but fading was also evident in the mass tone too.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0X4iY9WWGEI3wP5aIPJ0LD2wproRsh7GoR0rzGo6wKQh0BUc4QX29xs4vMjyDSlhRMKVSFjsRBylEOTx0cKZRJq6GjWQ-yR45ZRiZpgqLiFNEe09o8J29mevU80FNytPxCYEXLFVqdGp/s1600/Lightfast+Tests+Page+2+Polly+O%2527Leary+522kb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Aureolin Changed Completely! ©Polly o'Leary 2018" border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1071" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0X4iY9WWGEI3wP5aIPJ0LD2wproRsh7GoR0rzGo6wKQh0BUc4QX29xs4vMjyDSlhRMKVSFjsRBylEOTx0cKZRJq6GjWQ-yR45ZRiZpgqLiFNEe09o8J29mevU80FNytPxCYEXLFVqdGp/s320/Lightfast+Tests+Page+2+Polly+O%2527Leary+522kb.jpg" title="Aureolin Changed Completely! ©Polly o'Leary 2018" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aureolin Changed Completely! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lightfastness Testing is conducted to give an indication of the maximum or minimum lifespan you can expect from a specific paint colour. Some colours last just a few weeks, others last for a very long time - under favourable conditions, they can last for generations.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of the results agreed with the manufacturers' Lightfastness declarations, but there were a few surprises, I leave the reader to work out which those were.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Tests were measured against a Blue Wool Scale Textile Fading Card 1-8 which provided an estimate of the amount of light the paints had received, since our weather is so variable. These cards can be bought from various companies in the UK including -</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.preservationequipment.com/Catalogue/Instruments/UV-Light-Monitors/Blue-Scale-Textile-Fading-Cards-986-1000" target="_blank">https://www.preservationequipment.com</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.conservation-resources.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1059" target="_blank">http://www.conservation-resources.co.uk</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.sdcenterprises.co.uk/brochure/" target="_blank">https://www.sdcenterprises.co.uk</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Prices as of November 2017 were around £16 per BWS 1-8 Card (the largest number of swatches) plus postage and packing. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you live outside the UK, a google search of Blue Wool Scale Textile Fading Cards should bring up results relevant to your country. </span></span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Method</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The tests were painted on Saunders Waterford Hot Press Watercolour Paper 200lb High White which has no optical brighteners. They were then put into frames with thick, double layer aluminium strips taped to the inside of normal picture frame glass to cover half of each swatch, and a good contact ensured with the watercolour paper. The frames were then hung outside in full sun at an angle of 45 degrees to ensure even exposure of all the paints over the whole test area.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrINaTbaMWm4FqqtDpWczvd3p3WBE6eAKVDXA5q51Vu2gLQNHQFMNsoTstY-QyeJnyJs7GsE281mXhyfPyD4HTPo02eMM0dkQMTfSV9cb9qsq0IZTfk2gsMBZ4yWHW0ctwwNANXKkKoNMT/s1600/20180628_133956-2124x1195.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lightfastness Test Frames set at an angle of 45degrees©Polly o'Leary2018" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrINaTbaMWm4FqqtDpWczvd3p3WBE6eAKVDXA5q51Vu2gLQNHQFMNsoTstY-QyeJnyJs7GsE281mXhyfPyD4HTPo02eMM0dkQMTfSV9cb9qsq0IZTfk2gsMBZ4yWHW0ctwwNANXKkKoNMT/s320/20180628_133956-2124x1195.jpg" title="Lightfastness Test Frames set at an angle of 45degrees©Polly o'Leary2018" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Test Frames set at an angle of 45 degrees</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Blue Wool Scale 1-8 card was half covered with a double layer of thick aluminium foil and also framed tightly to ensure good contact between the aluminium and the unexposed wool swatches. This was then also hung out daily at an angle of 45 degrees. When not hung outside in the sunshine, the frames were laid face down on a table and covered to ensure no other light reached the paints or the Blue Wool Card, so that the results would be more reliable.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgDmlhwOy05im1QitaXwuEOJjRZ30CKP051MxAO6mBCZ33XBjl48u-VbHPz_YblHQJ7CEC9mnWbWL6K9P1xISkdkqA9gfIUEPlj0yclFTzHFvEhFFyfv2SyH-FnJwcq1Rn6gZDzYJneJD/s1600/Lightfast+Tests+Page+Polly+O%2527Leary+637kb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Main Test Page with results©Polly o'Leary 2018" border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="754" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgDmlhwOy05im1QitaXwuEOJjRZ30CKP051MxAO6mBCZ33XBjl48u-VbHPz_YblHQJ7CEC9mnWbWL6K9P1xISkdkqA9gfIUEPlj0yclFTzHFvEhFFyfv2SyH-FnJwcq1Rn6gZDzYJneJD/s320/Lightfast+Tests+Page+Polly+O%2527Leary+637kb.jpg" title="Main Test Page with results©Polly o'Leary 2018" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Test Page with results</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Each week the tests were checked against the Blue Wool Cards, any changes noted, compared to the Blue Wool Scale and recorded against the paint. The amount of change was also compared against the Blue wool Scale Card at the end of the test and recorded as a comparison. The end of the test was the point at which the Blue wool Scale 8 swatch was noted as having changed. Thanks to the glorious summer weather, this happened in a fraction of the time anticipated.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoKOdj1gXpxXle75Y4-RlKl5OV0-FSX56OGQ0TvICXuzNqORI4U-12uVC0RkIZLaUTfn8gxyMbBx2YSJZF30uJYbEBy5vJoWn3x8ihqjUgGZIO5QjQVMNK_ut9CVuBlFpG0BxFDqwjibt/s1600/20180914_141719-1-1368x585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Blue Wool Scale Card 1-8 showing changes in colour©Polly o'Leary 2018" border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1368" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoKOdj1gXpxXle75Y4-RlKl5OV0-FSX56OGQ0TvICXuzNqORI4U-12uVC0RkIZLaUTfn8gxyMbBx2YSJZF30uJYbEBy5vJoWn3x8ihqjUgGZIO5QjQVMNK_ut9CVuBlFpG0BxFDqwjibt/s320/20180914_141719-1-1368x585.jpg" title="Blue Wool Scale Card 1-8 showing changes in colour©Polly o'Leary 2018" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Wool Scale Card 1-8 showing changes in colour</td></tr>
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From my tests, it has become apparent that we have a wonderful selection of colours which are highly lightfast - Yellows, Reds, Pinks, Purples, Blues, Greens and Browns. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These can be found in the PDF </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">- just follow the link. If you have a problem seeing the PDF please contact me and let me know.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rKEzLgkFkwuTt4IFKREMPZEOmkAZwLej/view" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Polly o'Leary Lightfastness Testing Results 2018 PDF</span></a></span><br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">A note about the paints/colours I tested</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">When choosing paints, it's important to remember that the only reliable guide as to the colour is the Pigment number. Manufacturers may give different colours the same names, or the same colours different names, or they may change the pigments and leave the name the same, but the pigment number (or numbers if it's a mixture/hue) will let you know what you are really buying. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">These paints are my own paints, the fugitive colours have never been used in a painting, they may have been acquired as part of a set, or bought specifically for the test, especially where age could conceivably affect the lightfastness. The rest are colours that are useful from time to time, apart from a core of colours which I find myself using in almost every painting.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The results of the tests are my results, under the conditions in my garden this summer (2018) and using the paints and paper that I normally use, against this brand of Blue Wool Scale 1-8 Card. You may see different results with different paper and paint under different lighting conditions. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i><i></i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>These tests were conducted completely independent of any manufacturer or provider of art supplies.</i></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;">More on Lightfastness and Colour</span><br />
<span style="font-size: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/06/2018-lightfastness-testing-1.html" target="_blank">Lightfastness Testing #1.html</a> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2014/11/how-many-colours-do-you-need-to-paint.html">How Many Colours Do You Need To Paint Flowers?</a> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: normal;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/04/the-problem-of-py153-new-gamboge-indian.html">The Problem Of PY153 - New Gamboge, Indian Yellow</a></span>
<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span>
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Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-43198888515834694232018-06-15T13:04:00.000+01:002019-01-11T22:32:40.771+00:002018 Lightfastness Testing #1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In January this year I bought some Blue Wool Scale 1-8 Cards and made lightfastness charts with every watercolour paint that I have in the brands that I own. This means I sometimes have more than one example of a colour to test. I also included known fugitive colours, some accidentally acquired in sets or dot charts, and one - Rose Madder Genuine - bought for the occasion.</div>
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The charts were made with swatches on watercolour paper consisting of Mass Tone and a dilution which still gave a clear colour, and the thick aluminium masks were set so that they covered half the swatch. The glass is normal picture frame glass to allow maximum light penetration.</div>
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The original intention was to use a light box fitted with UV lights, but as it turned out, the tubes weren't numerous or strong enough. And my electricity meter was whizzing around far to quickly !</div>
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So, after setting up the frames and masks and putting everything together, it was all shelved in the dark until the weather was right.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAbozyWKGz6Ej5HAWrK_pNU1vb-6-XBDh_mjVlqjw__2x90fx5pxt-n4zlaUuxQMqdrrmsFph6F2aMvB_mpr8O70M8woya0TJp7ChMW9v7ado3gP8Y_k050hmY9aPEdYb4SFNhYqRX3p-/s1600/20171228_123713-1-1024x702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="©2018 Polly o'Leary - Watercolour Paint swatches and Blue Wool Scale card 1-8 " border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAbozyWKGz6Ej5HAWrK_pNU1vb-6-XBDh_mjVlqjw__2x90fx5pxt-n4zlaUuxQMqdrrmsFph6F2aMvB_mpr8O70M8woya0TJp7ChMW9v7ado3gP8Y_k050hmY9aPEdYb4SFNhYqRX3p-/s320/20171228_123713-1-1024x702.jpg" title="Watercolour Paint swatches and Blue Wool Scale card 1-8 ©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolour Paint swatches and Blue Wool Scale card 1-8</td></tr>
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The past week has been dry and even occasionally sunny so the test frames have been hung outside daily, facing as close to South as I can get. I don't wait for sunshine, and hours arent counted as the light here in South Wales is so variable. Any light will do as I have the Blue Wool Scale to compare with.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLxC1y1eRy8OcIDu680Pxh3x4tbn4g8wV_Y_uTcCYrjDclGcSbeoaTJalxJlxlVc18zSU43bqBBOYFt5yLZKJrXfuNjnUD7jR7zEj31SC-54fE0PQ8OFgroCyNJXvWS4LilOJo3BK4wYD/s1600/20180611_105003-1-1024x868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="©2018 Polly o'Leary - Watercolour paint swatches facing South " border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLxC1y1eRy8OcIDu680Pxh3x4tbn4g8wV_Y_uTcCYrjDclGcSbeoaTJalxJlxlVc18zSU43bqBBOYFt5yLZKJrXfuNjnUD7jR7zEj31SC-54fE0PQ8OFgroCyNJXvWS4LilOJo3BK4wYD/s200/20180611_105003-1-1024x868.jpg" title="Watercolour paint swatches facing South ©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolour paint swatches facing South</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12hdCRmvAsT07A9EgcVxPRRL11gFA6k158M2oU_uTmBjz0akyHmiN2di16xYUC-A2xAFX1UJGjUTN9WSHZxhY5TTtjG3M5sbjfJVxzldl7brL1IRO_bpq8OWOCRj0ugVmgdLpY8L1INkd/s1600/20180611_104957-1-1024x915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="©2018 Polly o'Leary - Blue Wool Scale 1-8 masked and hung facing South " border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12hdCRmvAsT07A9EgcVxPRRL11gFA6k158M2oU_uTmBjz0akyHmiN2di16xYUC-A2xAFX1UJGjUTN9WSHZxhY5TTtjG3M5sbjfJVxzldl7brL1IRO_bpq8OWOCRj0ugVmgdLpY8L1INkd/s200/20180611_104957-1-1024x915.jpg" title="Blue Wool Scale 1-8 masked and hung facing South ©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Wool Scale 1-8 masked and hung facing South<br />
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Interim results, at Blue Wool Scale 3 - after just 1 week are interesting.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXHohW_o8j7cRamY-WWHrjik_-tm92igVK1LHu3jP0zxvvrIgqIrQEUoTE2hqIWQThvHSUnRBvAFsmu36RLyG5gRlwqWyiYAkcPAepoBUu6tlkKBLDC8zzpNiqrZuwJ1rfqLhdWYuF6Mz/s1600/20180614_112902-1024x576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=" ©2018 Polly o'Leary - Blue Wool Scale 3 changes" border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXHohW_o8j7cRamY-WWHrjik_-tm92igVK1LHu3jP0zxvvrIgqIrQEUoTE2hqIWQThvHSUnRBvAFsmu36RLyG5gRlwqWyiYAkcPAepoBUu6tlkKBLDC8zzpNiqrZuwJ1rfqLhdWYuF6Mz/s200/20180614_112902-1024x576.jpg" title="Blue Wool Scale 3 changes ©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Wool Scale showing changes to first 3 swatches<br />
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Aureolin (yellow) PY40 (Daniel Smith)<br />
The colour most noticeably changed. It's gone dirty and brown. My advice, avoid. The last thing any artist needs is a yellow that goes dirty so quickly. There are plenty of lovely yellows to play with that won't change so quickly. If you're really attached to it, maybe do your own Lightfastness Testing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjZZTkAfVeFdes0Sn6PotQMIJIlOIBCqhyphenhyphentyjWzQNNmXUFAfawaiq5U7Rek9h63nrA2wJ8s7zmG0zYmZypYwsUQOX2NZ07KgqNAjFDApDc5ojev-GXC3JeMArSGwShDZbd6IG7PvHBfAo/s1600/2018-06-15+14.52.14-512x294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="©2018 Polly o'Leary - PY40 showing colour changing after only 1 week " border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjZZTkAfVeFdes0Sn6PotQMIJIlOIBCqhyphenhyphentyjWzQNNmXUFAfawaiq5U7Rek9h63nrA2wJ8s7zmG0zYmZypYwsUQOX2NZ07KgqNAjFDApDc5ojev-GXC3JeMArSGwShDZbd6IG7PvHBfAo/s200/2018-06-15+14.52.14-512x294.jpg" title="Aureolin PY40 showing colour changing after only 1 week ©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="200" /></a></div>
Aureolin PY40 showing colour changing after only 1 week<br />
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Rose Madder Genuine NR9 (W&N)<br />
This is a known fugitive colour and I can't say I know of many who would use it as there are any number of non fugitive alternatives. However, it hasn't changed as quickly or as much as I expected. Watch this space.</div>
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Brilliant Red Violet PV1 (Schmincke)<br />
The expected has happened. The brightness has disappeared across the swatch leaving a reddish purple. It will be interesting to see how this one develops as time goes on.</div>
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Brilliant Blue Violet PV1 (Shmincke)<br />
As PV1 above.</div>
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Opera BV11, PR122 (Turner) and Rose Opera PR81:1 (Sennelier)<br />
Both of these make no claim to lightfastness and it's clear to see why. They have faded substantially in mass tone and diluted. <br />
However W&N Opera PR122 remains bright and unchanged so far.</div>
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Rose Madder Hue PR81, PR122 (Daler Rowney Aquafine)<br />
This has shown clear changes already. Faded in mass tone and diluted. There are substitutes that won't change.</div>
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Prussian Blue PB27 (W&N, Schmincke)<br />
This has faded substantially. If it's a favourite of yours, you may wish to do your own lightfastness Testing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDbBPb10MC6mVVlFEBxNg29WOHiHmCxaQA73OR_aMVJqgsFxqZh-Mo8b2DPByY6dgJU0CD3UVIwUT9vC4DB3gKW2F55z9xjBELJ7seWV1SgLZV55cUfNjA3Tfs8ys7GpRsOr8NupqGZlU/s1600/20180614_113458-1024x1820-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=" ©2018 Polly o'Leary - The main watercolour swatches - some showing changes" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDbBPb10MC6mVVlFEBxNg29WOHiHmCxaQA73OR_aMVJqgsFxqZh-Mo8b2DPByY6dgJU0CD3UVIwUT9vC4DB3gKW2F55z9xjBELJ7seWV1SgLZV55cUfNjA3Tfs8ys7GpRsOr8NupqGZlU/s320/20180614_113458-1024x1820-1.jpg" title="The main watercolour swatches - some showing changes ©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main watercolour swatches - some showing changes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: normal;">More on Lightfastness and Colour</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: normal;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/12/lightfastness-testing-results-2018.html">Lightfastness Testing #2 - Results </a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: normal;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2014/11/how-many-colours-do-you-need-to-paint.html">How Many Colours Do You Need To Paint flowers?</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: normal;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/04/the-problem-of-py153-new-gamboge-indian.html">The Problem Of PY153 - New Gamboge, Indian Yellow</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: normal;"><br /></span>
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Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-53096256700574686912018-05-16T15:52:00.000+01:002018-05-16T16:40:32.791+01:00Meconopsis cambrica - Welsh Poppy <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "benguiatgot bk bt" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
native perennial with a taproot, even when it looks as if it’s been
killed by the most severe winter, the Welsh Poppy will bounce back in the spring.
And it doesn’t need much soil, being happy to grow anywhere<b> </b>as
long as there is moisture and a little sunshine.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "benguiatgot bk bt" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">W</span><span style="font-size: small;">hen
it came to choosing a </span><span style="font-size: small;">native
wild flower</span><span style="font-size: small;"> to paint,
this elegant and delicate beauty was an obvious choice, </span><span style="font-size: small;">it
deserves more attention than it gets and makes a perfect subject for
a watercolour painting. Luckily, I had harvested a few seeds from wild plants some years ago. I thought they were lost, but late in 2016, they started growing on the patch where they'd been sown. By spring last year, I had several small plants all showing good growth. As with all my paintings, my first move was to make studies of alll aspects of the plant, starting with it's growth habit and working through all the parts - even down to the tiny hairs on the buds and parts of the stems. Initial studies go in my sketchbook. Later studies are done on the paper I will work on.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdxdZNq-T5SApeh_Ag4Owau3UV20ZgauHE-J4qKKwvVy2bWS0Ahf8lpRv8YIEgYXEgImLSB0icrPkW2PzwaHSabrzM8VkZB2YKflMMgstSjOpR4ec7zUYnBMw1QJdLSTZm8uo1VbOeRCT/s1600/Leaf+page+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Initial Leaf Studies Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="600" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdxdZNq-T5SApeh_Ag4Owau3UV20ZgauHE-J4qKKwvVy2bWS0Ahf8lpRv8YIEgYXEgImLSB0icrPkW2PzwaHSabrzM8VkZB2YKflMMgstSjOpR4ec7zUYnBMw1QJdLSTZm8uo1VbOeRCT/s200/Leaf+page+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" title="Initial Leaf Studies Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "benguiatgot bk bt" , sans-serif;">Initial leaf studies - Welsh Poppy</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHArmiwmMwOuLhKLHJHziU6mFMAl436z_SleUv70TQYBncGzsoDRATatCQeS_9sg9SrY_XnSz3l4Fn-alfypCJHdNTHiu2gJjCP2Oo6aoTmWulZJKy8c6gNWnivxqKKJJXR0feY15hYYD/s1600/Welsh+Poppy+studies+1+%2528600+x+408%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Initial Studies Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="600" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHArmiwmMwOuLhKLHJHziU6mFMAl436z_SleUv70TQYBncGzsoDRATatCQeS_9sg9SrY_XnSz3l4Fn-alfypCJHdNTHiu2gJjCP2Oo6aoTmWulZJKy8c6gNWnivxqKKJJXR0feY15hYYD/s200/Welsh+Poppy+studies+1+%2528600+x+408%2529.jpg" title="Initial Studies Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Initial Studies - Welsh poppy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJD06pLmvhyphenhyphen8MxlcEH9POtY1FDfsVybFMWb4sZ1QuA2_scfu8qXf2NE6JeBZYuSpdUhZX18sBT1ufTCYpELY5QxwkxwmtAHS7hVzukvLso4FweVQlA9H2jdzKvkAi7CNQ2SpFlCqp9Q85/s1600/Welsh+Poppy+studies+2+%2528600+x+435%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Painting Leaves Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="600" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJD06pLmvhyphenhyphen8MxlcEH9POtY1FDfsVybFMWb4sZ1QuA2_scfu8qXf2NE6JeBZYuSpdUhZX18sBT1ufTCYpELY5QxwkxwmtAHS7hVzukvLso4FweVQlA9H2jdzKvkAi7CNQ2SpFlCqp9Q85/s200/Welsh+Poppy+studies+2+%2528600+x+435%2529.jpg" title="Painting Leaves Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting leaves - Welsh poppy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH0YHR3dMKRFUfsA7CoThZGTSh6yW9ojcIOeNDxBk2W_qPCllJGU8jFnxaYuHo-IpwYRLEExTMUJ0_G6sQ5HOGh6QggydZrAgpdCoxKWwkC5GVs179W8NyUssWvJ5GQyVwvDkcknAvVJy/s1600/Welsh+Poppy+Studies+3+%2528600+x+437%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Flower Studies Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="600" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH0YHR3dMKRFUfsA7CoThZGTSh6yW9ojcIOeNDxBk2W_qPCllJGU8jFnxaYuHo-IpwYRLEExTMUJ0_G6sQ5HOGh6QggydZrAgpdCoxKWwkC5GVs179W8NyUssWvJ5GQyVwvDkcknAvVJy/s200/Welsh+Poppy+Studies+3+%2528600+x+437%2529.jpg" title="Flower Studies Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower studies - Welsh Poppy</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "benguiatgot bk bt" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "benguiatgot bk bt" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bright yellow flowers were an enjoyable challenge. I had great fun finding the combination of yellows that would give depth and the correct colour, then working out how to portray the shadows without losing the glowing yellows. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZjrhLaLVXG-jBu8nFBW2hHmH5zLKkxa7sEthYaUyrdJ4aqVnl-ygUhdk9YC17vAyDDqmq2fqIC1PJFiW2AqaZ1Nz3dhOcNDcb95nRC3X-uu46MmOkdTkkgX7MFlGBucDXuUI0H5pFfsg/s1600/Welsh+Poppy+Study+Good+Paper+%2528560+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Yellows and Buds - Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZjrhLaLVXG-jBu8nFBW2hHmH5zLKkxa7sEthYaUyrdJ4aqVnl-ygUhdk9YC17vAyDDqmq2fqIC1PJFiW2AqaZ1Nz3dhOcNDcb95nRC3X-uu46MmOkdTkkgX7MFlGBucDXuUI0H5pFfsg/s320/Welsh+Poppy+Study+Good+Paper+%2528560+x+600%2529.jpg" title="Yellows and Buds - Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="298" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Further studies on the flowers</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquqAgD12XqzmPoDU5EAPFpEJ07TsBTOQZfE-te_Hb7fHsbZ3HO0wp-9dBsMyR3KwTizYNpF0BvPT0UflzBY2HR7tTJ-AcWYTI6Kwn8E9ZuvY1fQIz26NA6z3pDJ14OVoE-CIOonBXrXQy/s1600/Welsh+Poppy+on+the+easel+%2528382+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Welsh Poppies on the Good Paper - Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquqAgD12XqzmPoDU5EAPFpEJ07TsBTOQZfE-te_Hb7fHsbZ3HO0wp-9dBsMyR3KwTizYNpF0BvPT0UflzBY2HR7tTJ-AcWYTI6Kwn8E9ZuvY1fQIz26NA6z3pDJ14OVoE-CIOonBXrXQy/s320/Welsh+Poppy+on+the+easel+%2528382+x+600%2529.jpg" title="Welsh Poppies on the Good Paper - Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welsh Poppies on the Good Paper</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MetEw7bTIcyUOKKXTJBa4x6w8IrOQaE6FPmaLJ_tEMZM_86ry_VDqjw1ZzZlCnKHXnksQUzG2g8UXbphrWkqQeGOKuA1K1IOMMGb_j9eoN2RU8qo6YYMgQL4tr_zpVGOnHrPjWtrQLk7/s1600/Welsh+Poppy+Leaves+WIP+%2528600+x+437%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Close-up of the leaves - Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="600" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MetEw7bTIcyUOKKXTJBa4x6w8IrOQaE6FPmaLJ_tEMZM_86ry_VDqjw1ZzZlCnKHXnksQUzG2g8UXbphrWkqQeGOKuA1K1IOMMGb_j9eoN2RU8qo6YYMgQL4tr_zpVGOnHrPjWtrQLk7/s320/Welsh+Poppy+Leaves+WIP+%2528600+x+437%2529.jpg" title="Close-up of the leaves - Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of the leaves</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "benguiatgot bk bt" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The leaves were a challenge all their own since they change colour even under daylight lamps. Painting them in daylight is clearly the answer, but in a cold, wet, Welsh summer, daylight is somewhat scarce and painting in the rain with watercolour not really practical. Nevertheless, needs must and it was October by the time I was able to finish the painting, grateful for the mild autumn which allowed the plants to survive longer than usual.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnAE1x83u7UPTn_2oVtLW89nCMtOiBe_wk-eVNJM40LJJ1DjVUCkU8SZOvXnA6CtCBoNtuEG36K8bFDTEjqBjiSMPK0-IDdUfkGKximTP7X7sdi3ZCgw7D0BoA30JUV6JrbOnA_XA9Grj/s1600/Finished+enhanced3+%2528422+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Meconopsis cambrica - Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="422" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnAE1x83u7UPTn_2oVtLW89nCMtOiBe_wk-eVNJM40LJJ1DjVUCkU8SZOvXnA6CtCBoNtuEG36K8bFDTEjqBjiSMPK0-IDdUfkGKximTP7X7sdi3ZCgw7D0BoA30JUV6JrbOnA_XA9Grj/s400/Finished+enhanced3+%2528422+x+600%2529.jpg" title="Meconopsis cambrica - Welsh Poppy©2018 Polly o'Leary" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "benguiatgot bk bt" , sans-serif;">Meconopsis cambrica - by Polly o'Leary</span></span></td></tr>
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Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-7126445828705695892018-04-13T12:26:00.001+01:002019-04-02T12:13:59.229+01:00The problem of PY153 – New Gamboge, Indian Yellow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: small;">PY153
New Gamboge, specifically the W&N version has been my favourite
warm yellow, my ‘go to’ colour whenever I need a warm toned
yellow. I’ve discovered too late that my tiny tube is about empty,
having cut open the end and peeled back the tube has helped, but the
day is fast approaching that it will finally be gone. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: small;">My
first reaction was that there must be some left somewhere, I just
have to find it. An evening spent online revealed that sadly, it's
too late. There is no more to be had. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I
thought that there might be a pigment available to artists that would
be a good substitute. Several purchases later I haven’t found one
that will serve the purpose. Those which looked promising online
arrived and I find they are not as pictured. None will do. Despite
being lovely colours in their own right, they are too close to orange
and have almost no yellow, even in tints, despite being called
yellow.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So
I’m left with creating a mix. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
criteria – </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Permanent
– all my paints are rated as highly lightfast. Transparent or Semi
Transparent – PY153 was listed by W&N as Opaque, but mixing 2
colours to replace it, I feel it’s better to keep transparency if
possible as I use it to mix other colours. Non Granulating.
Warm yellow but <u>not</u> orange. Easily mixed to an exact
replacement without endless colour correcting. Has the same colour
constancy as PY153. Works in mixes of greens and oranges
producing the same range of colours as W&N New Gamboge PY153
(old).</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It’s
a tall order!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">First
I set about choosing the yellows to work with. After spending time
looking at the qualities of PY153, I narrowed my choices down to
three. Winsor Lemon PY175 (almost Transp.), Permanent lemon PY109
(Transp.), Sennellier Yellow PY154 (almost Transp.) – this pigment
is also sold by
W&N and others.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Next,
I identified the likely candidates for mixing a credible match to
PY153. These I narrowed down to Winsor Orange (yellow shade) PO62
(Opaque), Permanent Deep Yellow PY110 (Semi Opaque) and Winsor Yellow
Deep PY65(Semi Transp.). I had hoped that Winsor Yellow Deep PY65
would be a like for like substitute after looking at the swatches on
the W&N website but was sadly disappointed.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After
a day of careful mixing, matching, and testing, I found that a mix of
one from each group would make a very similar colour. However, I
wanted as near identical as possible. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ov-5Gr-96i8qNNm5tYh_oCJEHkYj_e0FIrzjSCm378n5AHITCidi5fRoHZxXFQuOjcKg15ZKh3ZA1ZM1P3wWvcd3cpQBWTOtpExmbHcMbLhsIWilo3GUOCNok0jIIg224_ZIYTiQnKCP/s1600/New+Gamboge+and+Mixes+%2528559+x+835%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ov-5Gr-96i8qNNm5tYh_oCJEHkYj_e0FIrzjSCm378n5AHITCidi5fRoHZxXFQuOjcKg15ZKh3ZA1ZM1P3wWvcd3cpQBWTOtpExmbHcMbLhsIWilo3GUOCNok0jIIg224_ZIYTiQnKCP/s320/New+Gamboge+and+Mixes+%2528559+x+835%2529.jpg" width="214" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Polly's mixes to match New Gamboge PY153</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">For me, Permanent
Lemon PY109 + Winsor Orange PO62 was the closest match and the
easiest to get right quickly and reliably. Followed by Winsor Lemon
PY175 + Winsor Orange PO62. Both PY110 and PY65 also make good
matches with the Lemon paints but are a little trickier to get right.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The best I can
recommend is to try out mixes with the colours you have, but make
sure you have a good swatch of your New Gamboge PY153 (old) of
choice to compare it with. Preferably on the same paper. Also,
transparent or near transparent colours work best.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">If you have any
interesting colour mixes for New Gamboge PY153 (old) let me know.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">More on Colour and Lightfastness</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/06/2018-lightfastness-testing.html">Lightfastness Testing #1</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/12/lightfastness-testing-results-2018.html">Lightfastness Testing #2 - Results </a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2014/11/how-many-colours-do-you-need-to-paint.html">How Many Colours Do You Need To Paint flowers?</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-52148988759784701462016-06-17T13:22:00.000+01:002019-04-02T12:10:34.776+01:00Paper Matters!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Lately, I have noticed that my favourite Watercolour paper has changed. When I can work on it, it's jolly hard work - but without the jolly bit. In fact, I have found myself with paintbrush in one hand and a brush full of gelatine size in the other. I did at first think it was me. Painting isn''t one of those things that you just sit down and do, some days it goes well, and some days you wish you were a photographer, although, I'm sure photographers have bad days too!<br />
<br />
So it was with a heavy heart that I decided that I would look for another paper to work on. <br />
<br />
I like working on Daler Rowney HP, but it only comes in 140lbs, which is ok for really small stuff, but not so good if you want to work bigger and have larger areas of paint. It cockles. And before someone tells me to stretch the paper first, yes, this works for some people, but I prefer to keep the sizing where it is, and anyway, that means I would have to keep several pieces ready prepared and stuck to boards, and since my studio space is tiny this really wouldn't work for me. There's also the problem of availablility with DR HP, it being available in sheets only from one supplier which means a two hour plus round trip - and that's if I'm lucky!<br />
<br />
So, as I was taking the trouble to test out several papers I thought it would be of interest to others and I'm putting it here, because there's quite a lot of information.<br />
<br />
Each test was conducted with the same paints and brushes. I tried to make sure the only variable was the paper, but the weather decided to get involved too and some of the tests were conducted on very hot dry days and some on very wet days, although I think the main problem that posed was drying speed so I haven't commented on speed of drying.<br />
<br />
The paints - all from Sennelier - French Ultramarine(PB29) Sennelier Yellow Light (PY154 ) Rose Madder Lake(PV19) Sennelier Red(PR254) and Sennelier Olive (the old one PO49,PG36) I don't normally use ready mixed greens but this one is very useful as a base and is totally transparent.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Paper
Tests - </b><i>please click on the photos for a larger version</i><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkP8FNcRo8Yw4c80PUMYQl46XX5PnsMISADkehtxzXtVpq8OcIX6VJcbO1Iz-RoBeK8jf6XB7oP0clWlzDyPU9i3gWsRHJe9Do08azyjU74HHSxpcwujxCFIAkOdr8JMmxiGa5knKLROI/s1600/Saunders+Waterford+%252B+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="watercolour test on Papers from Saunders Waterford©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkP8FNcRo8Yw4c80PUMYQl46XX5PnsMISADkehtxzXtVpq8OcIX6VJcbO1Iz-RoBeK8jf6XB7oP0clWlzDyPU9i3gWsRHJe9Do08azyjU74HHSxpcwujxCFIAkOdr8JMmxiGa5knKLROI/s200/Saunders+Waterford+%252B+back.jpg" title="Papers from Saunders Waterford©Polly o'Leary2016" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Papers from Saunders Waterford</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Saunders
Waterford HP 140lbs High White – New Improved 100% cotton</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Fine surface, very smooth both
sides.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-in-W</b>
Paint spread on the damp surface quickly and blurred softly. Easy
to soften edges.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b>
– Edge colour bled nicely, no manipulation needed. Markings fine
and sharp.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf</b>
– W in W spread almost too much but lovely soft result and well
controlled. Subsequent dry brush work also soft.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b>
– paint spread from the edges nicely and a quick sweep of the brush
down the middle created a nice ‘shine’ dry brush to edges
softened nicely.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Edge</b><b>s</b>
clean-up ok if paint not too dry</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green
paint – didn’t lift much after drying. Red paint – hardly any
lifting after drying</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">All
colours nice and bright. Reverse of paper seems easier to work on
and results cleaner. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Some
cockling even when dry, I would love to try this in a 200lb or 300lb version.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A
lovely paper to work on, but lifting after drying is a problem.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Saunders
Waterford HP 140lbs High White</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Slight
texture on surface. Reverse more regular pattern</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-in-W</b>
Paint spread on the damp surface quickly and blurred softly. Easy to
soften edges.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b>
– Edge colour bled nicely, no manipulation needed. Markings fine
and sharp.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf</b>
– W in W spread almost too much but lovely soft result and well
controlled. Subsequent dry brush work also soft.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b>
– paint spread from the edges nicely and a quick sweep of the brush
down the middle created a nice ‘shine’ dry brush to edges
softened nicely.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Edge</b><b>s</b>
clean-up ok if paint not too dry</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green
paint – didn’t lift much after drying. Red paint – hardly any
lifting after drying</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">All
colours nice and bright. Despite texture, edges clean and fine
lines clean.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Nice
to work on but needed a little more water</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Saunders
Waterford Ultra Smooth HP 300gsm 50% cotton</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Very smooth paper both sides</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-in-W</b> paint spread
nicely, needed a little extra work. Easy to soften edges. Red
lifted well</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b> – Edge colour
bled nicely, needed a little extra work. Nice effect. Sharp clean
lines</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf</b> – Needed extra
work for W-in-W underpainting, but dry brushing very soft effect and
clean sharp edges.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b> – Very difficult
to get effect</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green paint lifted leaving
lighter green line. Red paint barely lifted leaving a slightly
lighter red.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Edges</b> clean and well
defined and easy to clean up.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">All colours bright.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Saunders
Waterford Bockingford HP 300gsm White</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Very smooth paper both sides.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-in-W</b> paint spread
nicely and easy to control. Edges easy to soften. Red lifted well.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b> - Edge colour
spread nicely, good effect. Sharp clean detail lines</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf</b> – W-in-W spread
well, dry brush effect soft and deep. Edges easy to clean up.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b> – W-in-W easy to
control, highlight lifted nicely .</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green paint lifted leaving a
clean light green line. Red lifted leaving a red line, but not
sharp.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Edges</b> clean and easy to
clean up. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Colours bright.</span></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRsLKu5ETj4p83az6kO79_gKxtkjRPG3Emb_yV7xE7P_GYn2UZ2VP8IeNhIq1wVQtEIyI-KaPP8PpqutsB0p9o5i_7U2iF-ldmH70aOG9y9Ud0cFEDYpwaCbSvCxGBWtKxOosJbK1EfiP/s1600/Watercolour-Paper-test-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Watercolour paper test D-R Langton Prestige, Moulin du Roy and Strathmore Imperial 500" border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRsLKu5ETj4p83az6kO79_gKxtkjRPG3Emb_yV7xE7P_GYn2UZ2VP8IeNhIq1wVQtEIyI-KaPP8PpqutsB0p9o5i_7U2iF-ldmH70aOG9y9Ud0cFEDYpwaCbSvCxGBWtKxOosJbK1EfiP/s320/Watercolour-Paper-test-1.jpg" title="D-R Langton Prestige, Moulin du Roy and Strathmore Imperial 500©Polly o'Leary2016" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D-R Langton Prestige, Moulin du Roy and Strathmore Imperial 500</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Langton
Prestige HP 140lbs </b><b>100% cotton</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Slight
texture on one side and smooth on reverse. Feels very soft to the touch.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-in-W</b>
- Paint dispersed nicely and edges softened nicely. Red paint
lifted almost clean away.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b>
– edge paint bled nicely, little or no manipulation. Markings fine
and sharp.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf</b>
– W-in-W spread nicely, well controlled. Dry brush soft effect.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b>
– Edges pread nicely and easy to lift shine in the middle. Darker
edging easy to soften.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Edge</b><b>s</b>
clean up easy</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green
paint hardly lifted. Red paint both first and second layer lifted
slightly.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">All
colours nice and bright. Texture didn’t affect clean edges or
sharp details.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Lovely
paper to work on.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Strathmore
Imperial 500 HP 140lbs 100% cotton</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Much
heavier texture than most HP papers. Random texture on front and noticeable
pattern on reverse.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-inW</b>
inactive paint didn’t spread much. Difficult to soften edges. Red
paint lifted almost clean.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b>
– Edge colour needed persuasion to soften. Fine lines needed more
than one sweep.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf</b>
- W-in-W spread far too much, soft effect but lacked control –
maybe over compensation after first three attempts? Dry brush ok,
not too harsh.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b>
– Took longer to persuade paint to spread, several attempts needed.
Highlight present but mechanical looking.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green
paint lifted a little. Red paint sat on top of paper, but clean
lines when lifted but not to white.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Paper
cockled badly when wet but dried flat.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I
found this a more difficult paper to work on.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Canson
Moulin du Roy HP 140lbs 100% cotton</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Very
smooth paper, felt it was very like Arches.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-inW</b>
paint spread well, but curiously when dried the colours seem faded.
Difficult to soften edges and it shows! Lifting of the red
unsuccessful.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b>
– Edge colour didn’t spread in and not successful. Colour when
dried very feint.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf</b>
– W-in-W spread well but colours feint and needed more than one
wash. Dry brushing also needed more work. Effect soft.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b>
– W-in-W needed a lot of work. Doesn’t look as effective as
others.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green
paint lifted well. Red paint sat on surface but lifted well, lines
clear and defined, but not white.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Didn’t
like working on this, and wasn’t impressed that the wash colours
looked so faded</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfFkhL6wRa9YQROKfwCdfObCn-haydMULXxF-HHptVCRfcMX1-cgspum1qq7pI_OCfHi21mIgpw5Md44kMDVoaoGvdVrtrfCUXncyIlDic8Oa8FEX6rszoRhq-0LqMV0_z5QMJbsfQtzY/s1600/Fabriano-Artistico-640gsm-Watercolour-Paper-Test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Watercolour paper Test Fabriano Artistico 640gsm (old)" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfFkhL6wRa9YQROKfwCdfObCn-haydMULXxF-HHptVCRfcMX1-cgspum1qq7pI_OCfHi21mIgpw5Md44kMDVoaoGvdVrtrfCUXncyIlDic8Oa8FEX6rszoRhq-0LqMV0_z5QMJbsfQtzY/s320/Fabriano-Artistico-640gsm-Watercolour-Paper-Test.jpg" title="Watercolour paper Test Fabriano Artistico 640gsm (old)©Polly o'Leary2016" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabriano Artistico 640gsm (old)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fabriano
Artistico HP 640gsm (old) 100% cotton</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This
paper is a few years old. It’s difficult to tell which side is
which even with a strong magnifying glass. Both sides are very
smooth and I painted on both sides too.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-in-W</b>
paint spread out nicely leaving a soft effect. Edges were easy to
soften. Lifting of red was mostly successful.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b>
– Edge colour spread inwards beautifully and gave exactly the right
effect. Sharp lines nicely defined.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf</b>
– W-in-W spread nicely, easy to control. Dry brushing gave nice
deep colour and very soft effect. Edges very sharp</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b>
– W-in-W easy to control and highlight easy to lift leaving a
convincing shine.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Edges</b>
cleaned up well</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green
paint lifted leaving a slight colour. Red paint was lifted leaving
lighter red.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Colours
not quite as bright as Saunders Waterford and Strathmore, but well
defined and clean.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Lovely
paper to work on.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYtK4VLu7SJIErG-JXcEECfqeOo-qENQGDvnpHNCw-tCHiw39n7a7cfTSKn5S-6sq3LVrR-WsAno-QK4_h5QXr256tmkco94Bfx_-ZrzjZir7CzX4_wTq9nwTxNfRqFnbgypiensu1Tsd/s1600/Fabriano-Artistico-Watercolour-Paper-Test-140lbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Watercolour Paper Test Fabriano Artistico 300gsm (old)" border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYtK4VLu7SJIErG-JXcEECfqeOo-qENQGDvnpHNCw-tCHiw39n7a7cfTSKn5S-6sq3LVrR-WsAno-QK4_h5QXr256tmkco94Bfx_-ZrzjZir7CzX4_wTq9nwTxNfRqFnbgypiensu1Tsd/s320/Fabriano-Artistico-Watercolour-Paper-Test-140lbs.jpg" title="Watercolour Paper Test Fabriano Artistico 300gsm (old)©Polly o'Leary2016" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabriano Artistico 300gsm (old)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fabriano
Artistico HP 300gsm (old) 100% cotton</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This
paper is also a few years old, Both sides very smooth and difficult
to tell back from front even with strong magnification.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-in-W</b>
paint spread nicely, easily controlled. Soft effect. Edges easy to
soften.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Petal</b>
– Edge colour spread inwards nicely, giving the effect wanted.
Fine lines sharp and clean.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leaf
</b>- W-in-W easily controlled spread. Dry brushing soft effect, no
harsh lines/</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stem</b>
– W-in-W easy to control and highlight easy to lift.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Edges</b>
cleaned up well</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green
paint lifted easily leaving lighter green. Red paint lifted leaving
sharp lines of lighter red.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Colours
not as bright as Saunders W and Strathmore but well defined and
clean.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Lovely
paper to work on but slight cockling.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fxQZSyhCTyV-x9jMer-_yy7ww69obYlpZ8rSEGd5l4GPC2_rAjAt0pR5XItHvSV2Hq0BxXOPvdBqtv8Ui9CjqHHbTfBYgJcOSpgF_lbSIxnamNbGvZ2t8F4yEfuEkRCMxmmDTHy-5jTU/s1600/50-pc-cotton-Watercolour-paper-test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="50% cotton - SW Bockinford HP 140lbs and Fabriano Classico HP 140lbs" border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fxQZSyhCTyV-x9jMer-_yy7ww69obYlpZ8rSEGd5l4GPC2_rAjAt0pR5XItHvSV2Hq0BxXOPvdBqtv8Ui9CjqHHbTfBYgJcOSpgF_lbSIxnamNbGvZ2t8F4yEfuEkRCMxmmDTHy-5jTU/s320/50-pc-cotton-Watercolour-paper-test.jpg" title="50% cotton - SW Bockinford HP 140lbs and Fabriano Classico HP 140lbs©Polly o'Leary2016" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">50%</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> cotton - SW Bocki</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">ngford HP 140lbs and Fabriano Classico HP 140lbs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b><b></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>
</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fabriano
Classico HP (old)</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>W-in-W</b>
paint spreads nicely, soft edges easy to achieve.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Green
(Senn. Olive), Red (PR254), Rose (PV19) Blue (PB29) All lifted
similarly leaving a very light clean line</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Smooth
paper</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>SW Bockingford HP 140lbs -</b> this is from a large sheet.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I often use this paper if I want to try out different things, or just for sketching. It's a lovely smooth paper which takes a wash nicely and also dry brushing. It's also very consistent and reliable which is very useful if you're sketching, as you can concentrate on what you're doing, rather on coping with variable paper.</span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-9424502311436258162016-05-24T17:55:00.002+01:002016-05-24T19:08:21.305+01:00Echeveria cante - Step by step.<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><i>“Paint what you
really see, not what you think you ought to see; not the object
isolated as in a test tube, but the object enveloped in sunlight and
atmosphere, with the blue dome of Heaven reflected in the shadows.”</i> - Claude
Monet</span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In April I wrote
about this year’s SBA exhibition, and the paintings I had exhibited
there. I was tremendously encouraged to be told that one of my
paintings had been awarded the Certificate of Botanical Merit – the
<i>Echeveria cante</i>.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It was a wonderful
plant to paint, since it's such a challenge. In full sun, the
plant can be blindingly white, on dull days the plant can look grey.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On the day I saw
this plant for the first time, it was very sunny, and as I
looked at the plant, a cloud covered the sun. In that moment, the
plant came alive with colour and I knew that I must capture it for
others to see.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
First task was to
get an accurate record of the colours, using my trusty mini paintbox
and travel brushes. Then measured drawings and notes made
of the plant from different angles in order to capture as much
information as possible.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Once back in my
studio, I decided on a small study, in order to work out how to
render the colours and textures and work out which colours and colour
mixes would best express the glowing quality of the plant. In this case, I
decided on Cobalt Turquoise and Cobalt Blue as the Blues for the palette, as I felt they had just
the qualities I was looking for.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqx-ajqF_Q1Dv78kkVnkntH4RmkW3Ke2_Kx2Ho4KFuRjvFy-JQH6CkS-EE_zgXxhabM9V04ykwm6kB0s_4Dd7s0q5TcU9oZjZtqm-P30cD2DDudlZ5PgHtIgHn0lwUDPPTShRHGRq3p4S/s1600/DSCF7731+%2528450+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Echeveria Study - First Washes©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqx-ajqF_Q1Dv78kkVnkntH4RmkW3Ke2_Kx2Ho4KFuRjvFy-JQH6CkS-EE_zgXxhabM9V04ykwm6kB0s_4Dd7s0q5TcU9oZjZtqm-P30cD2DDudlZ5PgHtIgHn0lwUDPPTShRHGRq3p4S/s320/DSCF7731+%2528450+x+600%2529.jpg" title="Echeveria Study - First Washes©Polly o'Leary2016" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Echeveria cante</i> Study - First Washes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEBnpHP_6-iuyE3H2wahdY97y7O-b8bG2PElCAIrf6fx9j45x4eaqAlOL3ofqkOCXdErIf-uqvmU351MMgf9gQxgCj3uq3N14ItFbMAYVl1XSqk_Qzg9wzUNjcFhY6TLWHFI1YURXItno/s1600/DSCF7754+%2528600+x+450%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Echeveria cante Study - Further Work©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEBnpHP_6-iuyE3H2wahdY97y7O-b8bG2PElCAIrf6fx9j45x4eaqAlOL3ofqkOCXdErIf-uqvmU351MMgf9gQxgCj3uq3N14ItFbMAYVl1XSqk_Qzg9wzUNjcFhY6TLWHFI1YURXItno/s320/DSCF7754+%2528600+x+450%2529.jpg" title="Echeveria cante Study - Further Work©Polly o'Leary2016" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Echeveria cante</i> Study - Further Work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Once I was happy
with the choice of colours, I made an inked copy of the composition
on tracing paper. This is used to transfer the composition to the
watercolour paper via a lightbox, and is also insurance against
having to start the painting from scratch in the case of disasters - flying brushes usually!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVEWDJ0msuZ1sUM92Qr10IC-CYmtmUpNQIJX-P5aY2VFPeOcy_ufd2FUrlpu3psJaGlAGpZ8eFqRKCU9HTiKQHCni1p_gi03bidIfsQhYcCVsohhaALH0ApUp0FQYDWqqLBtQOFfuFz96/s1600/20151118_000312+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Echeveria cante - First Washes©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVEWDJ0msuZ1sUM92Qr10IC-CYmtmUpNQIJX-P5aY2VFPeOcy_ufd2FUrlpu3psJaGlAGpZ8eFqRKCU9HTiKQHCni1p_gi03bidIfsQhYcCVsohhaALH0ApUp0FQYDWqqLBtQOFfuFz96/s320/20151118_000312+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" title="Echeveria cante - First Washes©Polly o'Leary2016" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Echeveria cante</i> - first washes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglNvNUXj6Yx1DkAljCZ9cFa0BKqo-a1_Ohy14XW56DwCQO_HWARgbjEWVMxzgiVDz6XL86lprfDVPEkCiFcmr5g0zkqui_RQ8dLMftmEMvNHHpDkbiz95l9RdI1MXzel66Wg115tXTmYV/s1600/20151119_233837+%2528337+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Echeveria cante - Growing nicely!©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglNvNUXj6Yx1DkAljCZ9cFa0BKqo-a1_Ohy14XW56DwCQO_HWARgbjEWVMxzgiVDz6XL86lprfDVPEkCiFcmr5g0zkqui_RQ8dLMftmEMvNHHpDkbiz95l9RdI1MXzel66Wg115tXTmYV/s320/20151119_233837+%2528337+x+600%2529.jpg" title="Echeveria cante - Growing nicely!©Polly o'Leary2016" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Echeveria cante</i> - Growing nicely!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGsVywIjKLPrA0TaX2SYHeVcTIeiTebBvj2bcKuH0f9FAswgP7aE_rYVBzY9EqLfF9QEbJQK5XL1uxLBonUYGXXY2Tw1eaBOvCgRkpZFIk4tymp2ND_G4YRwyEnQ_reMPmPDJiVlPBIeU/s1600/20151129_200949-1+%2528600+x+408%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Echeveria cante - Further Work©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGsVywIjKLPrA0TaX2SYHeVcTIeiTebBvj2bcKuH0f9FAswgP7aE_rYVBzY9EqLfF9QEbJQK5XL1uxLBonUYGXXY2Tw1eaBOvCgRkpZFIk4tymp2ND_G4YRwyEnQ_reMPmPDJiVlPBIeU/s320/20151129_200949-1+%2528600+x+408%2529.jpg" title="Echeveria cante - Further Work©Polly o'Leary2016" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Echeveria cante </i>- Further work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At first, the washes were laid in very lightly. I wanted to make sure that I kept the tones light at this stage, and for the same reason the reds were left until last- deeper and brighter tones would add punch, but would not reflect the delicate colours and textures of the plant. I decided to work in stages so that I could keep already painted areas clean by covering them as I worked.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVeXaByAlfST1fScM7bszOtKE6zvWlxg8oJxkP4Gq-C7PyZqabpcp3B1OF373Cq1Xd5gY6h5gq54-EIkOk6OsLC5NoUmjaRqrzUq7_roSt6PaJRaLGZN26Xa-47KyvaTS-JCA4J7VQCO9/s1600/Palette+%2528300+x+265%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Echeveria cante - Palette and colour mixes©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVeXaByAlfST1fScM7bszOtKE6zvWlxg8oJxkP4Gq-C7PyZqabpcp3B1OF373Cq1Xd5gY6h5gq54-EIkOk6OsLC5NoUmjaRqrzUq7_roSt6PaJRaLGZN26Xa-47KyvaTS-JCA4J7VQCO9/s1600/Palette+%2528300+x+265%2529.jpg" title="Echeveria cante - Palette and colour mixes©Polly o'Leary2016" /></a></div>
At this stage, this is what my palette looked like. I tend to mix on the fly once I have chosen my colours. This ensures plenty of variety in the colours of the painting and keeps me on my toes matching colours to the plant. The grey at the bottom is mixed from the colours in the painting - in this case, Cobalt Blue, Permanent Magenta and a Transparent Lemon. This grey is then used to increase the range of tones in the painting and is also used for the very darkest areas - tiny areas of dark that help to lift the whole painting.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfv04WzlNSS8b5mRLN0wdV2lKTrvfRF09bX-BFnMS5h0oMlCD628zytVdBLL1yYTYAlvaXDb1a0MD1srzcLnwqV-mE6U-3ikXC5QKQBIU9Nu3Tsgw2QfcpItC5UGqRO1EAPNrpL0TrZ6Xu/s1600/20151201_133025-1+%2528600+x+385%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Echeveria cante - laying in some reds©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfv04WzlNSS8b5mRLN0wdV2lKTrvfRF09bX-BFnMS5h0oMlCD628zytVdBLL1yYTYAlvaXDb1a0MD1srzcLnwqV-mE6U-3ikXC5QKQBIU9Nu3Tsgw2QfcpItC5UGqRO1EAPNrpL0TrZ6Xu/s320/20151201_133025-1+%2528600+x+385%2529.jpg" title="Echeveria cante - laying in some reds©Polly o'Leary2016" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Echeveria cante</i> - laying in some reds</td></tr>
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Once I was happy with the colours and tones of the main part of the inflorescence, it was time to lay in some of the reds. A light wash of yellow went on first, which helped the more orange reds to glow nicely. Then, the different reds were painted in - lightly at first so as not to overpower the rest of the plant.<br />
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Now it was time to add the stem, and reassess all of the colours. The details of the Stamens and Carpels were left until last and added a final touch of realism to the painting.<br />
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At this point the painting was put away for a few weeks. I do this because working so intensely, it's easy to lose perspective. After a few weeks, the painting is reassessed and any problem areas are more easily spotted and remedied<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVuMo_kvjgK5kboQ1fjNwMSszPOFtNhE09iN1_4twFY0MjJSLmlRHZcxtu50ukBtZmXRZXN1i_39emzElMem5VLNghHMKvuaXWewDv_Czh9f8efeC8Fz9vZdhdSJyw4RowG3gWRRTdFy_/s1600/Echeveria+cante+-+adjusted+%2528600+x+431%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Echeveria cante - Finished!©Polly o'Leary2016" border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVuMo_kvjgK5kboQ1fjNwMSszPOFtNhE09iN1_4twFY0MjJSLmlRHZcxtu50ukBtZmXRZXN1i_39emzElMem5VLNghHMKvuaXWewDv_Czh9f8efeC8Fz9vZdhdSJyw4RowG3gWRRTdFy_/s320/Echeveria+cante+-+adjusted+%2528600+x+431%2529.jpg" title="Echeveria cante - Finished!©Polly o'Leary2016" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Echeveria cante </i>- finished!</td></tr>
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I hope this Step by Step has given some insight into how this painting evolved and the techniques used to finish it.<br />
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Next up - Paper testing!</div>
Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-37724419224322077542016-04-24T18:32:00.001+01:002016-04-24T18:32:10.167+01:00Dyffryn Gardens 7th May 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7v33T42Z65sxgBCK17AbBRHbr8cAmvCCZpooMM1Sb13YeSXWpNtNl1ictB31Y6aIpof_7FPTs442UB5fbCXbR1gN07gmfmhccBSSkVvpvSy7UI4unPccELGO1ZCTi9MAiifrgQrhDqgAZ/s1600/Orchid+day+bilingual+low+res-1+%25281240+x+1754%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7v33T42Z65sxgBCK17AbBRHbr8cAmvCCZpooMM1Sb13YeSXWpNtNl1ictB31Y6aIpof_7FPTs442UB5fbCXbR1gN07gmfmhccBSSkVvpvSy7UI4unPccELGO1ZCTi9MAiifrgQrhDqgAZ/s320/Orchid+day+bilingual+low+res-1+%25281240+x+1754%2529.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
On 7th May 2016 the Orchid Study Group will be in Dyffryn Gardens for Orchid Day - a celebration of all things Orchid - Tropical and Native Orchids. I will be there too, demonstrating how I paint orchids in watercolour. Do come along for a wonderful informative day out in the most beautiful surroundings of Dyffryn Gardens.<br /><br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-69230254508062153682016-04-24T17:26:00.002+01:002016-05-24T19:10:57.429+01:00Five Paintings and a Phonecall !<br />
2016 has been an interesting year so far.<br />
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Five paintings finished and taken to London for selection for the <a href="http://www.soc-botanical-artists.org/exhibitions/shape-pattern-structure-2016/" target="_blank">SBA Shape Pattern, Structure Exhibition</a>, in late February and then the nail biting wait to see if any have been selected. Luckily they didn't make me wait too long to find out that not only were all five selected, but I had also been made a full member of the SBA! To say I was happy is an understatement!<br />
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Then later I find out that all five paintings are to be hung! And on top of that, I get The Phonecall... I have been awarded Certificate of Botanical Merit for the <i>Echeveria cante</i> Inflorescence painting! I didn't scream, honest, I was quite restrained, but I did need to sit down and take it all in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVfgeCMBA8h3j82Z06ZnRjDrOJ4GsO_AlIkxaSvV5HT0Jbd303J_3RKJPDxDeAddtFoes0C-qEC4eCe63xMklzByABnXhCqEEoj6Ri6DNrqCi7KKRPoF6pj42TBXJ1BdpU2MOaTf0zET1/s1600/Echeveria+cante+-+adjusted+%2528600+x+431%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVfgeCMBA8h3j82Z06ZnRjDrOJ4GsO_AlIkxaSvV5HT0Jbd303J_3RKJPDxDeAddtFoes0C-qEC4eCe63xMklzByABnXhCqEEoj6Ri6DNrqCi7KKRPoF6pj42TBXJ1BdpU2MOaTf0zET1/s320/Echeveria+cante+-+adjusted+%2528600+x+431%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Certificate of Botanical Merit - Echeveria cante </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEJVgawcVT3BNoelubgnxkb8TVKARZsjHeH-O8Q3gPCvwFP4bhF5TQKyrnsCUllcNqtHc8vFtXwounDEy2Ah4Ob43IZXYPvlkOVHT3nEuGoOxQGVpRMGDcQg9AgSrwIMTLoEe_lJPtP5u/s1600/Gladiolus+dried+flowers+-+adjusted+%25282310+x+3268%2529b+%2528424+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEJVgawcVT3BNoelubgnxkb8TVKARZsjHeH-O8Q3gPCvwFP4bhF5TQKyrnsCUllcNqtHc8vFtXwounDEy2Ah4Ob43IZXYPvlkOVHT3nEuGoOxQGVpRMGDcQg9AgSrwIMTLoEe_lJPtP5u/s320/Gladiolus+dried+flowers+-+adjusted+%25282310+x+3268%2529b+%2528424+x+600%2529.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gladiolus Hybrid - Dried Flowers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSs9n2M0F-hvwdjTLAeB_stqHlM_0-eYOzljYj_7qLGhTndO9OmWYzf9yg_KI-6-Y1WUMaD7VRNfgGvg5SPpOaxpJHMpnWIv1QTZVSxHUOvZYKLAjePQcHgY8ZartOursvnN1BVuadvT4k/s1600/Phragmipedium+sedenii+-+adjusted+%2528442+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSs9n2M0F-hvwdjTLAeB_stqHlM_0-eYOzljYj_7qLGhTndO9OmWYzf9yg_KI-6-Y1WUMaD7VRNfgGvg5SPpOaxpJHMpnWIv1QTZVSxHUOvZYKLAjePQcHgY8ZartOursvnN1BVuadvT4k/s320/Phragmipedium+sedenii+-+adjusted+%2528442+x+600%2529.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phragmipedium sedenii</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxq4V1m3Px4Ria9laqv376aNBrb0KNzCNTHf7BqOa8VV6vXLx_SKJqBsnlmg6GPDDJ-WOslqcVHM24UbKYIrhmqWHXki9Y8V9jaonlUDzODitfuCA1nPGGRoKkBkUVSfesel9GP5_RifA6/s1600/Paphiopedilum+Maudiae+hybrid+-+adjusted+%2528600+x+428%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxq4V1m3Px4Ria9laqv376aNBrb0KNzCNTHf7BqOa8VV6vXLx_SKJqBsnlmg6GPDDJ-WOslqcVHM24UbKYIrhmqWHXki9Y8V9jaonlUDzODitfuCA1nPGGRoKkBkUVSfesel9GP5_RifA6/s320/Paphiopedilum+Maudiae+hybrid+-+adjusted+%2528600+x+428%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paphiopedilum Maudiae Hybrid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gNzq3CGWrYWWVLEEPI_eY8dAOaEwFjY8wZmwpHR5tOSbxheagppawHTNboARhV1r1XUWimME9RoCoWzHd-PZ7XjbEr-hxnvd0N3NalYc95aaokMLpHHqH04uPh3HZKkDtHVU5wMozmgO/s1600/Stanhopea+graveolens+1+%25282476+x+1750%2529+%2528600+x+424%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gNzq3CGWrYWWVLEEPI_eY8dAOaEwFjY8wZmwpHR5tOSbxheagppawHTNboARhV1r1XUWimME9RoCoWzHd-PZ7XjbEr-hxnvd0N3NalYc95aaokMLpHHqH04uPh3HZKkDtHVU5wMozmgO/s320/Stanhopea+graveolens+1+%25282476+x+1750%2529+%2528600+x+424%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stanhopea graveolens</td></tr>
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The SBA Exhibition in Methodist Central Hall opposite Westminster Abbey is wonderful. Almost 600 paintings by Botanical artists from all over the world. But you really need more than one visit to take it all in.<br />
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Katherine Tyrrell has written a <a href="http://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/review-sba-exhibition-2016.html" target="_blank">Review of the 2016 SBA Exhibition</a> which will give those who can't get to London an idea of what they have missed. Katherine also has written posts about <a href="http://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/prizewinners-society-of-botanical-artists-2016.html" target="_blank">Prizewinners</a>, <a href="http://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/Certificates-Botanical-Merit-SBA-2016.html" target="_blank">Certificates of Botanical Merit</a>, and the <a href="http://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/private-view-SBA-annual-exhibition.html" target="_blank">Private View</a>. Giving a comprehensive idea of what the SBA 2016 Exhibition holds for the Botanical Art lover.<br />
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On top of all this, I have been working on a project which is still under wraps - more about this later!<br />
Coming up - Dyffryn Gardens Orchid Day 7th May 2016Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-42688512781177842762015-12-18T20:58:00.000+00:002015-12-18T23:15:54.992+00:00Vellum Adventures<div style="text-align: center;">
“<i>Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it</i>.” <b>Salvador Dali</b></div>
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For a while I'd been wanting to try out painting on Vellum and last year, fellow artist and friend Shevaun Doherty gifted me a sample of vellum for me to try. For a year I looked at it, examined it and backed away. what if I spoiled it? what if I wasted it making mistakes and ruined it? <br />
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In the end, I contacted <a href="http://www.williamcowley.co.uk/" target="_blank">William Cowley</a> and bought a sample pack suitable for painting on. Still I waited, there was only one piece of each type and I'd never worked on vellum before.<br />
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More research was needed. Luckily some of my Botanical Artist friends have blogged online about their Vellum painting techniques, so I was able to read about how they work with this tricky medium.<br />
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<a href="http://diannesutherland.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/painting-on-vellum.html" target="_blank">Dianne sutherland - Painting On Vellum</a> who also teaches an online course <a href="http://www.botanicalart-online.com/#%21vellum/cloq" target="_blank">Dianne Sutherland Botanical Art Online Course - Painting On Vellum,</a> Shevaun Doherty of <a href="http://botanicalsketches.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/v-is-for-vellum.html" target="_blank">Botanical Sketches and Other Stories: V is for Vellum, </a>Sarah Morrish of <a href="http://art-hedgerow.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/painting-on-vellum-and-sequence-of.html" target="_blank">Art and the Hedgerow: Painting on Vellum, </a>and Kate Nessler for her article in <a href="https://www.asba-art.org/article/no-really-thats-how-i-do-it-%E2%80%93-painting-vellum-nesler" target="_blank">The American Society of Botanical Artists: Painting on Vellum</a>, all have excellent articles online about painting on Vellum and I learned an enormous amount from them. <br />
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Once I had enough information, it was time to practise my technique. I've never been one to practise a piece fully before painting. A few tonal/colour swatches and notes, a trial of a few petals/buds/leaves and I'm off. I've always produced better results when I'm still exploring a subject and there's no point in having my best work in a sketchbook. But there's no room for this with Vellum, it's too rare, so practise I did.<br />
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First practise was on paper, then on a small piece of Sheepskin Parchment which was lovely to work on. Fortunately the gooseberries didn't ripen together so there was a steady supply of berrries. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjH5bEulsYoPeq3jBjsbUwytaBX_6j54EOAWpj7OePNIJRpSxwPeOzMCSaAMNXpbIpWL8pDQhmJ6r2rxxDBGJCM_ZiNWDEl3MekmAktrYg5oZZq2DCxc5wu-6S7BECZv_pgfKf7HY8cgvm/s1600/vellum+practise+%2528579+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="watercolour dry brush, vellum, paper" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjH5bEulsYoPeq3jBjsbUwytaBX_6j54EOAWpj7OePNIJRpSxwPeOzMCSaAMNXpbIpWL8pDQhmJ6r2rxxDBGJCM_ZiNWDEl3MekmAktrYg5oZZq2DCxc5wu-6S7BECZv_pgfKf7HY8cgvm/s320/vellum+practise+%2528579+x+600%2529.jpg" title="watercolour dry brush practise, vellum, paper" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry brush practise on Paper, then Vellum (on top)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfY2RQFkF3kSwuTR8d3lJBR5SxqpQvzyokrEFyeATDFc474ZHvLyObnMhNsapGVoXYAQFYAbEPiNIcH4-tKnQLsWU_kUuAb1gt4e5nB_S2JHv2IYwmMM7_x59Ul_jXfi8k4yrTiLfI3-n6/s1600/Gooseberries2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="watercolour dry brush, vellum, paper" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfY2RQFkF3kSwuTR8d3lJBR5SxqpQvzyokrEFyeATDFc474ZHvLyObnMhNsapGVoXYAQFYAbEPiNIcH4-tKnQLsWU_kUuAb1gt4e5nB_S2JHv2IYwmMM7_x59Ul_jXfi8k4yrTiLfI3-n6/s320/Gooseberries2.jpg" title="watercolour dry brush, vellum, paper" width="174" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry brush on paper above, on Vellum below</td></tr>
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<b></b> Then, with more confidence, a more ambitious attempt on Manuscript Vellum, I tried a little piece of Kelmscott, but really didn't like working on it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce58iZcat_xD3ZohY1SnuytbdGqQdBL3yoRWwPAylDG6u-WbyOXAN7ff7mur1-gNMawN4Hv9SsZnKw0frULCXJonZly5D5m-UPvOrCGukVVsCxZNukTwMVs2sVvhFczoHaVYWACl0N598/s1600/Manuscript+vellum+%2528300+x+239%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="watercolour gooseberry, dry brush, paper, vellum" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce58iZcat_xD3ZohY1SnuytbdGqQdBL3yoRWwPAylDG6u-WbyOXAN7ff7mur1-gNMawN4Hv9SsZnKw0frULCXJonZly5D5m-UPvOrCGukVVsCxZNukTwMVs2sVvhFczoHaVYWACl0N598/s1600/Manuscript+vellum+%2528300+x+239%2529.jpg" title="watercolour gooseberry, dry brush, vellum, paper" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry Brush on Manuscript Vellum</td></tr>
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At last I felt that I could brave a larger piece and decided to try working on the Calfskin Vellum, a small branch of Gooseberries<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="watercolour gooseberry, vellum, paper" border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AF_0D0rJk0RhkH-FPdR3I0NHlOCx9EopGBPJL4IsJ5wNFflk5vqqmp7-E85JLQsy_ai20A1AxM2u2I8TIrv_vMCBDwEvCTYjQrYAj18VT0DW_aUJbrlCvqKnEJSCpMedzJOX6yhgJwBV/s320/Christmas+baubles+%2528600+x+482%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="watercolour gooseberry, vellum, paper" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First washes and Dry brush</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AF_0D0rJk0RhkH-FPdR3I0NHlOCx9EopGBPJL4IsJ5wNFflk5vqqmp7-E85JLQsy_ai20A1AxM2u2I8TIrv_vMCBDwEvCTYjQrYAj18VT0DW_aUJbrlCvqKnEJSCpMedzJOX6yhgJwBV/s1600/Christmas+baubles+%2528600+x+482%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a>At first they looked a bit like glass Christmas Baubles, with their pale colours </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgLxV-jLNEah2dvyYlhCBtY0S3R3m6owhtGWCKP7fiYTh9l8zJHH_eUiA55gLk2hfqRe9Gm59M7iFhhTH4Dw-s6PjTBnT3u_l2mEd_nCgxXkNnvALhrKCBTmtd2Kswwciim1GyZkk8o9u/s1600/Hairless+Gooseberries+different+stages+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="watercolour gooseberries on vellum" border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgLxV-jLNEah2dvyYlhCBtY0S3R3m6owhtGWCKP7fiYTh9l8zJHH_eUiA55gLk2hfqRe9Gm59M7iFhhTH4Dw-s6PjTBnT3u_l2mEd_nCgxXkNnvALhrKCBTmtd2Kswwciim1GyZkk8o9u/s320/Hairless+Gooseberries+different+stages+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" title="watercolour gooseberries on vellum" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building up the colours on the berries</td></tr>
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Then as more colours were laid down, they started to look more Gooseberry-like<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nfQqhDX7Q1uocBMcx6iX4lPgCyve-qCMvPpd4E81zSMBOgwTwB3tfUWs087ZyhcoTygU2VKwK_oxH1Kz8KPNf9yh-6a7YY75es5iMMuz8tKy7Xoxm_QBJNUDMpGRxH76411yoI2R_4Mc/s1600/Hairless+GooseberryA+%2528800+x+582%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nfQqhDX7Q1uocBMcx6iX4lPgCyve-qCMvPpd4E81zSMBOgwTwB3tfUWs087ZyhcoTygU2VKwK_oxH1Kz8KPNf9yh-6a7YY75es5iMMuz8tKy7Xoxm_QBJNUDMpGRxH76411yoI2R_4Mc/s320/Hairless+GooseberryA+%2528800+x+582%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hairless Gooseberry - Watercolour on Vellum</td></tr>
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Salvadore Dali was right, there's no danger of me reaching perfection, but I won't stop trying.<br />
I'm still not sure how I feel about painting on vellum, but I have a little more, so will try it again when I find the right subject. What do you think, are you tempted to try it?<br />
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<br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com12Wales, UK52.1306607 -3.783711700000026249.6502257 -8.9472857000000268 54.6110957 1.3798622999999735tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-35417472973246812812015-12-08T14:29:00.003+00:002015-12-18T21:46:30.583+00:00A Festival of Orchids The Welsh Orchid Festival was, as usual, a whirlwind of flowers, scent and people. So many lovely orchids in one place, and so many orchid lovers too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOPx8ObyJ6NwJJExdo-lWsNXp9mLXX9Q3qXIPCsuKZe7IjCq3W-92DVL4W9iQtNAecFMfkhW7xV4N-MVjK_pNHrwyrHodIxGv8W5viTR13c0WmXys6m-ODoFn6tqZN0pq12pMpz_ZfEpk/s1600/20150904_162603+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Welsh Orchid Festival 2015©Polly o'Leary2015" border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOPx8ObyJ6NwJJExdo-lWsNXp9mLXX9Q3qXIPCsuKZe7IjCq3W-92DVL4W9iQtNAecFMfkhW7xV4N-MVjK_pNHrwyrHodIxGv8W5viTR13c0WmXys6m-ODoFn6tqZN0pq12pMpz_ZfEpk/s320/20150904_162603+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" title="Welsh Orchid Festival 2015©Polly o'Leary2015" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welsh Orchid Festival 2015</td></tr>
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We seem to have got our painting transportation down to a fine art now and the stand quickly took shape. This year, as I was tucked away in a far corner, I got a banner made so that people knew I was there and who I was.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OaplytBSAhEhFJR2L68ZoPPdR2Ly3sckcVZaxjww1GLBNn7OlwrOJ3SyaUd9oswlXCaKdcrS_SYtmiB7LOyL3mb-7l3uavwM-oFud8_fdl6FOzxU_OD83mlsw8e8Pl79lFMGlxRupX78/s1600/2015+WOF+with+blur+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Polly o'Leary Stand with Banner©Polly o'Leary2015" border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OaplytBSAhEhFJR2L68ZoPPdR2Ly3sckcVZaxjww1GLBNn7OlwrOJ3SyaUd9oswlXCaKdcrS_SYtmiB7LOyL3mb-7l3uavwM-oFud8_fdl6FOzxU_OD83mlsw8e8Pl79lFMGlxRupX78/s320/2015+WOF+with+blur+%2528600+x+337%2529.jpg" title="Polly o'Leary Stand with Banner©Polly o'Leary2015" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polly o'Leary Stand with Banner</td></tr>
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I had cards of some of my paintings printed and they were very well received. More designs are planned for the new year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-Snb2WpVCVMH-62l2-wrZz9F83JdAiLAmFx_GqkyB98XRjuvM0ZLzsbNFVG-nhidkADw_HF4yRMDAp33GW0gPXG5Wlw5m8KTpiCsBaZ5WeP_jVQIOOOGCZI0W9qv5Z_Mg9jqtVGpTgM6/s1600/New+Orchid+cards2+%2528600+x+287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Orchid Cards©Polly o'Leary2015" border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-Snb2WpVCVMH-62l2-wrZz9F83JdAiLAmFx_GqkyB98XRjuvM0ZLzsbNFVG-nhidkADw_HF4yRMDAp33GW0gPXG5Wlw5m8KTpiCsBaZ5WeP_jVQIOOOGCZI0W9qv5Z_Mg9jqtVGpTgM6/s320/New+Orchid+cards2+%2528600+x+287%2529.jpg" title="Orchid Cards©Polly o'Leary2015" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orchid Cards</td></tr>
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Also this year, children were showing an interest in the orchids and it's so good to see young people being enthusiastic about plants. Two young men of about seven or eight years became fascinated by my sketching and painting some Orchids and were most disappointed that there were no paper and paints for them to try it too. We had a lovely chat about what I was painting and why, which bits were important, how and why I was measuring the plants and why the colours had to be matched exactly. They were really very interested indeed and wondered if they would be able to do something like that. I love that almost every child is an artist!<br />
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In the midst of it all my lovely friend <a href="http://www.claireward.net/" target="_blank">Claire Ward</a> popped in for a chat. So nice to see her as we live on opposite sides of Wales!<br />
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As usual, I came home with more than I took. A tray of baby Orchids of different species - yes species! I'm now going into uncharted Orchid territory with these - grateful thanks for these go to Dr Kevin Davies, Chairman of the <a href="http://www.orchidstudygroup.org.uk/" target="_blank">Welsh Orchid Study Group</a> . A pot of Scaphosepalum verrucosum, with minute flowers, grateful thanks to Mrs Val Micklewright of the <a href="http://www.osgb.org.uk/index.html" target="_blank">Orchid Society of Great Britain</a><br />
for these. Paphiopedalum Black Jack, a baby Paphiopedilum St Swithin and Phalaenopsis Mini Mark also came home with me, but I bought these. The living room now looks like a flower shop./Orchid nursery!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjXBpDKnAETuHJ99R1Mrpyjwrl7VW7WDSPux1gQBFttCHeEIgP32vlpMFz7iWxbn1jzPm7f9IvOvXIVYVGzGbP9RpemTndGNdWaE8PObCzSFJqH-L8HWvN3rxDtP2g8OL0DeQLUlSI-m4/s1600/Paph+St+Swithin+Sketch+%2528392+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paphiopedilum St Swithin Sketch ©Polly o'Leary2015" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjXBpDKnAETuHJ99R1Mrpyjwrl7VW7WDSPux1gQBFttCHeEIgP32vlpMFz7iWxbn1jzPm7f9IvOvXIVYVGzGbP9RpemTndGNdWaE8PObCzSFJqH-L8HWvN3rxDtP2g8OL0DeQLUlSI-m4/s320/Paph+St+Swithin+Sketch+%2528392+x+600%2529.jpg" title="Paphiopedilum St Swithin Sketch ©Polly o'Leary2015" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paphiopedilum St Swithin Sketch</td></tr>
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I was also given Orchids to paint again this year, a flower of
Paphiopedilum St Swithin gratefully received from Andrew Bannister of <a href="http://orchidalchemy.com/" target="_blank">Orchid Alchemy</a>, and a whole plant - Stanhopea tigrina, on loan
from Alan Gregg of <a href="http://www.growingthefuture.co.uk/en/courses/our-locations/singleton-park-botanical-gardens-" target="_blank">Singleton Botanical Garden Swansea</a>, so as usual it was a race against time in the coming days to record these lovelies before they wilted.<br />
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I wasn't the only artist at the show though. Paul Steer of <a href="http://artinacorner2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/why-plaster.html" target="_blank">Art in a Corner</a> had a stand with his amazing watercolour frescoes of landscapes, butterflies and other nature inspired subjects. It's fascinating how many different ways there are to portray similar subjects and Paul has a most original way of looking at the world and then letting us glimpse his vision.<br />
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Coming soon - Adventures with Vellum<br />
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<br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-24935467728093047612015-08-30T14:55:00.000+01:002015-12-18T21:47:29.475+00:00Welsh Orchid Festival 5th and 6th September 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJTDNlzNO-vYnWE04p8deBCxQ_d7I6zt-9nr3OZxPUTtaOThYv16CriwUndqjtTqrOsYfNweNmAgyHW0N511xFWBPS7wTjjYFQn8XhuxQo4g4ccs5dRJDOmLy4fDw9E0-Fl_MgjpdBmzF/s1600/osg+festival+2015+leaflet+front+%2528572+x+806%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJTDNlzNO-vYnWE04p8deBCxQ_d7I6zt-9nr3OZxPUTtaOThYv16CriwUndqjtTqrOsYfNweNmAgyHW0N511xFWBPS7wTjjYFQn8XhuxQo4g4ccs5dRJDOmLy4fDw9E0-Fl_MgjpdBmzF/s320/osg+festival+2015+leaflet+front+%2528572+x+806%2529.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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Next week is the
<a href="http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk/whats-on/events/" target="_blank">Welsh Orchid Festival</a> at the <a href="http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk/" target="_blank">National Botanic Garden of Wales</a>. There's great excitement here at Polly’s studio as I finish up the last
paintings and make sure I have everything ready for my stand.</div>
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If you can make it,
don’t forget to say hello.</div>
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The patron of the Welsh Orchid Study Group - Tom Hart Dyke will also be attending. More information below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hMs9GfGF4DWtWp_VxSP8oQzsvgwViJyla7nIGYCOr6UfbylxdPCafc_M7Gpn3NsQYIKMkcXC9h1r0-3REhuxSkYuni3UD1bcsIB9AdTa5DXywbWmPPuz0d8gm2IdkBR_7bbPzxjFYBGb/s1600/osg+festival+2015+leaflet+back+%2528877+x+1221%2529+%2528431+x+600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hMs9GfGF4DWtWp_VxSP8oQzsvgwViJyla7nIGYCOr6UfbylxdPCafc_M7Gpn3NsQYIKMkcXC9h1r0-3REhuxSkYuni3UD1bcsIB9AdTa5DXywbWmPPuz0d8gm2IdkBR_7bbPzxjFYBGb/s320/osg+festival+2015+leaflet+back+%2528877+x+1221%2529+%2528431+x+600%2529.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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Fellow artist <a href="http://artinacorner.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Paul Steer</a> will also be there with his beautiful and unusual fresco paintings<br />
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I will have some new paintings on the stand, and have been madly painting to make sure they are finished in time. Here's a teaser of one of the latest, a very dark red Paphiopedilum.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOo4Vu4whKOK_wLhnXKya_oKz6OuHsoZTELyRbdH2JfOfDCL0_CaBNJ5Sit7tvlGUJ57PUtsksQR_Ovk8NXm7ClmwFSca8y_0vD1ZQlFIcef1bo4mUjScwlJYvwJDGqVCyWEt4klvnSxC/s1600/DSCF8041colour+matched+%2528on+screen%2529+%2528600+x+450%252972dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paphiopedilum dark red ©Polly o'Leary 2015 all rights reserved" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOo4Vu4whKOK_wLhnXKya_oKz6OuHsoZTELyRbdH2JfOfDCL0_CaBNJ5Sit7tvlGUJ57PUtsksQR_Ovk8NXm7ClmwFSca8y_0vD1ZQlFIcef1bo4mUjScwlJYvwJDGqVCyWEt4klvnSxC/s320/DSCF8041colour+matched+%2528on+screen%2529+%2528600+x+450%252972dpi.jpg" title="Paphiopedilum dark red ©Polly o'Leary 2015 all rights reserved" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paphiopedilum</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-29205140460120244882015-08-22T13:22:00.000+01:002015-12-18T21:48:32.186+00:00On the easel todayWith the <a href="http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk/whats-on/events/orchid-study-group/" target="_blank">Welsh Orchid Festival</a> at the <a href="http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk/whats-on/events/" target="_blank">National Botanic Garden of Wales</a> in early September, I'm working like crazy to get some paintings finished. On the easel today is this lovely Orchid. I'm not sure whether it's a species or hybrid, but the colours are amazing! Trying to capture it is a challenge of the nicest kind and trying to photograph it is an even bigger challenge, so my apologies for the lack of colour accuracy on this one, you'll just have to come see it at the Orchid Festival. Others are also in the finishing stage! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXX88XwaefXlbHLCSZ790t-3mvESVpbhAN_KDKDRo4yRDqpyHtaAJO7pArolL_TzQ2pUapNMIOCiI7hnqE2Bv5GoE_2vvDnDGuT_uU6zdXPWqRmjapunPEP7L3xCZkZqikwESAjXRaQ6vl/s1600/Paphiopedilum+Wine+Red+%2528600+x+450%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paphiopedilum Hybrid? ©Polly o'Leary 2015" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXX88XwaefXlbHLCSZ790t-3mvESVpbhAN_KDKDRo4yRDqpyHtaAJO7pArolL_TzQ2pUapNMIOCiI7hnqE2Bv5GoE_2vvDnDGuT_uU6zdXPWqRmjapunPEP7L3xCZkZqikwESAjXRaQ6vl/s320/Paphiopedilum+Wine+Red+%2528600+x+450%2529.jpg" title="Paphiopedilum Hybrid? ©Polly o'Leary 2015" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paphiopedilum Hybrid?</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #20124d;">“<i>If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint</i>.” <b>Edward Hopper </b></span></div>
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Also on my mind at the moment is the small matter of my Artist Statement, which really needs to be written. But I'm afraid I'm with Edward Hopper on this matter, so it's a particular and peculiar problem for me. Nevertheless it must be done, and done it will be.</div>
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But what does one actually say about oneself? Is this a problem all artists get? I'd love to hear how you have solved this problem...</div>
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Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-3096855156225155342015-06-14T13:40:00.000+01:002015-12-18T21:50:50.053+00:00Great excitement at Polly'sThere's great excitement here at the moment, my first slipper orchid, bought two years ago at the Welsh Orchid Festival, has decided to form a scape. From peeking out between the centre of the top leaves, it has now grown into a fully opened flower!<br />
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This has happened rather more quickly than the original flower when I bought the plant, so I've been hard at work recording the different stages in my sketchbook.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwypvkOPMA0mOViK4ML5P46j80w9hZhrijzsgBKUVWBZiGvtVi7T-Eai2usT0Zl7RbefG1sgJzEGO54NFYoVIJpn46UQi4IlFEN8VvLgG3yZOrN6DxLKihg-eFVM77Ut10TRRSPP9uWh8/s1600/Paph+Maudiea+x+charlesworthiiB2smc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Study page for Paph. maudiae x Charlesworthii ©Polly o'Leary 2015 all rights reserved" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwypvkOPMA0mOViK4ML5P46j80w9hZhrijzsgBKUVWBZiGvtVi7T-Eai2usT0Zl7RbefG1sgJzEGO54NFYoVIJpn46UQi4IlFEN8VvLgG3yZOrN6DxLKihg-eFVM77Ut10TRRSPP9uWh8/s320/Paph+Maudiea+x+charlesworthiiB2smc.jpg" title="Study page for Paph. maudiae x Charlesworthii ©Polly o'Leary 2015 all rights reserved" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Study page for Paph. maudiae x Charlesworthii</td></tr>
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It's quite a challenge colour-wise and I found that there was only one colour in my collection that was perfect for capturing the deep purply colour of the markings and stem - Perylene Violet, a colour introduced to me by my lovely friend Jarnie at <a href="http://jarnieg.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sketchbook Squirrel</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1izQfsQ7GWGBeZJGTmtWfq9R6AljHhHTntdgZP9Nxacd0z0aXHkY3zbqfY4IuG-GLoGm5D5wSeM4Gc_4j-KUv6TqMMBwP0OxTQSJkyeMqCz87DoId3GHNaEsTWY3ZZfWvJAhHyftPGq7/s1600/Paph+Maudiea+x+charlesworthii2csm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paph. Maudiae x Charlesworthii study of developing flower ©Polly o'Leary 2015 All rights Reserved" border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1izQfsQ7GWGBeZJGTmtWfq9R6AljHhHTntdgZP9Nxacd0z0aXHkY3zbqfY4IuG-GLoGm5D5wSeM4Gc_4j-KUv6TqMMBwP0OxTQSJkyeMqCz87DoId3GHNaEsTWY3ZZfWvJAhHyftPGq7/s320/Paph+Maudiea+x+charlesworthii2csm.jpg" title="Paph. Maudiae x Charlesworthii study of developing flower ©Polly o'Leary 2015 All rights Reserved" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paph. Maudiae x Charlesworthii study of developing flower</td></tr>
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Since I bought a tiny tube to try, I've been amazed at the versatility of this wonderful single pigment colour which reduces the need for mixing and gives me a deep colour with plenty of chroma and life to it, so I'm very happy to have a project that will make use of this wonderful transparent pigment.<br />
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What colour/colours have you found you can't live without?Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-17614726177197118912015-05-02T21:42:00.000+01:002015-12-18T21:52:37.079+00:00Painted in three days? - Really?<br />
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I've been thinking about this ever since I finished the Paphiopedilum sukhakulii painting. It's not a claim of taking only three days over a painting. For a botanical painting that would be just about impossible, the drawing and measuring alone take longer than that, as does the composition - for me anyway. And I need a long flowering plant, or several plants to be able to take this long, or take more than a year to finish while I wait for the plant to flower again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtMmdLVen-bd7fsu_xq1ZlWXjJqcK7fchyExLFBzLAt8ct6pZVeF9QQYrQtf69SX2bGwl8XPc88v1BAywb7dk4-jLjvwVATGrmLf5q082_IHzIgZ8LOPuqjcqo_GS8jrM5k2V3gGd5sdK/s1600/DSCF6122adjustedSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paphiopedilum sukhakulii watercolour©Polly o'Leary 2015" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtMmdLVen-bd7fsu_xq1ZlWXjJqcK7fchyExLFBzLAt8ct6pZVeF9QQYrQtf69SX2bGwl8XPc88v1BAywb7dk4-jLjvwVATGrmLf5q082_IHzIgZ8LOPuqjcqo_GS8jrM5k2V3gGd5sdK/s1600/DSCF6122adjustedSmall.jpg" title="Paphiopedilum sukhakulii watercolour©Polly o'Leary 2015" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paphiopedilum sukhakulii by Polly o'Leary</td></tr>
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No, what <i>I</i> mean by it, is that I've got so far with a painting and then found it impossible to continue - <i>and started again!</i><br />
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Before getting to the painting stage, I will have spent weeks drawing, composing and doing colour and tonal sketches. Once I have the composition I'm happy with, I make a master copy on tracing paper so that, in the event of a disaster, like dropping a loaded brush on the painting, or finding that a piece of the paper isn't sized properly, I can simply use the master tracing to redraw on new paper and start painting again.<br />
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This is where the 'painted in three or four days' comes in. However, to understand what it means to actually begin the painting part, and finish in three or four days, the hours involved have to be understood too.<br />
For me it involves painting almost non-stop for about 20 hours a day! So a three-day painting will have taken 60 hours, and a four-day painting will have taken 80 hours, for the application of paint alone. And yes, it's hard having about 3 hours sleep a night, but if that's what it takes to get the painting finished by a deadline, then that's what happens.<br />
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Looked at like this, I'm still taking the same time to paint as normal, just cramming it into a smaller time frame. So that three-day painting is actually two and a half weeks of painting, and the four-day painting is easily three weeks worth of painting really.<br />
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It isn't something I like to do, and it certainly isn't something I plan. Usually it's the result of poor or uneven paper sizing, which can't be seen until you're actually experiencing it. Under these circumstances it's often much easier and quicker to start again, rather than try to compensate for the lack of size, and of course the result is better too. <br />
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<br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-58815740071202343192015-04-24T02:01:00.000+01:002015-12-18T21:55:46.764+00:00In Pursuit of Plants - Society of Botanical Artists Annual Exhibition 17th - 26th April 2015<br />
After months of planning, drawing and painting, the time finally
arrived to get everything photographed, framed, and take a trip to Westminster Central Hall, London, to submit my paintings for the SBA annual exhibition - <a href="http://www.soc-botanical-artists.org/exhibitions.php" target="_blank">In Pursuit of Plants.</a><br />
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Framing sounds easy, but framing properly is an art in itself and takes about three times as long as you think it will. Luckily everything fitted together well. There was just time for a little judicious tweaking of colour and tonal values before the paintings were finally framed.<br />
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Packing the frames for transport was made vastly easier by the purchase of some high tech bubble wrap. By the time we'd finished, we looked like the Jetson's off on a trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5W4Ue1CdLGwSeKYe-QxV5BySytS5Cp3JOg1S4dhSSxMo-oBLgflceGRH2qo91VXvOaL6i_qEiJZjJQRUwynTkrlL_PniSj_IIKvB9BP5pmjxj-5sNRPLS5XdztmvVa24nbJGVifEd4xbe/s1600/DSCF6145small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="painting packaging transport" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5W4Ue1CdLGwSeKYe-QxV5BySytS5Cp3JOg1S4dhSSxMo-oBLgflceGRH2qo91VXvOaL6i_qEiJZjJQRUwynTkrlL_PniSj_IIKvB9BP5pmjxj-5sNRPLS5XdztmvVa24nbJGVifEd4xbe/s1600/DSCF6145small.jpg" title="painting packaging" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Space Age packaging - Jetson style</td></tr>
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The space age packaging worked really well and all the paintings arrived in pristine condition despite a trip in the car boot and on the tube.<br />
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Unpacking was a doddle too with the purpose made packing. Handing in was weird, I'd never entered paintings for an exhibition before and handing my 'babies' over and leaving them felt very strange. <br />
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Then the long wait to find out if they'd made the grade, as it's a juried exhibition.... what seemed like an age passed but in reality it was barely any time at all, when the phone call came.<br />
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All my paintings had been accepted and I was offered Associateship of the SBA as well! I had to sit down for that as it really wasn't expected.<br />
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Then the very long wait for the exhibition date. Another phonecall informed me that, wait for it, I had received a Highly Commended for the Joyce Cuming Award, I think I may have squealed with excitement, but can't be sure. It was lovely to get the letter confirming it all, just to prove it wasn't all a dream and the icing on the cake was that four of my paintings were to be hung.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKqZEB0YL00BRgKPtnqyxEmtdAStZInoC-YA2fwGgajK0vfr6OKh9EoaXYxfBbOjjlEOIVq0TMZwaHaIUDulj1P9mnrM4o8GZv-1eJ9SRko8HFtlV2qb4s5-4CjOmYJYN7ENYXkYChqGu/s1600/DSCF6588bSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="society of botanical artists - highly commended Joyce Cumming Award" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKqZEB0YL00BRgKPtnqyxEmtdAStZInoC-YA2fwGgajK0vfr6OKh9EoaXYxfBbOjjlEOIVq0TMZwaHaIUDulj1P9mnrM4o8GZv-1eJ9SRko8HFtlV2qb4s5-4CjOmYJYN7ENYXkYChqGu/s1600/DSCF6588bSmall.jpg" title="society of botanical artists - highly commended Joyce Cumming Award" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All four paintings hanging together</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvcooD0-1cprrMa-es9rPikV_0pYNEV8tlPJR67AirWxdaEk8r9sn2VOv3tPCd24gMjFTYOFwZFlOZhLi7vj6vqjSeDe80jZHOXxis_D0smJ8_8zuu_lXKrQHT5gliBGIcO6fNTvJKHEO/s1600/DSCF6235bSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bearded Irises - highly commended Joyce Cumming Award Society of botanical artists" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvcooD0-1cprrMa-es9rPikV_0pYNEV8tlPJR67AirWxdaEk8r9sn2VOv3tPCd24gMjFTYOFwZFlOZhLi7vj6vqjSeDe80jZHOXxis_D0smJ8_8zuu_lXKrQHT5gliBGIcO6fNTvJKHEO/s1600/DSCF6235bSmall.jpg" title="Bearded Irises - highly commended Joyce Cumming Award Society of botanical artists" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bearded Irises - Highly Commended</td></tr>
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Not a bad start to exhibiting, I think it could be addictive.<br />
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Of course, the <a href="http://www.soc-botanical-artists.org/exhibitions_2015.php" target="_blank">30th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists</a> wasn't <i>all</i> about me. There are 603 paintings, 7 miniature paintings and 12 three-dimensional works this year, submitted by 216 Botanical Artists from around the world - a truly international exhibition!<br />
<br />
So
many people to meet and so many superb paintings to see. The whole
time seemed to disappear in a whirlwind. There never seems to be enough
time, especially when it's
something enjoyable and this is what I found when I went to the SBA
Exhibition - In Pursuit of Plants.<br />
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Luckily there are some who are well prepared and take a camera and also take notes.<br />
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One of these people is<a href="http://www.pastelsandpencils.com/fine_art.html" target="_blank"> Katherine Tyrrell</a> whose wonderful <a href="http://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Making a Mark blog</a>
is THE place on the internet to find out what's going on in the art
world, and true to form, Katherine has written an excellent <a href="http://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/review-30th-annual-exhibition-society-botanical-artists.html" target="_blank">Review of the 30th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists</a> - well worth reading if you can't get to London to see the Exhibition. Katherine has also written about the <a href="http://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/prizewinners-2015-society-of-botanical-artists-annual-exhibition_17.html">Prizewinners at the Society of Botanical Artists' Annual Exhibition 2015</a> and the <a href="http://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/SBA-Certificates-Botanical-Merit-2015.html">Society of Botanical Art: Certificates of Botanical Merit 2015 </a><br />
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<br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-23994457283149568132015-03-02T21:17:00.001+00:002015-12-18T21:56:57.356+00:00Phragmipedium Bel Royal - the paintsFurther to my Phragmipedium Bel Royal step by step posts, I promised to post about the colours and mixes used in the painting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHFp-wAAnjSUg1upBEX-yNhZXDd0mcIyPNgeqfHBHsLVoSyeIADdcR8zuXuKCuoPXRAggTYJFAujT7NKCKZqmtZ-_VwnXivUIHm-Ocfcy-7VKDZadWbS_A511BOZv1rN_M5TJ4NmL6Pdp/s1600/Phrag.+Bel+Royal+colours+and+Mixes+(322%2Bx%2B600).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="watercolour colours and mixes - Orchid Phragmipedium Bel Royal" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHFp-wAAnjSUg1upBEX-yNhZXDd0mcIyPNgeqfHBHsLVoSyeIADdcR8zuXuKCuoPXRAggTYJFAujT7NKCKZqmtZ-_VwnXivUIHm-Ocfcy-7VKDZadWbS_A511BOZv1rN_M5TJ4NmL6Pdp/s1600/Phrag.+Bel+Royal+colours+and+Mixes+(322%2Bx%2B600).jpg" title="watercolour mixes - Orchid Phragmipedium Bel Royal" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colours and Mixes for Phrag. Bel Royal</td></tr>
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My apologies, things got a little hectic in the last few weeks and I had to spend most of my waking moments with a brush in my hand - more about that at a later date. <br />
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Now that I have a moment, I can tell you about the colours I used in the painting.<br />
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Before beginning to paint, I study the plant from all angles noting the shapes and the shadows. I also note the colours and how they change. This enables me to choose the colours I will use in the painting.<br />
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I prefer to use a fairly limited palette, so choosing the paints is a vital first step, as is mixing the colours to ensure I have just the right ones. Swatches of these colours are painted on the same paper as the painting.<br />
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In this painting I layered the paints in glazes, so I chose transparent colours. These paints allow the layers underneath to glow through. These are also usually staining paints, so great care is needed to only place them where they will stay - any mistakes are likely to be permanent. <br />
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After much thought I chose<br />
Yellows - Sennelier Yellow Light (PY154 ) and Indian Yellow (PY153)<br />
Blues - Sennelier French Ultramarine (PB29) Phthalo blue (PB15) and Indanthrene Blue (PB60)<br />
Reds - Anthraquinone Red (PR177) and Permanent Rose (PV19)<br />
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As you can see, these are all single pigment colours. No mud-making for me!<br />
All the colours were mixed from these, including the shadow colours which are mixed from different proportions of each of the three primaries (Yellow, Blue, Red/Pink) the warmth or coolness of the colours used will determine the type of shadow colour you get and it's possible to vary the mix to produce subtle shades of different greys.<br />
<br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-61600413927850478002015-02-24T20:24:00.002+00:002015-12-18T21:58:51.264+00:00Thinking outside the box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGY6MJsa-Kg7Su4pkpAOYaPaEWSamMhbkRCCkGvLOLjzdM1bS-FDInV9sYjXUh7_1uMFLT7Cl3n1IIjSYEEoZ1lMc8OVbqbAbXa8W4qvI3hHpUMoN-yk10yUH0KHGxIte5xvJWwY0y7WO/s1600/IMG_20140109_092813-1+(600%2Bx%2B546).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="watercolour palette - porcelain with wells" border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGY6MJsa-Kg7Su4pkpAOYaPaEWSamMhbkRCCkGvLOLjzdM1bS-FDInV9sYjXUh7_1uMFLT7Cl3n1IIjSYEEoZ1lMc8OVbqbAbXa8W4qvI3hHpUMoN-yk10yUH0KHGxIte5xvJWwY0y7WO/s1600/IMG_20140109_092813-1+(600%2Bx%2B546).jpg" title="watercolour palette, porcelain with wells" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large dinner plate palette</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I'd been looking for ages for a porcelain palette that suits my set up and the way I work, but have never found that perfect fit. If the palette looks right for me, it's often too large or too small for where it will sit, or if it fits the space available, the wells are too big and the mixing space too small. So for a long time I've been using a large square porcelain dinner plate, but battling the paint sliding into the mixed area. Then I had an idea. Silicone sealant! With this, I could have wells on my plate. So a tube of the good stuff was purchased and OH swung into action with his silicone gun. A couple of hours later, I had just what I wanted - the perfect palette.<br />
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I wanted a cover for my lovely new palette, to keep the dust and dog fur out of my mixes when I'm not using it. So there we were one evening in a busy supermarket (friday evening shopping), struggling in vain to fit a reluctant shower cap onto a large square dinner plate. The looks we got! Some people can be so judgemental. <br />
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It didn't fit, so the search goes on. If all else fails, a perspex panel with a few dabs of silicon sealer on the corners will serve the purpose, but a proper lid would be better.Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-42246949353421360182015-01-15T19:14:00.001+00:002015-12-18T22:00:39.383+00:00The Finished Phragmipedium Bel Royal and a Gala DinnerNow it's official, I can show everyone what the finished Phragmipedium Bel Royal painting looks like. It is one of the prizes at the Gala Dinner of the<a href="https://rhs.yourticketbooking.com/events/857;jsessionid=1384D26F1D802A98823ABAAAFC8209B9" target="_blank"> European Orchid Show & Conference</a>. I wish I could go to the conference as it's the best place to see and buy the most extraordinary and beautiful Orchids. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEity1_jXsys0TpIWaQGO8YAH_d2OszzBTtSs7BzYjrA5aCaq-XNLH4QZVVOgoiRQl-RkchYEAzssQ0b-AcLBYljYbzO1Te5ywWvUygsUtlyFwm5n7D8TkEkQMs_l4YBGqO1aSQnYgrNeHkK/s1600/DSCF5541smll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Phragmipedium Bel Royal watercolour painting" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEity1_jXsys0TpIWaQGO8YAH_d2OszzBTtSs7BzYjrA5aCaq-XNLH4QZVVOgoiRQl-RkchYEAzssQ0b-AcLBYljYbzO1Te5ywWvUygsUtlyFwm5n7D8TkEkQMs_l4YBGqO1aSQnYgrNeHkK/s1600/DSCF5541smll.jpg" title="Phragmipedium Bel Royal watercolour painting" /></a></div>
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If you'd like to see the whole painting, there's a picture of it on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/osgb.social?fref=nf" target="_blank">Facebook page of The Orchid society of Great Britain</a>. Some great prizes on offer for the lucky diners.<br />
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<br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-50267728438217959582014-12-02T00:54:00.000+00:002014-12-02T02:41:13.643+00:00On my Easel today - UpdateThis is moving quite quickly, despite interruptions. I try to plan for interruptions and if I'm lucky I can get to a stage where paper and paint need to dry, before I have to walk away. It's good to have time away, as you can lose sight of your goal and end up over-working the painting. So regular breaks are necessary. Just because I haven't got a brush in my hand, doesn't mean I'm not working on it though, it's all going on in my head so when I go back to it, I know exactly what I need to do.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQajKxMOG3hyphenhyphenptOnzHSdGult9AgwaEISxJff-J4RVN9d77tFQ3oNOg3VRLLmKLV6NzJ4Zkk7PRRhHz9JL0Vn8fTa0UMGpm0bmgp0sol5k24b9Ewajz4_YfBvDjFQlRL2eDaR4Otdh67CfH/s1600/DSCF5331crop+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Phragmipedium Bel royal - strengthening the shadows by Polly o'Leary©2014 All rights Reserved" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQajKxMOG3hyphenhyphenptOnzHSdGult9AgwaEISxJff-J4RVN9d77tFQ3oNOg3VRLLmKLV6NzJ4Zkk7PRRhHz9JL0Vn8fTa0UMGpm0bmgp0sol5k24b9Ewajz4_YfBvDjFQlRL2eDaR4Otdh67CfH/s1600/DSCF5331crop+small.jpg" height="320" title="Phragmipedium Bel royal - strengthening the shadows by Polly o'Leary©2014 All rights Reserved" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phragmipedium Bel Royal - Strengthening the Shadows</td></tr>
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Here I've been strengthening the shadows and just bringing the whole painting up to the same level. If I don't do this, and just paint separate items until they are finished, I find that the painting never really 'gels' for me. there's also a danger I'll take some parts too far - usually the wrong ones!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCh2YbrN1-78eJpFkX6lsbVeSLopZjcWvstTjuV4AHOqBpcDfTDxvTR0wumFMBx_XHFFkvcb1q0YgwV_qlwnRNEsfC2wY8fW_IncrIrML4Z00FZrbqkl9KDKeQigi9wQS9j_9dElzNiYG/s1600/DSCF5339small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Phragmipedium Bel Royal - modelling in colour on top of the shadows by Polly o'Leary©2014 All rights Reserved" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCh2YbrN1-78eJpFkX6lsbVeSLopZjcWvstTjuV4AHOqBpcDfTDxvTR0wumFMBx_XHFFkvcb1q0YgwV_qlwnRNEsfC2wY8fW_IncrIrML4Z00FZrbqkl9KDKeQigi9wQS9j_9dElzNiYG/s1600/DSCF5339small.jpg" height="320" title="Phragmipedium Bel Royal - modelling in colour on top of the shadows by Polly o'Leary©2014 All rights Reserved" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phragmipedium Bel Royal - Modelling in colour on top of shadows</td></tr>
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In this picture you can see I've been strengthening the colours and continuing the modelling in colour on top of the shadow colour. That top stem under the bud has become too dark, so I'm going to have to take out some of the colour - not easy on this paper, as I turned it around to avoid the water mark, and the paint seems to sink in far too easily. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMHcbINU-X4YgGSOEBJQMpp_UD9wIsMYQ_ygQujnIRTtQPuDhZq7qxepKCoYFkQAlAz5GErdGonzfcfAH8RzZ-8XD7TV3ol8ONhAd8z62Cm9LMfha1fCWF7k2pcSHTOab16xitlv-azQ9/s1600/DSCF5358small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Phragmipedium Bel Royal starting to define the markings of the petals and leaves by Polly o'Leary©2014 All Rights Reserved" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMHcbINU-X4YgGSOEBJQMpp_UD9wIsMYQ_ygQujnIRTtQPuDhZq7qxepKCoYFkQAlAz5GErdGonzfcfAH8RzZ-8XD7TV3ol8ONhAd8z62Cm9LMfha1fCWF7k2pcSHTOab16xitlv-azQ9/s1600/DSCF5358small.jpg" height="320" title="Phragmipedium Bel Royal starting to define the markings of the petals and leaves by Polly o'Leary©2014 All Rights Reserved" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phragmipedium Bel Royal - starting to define the markings of the petals and leaves</td></tr>
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More washes here, building up the colour in the petals and starting to define the markings of the petals and leaves, along with the bud. I still have to change the colour of the stems and the bud, but the underpainting is about there. Then I can start on the details - my favourite bit, as that's when it all starts to really come alive.<br />
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Next time I'll also give the lowdown on the colours I've used and the mixes.Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-73613639083158905202014-11-27T22:01:00.001+00:002015-03-03T15:56:39.736+00:00On My Easel today...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwaaVM2qW8hZ1I1r2UUcTpaB3tluUEL9HTulj2ZKxzVpcJCXKp3hpEIZw9QH0rVqH0opI4hrHCdPb0NKMZEZbYbdtFfASjCuGYwTilSHZShUk_ZsbBxOI0r-wxc_dMODqQuTx29J2OpK9/s1600/DSCF5304smll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwaaVM2qW8hZ1I1r2UUcTpaB3tluUEL9HTulj2ZKxzVpcJCXKp3hpEIZw9QH0rVqH0opI4hrHCdPb0NKMZEZbYbdtFfASjCuGYwTilSHZShUk_ZsbBxOI0r-wxc_dMODqQuTx29J2OpK9/s1600/DSCF5304smll.jpg" height="320" title="Phragmipedium Bel Royal Sketchbook page by Pollyo'Leary©2014all rights reserved" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phragmipedium Bel Royal sketchbook page</td></tr>
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This is a painting of a flower I fell for 'hook, line and sinker'. I think, by now, most people are aware of my love of all things Orchid, so it won't come as much of a surprise, but this is an orchid that I'll probably never own. It just grows too big! I ran out of space a long time ago and still the collection is growing. I've had to repot and split a few this week, so I've suddenly got two more plants I didn't anticipate, but I digress.<br />
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My new love is an Orchid I met at the Orchid Festival of Wales, on the stand of <a href="http://www.osgb.org.uk/index.html" target="_blank">The Orchid Society of Great Britain</a>. It's a Phragmipedium Bel Royal and is one of the most striking slipper orchids I've seen. The colours just glow!<br />
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It was one of the flowers I was given to bring home with me to paint, and I've got plenty of drawings and sketches despite having to work so quickly to record it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_fVAlgUYpQYXpE5PHrh-RQ-lz8WEAyy7dqx8FWxkrHqVhW-C_74kuyTKU2i7Jwm2mWangTmuUi1wDv1oCnIxCwkalkTEwj-B0gi4kgbMgf3HOxoPdIddVF4yd3LTeQbaD_I5V4sAfAae/s1600/DSCF5308smll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_fVAlgUYpQYXpE5PHrh-RQ-lz8WEAyy7dqx8FWxkrHqVhW-C_74kuyTKU2i7Jwm2mWangTmuUi1wDv1oCnIxCwkalkTEwj-B0gi4kgbMgf3HOxoPdIddVF4yd3LTeQbaD_I5V4sAfAae/s1600/DSCF5308smll.jpg" height="320" title="Phrag Bel Royal by Polly o'Leary©2014 all rights reserved" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phragmipedium Bel Royal - First washes </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The first picture shows the delicate first washes of colour laid down, reserving the white areas to keep the highlights. This is the stage where I often feel that it's going wrong and maybe I should start again. Nerves of steel are needed to continue. It also takes a lot of patience, waiting for the washes to dry. Painting on damp washes is one of the quickest ways to dull a painting. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LdGcgVNaO7FC_jMTu8-9_gwrGc9irDla35uPOmeq70wMDMBSKJdhZWFF0qpynqri9QTrCTUe4j96J1WEKWbmYb2FYoZMDdv2UVNZp0TdHSdn3ZG-uCdBybNVvm4VlS83OzCU5JEROa8X/s1600/DSCF5315smll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LdGcgVNaO7FC_jMTu8-9_gwrGc9irDla35uPOmeq70wMDMBSKJdhZWFF0qpynqri9QTrCTUe4j96J1WEKWbmYb2FYoZMDdv2UVNZp0TdHSdn3ZG-uCdBybNVvm4VlS83OzCU5JEROa8X/s1600/DSCF5315smll.jpg" height="320" title="Phragmipedium Bel Royal - Second washes by Pollyo'Leary©2014all rights reserved" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phragmipedium Bel Royal - Further washes</td></tr>
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This second picture shows how the washes have developed and the shadows are beginning to give shape to the flowers. Edges need tidying up in places and I'm removing as much pencil as possible at this stage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuyLLSrGvPcsop3_r56UwJ5I7N7oMXFos7VwNHNSn6YKh4ev4UpybdmYOnMiFxtGZgaka1jN4_cqusDNeyZs2rCDkk6slorAanuICnDo1lABHKJBK6X8DXrNAR_CLvUE6e8XhUfEN-o-3/s1600/DSCF5325smll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuyLLSrGvPcsop3_r56UwJ5I7N7oMXFos7VwNHNSn6YKh4ev4UpybdmYOnMiFxtGZgaka1jN4_cqusDNeyZs2rCDkk6slorAanuICnDo1lABHKJBK6X8DXrNAR_CLvUE6e8XhUfEN-o-3/s1600/DSCF5325smll.jpg" height="320" title="Phragmipedium Bel Royal by Polly o'Leary©2014all rights reserved" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phragmipedium Bel Royal - Even more washes</td></tr>
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The last picture shows how further washes have been added and the painting is now starting to look a little more like a pale version of what I have in mind. There's quite a bit more work to be done and many more washes to come, but not all over. Pale areas will stay very pale unless I need to adjust them. <br />
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I hope you've enjoyed this work in progress, I'll update it in the next few days as it grows and develops.Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-39121309895880172772014-11-04T14:32:00.000+00:002019-02-03T18:30:21.312+00:00How many colours do you need to paint flowers?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been thinking a lot about colour lately. Specifically, how many colours does a beginner need in order to paint a painting? Notice the word <i>need</i>, rather than want.<br />
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Many beginners in watercolours seem confused as to what colours they need to buy, and I'm sure many of us have bought as many colours as we could afford, thinking that more is better. Then sat around unsure as to where to begin, overwhelmed at the sheer number of colours in their kit!<br />
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So with this in mind, I picked three colours which work really well together and are transparent, and set out to find out how many colours I could make with just those three colours. <br />
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The answer is... a lot. I decided to keep my colour chart to just one side of watercolour paper, and a bit smaller than A4. No reason for the size apart from already having several pieces, all the same handy size.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSf7TWZkxWQy01J6u1e6eXdIA7ZE0z6kI7QKxsfR5SXJjQ1lcfLJ_YXT596rsnU_n8mVjJA_5nyHAfrc2f-KLq0VkfljipwID94Vr-ulLx9iEV0r6vfLp8ILoAKE9ivAZsxgqweeM98ay/s1600/Cotman+Three+Primary+Colour+Mixes+(410%2Bx%2B600).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Three colour chart with Cotman Watercolours ©2014 Polly o'Leary" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSf7TWZkxWQy01J6u1e6eXdIA7ZE0z6kI7QKxsfR5SXJjQ1lcfLJ_YXT596rsnU_n8mVjJA_5nyHAfrc2f-KLq0VkfljipwID94Vr-ulLx9iEV0r6vfLp8ILoAKE9ivAZsxgqweeM98ay/s1600/Cotman+Three+Primary+Colour+Mixes+(410%2Bx%2B600).jpg" title="Three colour chart with Cotman Watercolours ©2014 Polly o'Leary" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three colour chart with Cotman Watercolours</td></tr>
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First, I mixed two of each of the colours, adding tiny amounts of one colour to another and recording the colours as they changed. I did this with each of the three colours.<br />
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Then, I picked mixes of two of the colours and added tiny amounts of the third to see what colours I got.<br />
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I labelled everything so that I could repeat any colour I wanted just by looking at the chart.<br />
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Notice that each primary colour can be changed to either warm or cool by adding tiny amounts of one of the other colours. So you get a Warm Red and a Cool Red, a Warm and Cool Blue and a Warm and Cool Yellow. Then, as you continue adding tiny amounts, the colours change to produce a range of Oranges, Purples and Greens.<br />
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But that isn't the end of the story, each of those Oranges, Purples and Greens can be further changed by adding tiny amounts of a primary colour to produce progressively warmer or cooler versions of the colour. And as you add more and more of the primary, you get a range of browns, golds and greys.<br />
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All of this was done using only Cotman Watercolour paints, since this is often the paint bought by beginners, but you'd get the same results using Artist's Watercolurs too.<br />
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As I was enjoying myself, I then decided to make colour charts with six colours guided by a <a href="http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-maimeriblu-superior-watercolour-6-tube-set.htm" target="_blank">MaimeriBlu Tryout Set</a> I had hanging around (In the Cotman Chart below, I used seven colours as I wanted to see the difference between PG7 Phthalo Green, and PG36 Phthalo Green in the mixes) . But this time, I limited my mixes to just two of the colours, otherwise I'd still be mixing colours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSXB6CFKYzQyXg-C03f5Pl80K5FGCT0QtCd7c0btJOAHyqKIexcT5-3AMchnXxJ2GN6VE2bJOYpY28dOxHuujczuqMhOsI53SGPfZZBNXJfbfx9VdbCkn9SIVsAGFqelNoZLtdLlvvP52/s1600/Colour+Charts+Three+Composite+13+x+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Six-colour Palette Mixes - Cotman, MaimeriBlu and Artist's Watercolours ©2014 Polly o'Leary" border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1600" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSXB6CFKYzQyXg-C03f5Pl80K5FGCT0QtCd7c0btJOAHyqKIexcT5-3AMchnXxJ2GN6VE2bJOYpY28dOxHuujczuqMhOsI53SGPfZZBNXJfbfx9VdbCkn9SIVsAGFqelNoZLtdLlvvP52/s320/Colour+Charts+Three+Composite+13+x+30.jpg" title="Six-colour Palette Mixes - Cotman, MaimeriBlu and Artist's Watercolours ©2014 Polly o'Leary" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six-colour Palette Mixes - Cotman, MaimeriBlu and Artist's Watercolours</td></tr>
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So there you are, it's possible to mix a <i>huge</i> number of colours with just three well chosen tubes of paint - certainly enough colours for your first tentative steps in Watercolour. And it's possible to mix an almost infinite number of colours with just six well chosen tubes of paint. Good news for anyone wanting to start painting in watercolour without spending a fortune.<br />
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More on Colour<br />
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<a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/06/2018-lightfastness-testing.html">Lightfastness Testing #1</a><br />
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<a href="http://Lightfastness Testing #2 - Results">Lightfastness Testing #2 - Results</a><br />
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<a href="https://blog.pollyoleary.co.uk/2018/04/the-problem-of-py153-new-gamboge-indian.html">The Problem Of PY153 - New Gamboge, Indian Yellow</a><br />
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Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-13183188143742799552014-09-27T01:55:00.001+01:002015-03-02T20:37:17.665+00:00No rest for the wicked!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GO65BsdrBBmMAh9UfF9XURGY-WdDPVBQLjUG2Dz3mhKHoSYoMwMGL_QlAuIPnWq5OCTNiDko6xC56h3Prnzh_ThZ7jrokMOhZNFfzEhprMAvf6tirDIz1-yUgWfcQ34j3Z_ngn34EdvI/s1600/DSCF4561+(600%2Bx%2B450).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GO65BsdrBBmMAh9UfF9XURGY-WdDPVBQLjUG2Dz3mhKHoSYoMwMGL_QlAuIPnWq5OCTNiDko6xC56h3Prnzh_ThZ7jrokMOhZNFfzEhprMAvf6tirDIz1-yUgWfcQ34j3Z_ngn34EdvI/s1600/DSCF4561+(600%2Bx%2B450).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polly o'Leary at the National Botanic Garden of Wales</td></tr>
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The stall was well received, with lots of interest, and plenty of business cards taken. My meagre supply of note cards swiftly disappeared and after the frantic five months of painting, it was such a relief to have such positive feedback.<br />
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What wonderful people Orchid enthusiasts are! At the end of the Orchid Festival, I was astounded and humbled to be given several orchid flowers to bring home, very carefully, and paint from life. Of course, this meant that the idea of putting my feet up after such a long and intense stretch of painting and general getting everything ready, not to mention the festival itself, was not going to happen. You can't put many Orchid flowers in the fridge to extend their lives, it often has the opposite effect. So they were placed in sealed pots with damp paper.<br />
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Instead, out came easel, pencils, paints, ink, dividers, rulers and paper, and of course the magnifying glasses and loupes. And so the race against time began.<br />
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One of the Orchids, a Stanhopea, only lasts about 4 days in flower, and by the time we packed up, it was already almost 3 days old, so that was the first one recorded. It was also the most intricate and strange Orchid flower, looking like something out of a sci fi film, so lots to note and record. I also got sketches of the main flower spike and the rest of the plant whilst at the festival. Strangely, I wasn't at all bothered by drawing and painting in front of people after the first few minutes. But the detailed drawings will be so much more helpful.<br />
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The other Orchid flowers weren't too bad by the time I got to them, the Phragmipedium sedenii was the worst and with the warm weather faded fast, so I'll have to find another plant to complete the sketches in more detail. Phragmipedium 'Bel Royal' was much better and I was able to make some really detailed sketches and colour notes of this lovely orchid before it finally collapsed.<br />
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Sudamerlycaste locusta was another strange Orchid and the one I painted last, it being very robust and of a heavier texture. I'm still trying to find out what pollinates this plant - the lip is so interesting and intricate!<br />
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My grateful thanks go to Dr Kevin Davies for the Sudamerlycaste locusta flower, Val Micklewright of<a href="http://www.osgb.org.uk/index.html" target="_blank"> The Orchid Society of Great Britain</a>, for the Phragmipedium flowers, and Andrew Bannister of <a href="http://www.orchidalchemy.com/shop/page/9?sessid=deqCatnPjSTd4MyfzsyX9Ptryfywg7OVUfe96obyeSkDPbTpTvvJeoRTw4dGA2N3&shop_param=" target="_blank">Orchid Alchemy</a>, for the Stanhopea graveolens flower. Many thanks also to everyone else at the Orchid Festival, for making it such a wonderful weekend.<br />
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Of course, I also managed to come home with three new orchid plants, a Paph. sukhakulii in flower (guess what I'm working on now?), a baby Paph. 'Vanda Pearman', and a baby Anoectochilus albolineata - as if I didn't have enough orchids already! many thanks to Francis of <a href="http://www.phalaenopsisandmore.co.uk/#/home/4567857340" target="_blank">Phalaenopsis and More</a> and Andrew Bannister for these plants, they look right at home here already.Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302397941256075255.post-40219807162720101912014-09-04T18:34:00.000+01:002014-09-04T18:34:03.830+01:00Small is beautiful - Paintings for the Orchid Festival<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrcuuYxEQ5qvj9EMpS8PPWvHVF7hj3fZ0MO29B8-1jzXa3EmO9MgatZCr8VpPJpYifTLMvDGRmxEgW4VYmtqyxrbyD9tCQZbYlO9eJVIKa-ChyD1nNvhOIaEU1TijiUpwqxPHyoK1rq8n/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Polly o'Leary©©2014" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrcuuYxEQ5qvj9EMpS8PPWvHVF7hj3fZ0MO29B8-1jzXa3EmO9MgatZCr8VpPJpYifTLMvDGRmxEgW4VYmtqyxrbyD9tCQZbYlO9eJVIKa-ChyD1nNvhOIaEU1TijiUpwqxPHyoK1rq8n/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg" height="191" title="Cymbalaria Muralis - Ivy Leafed ToadflLax" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cymbalaria muralis - Ivy Leafed Toadflax</td></tr>
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In the spirit of getting ready for my stand at the Orchid Festival, I have been doing a painting a day. Obviously they aren't large, but there's one that I think is really ditsy. It may look like a miniature, but it's a life size view of the plant, Cymbalaria muralis, common name Ivy Leafed Toadflax. I have a real soft spot for this plant, it grows where other plants won't grow and seeds itself by burying the seedheads in crevices - which I think is amazing! In this way, it scrambles over bare walls and along their bases, making a very decorative effect. I think it's the bees knees, and so do the Bumbles, they can always be found buzzing around this plant on a summer's day.<br />
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The tiny brushes and magnifyer had an outing for this one and despite it's size it took quite a long time to paint. You'd think a small painting would be quick, but there's less room to move around and more chance of spoiling it.<br />
It's the smallest painting I'm taking to the Festival, and I hope it enables those who see it to realise what a very specal plant it is.<br />
<br />Pollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876897576820426852noreply@blogger.com1