Irises

Here are some irises I have been working on. They are painted on a canvas that is made for watercolor. When I started the painting, I was imagining a very loose painting with the paint from the irises blending into the paint of the leaves. I will have to try for a looser painting on paper. Working on the canvas was interesting. There are both pros and cons. Pros, if you don't like it, you can wipe it right off with your brush or a napkin! This is great if you forgot to save a white or if you want to change anything on your painting. The negative is that you cannot really glaze or layer colors on top in the way that I am use to do on paper.

I apologize for having a big jump in progress from the first photo to the second. I was not originally intending to take progress photos. I don't remember why I took the first photo. When I took the second photo, it was to help me see what I needed to do next. Sometimes I will look at my paintings (when they are in progress) in a mirror. This really helps me to see what is missing or what I need to do next. I can get a similar experience when I take a photo of my painting and look at the image on the little viewer on the camera. I find that both of these techniques really help me to see where I need more darks, contrast, etc.