Geranium Series No. 2

Inspiration to paint this geranium came from my own garden. The geranium I almost killed last winter when I dared to see if it could survive the texas winter. This winter it is sure to go indoors!

Geranium
9 x 12 inches on Canson 140-lb cp watercolor paper
September 2008

Self-Portrait Series No.2

Isn’t it fun drawing your own portrait? You get to be your own model. I really enjoyed doing this. I used just an HB pencil and a 0.7mm mechanical pencil. A cotton earbud and a kneaded eraser were used for blending. For this drawing, I took a photo of myself but the lighting was poor so I couldn’t get all the details. From the final result I can say, this drawing is not perfect and is not an exact resemblance but the essential features are there. I am okay with this because I am doing it for myself. Another challenge was drawing the downcast eyes. Well, posing like this was my idea anyways….I am planning to do a series on self-portrait. I am sure I am gonna have a great time doing them.

Introspection
9 x 12 inches on Heavy-weight Drawing Paper
September 2008
Portrait # 13

Three Tomatoes

For this painting, I used a Canson 140-lb cp watercolor paper for the first time and I hated it! I bought the watercolor paper in block and that meant I did not have to stretch the paper as usual before painting. The only turnoff on using this paper is that the surface of the paper moves and rolls off when you put on the second or third layer of paint. So blending is not as smooth as you want it to be. There is always an awkward stage in painting before you get to the final stage. My tomatoes resembled peaches during that stage. I thought I ruined the painting and almost threw it away before reworking on it again hoping to make it work.

Three Tomatoes
Watercolor
September 2008

Portrait : Asin

I am really delighted with the outcome of drawing this portrait. I feel like I have improved in my drawing skills to render almost the exact likeness of the person in this portrait. On the other hand, I can say her features are so simple it is easy to get such a close resemblance. I am finding it difficult to accept this progress in my drawing skill. Maybe the next protrait will help clarify this lingering doubt in me. 😀

As for the drawing, I left out the details of her top to bring the focus back to her face. I was able to achieve a big improvement in drawing hair. That is a big thumb-up for me. This time I paid more attention to the value of the shade. I believe that helps a lot in achieving a realistic portrait.

For those who don’t know Asin, I will introduce her as a south-indian film personality. From what I have read and heard about her, I can say she is the most professional actress in the industry. I wish her all the success in her life.

Portrait # 12

Bearded Iris

I got the inspiration to paint this Iris after seeing a picture in a gardening book. I took a lot of artistic license in the color composition; since the original iris is just purple in color with yellow beard.

Bearded Iris
Watercolor on 140-lb cp watercolor paper
September 2008

Portrait : Dancer

I was dealing with a big stumbling block of starting trouble when I planned to do this portrait. Moreover, this was my very first attempt to do a portrait in watercolor. So it was quite a challenge. Note that I drew the same portrait of my niece earlier last month.

There is not much detail in jewelleries; mainly because I have never painted jewelleries in watercolor before. I think I need more practise in that. For now, I am happy with my first attempt in portrait painting in watercolor.I plan to gift this painting to my niece. I am sure it is gonna be a sweet surprise for her. I get so excited even when I think about it.

Dancer Again
Watercolor on 140-lb cp watercolor paper
September 2008
Portrait # 11