Mary Severino Portfolios
Challenges abound as one journeys into the world of watercolor. Composition, palette selections, color refinement, process and vision execution are all areas that can veer a painting off the cliff into failure. My latest painting, a nod to past travels, was inspired by an iconic scene at the Christine Falls, Mt. Ranier, Washington. My reference shot was taken late in the day and was overexposed, with shadows and textures ill-defined. But....beautiful in so many ways, it was perfect! I'm inspired so it's time to jump in!
After a quick sketch to set up my composition, I started the painting convinced I had it locked in. Nope! Rather than using my standard 140# paper, I chose to 'challenge' myself with 300# which I had never used before. My layout of the feature bridge arch was flawed, causing an odd perspective to the underside of the structure. I became lost in the rock textures...and....the 'spottiness' of them became confusing. Add to all of that, I was dissatisfied with my palette selections early on. It was a fail and I was disgusted with my choices.
After a deep breath and a day off dissecting the problems, I decided to carry on, learn and experiment. To my dismay, I had found that 'lifting' pigment from 300# paper is not easy. With patience, repeated wetting and gentle scrubbing, I was able to salvage surfaces that were still workable. (...one advantage of the 300# paper!) I learned that glazing was my friend and was able to tone areas more to my liking. I built color that became nuanced, with depth that I hadn't expected. Tree areas that were troublesome evolved were layered with some bold deep color to shape them more favorably. Areas that needed more contrast received more saturated pigment, allowing me to better define the water and the depth of the pool. I utilized tape to crop into a more focused composition. By shading the underside of my bridge, I was able to manipulate the perspective to achieve a more satisfactory result.
Although this painting was an early 'fail,' it became a success in my mind for many reasons. I had been prepared to cut it up and toss it into the scrap pile. But patience, with a dose of persistence, (i.e. obsession) my result is a final product that was a success for me. My work on this painting also provided thoughts and lessons that will be valuable in my next watercolor venture.
Yes....A 'fail' can be turned into a success!! (be sure to document those lessons!)
After a quick sketch to set up my composition, I started the painting convinced I had it locked in. Nope! Rather than using my standard 140# paper, I chose to 'challenge' myself with 300# which I had never used before. My layout of the feature bridge arch was flawed, causing an odd perspective to the underside of the structure. I became lost in the rock textures...and....the 'spottiness' of them became confusing. Add to all of that, I was dissatisfied with my palette selections early on. It was a fail and I was disgusted with my choices.
After a deep breath and a day off dissecting the problems, I decided to carry on, learn and experiment. To my dismay, I had found that 'lifting' pigment from 300# paper is not easy. With patience, repeated wetting and gentle scrubbing, I was able to salvage surfaces that were still workable. (...one advantage of the 300# paper!) I learned that glazing was my friend and was able to tone areas more to my liking. I built color that became nuanced, with depth that I hadn't expected. Tree areas that were troublesome evolved were layered with some bold deep color to shape them more favorably. Areas that needed more contrast received more saturated pigment, allowing me to better define the water and the depth of the pool. I utilized tape to crop into a more focused composition. By shading the underside of my bridge, I was able to manipulate the perspective to achieve a more satisfactory result.
Although this painting was an early 'fail,' it became a success in my mind for many reasons. I had been prepared to cut it up and toss it into the scrap pile. But patience, with a dose of persistence, (i.e. obsession) my result is a final product that was a success for me. My work on this painting also provided thoughts and lessons that will be valuable in my next watercolor venture.
Yes....A 'fail' can be turned into a success!! (be sure to document those lessons!)
