Moody Teen (Juvenile Queen Conch)
5" X 7"
Watercolor
$85
Before the thirty paintings in thirty days challenge began, I chose reference photos and printed them out. Then, I laid them out on the floor, put them in an order that looked interesting, numbered them and put them into a stack. Each morning, I go to the studio and take the top reference photo and get to work. I was a little worried that this would result in petulance and whining, but it has worked out well so far. Upon seeing the reference photo for this painting, I thought, "No, I've already painted the juvenile conch. I should pick a different photo." But, as it is with momentum, I decided it was easier to just paint and not overthink it.
Here is the photo I was working from:
Painting the shell went pretty well. The biggest challenge was figuring out how I wanted to treat the shadowed areas that disappear. I debated painting the background grey or brown, but it just didn't feel right. I decided to go in the opposite direction and paint it blue. Something was still missing. Then, I decided to lift some angled lines from the background. By the time I did the second one, I knew that it was the correct choice! The white on navy gives the composition a nautical flair that works perfectly with the shell theme!
No comments:
Post a Comment