Jinx Watercolor

JINX

I think I am done with this watercolor, and actually probably should have stopped sooner. Over-painting is my own personal curse. I plan to keep painting her until I am completely satisfied that it shows her unique personality. I think her nose needs to look longer and then her head will look less round. I used burnt umber in the areas of her nose and "beard "that have slightly lighter fur, and I am thinking maybe if I left it a little lighter on top of the whole nose (not just the tip) maybe that would have given it more depth. Like I mentioned when I started, this is really my first attempt and I definitely will keep at it until I feel comfortable. A fellow artist suggested using french ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for the black (thanks, Pat!) but I had already used the payne's gray in layers for my lights and darks then added the burnt umber later. I will definitely try that mix next time (SOON) and don't actually know why I didn't this time! I always use a mix of ultra blue, b.umber, and alizarin crimson as my standard dark- varying the blue and crimson, depending if I want it warm or cool. Also, Pat suggested leaving some more white when starting to lay in color. I am thinking (in hindsight of course) that even though she is all black, more light would help with giving her head shape under all that thick black fur. I didn't detail the fur except for a few ares where I added some lines. We learn so much from all of our attempts at painting! One of the next challenges on my list is people. I have painted my kids before and while I am happy with the results, I would love for it to be easier for me. That's where practice and perseverance come in.

Thanks for looking!

Sheryl