Gethsemane on Clark St.
Gethsemane on Clark St.
There is a giant pots sale in the Gethsemane Garden Center on Clark St. The pots are beautiful, they are tree size pots, substantial and heavy. Gethsemane is often on our trajectory as we walk in the neighborhood, we stop by and look at the flowers for sale, trees and bushes, and of course Christmas trees, depending on a season. “Pansies” gift shop there sparkles with beautiful and tempting curiosities from around the world, teapots, incense, porcelain, fabrics and art books. I warn you: it is wise to leave your wallet at home if you are planning to visit. Now that I think of it – they should pay me a percentage for all this advertisement I making for them in Blogosphere.
This sketch was giving me a run around, I attempted it 3 times. First I tried to do a true sketch with a quick gesture drawing. It was a complete failure. Note to self – need to practice gesture drawing. Then I tried to exercise more control, but it went nowhere as well, the shapes were not there, the line elegance and symmetry were lost. I didn’t want to give up this idea, so I doggedly set out to build my symmetries with a help of vertical center axis. Better. Perhaps I cannot call it a sketch anymore, but I got the image I had in mind on paper after all. Mechanical pencil, micron pen, watercolor pencils wash in my handbook.
Oh, my dad is sending me his watercolors, the true Russian ones, made in St. Petersburg. He says they have real “meat” in their colors, unlike anything else he tried. I am very excited to try real WC washes, although I will miss a variety of pre-made pigment mixes I have in WC pencils.
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ahh, sounds like you’re getting Yarka watercolours. Lovely.
I use Daniel Smith almost exclusively.
I love your composition,
and the colours are beautiful.
As it appears you’re new to watercolor
may I be so bold as to make a small suggestion?
I would love to see you punch up this illustration with a greater contrast of values.
Here’s an idea: if you have photoshop or any photo editing software (which it looks like you do – great photos), then try converting your painting to b&w. You’ll notice that right now, this painting looks like it is all the same color when converted, because there is no contrast in values.
somewhere to start might be darkening the shadows inside your pots, or darkening the ground, or the horizontal (or vertical) bases of all the pot stands – or all of the above!
I guarantee you’ll take this beautiful illustration from lovely
to “wow” when you “up” the value contrast.
Christy, I love you! This is most helpful and useful suggestion. I saw that something was missing here, but couldn’t articulate what it was. Yes, I have GIMP and can work it pretty well. I will do that and analyze the result. Thank you so much!
you’re so welcome.
I look forward to seeing what you do with this!
i like this one less than your others. you draw the houses and more architectural things with “feeling.” they’re geometrical, quirky, and seem as though you enjoyed yourself drawing them. this drawing is good, but it also seems a little tired.
Thank you, Shelly! I think what you are perceiving is the fact that I had to redo this sketch several times. It has lost its freshness and is tired, artistically speaking. It takes a great sensitivity to feel that. Good for you!