I have some beautiful antique bubble glass, and decided that would be my next watercolor painting challenge. In early June, while my peonies were blooming, I set up a still life and photographed dozens of arrangements. From there, I cropped and sorted all the photos. I narrowed it down to two final photos. This is the first painting. The following few blogs will explain my method as I show my work in progress photos.

First step after drawing and transferring my image to watercolor paper, is to paint a very pale wash. I used Arches Cold Press 140 lb. watercolor paper. At this point, I’m just trying to find my shapes. Complicated line drawings can often cause one to lose her place!

Next, working one section at a time I painted in the details. First the stamen of the left Peony.

Switching colors, I then worked on the stems and leaves. Working one section at a time allows me to slow down and concentrate on just one part of the painting.

Lastly, I painted the petals. Staying in the same color family allows me to keep my pallet fresh and unmuddied. At this point, these sections are considered “done.” I will go back in later as I work through the painting, to darken areas and tweak colors, but for now this section is complete.

To be continued…