Calycanthus ATC

[eller]

Another botanical ATC (6,4 x 8,9 cm), and the first attempt to actually use my new selfmade watercolors. Turns out they work as expected, with textures and everything, which is a relief, because otherwise I'd be stuck with a year's supply or so of green paint I hate. XD Of course, I had to use some other (store-bought) greens on this as well, but that's okay. (It's perfectly clear that only two greens are not nearly enough.) I'm just glad I didn't botch things.



Used watercolors:
Michael Harding: Titanium White, Pyrrole Red, Bright Green Lake, Phthalocyanine Green Lake, Dark Morellone Earth
Schmincke Horadam: Dunkelrot
Isaro: Magenta
Nila Colori: Ocra Violetta Armena
My own paints: Living Tree, Living Forest



I didn't need the blue and the brown for this picture (come to think of it, I almost never need blue), but test paintings with those (and, ugh, they really look nicer than in this photo; sorry, bad lighting here) will follow soon.

Comments

[amberdreams]

Lovely painting - you've got real depth in your flowers. I guess if you made yourself some red and yellow you could mix a lot of different greens using your two there - which are very nice greens, by the way! It looks like your brown has some lovely granulations too.

[foxmoth]

SO PRETTY. Those reds and magentas!!! And your paints are SO PRETTY. :D :D

[eller]

Thank you! :3 Yellow is on my list of paints to be made, definitely. Though I don't mix my greens - it's one of those things that just don't work in practice. As in: I could do that at home, but not when I'm in the park, painting... Because mixing involves a palette and water, which means if I do that I can't simply close the box and walk away because the damn palette is wet and I have to wait before I walk off to the next interesting spot... So, in practice, it's very little water (I use one of those waterbrushes that stay wet, but no extra water), and the paint goes directly from the pan to the paper - no mixing whatsoever, just layering. Less messy that way, and I don't have to spend time literally watching paint dry. It just means that I need a travel box with five or six different greens. XD

[amberdreams]

Ah right, yes, painting while you're out and about does mean making things work with the minimum - painting in a studio or whatever you can have everything spread out much easier.

[eller]

Heh, having an art studio for painting would be nice! XD My usual desk it is, I'm afraid. But I paint outside most of the time, anyway. That's where all the interesting flora is! :D

[eller]

Thanks! :D Yes, I was having fun with the dark reds - I so rarely get to use them...

[spacebaozi]

The colors are so vivid, and the details are amazing, I can really feel the texture of the leaves and petals.

[dragonbythesea]

Just popping by to say: Yay! I'm glad to have randomly come across someone on here making ATCs and doing mail art (if anyone calls it that any more)! I'm guessing there are other people around who also do these things, but I haven't actually seen them doing it, so the random fortuitousness of unexpectedly finding a Positive Thing From the Past that still lives on is a primary motivator for this specific yay. ;)

[eller]

YAY! Nice to meet you. :) I thought I was the only one here with that hobby. If you ever want to swap ATCs let me know!

[dragonbythesea]

Yay again! (cue happy dancing with art supplies in hand) I'm doing my best right now to tend to my creative self and I will definitely let you know if/when I'm ready again for trading. <3