Wednesday 26 June 2013

Perfect Poppy.. or not!!!

Some of my readers may remember that last year was a wipe out for the poppies in our garden and I ended up doing one or two plein air studies of some very sorry looking, bedraggled, water logged poppies... well this year we have a much better display and after going to Patchings and seeing Ann Blockley use the acrylic inks I knew I had to have a go at some of the huge blooms we have at the moment.

I  wanted to go big with this one and square as I feel the flower head lends itself to a square format and I have some Hahnemuhle 20"x25" 200lb paper which I cropped to give me the size I wanted (20"x20").....one of the biggest sizes I have done... am still working up to full size imperial but not quite there yet!!

I did start off with a variety of red and pink watercolours but quickly realised I was going to have to bring out the big guns and bit by bit started to try out the acrylic inks. I really like them and think they suit my sketchy way of painting. I mainly used the scarlet and sepia adding a touch of pink here and there for variety, then started spraying, splattering and tipping my board to within an inch of it's life.... the pipette you use to apply the ink is a very versatile tool.....you can draw, spot and move the ink around with it and I had a thoroughly fabulous time playing with my new toys.

This was the first stage where I have been looking and wondering and then more looking and more wondering where to go next.....
I knew I needed to add more darks at this stage both to define some petals, create a bit more bg and some more form to the centre but so easy at this stage to go too far and actually ruin what I thought was looking promising... hence my uncharacteristic patience.

I took this to Bolton Art Circle tonight where I worked on it bit by bit and one of the members thought it needed to rotate anti-clockwise by 90 degrees and I had to agree when we turned it and so that's how I continued working on it. Just shows how another eye can really help crystallise thoughts.... I may have come to the same conclusion but then again maybe not. The funny thing was, once I had turned it, what I had to do then became much more obvious... I could actually see the whole thing much more clearly and  was able to see where to put the finishing touches... thank you Ken!!!



17 comments:

  1. Dear Judith love your poppy have toyed with the thought of painting loosely but it,s a bit scary isn,t it as the paint has a mind of it,s own, thanks for sharing your experience with the inks it has turned out perfectly. Ve

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  2. Loose is scary Ve... it's a fine line between being loose and sloppy but you won't know 'til you try!!! I have been trying to loosen up for years and am slowly making progress so nothing to stop you either :)

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  3. Very dramatic, Judith. This one will sell fast, as it is sure to match someone's red sofa. The sun-lit top half is awesome, and the looseness of the piece is there for all to see. The viewer can easily sense the enjoyment and freedom that you enjoyed in the making of this great poppy representation.
    Impressed, Mike.

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    1. Thanks Mike.. I'm thinking of framing with black double mount and shiny black frame... am hoping it will sell but you just never know what people are looking for... I may enter it for an exhibition in a couple of weeks.

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  4. Wow Judith this is stunning it's going to look wonderful in a black frame it will do well in the exhibition!

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    1. Hope so Margaret... have a kitchen to be installed before that so mad busy!!

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  5. Lovely poppy, with exploding colours!

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    1. And only a limited palette Polly but this real vibrant red is one of my favourite colours which is why the inks work so well... I haven't actually found this particular shade in watercolour, in inks it seems to have the right hue and still be transparent whereas the cadmiums tend to be duller.

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  6. Great result Judith - Polly said it - an explosion of colour

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    1. My favourite red Lorraine, I like to wear this colour too...so this together with Brusho are my first steps to experimenting beyond watercolour and am liking the results.. has taken me a while to get there!!

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  7. Agree with everyone's comments Judith, at first I thought you had done the poppy in Brusho! It is absolutely stunning! I think you will find it hard to let it go! x

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    1. Well if the price is right I will manage!! I do get attached but I think it may be because I can never repeat anything!! But then that doesn't matter 'cos I do something else instead!!

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  8. Wow dit is schitterend heel mooi lieve groetjes Danielle

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    1. Delighted you like Danielle, just need someone to buy it!!

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  9. It's beautiful. I love that vibrant red - I've been coveting the Acrylic inks for ages so it's interesting to read your thoughts on them. I may have to treat myself later in the year :)

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    1. The red is just perfect Carmen.. I know when I have the colour I am looking for and this is it in the red spectrum.. haven't quite found it in watercolour.. yes get some , the were selling 3 for the price of 2 at Patchings so of course I had to get 9 didn't I????

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