Luminous

 

Luminous

Medium: Watercolors

Size:18x11 inches

Prints (8.5x11@$16.95 and 11x17@26.50), original painting ($1500.00), and detail closeups -available here-

Plunging through the woods like a white shadow.

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Some of the in progress shots:

Here's what the thumbnail looks like. Not much, but it gets the ideas down from my brain. I actually scribbled this a while back, and had been meaning to elaborate on it for some time. This is what sketchbooks are great for! Anytime you have even the inkling of an idea, take a minute and scribble something, and then when a dry spell comes along, a flip through the sketchbook provides a wealth of ideas waiting to be explored.

From that rough scribble of a concept, I developed it into this finalized sketch.

 And then in photoshop I messed around to determine a color scheme. Initially I started out with the green tones, but then shifted it to the blue for a more dream-like quality. I had to sit on the colors for a day though before coming to an actual decision, as those of you who saw my post of facebook noticed!

 

Started painting. Started with the background.

 Moved onto the figure.

 And then further development of the ripples in the water.

And finally the fish and the leaves.

...to the finished piece.

Be sure to visit Shdowscapes to see the full size piece and closeup views! -available here-

Ripples

 Ripples

Medium: Watercolors

Size: 9.7x19.1 inches

For detail closeup views, prints ($16.95), and original painting ($950.00) -click here-

I've been spending most Friday evenings of the past month at the Oakland Art Museum for food, live music, and to sit in one of my favorite spots and watch the koi swim in the long pond.

Here's another blog entry I did recently with more koi sketches. They're mesmerizing to watch, as they glide through the dark water. The ripples mix with the reflections of the trees and the flash of red, silver, and gold as they slip under the surface.

That was the initial inspiration. After having them swim through my subconscious for a few weeks, I scribbled these rough ideas into my sketchbook.

And a more consolidated concept started to arise.

 Leading to the final sketch, ready to paint.

 Color rough in Photoshop.

 Working on the painting, using the color rough as a guide, as well as some photos taken during my koi-watching sessions at the museum.