blue night by Karleen Pearce

Hello Karleen, watercolour was the first medium I started with when I picked up a paintbrush 6 years ago. One of the hardest mediums. It was a great way to start, learning so much about the properties of paint - opacity and transparency which helped me carry on with other mediums. I can see you have the talent there to conquer this medium your effort here is very similar to my past efforts. Learning techniques - the way the paint behaves with washes etc. another I had to conquer. Some were good others were bin jobs. (still are)! Back to your painting. A lovely title. I would possibly have let a little more light through the trees giving them a little more sparkle. perhaps using some masking fluid. I love your little practice piece that's how we learn. I still am. Very well done. Keep going. x

I agree with all above keep going might I suggest the odd tube of acrylic would allow you to add lights to even this painting.

I like this. The trees are good . I could take it that the brighter blue is water with the odd bit of sparkle looking to the distant shore.Or the whole bit behid the trees is sky. Either way, very nice, as Jeanette says perhaps a bit more light or sparkle behind the trees. Well done. Carole.

For a beginner I consider this pretty good. I'm still learning watercolours, they are not very easy but however very rewarding when you succeed in a painting. Keep practising and perhaps one day we will get there!!

What's important to me about this painting is that you're making real, substantial progress - your drawing is coming along by leaps and bounds. I don't think I'd change this, by the way - I like the blue moodiness of it, and especially your sky and that lovely merging at the horizon. By all means have a crack at another version, incorporating the suggestions above, but I like it very much as it is. I'm not at all worried by any lack of light - and actually, I wouldn't use acrylic, and wouldn't have used masking either ... I think these are good ideas, but for another painting, in other words.

Hi Karleen I love this and wouldn't think about changing it...I agree with Robert I like it's moodiness...it's hard to believe that you are new to watercolour...I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to watercolour I don't like mixing it with any other medium, using white or black...the black can be made with a raw umber mixture I can't remember just what but I'll check my books and let you know...the white or under colour is your paper...I only use masking for large areas and always use an old brush it destroys the brush...stippling is to use a splayed brush reasonably dry and tap it onto the paper where you want it...great for trees...you can load your brush with a couple of different colours for stippling an old splayed brush is also good for this...I would recommend The Watercolour Artists Bible it has some great tips...but honestly Karleen you are doing well enough on your own sometimes we can over worry about things that we read in books thinking we arn't painting with the correct technique...whatever works for you...keep it up...are you a member of the Forum if you are which name do you use?

Thank you so much every one :) I really didn't expect so many comments and advice much appreciated, and will try all of them out, I really enjoy working with this medium and can not wait untill I learn all the little tricks with it, have just done another small one of pines simular to this one but was trying more for a misty look with mountains instead of water behind trees, much harder to acheive though, but having fun, I guess thats the most important part for me to really enjoy what I'm painting. Kind regards Karleen.

Floating upon midnight, over feathering trees, beneath the smile of a dreamy moon, lost somewhere soul beautiful. The soft lure from the distance painted as a sigh :-)

I love this painting Karleen. the wash you've done for the background is really good. You depict light really well in this and other paintings in your gallery. I work mostly in oils now but when i do water colours , sometimes if i have a very dark foreground i wet my brush with hot water and lift out colour ( maybe fern leaves or leaf stems ) then blot them with a tissue... it creates quite a good effect. Thankyou for your kind comments on my painting.

Thank you both Rod and Kate for commenting, another inspiring poem Rod wish I could think of words the way you do:-) Kate thats a great tip, will def try it out, thanks :-).