I’m continuing to work on my Book of Hours, and this is where it gets complicated because I want to do it in watercolors, but know next to nothing about working with watercolor. I took a techniques class a gazillion years ago and have dabbled a little bit off and on, but have never had real instruction and don’t even know how to properly prepare the paper.
Nevertheless, it’s the media I wanted to use, so I’m doing it. Probably all wrong, but what do I know?
I measured my paper a little larger on the long sides than I need so I can trim it off later. The length is the exact length of the paper, so I’ll have to touch up the taped edges when I’m finished. I’m thinking metallic gold.
I wanted a kind of rainbow effect with movement from dark of midnight to bright of noon and back to night again, so I’ve done a sort of modified wash of colors across the paper, leaving white the spaces for the flowers, leaves and buds that will be added in later. I think this is how you’re supposed to do water color backgrounds–first rather than later. But again, it’s a guess. Also, some of the flowers–the moonflowers–will be white and I know that the best way to get white in painting is to leave white ground rather than try to white paint over colored paint.
I’ve used my old standard of tossing on some salt to create cool background texture. I’m going to have to learn some new techniques, though, if I’m going to keep doing this, because the salt trick is getting old.
So, here’s where I am so far:
