Artshow Postcard Sample Watercolors

So I figured in an effort to actually make more money at this art business it would be helpful to have lower ticket items anyone could buy like a small watercolor postcard.

A lot of time actually goes into creating these little pieces so maybe prints would still be a more affordable option just like with the larger oils to make a more attractive price point while at the same time making sure people who want my art can have it no matter their financial situation.

Below are three very different subjects just to see how I like these little watercolors, and I really enjoyed making these so more to come 🙂

http://www.RezilientInk.com

Underpainting? Do You? Work in Progress

So this is the beginning of an oil painting composed with one of the beautiful adobe homes here in New Mexico. I am curious if any artist out there still use the underpainting at all and what benefit is gained from it?

I enjoy using one as staring at a plain canvas can be intimidating. It seems to help me get in the art making mood to loosen up playing with limited colors and brushes in the very beginning of a piece. Anyway I will update  as the work progresses.

Thanks for looking,
Commissions Welcome

Chris – – – ReZilientInk

http://www.RezilientInk.com

Here is an updated photo of the work completed so far.

So here is another update I am nearly done this one needs to dry for a while so I can add finishing details like the door jambs, the zia symbol, and clean up the windows straight lines. For that though I need to put my hands on it as I am too shaky to do it just freehand like a pinstriper.

Progression of a Painting

This is a short explanation of how I go about a painting. Especially for something like this where it has to be a pretty accurate representation. This is a study of my grandmother’s house completed in watercolor and it is a quarter sheet of Strathmore Imperial  140 pound cold press paper. I plan to revisit this subject from an angle and complete the painting in oil on a much larger canvas. Look for updates on that in the future.

First here is the reference photo I was working from for this angle.

The first thing I did was make a pencil sketch of the house making sure to get a lot of the details along the way.

Once I’m pretty happy with the sketch I cover the back of this paper with soft lead pencil such as 6B. Then I fix it over the watercolor paper and trace it with a pen to transfer the image correcting minor mistakes along the way.

Once that the image is transferred it is time to start painting Finally. I begin by picking a horizon behind the house and paint in the sky. I added quite a bit of color to the sky to make it feel warmer and brighter out. I also block in basic shapes of color as well as shadows and highlights.

From here I finish adding the details on the house like the door and shutters first as well as the guttering system and support columns. Also adding the white siding panels with white gouache. The final painting is completed by adding more grasses to the foreground as well as flowers and patio furniture in warm colors. 

So here is the finished image next to the reference photo for comparison. I see several things that could be improved but overall I’m pretty happy with the end result. I will make it better in oil paint 🙂

http://www.RezilientInk.com

Frog in a Rainstorm

I drew this little frog for my fiancé who collects everything frog related. I found this picture online and couldn’t resist trying it out. It is only about 6 by 6 inches on Strathmore 400 series cold press. Completed with daniel smith and schmincke watercolor paints.

http://www.RezilientInk.com

Still Life

I decided to try something different with this painting. It is watercolor on Strathmore imperial 140 pound cold press. I typically stick to painting landscapes most of the time, however, here I wanted to try a still life composition. The inherent properties of the watercolor medium itself lended beautifully to capturing varying degrees of tonal differences in the fruit. The colors are very bright also which was fun and really stands out on the wall. 

http://www.RezilientInk.com

About Me and ReZilientInk

Fine art, Oil painting, Pastel painting, Watercolor painting, Tips for the struggling Artist, and Art related articles and rants I like 🙂

Creating beautiful Original works of art at a price affordable to everyone. As well as some helpful tips that Ive learned along the way.

I grew up in a small town in Kentucky. Shortly after graduating high school I enrolled in Culinary School and finished in 2007 with an associates degree in Culinary Arts. I worked  in the restaurant industry for a decade using food as my medium of expression. After I evaluated myself and realized it wasnt really about the food it was about the art of creating something other people enjoy and admire. So I decided to get back into fine art which has been apart of my life since I was very young.

All commissions welcome just contact me with your ideas to get info on size, pricing, etc.

Either by phone: (606)-259-1317

Or by e-mail : chris.mitchell521@gmail.com

Watercolor Palette Organizing and Color Selection Tips

Hey everyone,

So I decided to go through and organize my watercolor palette. This can be a very daunting task with all of the colors available not to mention their individual properties such as staining, non-staining, opaque, semi-opaque, transparent, granulating, etc.

Everyone has there own theory on doing this and which colors they like. I like to lay out mine in order of tonal value from lightest to darkest and by color groups reds, greens, blues, earths, etc. Then I will figure out which are cool and warm since that is all relative you cant think of it like you did in grade school as there are cool reds and warm blues and so on. The best recommendation I can give is pick out a single pigment set of a warm and cool of each primary color. Then add a few earth colors such as burnt umber and raw sienna. I also like to have black tourmaline genuine and an opaque chinese white for highlighting rather than using gouache. It helps a ton to have a pre-painted color chart of your colors to help with selection as colors always appear different in the pans than on paper.

From there I just add colors I like and use a lot such as many greens because I focus mainly on landscapes. As well as some primatek tubes I love by Daniel Smith. Including some of the iridescent metallics and duochrome colors available now. They can really add interest to your painting especially when used sparingly only near your main focal point. They sparkle in the light and appear different shades depending on the color you glaze them over.

If there are any questions about colors or anything else about setting up your palette feel free to contact me.

-ReZilientInk-

http://www.RezilientInk.com

Another Seascape

l always loved the ocean we know so little about it, but it covers so much of our planets surface. Anyway  I painted this with very few of the colors shown in my palette below. Tried to keep it simple and let the paint do a lot of work for me on this one.