"The lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud." --Buddhist proverb
It has been a busy month for me since my last post, and for a refreshing change, it has mostly nothing to do with problems regarding my health. Instead, I have been doing almost normal things, the usual mom duties, entertaining visiting friends and family, celebrating my sons' birthdays, receiving home infusion therapy for my MG, and working on one art project after another by drawing and watercolor painting.
Since I have been sick and mostly home-bound, I have been trying to draw and paint in watercolor every day. Painting has become my meditation and my therapy. I become temporarily lost in my paintings, even if I only have a few minutes throughout the day which I can actually devote to it. Being a mom to a toddler and a teenager does not exactly allow enough time for me to work on a project from start to finish in one sitting. But I have become adept at sneaking in a few minutes here and there, usually while my younger son is taking a nap, or while the kids are out shopping with dad. Brush stroke by brush stroke, I manage to finish one painting after another. I am also finding that the more I paint, the better I actually feel. I am fully convinced that working on my art projects is helping me heal in mind, body and soul.
In this post, I will offer you a glimpse of how I work on a painting project. I just finished a small painting of a lotus flower for my mom. She has requested the lotus because I had painted one before
for someone else, and my mother wanted her own original piece. And since the lotus flower is rich in
meaning and symbolism in Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism, it is the perfect subject and inspiration for this post, and for all of us.
for someone else, and my mother wanted her own original piece. And since the lotus flower is rich in
meaning and symbolism in Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism, it is the perfect subject and inspiration for this post, and for all of us.
The lotus is born in mud. In Buddhism, we are like the lotus, in that we are all born in a world where there is much suffering, and like the lotus, which gloriously rises and blooms from the depths and murkiness of the mud from which it was nourished, so we too can become stronger from our suffering, learn from it, rise from it, achieve wisdom, enlightenment, spiritual rebirth and become one with Buddha. When going through our most difficult times, we must look to the lotus and remember that all our hardship helps create the magnificent lotus blooming within all of us.
So come and paint this lotus flower along with me, while we reflect on the lotus flower within.
You will need the following:
-watercolor paper, 140 lb cold press, 6"X6" size (Arches or Fabriano)
-watercolor paper, 140 lb cold press, 6"X6" size (Arches or Fabriano)
-pencil (HB or B)
-eraser
-photo of a lotus flower you want to draw and paint
-watercolor tubes (I recommend Winsor and Newton professional tubes in French Ultramarine Blue, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Magenta, Winsor Red, Hooker's Green, and Sepia)
-watercolor brushes (Da Vinci Cosmotop Spin Mix F brushes numbers 6, 8, 10 and 12)
-clean water in a heavy bowl
-plastic palette for mixing (I also use a ceramic saucer)
-clean hand towel (for blotting excess water from brushes)
-paper towels (for blotting stray paint and water from the paper)
-clean water in a heavy bowl
-plastic palette for mixing (I also use a ceramic saucer)
-clean hand towel (for blotting excess water from brushes)
-paper towels (for blotting stray paint and water from the paper)
Note: Even if you are just a beginner, I highly recommend using the brands of paper, paints and watercolor brushes I specified above. They are pricier than others but painting in watercolor takes some time and a lot of practice to learn, and nothing beats using materials with superior quality from the beginning. Using inferior paints and brushes will make it more difficult to control the medium, in my opinion, and might turn you off from the process completely.
Below is my usual set up. I paint standing up so that I can see directly down on the paper. By the way, if you're like me who likes to drink coffee or tea while painting, put your tea cup as far away as possible or on the opposite side of the water bowl you will use for cleaning brushes. I have dipped my brushes in my tea or coffee too many times in the past.
Step One
The first step is to find a drawing you would like to paint. It can be from any image or photograph
printed from the internet or cut from a magazine. Transfer the drawing using pencil onto the watercolor paper using gridlines--draw a gridline on the image and on your paper, and draw the image one square at a time. Erase the gridlines gently.
Step One
The first step is to find a drawing you would like to paint. It can be from any image or photograph
printed from the internet or cut from a magazine. Transfer the drawing using pencil onto the watercolor paper using gridlines--draw a gridline on the image and on your paper, and draw the image one square at a time. Erase the gridlines gently.
Step Two
Using brush number 8 or 10 dipped in water and Quinacridone Magenta (can you say that ten times really fast?), brush on the light colors of the petals first. Be mindful of where you want the light and shadows to go on your subject. Use more water on the brush for lighter areas, and less water for darker areas. I painted the center of the flower with New Gamboge (yellow) using brush number 6 and then the leaf pods with Hooker's Green and a hint of New Gamboge. Very important in watercolor painting: let each color dry completely before painting right next to it. Yes, this exercise is also a wonderful lesson in patience.
Step Three
I glazed the petals with more layers of Quinacridone Magenta, going from dark to light from the center of the flower outwards. I mixed a little French Ultramarine Blue to the magenta to paint the two bottom petals. This gives the flower the illusion of depth.
Step Four
Using brushes number 10 and 12, I glazed the upper and lower leaves in darker shades of green by adding more French Ultramarine Blue to the Hooker's Green. I also intentionally let drops of clean water fall on the wet paint, creating interesting texture to the leaves. These are what I call "happy accidents", letting the addition of water drops define the painting for you. It's another reminder that when we let go, good things can still happen.
Step Five
Using brush number 6, I added brown strokes to the core of the flower. I developed brown by mixing magenta, blue and yellow together until I got the right shade of brown I needed. Tip: It's always good to keep your palette limited to as few colors as possible, and develop your hues using combinations of the same main colors.This helps create a more harmonious piece, than using many different individual paint colors. I glazed the areas of pond water using a mixture of Sepia and French Ultramarine Blue.
Step Six
The final step is to paint the shadows under the petals using French Ultramarine Blue mixed with Quinacridone Magenta. Tip: The placing of the shadows need not be very accurate--in fact I don't recommend painting to copy a photograph exactly. When painting the shadows, just mimic the shapes of the petals in general and call it good. Our eyes and our brain will do the rest of the work. I call it "seeing from your mind's eye and painting from the heart".
I also touched up some of the leaves and shadows with more French Ultramarine Blue. Tip: Varying the shades of the leaves and petals add interesting drama to the painting. But keep hues very close in range.
Step Seven
Now let dry and frame it, hang it, exhibit it, sell it on ebay or etsy, or give it to a loved one.
I hope you enjoyed this quick art lesson. Remember too that there is no right or wrong in art. But keep practicing, see with your mind's eye, paint from the heart and most of all have fun.
P.S. By the way, I don't wear a beret when I paint and I don't even own one. I just thought it would look cute in my illustration. I do wear a floppy hat when I sketch outdoors and paint alfresco.
Namaste
Using brush number 8 or 10 dipped in water and Quinacridone Magenta (can you say that ten times really fast?), brush on the light colors of the petals first. Be mindful of where you want the light and shadows to go on your subject. Use more water on the brush for lighter areas, and less water for darker areas. I painted the center of the flower with New Gamboge (yellow) using brush number 6 and then the leaf pods with Hooker's Green and a hint of New Gamboge. Very important in watercolor painting: let each color dry completely before painting right next to it. Yes, this exercise is also a wonderful lesson in patience.
Step Three
I glazed the petals with more layers of Quinacridone Magenta, going from dark to light from the center of the flower outwards. I mixed a little French Ultramarine Blue to the magenta to paint the two bottom petals. This gives the flower the illusion of depth.
Step Four
Using brushes number 10 and 12, I glazed the upper and lower leaves in darker shades of green by adding more French Ultramarine Blue to the Hooker's Green. I also intentionally let drops of clean water fall on the wet paint, creating interesting texture to the leaves. These are what I call "happy accidents", letting the addition of water drops define the painting for you. It's another reminder that when we let go, good things can still happen.
Step Five
Using brush number 6, I added brown strokes to the core of the flower. I developed brown by mixing magenta, blue and yellow together until I got the right shade of brown I needed. Tip: It's always good to keep your palette limited to as few colors as possible, and develop your hues using combinations of the same main colors.This helps create a more harmonious piece, than using many different individual paint colors. I glazed the areas of pond water using a mixture of Sepia and French Ultramarine Blue.
Step Six
The final step is to paint the shadows under the petals using French Ultramarine Blue mixed with Quinacridone Magenta. Tip: The placing of the shadows need not be very accurate--in fact I don't recommend painting to copy a photograph exactly. When painting the shadows, just mimic the shapes of the petals in general and call it good. Our eyes and our brain will do the rest of the work. I call it "seeing from your mind's eye and painting from the heart".
I also touched up some of the leaves and shadows with more French Ultramarine Blue. Tip: Varying the shades of the leaves and petals add interesting drama to the painting. But keep hues very close in range.
Step Seven
Now let dry and frame it, hang it, exhibit it, sell it on ebay or etsy, or give it to a loved one.
I hope you enjoyed this quick art lesson. Remember too that there is no right or wrong in art. But keep practicing, see with your mind's eye, paint from the heart and most of all have fun.
P.S. By the way, I don't wear a beret when I paint and I don't even own one. I just thought it would look cute in my illustration. I do wear a floppy hat when I sketch outdoors and paint alfresco.
Namaste
