Hi Everyone!
I am back with something a little more on the "artsy" side this week.
(If that makes sense.haha) No wood, no gluing, it's all paint. brushes and paper.
We will be having a class on how to paint beautiful cherry blossoms using the
sumi-brush technique. But here's the catch: No sumi ink OR Chinese watercolors are being used!
Hence, the "Faux-Sumi" in the title.
What we are using instead are good ol' Daniel Smith watercolors!
The result is a softer and more colorful look. The pigments of these watercolors
mix and react in ways that add a lot of depth to the branches and flowers despite it being such
a simple technique. Below are the hues that we will be using. Amethyst Genuine, Quin. Burnt Orange and Pthalo Blue are a few of the colors that were used for the branches alone.
Why does it say medium wash and dark wash?
Like in Western watercolor art, there is still layering involved in
Chinese Brush Painting, but not as heavy. Usually, flat washes are made in different
values like Medium and Dark. Medium washes would be used for the branch's basic
form and a dark wash would be used for the shadow and to create the illusion of mass
and volume on the flat paper.
An even darker wash can be used to create a small dots on the branch for added texture.
The flowers are really fun because there are gorgeous tones of red and pink to choose from!
There is the cool-toned Quinacridone Rose and the warm-toned Piemontite Genuine for my
cherry blossom palette, along with a tiny pit of New Gamboge for a red orange twist.
Not exactly traditional, but that's not exactly what we're going for in this class!
Five spots are made to form one cherry blossom, although two and one are used for smaller buds at the ends of branches. Then, with the help of a .05 Micron pen, the stamen are drawn in after the paint is completely dry.
If you would like to learn how to paint these lovely subjects and make your own set of
cherry blossom postcards, sign up for the Watercolored Cherry Blossoms class at the Pearl City Ben Franklin Crafts! Time is 2 - 4 pm on Saturday, January 28th. It is only $35 and all supplies will be provided. Hope to see you there!
Erika @ PC
After seeing your work, I definitely wil look for the Daniel Smith watercolors. The depth of colors is exciting!
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