Pink Allium in Watercolor

Pink Allium in Watercolo
Watercolor on paper, 4x6

Here we go on a watercolor adventure!  On Tuesday's workshop, I completed five paintings and this is one of them.  The lighter parts were all masked out using Pebeo drawing gum.  I simply drew the lines with the plastic chisel handle of a brush, dipping it into the Pebeo.  I sure wish I had my own - because I have so many paintings running through my head, but alas, it is on order.  No art supply store in town carries it, but you can find it at Cheap Joe's online.  There are some tricks to this medium, NO shaking the jar, NO mixing with a brush, anything that adds air bubbles into the mix is bad!  If you choose to use a brush to apply, you will probably ruin that brush - hence, the plastic handle to apply.  Once the drawing gum is dry on your handle, you can easily rub it off, just like you can rub it off the paper - only the paper is more difficult to clean.  When the medium is completely dry, I then washed over it with my watercolors, most of which are transparent colors which allow the light of the paper to shine through.  Dropping in additional color with a loaded brush while the surface was still wet, allowed me to get the darkest values that would "move" around at will.  I used one round watercolor brush for this whole painting.  Though it is a full brush, the tip comes down to a tiny point, worthy of the most detailed work.  This painting makes 528 in as many days - and I am now thinking of carrying a travel set of pan watercolors with me in the car - for those spontaneous painting adventures I just can't pass up!  As quick as watercolor is for me to use, I can see some real advantages here!