Today I am sharing with you the steps I take as I am painting a garden splendor in watercolor paint. The inspiration for this flower garden splendor with an ocean view is from Branford, Connecticut. The garden was full of colorful blooms and the ocean backdrop was a pretty blue color. Not to mention the cute bird house.
Above is the value sketch for Garden Splendor. Markers create the 4 values in gray-scale. As a matter of fact I have made it a habit to do one of these value sketches before I start a painting. As a result I can fix any issues at this stage much easier than if I start the painting first.
Generally speaking, four values are sufficient in a painting when coupled with good composition. Here are the 4 values I use in grey Copic Sketch markers.
- The white of the paper.
- C2
- C4
- C7
Can you see the 4 values in the sketch above?
The work in progress view above shows the first watercolor washes for the painting. These progress photos I often share on my instagram page. Follow the link here to view more from my instagram page https://www.instagram.com/pjcookartist. Be sure to Follow me!
Here is the finished watercolor. Ultimately, I did make a change to the composition by adding the dark evergreen trees behind the house. Do you think this helped the painting? Leave your comment below, thanks.
