There's a technique I like to do on Yupo paper, where I lay down a color, let it dry, and then carefully "float" another color over the top of the dry color. This is not easy to do on Yupo paper. It's fairly simple on normal watercolor paper because the paint soaks into the paper and doesn't rewet that easily.
But on Yupo paper, the paint dries sitting on top of the surface. That is because Yupo is plastic paper. It's surface is slick and totally non absorbent.
With this horse, I covered the paper with a very wet wash of Cerulean Blue. It was random, and variegated in value. As that was drying, I drew into the wet paint, making marks that determined where the eyes were, where the nose was, where the ears went....As the paint dries, I am able to refine the drawing and create details.
After that layer of paint was completely dry, I mixed a very loose wash of yellow ochre paint, making sure I had plenty of it to finish the painting. I knew I had to lay that color down without making one mistake, which is quite terrifying when you have spent hours creating a drawing you like!
I began laying the yellow ochre down in areas of brightest light on the horse. That went well so I continued with a very wet brush, laying the color over the blue in shadowed and detailed areas.
If this failed, and the color mixed, I'd get a green horse, if it was successful, I'd get a horse in which the colors seem to vibrate and have a life of their own.
The colors did not mix, they seem vibrant and lively and I loved what happend here. The horse kind of looks like he's ready to blink or move toward you. I think those lively colors help to create that effect of life in this piece.
He was posted on the dailypaintworks.com today and now he is sold. Thank you very much to those of you who purchase my work. It means the world to me. :)
Donna
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