The 'Watercolor' Update
Patch notes for the 'Watercolor' Update
Greetings and Salutations. Victor here.
Right after the new year, I finished a large scale oil painting piece I’ve working on since September 2023. And as a way to reset, I dove straight into watercolors.
Here are some pieces in their complete state:
This is Flaming Dragon(Fruit). Oh. Okay. Flaming Dragon(fruit). Fuck Face. Watercolor on paper. 5.5 x 7.5 in. 1.7.2024.
This is a still life to get me back in the groove. Bought this fruit for the purpose of painting it, then eating it. I was more fun to paint than eat.
Repose- Watercolor on paper. 11x14 in. 1.20.2024
Referenced from an manga/anime adaption I recently watched. I wanted to take on after John S. Sargent and work on figures at rest/repose. I’m particularly proud of the fabric on the bed, the fabric folds of the top and the indigo hue of the pants.
Beach; Haseul- Watercolor on paper. 14 x 11 in. 1.20.2024.
I revisited some imagery of figures at the beach. First thing I did, after the under drawing, was layer on a yellow wash on the upper half of the background. Before it dried, I painted on blues and some cad red. The goal was to have that sunset effect with all the different colors, and the result came out better than I intended! I followed it up with the oceans with a mix of blue-greens. Some of the yellow under painting comes through to simulate the sunlight. For the sand, I varied different hues of Sepia. Some unintentional, yet desirable, blooming occurred with the the shoreline. I followed in up the next day with the figure. First the flesh tones, the white top and lastly, the denim. For the denim itself, I used Indanthrone blue, which is the basis of a natural indigo blue we come to know as denim blue! The painting itself really came together at the end with the hair and the white fabric steaks at the bottom of the skirt.
K.L. - Watercolor on paper. 10 x 7.5 in. 1.21.2024
Originally, the background this piece was a simple cobalt blue hue. Yet, it felt too simple. So, again, I referenced Sargent’s watercolors and added some pizzazz. I layered varied colors and hues on the clothing for dynamics, blues and greens on the skin, and of course, layers of green, blue, yellow and pink on the background. The green really made the whole thing pop.
Sua- Watercolor on paper. 5.5 x 7 in. 1.23.2024.
For this small piece, I wanted to use of green- green on the skin, green on the background. I layered cad yellow to simulate light on the sweater and set both the skirt and sweater with multiple hues of indigo.
Vivi- Watercolor on paper. 7.5 x 5.5 in. 1.27.2024
This piece reminds of two things: Sharpie eyebrows from the 90’s and 90’s anime. My fav part of this piece is the top. Small smudges of yellow with a small green stroke to make an… impression… of flowers. The yellow background gives me relaxing vibes.
Back Shot Study. Watercolor on paper. 5.5 x 7.5 in. 1.27.2024.
For this piece, there is only a hint of a face. The main focus of this piece was the figure with the wide ‘Tapered- V’ shot. The skin pop’s with the dark background. Overall, I ended up satisfied with the finished piece.
Kneeling. Watercolor on paper. 10 x 7.5 in. 2.1.2024
Here, I balanced out the heavy use of blues with yellow and some brown. The light hues of blue simulate the light on the fabric. I lined out individual hair strands a la manga/anime. Elapsed time: 30 mins.
Backstage. Watercolor on paper. 7.5 x 5.5 in. 2.1.2024
Honestly, I am really proud of the hair and the illusion of perspective with the different use of blues. I added yellow highlights on the skin to really make it pop against the blues. This piece really made me think about the perspective of the arms and shoulder. The drawing itself took the longest.
Overall, now that I’m reflecting on these pieces, I get the feeling of a relaxed calm atmosphere.
Onto the next pieces.
Housekeeping
I have finally decided to take the dive on a particular anime series... One Piece! For those of you not in the know, this is an ongoing manga/anime series with 1000 + episodes and serialized chapters . I’m at the 30 episode mark. I originally watched the 4Kids dub in the early 2000’s. With this series “apparently” on its final arcs, I figured its a good time to get back into it after a 20 year hiatus.
What have I’ve been listening to lately?
Masayoshi Takanaka- An Insatiable High. Would recommend.
Victor Gil
2.3.2024
California