First Watercolor Painting in 2011: Purple Hyacinth Bulb

Since I don’t have a regular studio space, I don’t paint regularly.  Towards the end of Christmas time, I painted a lot — an Easter painting for Glenmary (that post will come out in April, since the painting is secret until then), a Christmas present for Bonnie, and the Farmer’s Market painting.  There may have even been more, but those are the ones I can remember.  After all of those, I cleaned my stuff off of our dining room table and haven’t painted since.

When I get into these spurts of not painting, it’s difficult to get back into the groove.  Mostly because the next time I pick up the paintbrush, I feel rusty, even though it’s been only a few weeks.  But, I wanted to start painting again, and I really want to finish a fruits/veggies series that I am doing as a belated wedding gift for my friends Terrence & Liz.  I have one painting left, and I am psyched out because I started with this painting and it turned out horribly.  So, instead of jumping back in to that painting, I decided to do a fast, easy painting.

Hence, the Purple Hyacinth Bulb.  I bought this bulb at the nursery down the street, mostly because I loved the clear vase…and I thought it would be cool to grow something.  So, on a sunny afternoon, I got out all of my stuff and decided to paint.  I did something different in this piece — I tried pen & ink, without using pencil.  I usually draw out a detailed sketch in light pencil and then paint over it.  I have tried pen & ink before, but have always been disappointed on how the pen runs when I put the paint to the paper and it’s hard for me to lay pen on paper and not be able to erase.

So, I tried it as the setting sun was coming through the window, illuminating the vase & bulb, and I think it’s ok.  It’s not my favorite, but I do like how the colors blend together and define the lines.  I found defining the roots of the bulb and the various colors in the vase to be difficult, but it’s not bad, especially for an hour-long drawing/painting.

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