Month: September 2012

  • In the Studio

    Commissioned Watercolor: Start to Finish

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    Yesterday I showed you one way I work from photos, and today I’m showing you the more literal way I sometimes work from photos for commissioned watercolors. In my commissioned watercolors, I start with a pencil sketch. If a client wants me to crop out sections of the photograph or zoom into an portion, that is even more fun! While I was lucky in the case above in that the photo was gorgeous to begin with, there may be instances where a beloved photo did not turn out as you intended, or has a distracting element in it that you’d rather have removed. Turning not so good photos into watercolors is a great way to showcase the reason you love a photo and turn it into a piece of artwork that will last for generations to come.

    To view the work in progress post for this painting, go here.

    Top photo by Maryanna Scarpato. Painting by Hand-Painted Weddings.

  • Inspired by

    Inspired by Antique Bird Cages

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    Aren’t these antique bird cages beautiful? I spotted them in May during a trip to Terrain at Styers. This is the view into the cafe area. I spend hours in this shop every time I visit. There is so much attention to detail put into the interiors. It is very inspiring.

    I am sharing the photo along with the painting to share with you how I work from photos. Sometimes, especially for commissioned watercolors, I paint a much more literal interpretation of the photo given to me. While other times, I use artist’s discretion and pull elements of the photo into painting, especially when I will be adding text at a later time. One of my tricks is that I scan the paintings as I add elements. For example, I am thinking about also adding the diagonal wooden column and the hanging plans to this painting, but I have scanned it already so I have a digital copy without these additional elements. This practice allows me to use the variations in the different related pieces such as in an RSVP card and an invite.

    Antique Bird Cage Invitation is now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Invitation Shop.

  • Inspired by

    Inspired by “In the Make” blog

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    In the Make blog is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs. For one, the concept is beautiful….capturing and cherishing the spirit of the artist, their art, and their studio space in a absolutely stunning way. The photographs are honestly my favorite part. The artists behind this blog photograph very candid, authentic glimpses of these artist’s spaces. Above are a few photos of artist’s tools, which are beautifully messy yet perfect. I’d highly recommend checking out this blog this weekend. The photographs of the artists and their art are not to be missed!

    All photos from In the Make blog.