This one:
Actually, if you click on the picture and make it huge, you can see how rough it was. Really, the death of this one was due to materials malfunction. I'm working on hot-pressed, and it just started falling apart. I've had problems with this brand (Laquarelle) anyway with shedding, and then I switched masking to a different bottle, and when I pulled the masking off, it just... well, it's almost like it unraveled the top of the paper. As if the hot-pressed part of the surface that kept everything together simply broke.
I worked hard to salvage her face, and it was OK, as you can see in the picture. But when I got down to her bodice and skirts? The problem wasn't something that could be worked through. It all looked rough and muddy, and... ARGH!
I paced the kitchen. I ate a waffle (I'm a stress eater.) I cussed at it. Several times.
Finally, I realized that it is better to let it go - even though I've put a lot of hours into it already. It's better to let it go now, cut my losses now, than it is to keep working and complete at BEST a mediocre piece that I'd be embarrassed to sell.
So, I stopped. It's now among the collection in my daughter's (14 yr old) room, because she has been fishing out all my rejects from the trash and keeping them. I'm not sure why, but I'll let her.
So, this painting is dead. Which makes me really mad. I have my shopping cart all set up with Fabriano blocks (unless you all have a better brand suggestion for a smooth, non-shedding hot-pressed?) and I'm just waiting for a good coupon/sale to come up so I can order.
I did sketch out something fast on my other block which is still OK. I felt like I had to make up for this. I need to do something to erase this mistake!
The upside is that while I know this failure-block (different from the one currently in progress) won't work for future paintings, it will on sketches. I have had several people ask me to just finish out the sketch in pencil, that they'd like to see something like that. So, I'm going to give that a go. A solution to my murderous circumstance, such as it is!
Really sad that you killed it, it was a nice one I think. I so hate it when that happens to me!! But anyway Fabriano is the best paper you can use. It can also help to use a good watercolour brand. White Nights (from Russia) is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteFabriano Artistico in my opinion is the best paper. I like it better than Arches. Sorry about your painting. I can imagine how frustrated you must have been.
ReplyDeleteOh how heartbreaking to lose a painting like that...but then you probably wouldn't have painted that fantastic replacement :D XXX
ReplyDeleteI think it's precious that your daughter is fishing out your rejects and keeping them! In her eyes, they are not rejects ;o) Your latest painting has a lot of emotion in it! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI've seen a lot of watercolor artist's using the Fabriano. So sweet that your daughter rescues your paintings from the trash. Hope you stayed away for the Hobbit the second time. :)
ReplyDeleteLove how rich your watercolors are. It looks like oil or acrylic.