Watercolor and mixed media painting tutorial : Playing in the grass.

Playing in the grass,
watercolor and mixed media on paper, mounted on board
24 x 24 inches

I started by making my drawing on the paper and then I mounted that paper on the board.

To mount my paper on the board I followed the process explained in that post: http://paintingdemos.com/2012/10/16/mountin-watercolor-paper-on-board/

Once everything had time to dry, I did preserve a few white areas in the trees and also isolated a few grasses with masking fluid so I could paint a background in that grass section of the painting.

To apply masking fluid I did use a brush soaked in water and rubbed against a soap.

This is the grass background with wet in wet mixes of green, yellow ocher and burnt umber.

I then worked on the trees foliage, leaving space unpainted for the trunks

I painted the trunks with a mix of brown, blue, orange and red, mixing colors on the paper and then once in a while in the painting process would ad a few drips to let the paint move and add interesting textures.

Before removing the masking fluid I sprinkle the painting with water and watercolor paint to add interesting textures.

Then I start taking off the masking fluid.

and painting the grass with a mix of green, yellow, blue, brown

Working on the grass.

The green I used is a mix of Viridian green and either Cadmium lemon or yellow ocher.

Then I want to accentuate the contrast in the grass area by making the background darker and more complex. I scribble on that background with a dark green watercolor crayon being careful not to draw on the grass blades.

Here is a close up of the textures I am building with watercolor crayons.

the last step is to add a few more drips, including some with gouache and then finish removing all the masking fluid in the trees foliage.