Small dark background pictures

Sorry about the photo quality here. I got a new computer with Windows 10 and it has no decent photo previewer, so I can't tell easily which photos are decent. Also, I lost the disc for the photo editing program I used to use. So.... photos are a struggle for me for the time being.

Anyway, these are a few small pictures I've done recently as practice for a larger one. I've learned a lot in doing these, and I'm pretty confident I can now scale up and do a bigger picture that will have some of the qualities in these. I love looking at them. They vary between seeming like objects floating in the sky and objects drifting underwater.

Each of these is about 5 1/2 X 3 1/2 inches.

Finished already

I'm pretty amazed that I finished this so \quickly. It took only about 3 weeks from start to finish. Then again, I worked exclusively on it, and I was enjoying it.

In my head, I refer to this alternately as a a Diagonal Blossom or as the Whiplash Blossom.

It's really a shame that I'm limited to posting a photo that shows the picture in the orientation in which it would be hung if framed. This picture is one that's made to be viewed from all sorts of angles. The four sectors of the picture change dramatically as your viewpoint changes.

Oh, well, here it is:

Here's a suggestion: When viewing this picture, let your focus drift in and out. See if the rhythms in the picture change. Also, try tilting your head to one side and then bringing your head back to its normal position, and see if you notice the change. This is why I made this one on a diagonal (similar to what went on with the Diagonal Blossom picture I posted back in March). As you focus on one of the sectors of the picture, there seems to be something that goes on with your peripheral vision that alters how the other sectors appear. At least, that's what happens for me. It's part of the reason I can stare at a picture like this one for a long time and not get tired of it.

Minor disaster - slight delay in posting new photos

My desktop computer, where I store all my photos, died on me the other day. I backed up everything a week or so ago, but any photos on there from the past week are gone now. I can't edit photos on my laptop... I'm just not comfortable working on it.

I ordered a new computer, which should arrive within a week, and I'll update the blog with progress photos of the picture I'm working on at that time.

New blossom

Yes, I started another one, but this one's on a sheet of Strathmore 500 Bristol that's only 14 X 17 inches, so this won't involve the same physical demands as the last one. Plus, I had a craving to do one in all brown and gray, and since I don't do these for money I can do whatever I want. So, there you go.

I started this yesterday. If I keep up the pace I hope to set, I'll finish this in a month or so. I'll see how that works out once I'm into this about a week. Right now I'm loving how the brush, the paint, and the Bristol board are working together, so I'm enjoying the early part of this. It's too soon, of course, to tell what kind of character the picture will possess, but that's part of the upside of making these; it's nice not knowing where the picture is headed in the beginning.

Here's yesterday's start:

Here's where I am with it today:

Finished

Here's the finished picture. If I can get a better photo I'll replace the one below.

There are 5,980 cells in this picture, by far the most I've ever put in one of these blossom pictures. I can say with certainty that I'll never attempt to surpass this number, nor will I ever do a blossom picture this large again. (28 X 20 inches.)

I should mention that I painted this on Strathmore 400 Bristol, and I really wish it had been done on Strathmore 500 Bristol. The 400 Bristol does not take watercolor the same as the 500.

(I just noticed that this photo has a bluish cast. I'm going to have to see about correcting the color balance. Sorry.)

Here's another view. I tried to reduce the blue balance but now the picture looks a little bit contrasty. I'm not good with photo editing......

In the home stretch on this large picture

This is really wrecking my back, my feet, and my kneck. Crouching and kneeling while making this picture is physically exhausting at times, but I've probably got more enthusiasm for it than at any previous point. I'd estimate that the picture is now 85 - 90% complete. This will be the last update until it's done, hopefully within a week.

The white border around the picture is the part of the sheet that will remain unpainted. It's approximately one inch wide. The finished picture will be 20 X 28 inches.

I realized today that no photo is ever going to do this picture justice. I carried it outside and stood it up in a shaded area and suddenly saw it as I haven't been able to see it before. The dimensionality of the cells seemed to be enhanced to a remarkable degree. I'm so happy with this picture now.

Update on large blossom picture: Still in progress, but getting there

Here's where the picture stands as of today.

 

[Edit: 7/31/15: I've filled in the corners on the left side. There are now approximately 4,500 cells. I calculate that the finished picture will have about 6,000 cells, so this picture is now almost exactly 75% complete. If I maintain my current pace, I'll be able to finish the picture in about two weeks. What a relief.]

I haven't counted the cells. Based on the size of the painted area shown in this photo, I estimate there are about 4,000 cells so far, maybe even more. The picture is somewhere near 65 - 75% complete. The right hand side is going to absolutely give me fits, I know, and soon I'm going to have to quit avoiding it and just deal with it. 

Other than that, I'm happy with the effort so far. 

The finished picture will be 20 X 28 inches, the largest thing I've painted in at least 5 years.