I bought a new 'yikes' pink watercolour - W&N Opera Rose (which you can see in its pure form in the top leftish petal) - and the only thing I saw bright enough to paint with it were these cyclamens that I have in a pot by our front door. And even then I had to tone it down with Winsor Red and Rose Madder genuine, besides that small area of shockingness. This paper (Daler-Rowney's 'The Langton' NOT surface) annoyed me by sucking up all the intensity of the colours that I thought I'd put down, and not giving me the crisp hard edges that I so love about watercolour, especially for the diving winged petals of these flowers, that I wanted. So I will do them again on something else - I must remember to take note of materials that do or do not work for my preferred style - this w/c pad is almost finished and I have no recollection that it was so absorbent!Saturday, June 28, 2008
Pink cyclamens
I bought a new 'yikes' pink watercolour - W&N Opera Rose (which you can see in its pure form in the top leftish petal) - and the only thing I saw bright enough to paint with it were these cyclamens that I have in a pot by our front door. And even then I had to tone it down with Winsor Red and Rose Madder genuine, besides that small area of shockingness. This paper (Daler-Rowney's 'The Langton' NOT surface) annoyed me by sucking up all the intensity of the colours that I thought I'd put down, and not giving me the crisp hard edges that I so love about watercolour, especially for the diving winged petals of these flowers, that I wanted. So I will do them again on something else - I must remember to take note of materials that do or do not work for my preferred style - this w/c pad is almost finished and I have no recollection that it was so absorbent!
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8 comments:
It is good to see a bright bright pink, and I am sure you won't regret the purchase.I love the cyclamens. I have one that blooms on year after year, and your painting made me remember to find it and bring it indoors. It needs a good feed!Love your comment about the hard edges... so true.
I'm amazed that they keep on blooming happily outside, in full shade, in freezing Joburg winter, and very grateful to them for brightening up the entrance...I won't regret buying it (I got aureolin yellow and winsor orange too) as long as I use it now and then and don't let it go hard in the tube...
Gardening guru once told me that cyclamens are from Turkey(have never checked this) and the little less hybridised ones are quite able to survive in garden beds. Do you find hardened wc paints are a problem? I thought you'd just add water...and could maybe peel off an old tube and use the paint as if it were in the pan form. They don't go off do they?
I don't think they're quite as intense as in pan form when reconstituted - less pigment? I have been prising hard lumps out of tubes and storing them in old contact lens cases (nice little watertight lids) with a drop of water, which makes them creamy again - if wet and dried too many times some of them go quite granular. Been looking up cyclamens - they don't like too much water (oops)- or feeding, just some pine needles - so will probably have to go under a roof in wet summertime.
My cyclamens have never survived longer than a few weeks - then totally kaput - perhaps the humidity is the problem and that they were the hybridised variety. Re. your pretty little painting; the splash of lively colour is a relief after our little WHITE exercise. Have been busy with the orphan puppy who is going to the Animal Shelter TODAY. Nobody has phoned back about her... Heavy hearted sigh... But the bloke at the A.S. sounded very confident about finding a home for her...
Cyclamen are such a great subject--I love the way the petals lift up; and the leaves are pretty interesting too! You've got a beautiful range of red-pinks. I've found that sometimes, if I've had a block for awhile, the paper gets more absorbent, or seems to. I don't know what happens; maybe the sizing breaks down? (I've found that Schminke pans colors stay the juiciest; W&N, esp. particular colors, like rose madder genuine, are quite hard.) My potted cyclamen was near-dead, but I trimmed it back and new leaves are coming out!
Thanks Laura - that is probably the problem with the paper - it is really old, and has been through many wet summers and very dry winters! We can't get Schmincke paints here, but I hope to have an online shopping spree one of these days...
Gillian - hope the pup finds a family soon, little thing - and I still have white painting puzzles on my mind, but yes, the pink is a bit of bright relief!
Wonderful cyclamens Cathy! That pink is jsut perfect for them. I can imagine it is a colour which you'll use in your flower paintings often. I have to add that my favourite WC paper is a Hot Press(and the extra white of Fabriano artistico) And I use W&N and some Schmincke paints, usually the tubes which I squeeze once a while, when empty, into the pan holders of a Schmincke pan watercolour palette, which you can close up afterwards. And before I use my watercolours, I spray them amply with water about 5-10 minutes before I start painting and that gives you a lovely creamy consistency. your contact lenses are a great idea too, the same priciple.
Ronell
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