Poppies in Silhouette - Watercolor

I'm taking a watercolor class again this fall.  Some times I think I should give up on this medium that is so challenging for me.  But I love the look of watercolor so much, and it's my own fault for not practicing more (hence the decision to take the class a second time).  Eventually, hopefully, I'll get the hang of it and find my sweet spot.

(c) Kiri Stuart-Clarke

We were instructed to bring a photograph of our own choosing for inspiration this week.  I got online in search of poppy images, both photographs and paintings.  I downloaded and printed several, and once I got to class decided to work from this photograph by Kiri Stuart-Clarke.  I love the dramatic silhouettes of the poppies against the brilliant orange in the background.  I'll admit it's kind of a cop-out because this scene does not require me to preserve any white.  But the topic tonight was value and this did make me think about how to achieve light, medium and dark values.

My watercolor interpretation of the photograph above.

I started by wetting my entire sheet of paper and applying an orange-red wash.  While that was still wet, I mixed some dark colors to get a charcoal color.  I applied it over one end of the red in a wash, sprayed it with additional water, tilted my paper, and just let the paint spread.  It was fascinating to watch!  Once it had spread as much as I wanted it to, I dried it with a hair dryer.  And then fear set in!  I liked the background so much, I didn't want to "ruin" it by trying to paint the poppies over it.  It took me a couple of minutes to get up the nerve to add that first dark silhouette.  But really, what's the worst that could happen? 

My favorite section of the painting.

I mixed together some payne's gray and dark or burnt umber to get a solid black color, took a deep breath, and just went for it.  What a liberating feeling!  And you know what?  I'm really happy with how it turned out.  It's not perfect, but I'll take another shot at it and correct the things I'm not so happy with.  That's the only way I'll learn.

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Schmincke Horadam watercolor paints; 2 inch hake brush, smaller pointed round paintbrushes.