In March the Cherry Plum and Almond trees are full of Pink and White Blossoms.  I like to paint them because they  brighten up the room and do the same in a watercolor.

Starting out with a light grid and drawing.

I’m starting out with a grid here to keep my parallel lines even with the picture plane.  The grid helps me fit whatever I want wherever I want on the paper.

Marking angles as I paint

The grid controls the Talvera vase so it is not lopsided.  There are a lot of branches and blossoms to paint, so I don’t draw them one by one, I cast lines in the direction of the branches and mark some of the pink flowers that stand out the most.

Working around the picture plane

I’m working around the picture plane trying to treat everything with the same importance, background and foreground.

The white blossoms

When painting the white blossoms, I  leave the white of the paper.  What I do is paint around them leaving a blank silhouette.  This is called respecting the white of the paper.

Building up and Looking for Detail

I work around the paper emphasising some details.  I try to be careful not to make any area heavier than other areas.

Looking for Contrast

When I’m pretty sure everything is where it belongs, I start in with a la prima, putting in the dark contrasting color in one shot in order to bring out the light.

Finishing up

I’m finishing up here.  This is the moment when it can gain or lose.  It’s the point of no return.  I try not to get to that point, but it really is hard to decide when to stop.

Pink Blossoms in Talavera Vase March 2015

I painted just a little bit more and stopped.  I don’t have this watercolor anymore.  Next year I hope to make another one in the spring.