Watercolor Wednesday Tutorial

Last Wednesday in Open Studio, Cheryl introduced the group to the work of Soon Y. Warren, a painter who excels at creating light and texture in her watercolor works. Cheryl has taken a workshop with Soon and raves about her.

https://soonwarren.com/

To get us started, Cheryl sent her own version of Soon’s Orange as a reference.

To achieve the effect of bright light on the orange, the artist applies masking fluid on the areas of white. After the painting dries, the mask is scrubbed off and final details are painted in.

I need practice using masking fluid, so I went along with the instructions. It was not a difficult lesson, except for removing the mask. I had to scrape vigorously with fingers, fingernails (go wash my hands and come back) and more fingernails. Ultimately, all the masking fluid came away, but in the process, I rubbed some dirt and/or paint into some places on the white paper where the mask had been. (sigh.)

Fortunately, the areas with the worst stains were pretty well covered with an application of Dr Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White.

Here is my finished study. It will make a nice greeting card.

I chose a different palette for my version: W&N French ultramarine blue, Thalo blue, Winsor lemon, transparent orange, and permanent alizarin crimson. A little salt and paint spatter added texture.

If you enjoy light-filled, transparent watercolor paintings, check out Soon Warren’s site.