Cooling Down

There is a pretty nasty heatwave hitting Europe again this year. Apparently in southern France temperatures soared to 45°C! Luckily for now the Netherworld hasn’t been badly affected but it’s still unusually warm. Today it was 33°C but we’ve been spending this weekend near the coast again where it’s breezier. Then next week we should start having more acceptable temperatures of 20°C. As long as there’s sun, am good! During these warm days I wanted to paint something using colder colours to cool down. I was also in the mood to use watercolor and again pair it with gouache.

Pencil Sketch

So Little One is back again! It’s a fantasy drawing of her walking her lil doggy accompanied by her friend Bunny. Both have just come back from the candy store with lollipops! The weather has been so warm, they need some energy. Oh and the background is going to be fun! Walking through pink cloud surrounded by bouncing bubbles. Anything for that added kawaii and cooling-down effect! The sketch was drafted with a sharp 2B pencil on stretched watercolor paper which explains the tape around it.

Masking Fluid

Before painting, I applied some masking fluid on some of the borders to prevent the watercolor from spilling over and where I wanted the areas to remain white (the dots for the bubbles). Once dried, I began painting away! I firstly used some Dr. Ph. Martins Hydrus liquid watercolor in violet. A little goes a long way! To make the colour more intense, I applied it drop by drop and spread it with a big set brush. Then I sprinkled some sea salt over the paint whilst wet to create some interesting patterns. Wait till the salt dries out and is removed!

Getting Bubbly

Below you can see the where the masking fluid was applied. Again I used Dr.Ph Martins Hydrus liquid watercolor for the magenta shade. I love this combination with the violet. Feeling like am cooling down already! As for the salt, I decided not to remove it till the end to make sure it’s all completely dry.

Gouache Painting

However, I removed the masking fluid so I can start painting Little One and friends. I initially used some watercolor to test what colours worked together. Winsor & Newton watercolor pans were used here. For the bunny, doggy and Little One’s face, I left them watercolored but later added some gouache for the shading. I went over the rest with gouache, using the set by Holbein Acryla. Look how intense the colours are! Gouache was especially used for the eyes, Little One’s dress, the flowers, lollipops and hair streaks. Small details were added using a bit of acrylic markers, ie lollipop patterns, Bunny’s necklace and the whites of eyes. After letting all the paint dry, I gently wiped the salt off the purple paint, et voilà!

Great using cooler colours for a change especially in this boiling weather. I tried to maintain that violet-blue colour scheme but used yellow as a contrast so the painting doesn’t look dull. The piece does in fact look typically anime-looking with its bubbles and cloud in the background, not to mention the huge eyes. Am happy with it, and in fact with the hectic schedule at home and work, I must say it cheers me up a it and helps me relax!