Medicine Dropper Illustration

Medicine Dropper Illustration

Another must have in my studio is a medicine dropper. It is the kind that came with one of the medicines my kids were on when they were young. I find that this dropper is fabulous for adding water to paint to make it more juicy or when working wet-in-wet. A nice drop of water at the right time can make some pretty neat blooms, as that big drop of water pushes pigment away. 

Here is the painted version of the dropper:

Here is the photo that I used for reference and when combining the painted version with it:

Cobalt Blue and Cadmium Scarlet Illustration

Cobalt Blue and Cadmium Scarlet Illustration

Two of my favorite colors when combined are cobalt blue and cadmium scarlet. The combination makes for a beautiful sky color, with using pure cobalt higher in the sky and then warming it up with the cadmium scarlet as it moves towards the ground.  I have an illustration of this mix in my book. 

This is the painted version:

And this is the photo:

Hole Punch Illustration

Illustration of Hole Punch

This illustration did not make it into the book but I just loved painting that purple handle and the many colors and the purples and blues of the shadow. That is why I chose to make that part of the illustration the painting and the other part the photo.

As I have mentioned before, I painted each tool from a photo I took, then combined that painting with the photo. 

Here is the painted version:

Here is the photo:

I ended up painting the handle with more blue than in the photo. I did this for a couple of reasons. First of all, the light in the photo washed out the purple color of the handle. The original hole punch is slightly more purple. Second, I liked how the blue in the purple mixture granulated. And finally, I preferred the way the pink of the photo combined with purple in the illustration.

Illustration of Hand Towels

Hand Towels Illustration

Starting in Chapter 4 of Watercolor 365. I started to combine my photos even more with the paintings.

The above illustration is of some of my hand towels that I use when painting.

I prefer hand towels over paper towels because I can just wash and reuse.

Below is the painting:

And here is the photo:

Soapy Water

Illustration of Brush in Soapy Water

This illustration is in the book and it makes it's appearance in Chapter 3. I just loved painting this illustration because of that beautiful blue color of the container. It is a portable water container that flattens out so it is easy to travel with. In the painted version, I did remove the tag on the end of the brush handle. 

Here is the painted version:

And here is the photo:

Painting Chopsticks

Chopsticks

Chopsticks are not one of my usual art supplies but I did include them in my book. Why? you may ask. Well, you will just have to read the book to find out.

Anyway, I did the above image by combining a painted chopstick with a photo of one. However, the complete image was not included in the book, only a portion of it.

I only had to paint one chopstick and then make it into two.

Here is the painted version:

Here is the photo: