Watercolor Painting
Seeing Red
Watercolor on paper 30 cm x 23 cm April 2020 Exhibition Text Seeing Red is a tribute Edouard Manet and his use of flowers in his work. It is a play on the well-known idiom for becoming suddenly angry, instead approaching the idea that one may "see red" when experiencing love. It is done completely in shades of red and pink. |
Inspiration
I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do with this choice project at the start of the year. When I saw Manet's work at the exhibition in Chicago I knew I wanted to include him as an inspiration. As I researched him more in depth, I fell in love with his use of flowers. He paired young women with flowers to complement their youth and femininity. The subject of my painting will be female and the theme of the work is love, so I want to incorporate flowers that represent love and youth in the work.
My second inspiration is a modern artist I have been following for a while. For this painting I will pull away from realism and stylize the subject and flowers. This is something this artist does in her work. I will also be limiting my palette to reds and pinks. In the past, this artist has challenge herself with limited palettes, including monochrome ones, and I've observed her techniques that allow her to achieve more detail even when limited.
I researched flowers to use in the painting and decided on a few based on their meanings and colors. I tried to only choose flowers that were red, pink, or white:
My second inspiration is a modern artist I have been following for a while. For this painting I will pull away from realism and stylize the subject and flowers. This is something this artist does in her work. I will also be limiting my palette to reds and pinks. In the past, this artist has challenge herself with limited palettes, including monochrome ones, and I've observed her techniques that allow her to achieve more detail even when limited.
I researched flowers to use in the painting and decided on a few based on their meanings and colors. I tried to only choose flowers that were red, pink, or white:
- Hibiscus - can symbolize beauty, charm, youth, first love, and the shortness of life
- Jasmine - symbolizes love and romance
- Red tulips - true love
- Dark red carnations - deep love and affection
- Pink hyacinth - playfulness
- Dicentra - symbol of romantic love
Planning
On the right was when I experimented with creating two contrasting paintings. I though about exploring how the color red represents both love and anger. However, I had to abandon the idea due the my limited resources. I had the do this project while home from school during the pandemic in 2020. If I did do two works I would have wanted bigger paper, which i simply couldn't acquire at the time. I still love the idea despite not being able to complete it. Taking my resources and inspiration into account I decided to just make one painting and focus on the flowers and limited palette. I came up with the title "Seeing Red" in order to call back to my old idea. That phrase is often used to describe anger, but I wanted to use it describe something like love at first sight. |
On the left is my final sketch. I mapped out the colors as well. I took into account the types of flowers I would be using in order to make sure they were properly contrasted and wouldn't blend together. I chose the hibiscus as the sort of "main" flower in the most prominent spot (behind the subject's ear) because it's meaning pretty much summed up the entire piece. The whole painting will most likely have a sort of fairy tale, fantasy feel to it. I'd be happy with that because I think that goes along with the theme of love. |
Experimentation
One reason why watercolors can be hard to work with is the fact that the paper you are using will most likely curl, no matter how thick or high quality. I have paper that is specifically for watercolors and I usually tape the paper down to stop curling. However, I've heard that painting an x in water on the back of the paper can help stop the curling. So I decided to try it out before starting the final piece.
First I cute out some smaller pieces. Then I put some water on the back, flipped it over and just played around with my watercolors. I noticed the page started to curl, so I went back and added water around the edges on the back. In the end it did help, with only a slight curl. I'll probably still tape down my page anyways, just because it makes painting easier. |
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Process
1. First thing was to gather my materials and prepare an area to work.
2. I sketched out the subject on a piece of watercolor paper. 3. After that I erased it a little to stop the sketch from showing through. 4. I painted an x on the back with water and then taped to paper down. 4. I started working on the skin first. I laid down a base color, then added some darker areas. I decided to include a bit of a pinker blush on the face and shoulders. I also added subtle freckles. 5. Next I worked on the hair. The front strands are lighter then the rest to show it is closer to the viewer. 6. Next was the flowers. I started with the hibiscus, then did the rest. 7. I painted the background with a mixture of pink and red to make sure nothing blended into the back. 8. Next I touched up the white jasmine flowers to make the petals were clear. 9. Lastly I added some lining in pink and red on the face, dress, necklace, and flowers. 10. Then I let it dry and removed the tape from around the edges. |
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Reflection
I really enjoyed making this painting. I'm very proud of how I used the watercolors, especially for the hair. I have been working with this medium for a while and this piece was one of the first ones that I can say I did skillfully. However, it's not as monochrome as I would have liked. I also wished I had some white acrylic paint to touch up the white areas. I may come back to the painting later and do that once I get some. I wasn't sure if my stylized work would look good, but I do think it turned out. I won't be as worried about it in the future. I look forward to creating more projects like this one.
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork.
Some of my favorite Manet paintings are the ones that feature flowers. So I knew when I used him for inspiration I wanted to incorporate flowers into the work. Also having a modern inspiration allowed me more freedom with the style of the painting.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Most of the articles I read about Manet talk about how masterfully he created his lively paintings. The authors have a great appreciation for his work.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, ect. while you researched your inspiration?
People seem to most commonly associate red with anger. However, I find that romance comes to mind first for me.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Finding meaning in nature and the experiences we have.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred that red can be used to represent many different things, and that one color can be extremely expressive even if it is all by itself.
Some of my favorite Manet paintings are the ones that feature flowers. So I knew when I used him for inspiration I wanted to incorporate flowers into the work. Also having a modern inspiration allowed me more freedom with the style of the painting.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Most of the articles I read about Manet talk about how masterfully he created his lively paintings. The authors have a great appreciation for his work.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, ect. while you researched your inspiration?
People seem to most commonly associate red with anger. However, I find that romance comes to mind first for me.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Finding meaning in nature and the experiences we have.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred that red can be used to represent many different things, and that one color can be extremely expressive even if it is all by itself.
Bibliography
“The Ultimate Flower Database.” A To Z Flowers, www.atozflowers.com/.
“The Ultimate Guide to Flower Meanings.” Interflora, www.interflora.co.uk/content/flower-meanings/#top.
Voon, Claire. “Manet's Late Work: Once Derided, Flowers and Femininity Now Shine.” Art & Object, Journalistic Inc., 1 July 2019, www.artandobject.com/articles/manets-late-work-once-derided-flowers-and-femininity-now-shine.
“Young Woman among the Flowers by Edouard Manet: Oil Painting.” Edouard Manet - The Complete Collection, www.manetedouard.org/Young-Woman-Among-The-Flowers.html.
“The Ultimate Guide to Flower Meanings.” Interflora, www.interflora.co.uk/content/flower-meanings/#top.
Voon, Claire. “Manet's Late Work: Once Derided, Flowers and Femininity Now Shine.” Art & Object, Journalistic Inc., 1 July 2019, www.artandobject.com/articles/manets-late-work-once-derided-flowers-and-femininity-now-shine.
“Young Woman among the Flowers by Edouard Manet: Oil Painting.” Edouard Manet - The Complete Collection, www.manetedouard.org/Young-Woman-Among-The-Flowers.html.