I seem to draw and paint a lot of fruit – not sure why that is. I think I am attracted to their bright colors and that they stay where you put them if you are drawing from life (unless you eat them of course)!
When one is working in a new medium, like watercolor, starting simple is better.
One fruit in particular that I seem to gravitate toward are grapes. I really did think grapes would be simple to paint, but au contraire – grapes are round, and full of nooks and crannies and there are lots of shadows and… Well, you get my point!
So here is my study of grapes, painted with watercolors using wet-in-wet technique.
Like the strawberries, I learned a lot from painting the grapes.
The biggest lesson for me was how brush size is important. Many art books talk about using the biggest brush you possibly can. What I found is that a brush can be too big and control will then be lost. Something fun can turn into a struggle.
Seems like I keep learning the same lesson over and over – read the books, learn from the top artists, but in the end do what is most comfortable and successful for you!
Feb 18, 2013 @ 19:28:16
Beautifully done and love the different colours you used for the grapes. It makes them look so edible! I certainly don’t think grapes are easy to paint, I tried once and ended up trashing the painting out of sheer frustration. You are right about the brushes, I also read and learn what I can about this subject, but end up doing what makes me feel comfortable. My two favourite brushes are a number 8 and 4 round. I seem to be able to do everything with them.
Feb 21, 2013 @ 10:33:56
Thanks for your comment! It does seem that some artists gravitate toward round brushes and other to flats. It is all personal preference.