Mason
Posted: May 28, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized 35 CommentsMost of today was spent doing stuff in the garden but I took a break at midday to paint some of the flowers blooming right now. I get through winter by bringing home grocery store bouquets of flowers that are perfectly cultivated and unfortunately, often all the same size. In summer I can’t wait to pick a handful of randomness from my own garden. All flowers are beautiful in different ways, even the ones we think of as weeds, but Bleeding Hearts are my spring favourites. It’s the way the pink blooms hang from the arching stems, and the way they delicately open to reveal their white centres. And of course what makes them fascinating to look at is also what makes them irresistible to draw. Painted on Fabriano Bright White paper, 10″ x 14″.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
Beautiful – I have always loved bleeding hearts and you have captured them so well.
LikeLike
Thanks Evelyn!
LikeLike
Fabulous!
LikeLike
Beautiful. My friend sent this to me. I’d like to sign up for your posts. Susan Denison
LikeLike
This is so beautiful, Shari! The bleeding hearts really come to life in your painting.
LikeLike
This is stunning!
LikeLike
Thanks so much Carol.
LikeLike
Love receiving your email. This one sure brightened my day👍🏼
LikeLike
Glorious! – you made my day 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for writing Chris. This one was a pleasure to paint.
LikeLike
This has to be one of my favorite posts of yours ever!! 🙂
LikeLike
Wow, thanks so much!!
LikeLike
Oh for me too..preserving and gardening..and your painting..3 of my fave things in one.
Un coup de coeur:)
LikeLike
Merci Monique!
LikeLike
Do you use masking fluid to preserve the white drops of the bleeding hearts?
LikeLike
Hi PR. I don’t use masking fluid. For this I added a little titanium white for the bottom part of the flowers. I guess I could have masked them but I don’t generally use that. I find that a touch of white paint here and there really helps, and I use it straight from the tube. I just dip the tip of my brush right into it.
LikeLike
Finally someone who doesn’t have “issues” with using white. Thank you so much Shari! I really admire your work and I feel like I have just been given the OK to use a little white when needed. 😊
May I please ask if you feel free to use a bit of white on any watercolour you do, professional or not?
LikeLike
spectacular!
LikeLike
Thanks so much Jane!
LikeLike
I like it all, especially the jar lettering. That looks very tricky to me.
Do you have to avoid some flowers for Alice or does she just know not to go near them? She seems older and wiser. I have a 1-yr old pup 🙂
Your post has given me an itch, and probably others, to get planting. How timely!
LikeLike
Thanks Suzanne. Alice is pretty good now. She knows that she’s not supposed to go into the garden so she sits on the deck when I am outside. It was very different when she was a puppy, so I know what you are going through. Your pup will calm down too soon enough.
LikeLike
All your flower paintings are wonderful. This one is special with an interesting design element. You have inspired me to paint flowers and am starting to bring flowers inside to paint. Cannot compete with the bees outside.
LikeLike
Bees? Really? That is never a problem here but the mosquitos are terrible this year because of the wet spring. They are as big as hummingbirds… almost.
LikeLike
I remember the “plague” of mosquitoes every summer when we lived in ND. We don’t have that much of a problem here but do have bees around our flowers. Lots of them.
I recently discovered titanium white watercolor paint and appreciate your idea to use it right out of the tube. Also, so many in my past have said never to use white–and for years I did not. Now that I am a grown up-and an old one-I realize I can use whatever I want. But I do love having you use it and explain how.
LikeLike
Ablsolutely gorgeous! I too wonder how you retained the whites. Did you paint around them? The addition of the Mason jar lettering takes the painting a step, no a leap beyond the ordinary. I could gaze at it for a long time. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLike
Thanks so much Bernadette. For the whites, I used little strokes of Titanium white watercolour. I dip the end of my brush straight into the tube because I don’t want to dilute the paint at all. Works like a charm when you just need some little touches of white.
LikeLike
These made me smile! Lovely, Shari!!!
LikeLike
Happy to make you smile Joan.
LikeLike
Hi Shari,
Could you expand on your techniques for this “mason” painting? For example keeping different areas separate, do you use Frisket, etc…
Thank you,
James Hancock
LikeLike
Hi James. I am happy to expand on the technique for that part of the painting.
1. I draw the letters quite carefully.
2. I paint the light greens in the water, leaving some little highlights of white at the tops of the letters.
3. I paint a darker wash of green around the full letter.
4. I add some dark strokes on the undersides of the letters
Because the letters are raised they pick up highlights on the top and are dark on the bottom.
If you can convey that, even slightly, you can give the illusion of raised letters.
No Frisket at all, just some white paint on the bleeding hearts at the very end.
I hope that helps.
Shari
LikeLike
That’s great Shari,
thanks for the info!
LikeLike
Plus one over here on the lettering on the jar. You outdid yourself, Shari. Can you explain how you did this? I have a mason jar with some Peonies on my desk, and my attempts to paint them look nothing like this! 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Janine,
This is copied and pasted from my answer to James:
I am happy to expand on the technique for that part of the painting.
1. I draw the letters quite carefully.
2. I paint the light greens in the water, leaving some little highlights of white at the tops of the letters.
3. I paint a darker wash of green around the full letter.
4. I add some dark strokes on the undersides of the letters
Because the letters are raised they pick up highlights on the top and are dark on the bottom.
If you can convey that, even slightly, you can give the illusion of raised letters.
No Frisket at all, just some white paint on the bleeding hearts at the very end.
I hope that helps.
Shari
LikeLike
Such a delight looking at this painting. I love bleeding hearts and you’ve captured the look so beautifully. And I was amazed at how you’d painted the jar detail. I’m in awe of your work and have just started following your blog a few seconds ago. Thanks so much!
LikeLike
I love bleeding hearts too. Welcome to the blog!!
LikeLiked by 1 person