I am as happy as I can be with this small painting, but will neaten up the edges before framing. Some artists use masking tape to keep their edges straight and clean. I choose not to do this, as I like the more natural edge. I have brought some of the petals out of the frame to give added dimension.
The photo below is of an article in a local paper about my painting of ladies shoes which won a category award in a local gallery competition.

I am using Winsor & Newton Artists Watercolours in the colours of Permanent Rose, Winsor Violet, Indigo and Alizarin Crimson.
Sometimes, I feel that the wet colour is much nicer than when it is dry. There seems to be some dullness once dry but, the biggest problem I face, is putting on too much colour. It is difficult, if not impossible, to have a 'lit' effect if too much colour has been applied which can not be effectively removed. This is why it is better to build up the tone gradually adding the darkest shadows last.
The water droplets on the lower flower were in that position and approximately in the size ratio, but having included them, I now feel that they look too regimented for my comfort.
Maybe, when all the flowers have been added they will not be so dominant.

Nature presented my with a day off painting yesterday and a very slow one today. High winds blew two of our trees down and our neighbour on the left had one down on their garage. Insurance will take care of theirs, but ours were further down the garden (we have 2 acres of hillside)  and across our neighbours fence on the right. My son and I, spend 9 hours with a chain saw and other implements to remove the offending trees from the neighbours property. Today I am sore and stiff!
Just managed to add some background in earthy tones which I may darken later. The intention is to suggest views of earthy soil. I have also added some masking fluid in the areas I want water drops or stamens which are a different colour to the flower.
I hope to have recovered well enough to complete this tomorrow!

 
The completed painting won the first prize in the Australian Artist Magazine competition in June 2012 and is of a Tibouchina shrub flowers. The beauty of this shrub is the variety of tones presented on different varieties, from almost pink, to a rich purple. I decided to complete a miniature of the flower, but depicting the variety in a rich purple. It is my all time favourite shrub flower, though I admit to having a strong liking for hibiscus and frangipani!

Completed rose. It lost some definition because of its small size but I am reasonably happy with it. I must get some paper with less texture for my small paintings.
I have developed a great respect for true miniature artists or should I phrase that as artists who work in miniature!

Petal colour is being added but it is difficult to get the contrast on this small scale. It is often the final touches that make the difference.

I know that roses are not much out of the ordinary for floral painters, but I just wanted to paint this one in the small format (12x12cm). I have painted roses before, and quite like the flower, but my preference is for tropical blooms. Notwithstanding my departure from floral works over the last couple of years. I have to say I am getting more pleasure at the present from oil painting and watercolours based on ladies shoes, scarves and bags.

Finished - I think! It is a small painting, 12x14cm and, in this shot there is still a little 'sheen' on the background as it is not quite dry. The sheen may also be the gum arabic which is the binding medium used in watercolour paints.
It does me good to work 'small scale' after working in a large format, so it is my intention to complete a few more small scale paintings.

I have added the other legs and started the body. I have allowed the paint to run with the water so that there will be some texture. I shall now over-paint some more texture to make a gradual change in tone.
I am always a little concerned about the course texture of the paper on a small painting but console myself with thinking that it gives an 'organic' look to a natural subject.
The paper is curved at the moment, but will flatten out when I 'shrink' it, by wetting the entire back of the work with distilled water at the completion of painting..

The leaf texture is basic at this stage, but I don't want to over do it. The course texture of the watercolour board is evident and, perhaps, not best suited for works of this small scale, but I feel that it allows the painting to 'look like' a painting when viewed in reality.

This is not a very clear photograph, as it was taken under artificial lighting during the evening but it shows the composition.
It will be a green tree frog which clung to a leaf on in the rain forest area of our garden.
I decided that, because of the small size, I would not include much background and just have a dark green, representing the depth of the environment.
There is one sun-lit leaf on which the frog is perched, but this will be much paler than the frog itself.
I shall remove the pencil lines as I go so as not to adulterate the paint.
The painting is small with the frog about life size, (approx. 14 x 12 cm).
There is no detail on the leaf yet but it has had an underpainting wash of a pale green on top of which the details will be added. Contrast will be important.

We are planning on a small exhibition in our home studio/gallery at the end of July on a 'Christmas in July' theme, so I have put my larger projects on hold and have decided to paint a few small works that may be more affordable to a 'present' buying public.
My watercolour painting 'Le Scarpe Delle Donne' won a category award at the Lethbridge10000 Small Scale Art Award. Competitions are not always objective and I don't enter many, but I bowed to the pressure of friends to enter this one. I was happy to receive the award but, naturally, the first prize of 10 000 would not have been unwelcome.

'LE SCARPE DELLE DONNE'

A quick sketch to get the feel of the form of my next watercolour painting subject - the ladies scarves.
I like the way they are knotted on black plastic rings and many different patterns and colours placed side by side.
I am thinking of tones of the complementary colours blue and orange but in an organised array rather than haphazard.
I have begun to sketch out the composition and hope to start painting over the next few days.
After this, I am already planning my new subject in watercolour.
Also, at the back of my mind is a subject for my next oil! I enjoyed painting Christopher, so maybe another portrait?

 
The painting of Christopher is now finished. I shall look at it for a couple of months and make adjustments if they present themselves. When I have been intimately involved in a painting over the process I sometimes miss minor defects which need correcting. Once this process has been done and the painting completely dry, I shall varnish it with a matt varnish and then frame it. This painting is not for sale, as it is a personal project, but it has given me much satisfaction and I have learned much ablut the techniques I need to develop. My next project is with watercolour, but I am also planning my next oil.

I added detail to one side of the zip. When doing this type of object, I don't count the 'teeth' and make it exact, but I look closely at the structure, so that, when I am suggesting the shapes with paint, it will look authentic.
I hope to complete the other side in my next session.
It is not shown completely in this photo, but the texture to the jacked on the left side of the painting has also been added. It is now beginning to look more complete.

Detail.

The coat and folds are beginning to take shape. I will add texture to the band on the left, which has a little more colour, and add highlights to the zip. Then I shall return to the hair to complete the composition.
I have begun to sketch out my next watercolour which is going to be a different challenge.

I have worked further on the jacket today, but I am not completely happy with the result. When I feel like this, I usually continue with some of the other details and return to the area that doesn't please me at a later stage when I am more removed from the emotion of it. This also gives the time for the paint to dry so that I can rework it if I choose to.

The light was catching the bottom of the lapel and press stud so this area will be made lighter. The sun tends to 'bleach out' colour, so one of the ways I try to depict this is to make the colours much lighter and add areas of white to provide the largest contrast. There is still a hint of the cerulean blue to add in patches on the edge of the lapel but I wanted to get the first colour to the bottom of the jacket.
There will be a little if the blue and red on the left hand side which will balance the colour on the right.

The colour and texture on the coat is now beginning to make sense. Whilst the fabric is a woven texture it is quite 'fuzzy' in appearance and so would not work with too much definition.
In one of my next posts, I shall add a close-up photo so that the paint texture is clear. It is a little more impressionistic than I normally like to do, but I am happy with the result.