I didn't draw or paint yesterday. I teach in the morning and we had a guest in the afternoon. Today was a little more drawing and some more of sky background. I paint on dry 640gsm Arches watercolour paper and have it on a vertical easel. When I do the 'wash' background, I allow the paint to 'well' at the bottom and mop it up with a dry brush. I try to get the washes as even as I can, but little variations can provide interest with a 'busy' painting. The paint does also tend to 'well' in the texture of the paper which is rough. I like the rough texture as, even though I try for photographic realism, when the painting is seen in reality, it looks like a painting! because the paper is dry when I work, the painted areas can expand because of the water but this flattens as it dries. Once finished, the painted area shrinks a little in contrast to the outer edge which has not had paint or water added, so I turn the painting over and 'wash' the entire back with demineralised water so that the whole sheet shrinks at the same rate and the painting remains flat.

I haven't completed the outline of the composition but have added the sky background to the areas I am happy with. Some of these sky areas will have other colours, related to the tree, 'melted' into them to suggest distant twigs from the ones in the main composition. I shall do this by adding the colour and, once dry, wash over the area again with pure water. I add again here that I never use tap water as it contains chemicals and chlorine. Purified or demineralised water can be purchased from any supermarket.

I have continued with the outline drawing and have begun to consider which tone of blue I will use for the sky background. The jacaranda is many shades of light purple or lilac so the sky will need to be in contrast to that. From my test splotches I am leaning towards using the manganese blue hue rather than the cobalt blue as the latter has a purple hue and I want the sky in the background to be distinguished from the flowers. The tonal contrast will be provided by the flower stalks and small twig branches which will be almost silhouetted against the flowers and sky.

The jacaranda painting is quite large for a watercolour (87.5x70cm) and it is a mass of florets that make up the composition. As the florets are quite small in relation to the size of the tree, there will be many included in the composition to give the 'mass' effect of the colour for which it is famous. I change my mind about the positioning of some and try to be careful about which twigs will be showing, as they can dominate the composition, leading the eye of the viewer to places I don't want them to go. This photograph doesn't show all of it so far but the form of the florets is becoming clear. I have decided to paint in the sky background first as this will inform me as to the tone of the forms next to it. The contrast between sky and subject is usually quite large and, sometimes, creates almost a silhouette effect. It will be another week before I start to paint this one but will post it when some sky background is included.

I have begun to outline the jacaranda on the watercolour board in fine pencil. I am trying to get a balance between the masses of flowers, sky background and what will be showing as a twig/branch.
In my last watercolour, the azaleas were a ground hugging shrub, so I made the background dark. With the jacaranda, which is a fairly open tree, I would see the blooms when looking up and, therefore, would see more of the sky in the background. I love the lilac colour of the blossom with the azure of the sky in one painting. The contrast will be provided by the branches. I will have to be careful that the branches don't dominate the composition.
I am still sketching ladies shoes for the other watercolour that I am planning one of which I have posted here. The sketches are not intended to be highly detailed depictions but a familiarising sketch done in a few minutes.

This is not a great drawing but just a sketch to familiarise myself with the jacaranda flower. I love the 'drooping trumpet' shape which opens at the end in a more conventional flower appearance. The beauty of the jacaranda tree is, not the individual blooms, but the collective colour of their presentation where flowers blend into each other to appear as one entity.
I am also working on the shoe shop painting, which is inspired by a visit in 2013 to Sachs department store in New York. ( This is where I saw a pair of ladies shoes conservatively prices at $3800 American dollars!) The shoes in my painting will be more ordinary than that and 'lined up' ready for 'try on'

and sale.

Finished!!!   My last post on 'Azaleas in Roma" I may just touch up some minor details over the coming few weeks, so will spend time 'looking' at it. But, for now, I shall consider it finished. I will have it photographed professionally at Art House Reproductions in Brisbane in readiness for a limited edition print run. On to the next project!