20131006 - Honeymoon House Final Stretch

I decided not to wait. I still have a little more to do on the Honeymoon House painting. But I wanted to share with you how it looks at this point. I've very pleased with how the colors stayed true to the color that was on my palette. Working with the Fredrix watercolor canvas boards was an "interesting" experience.

It was not a bad experience. But it was definitely different than working with watercolor paper. This will take some adjusting on my part. Getting a very smooth wash is pretty difficult on this surface. Working over a previously painted area must be done quite carefully, since unlike watercolor paper, the previous paint will tend to lift.

If you are familiar with Yupo "paper" (an artificial paper made from petrochemicals), then you realize that on some surfaces the watercolor will not adhere. It will dry. It will stick to the surface. But it's not really soaked into the "paper".

While the watercolor canvas is not "paper", it feels a little more like paper than Yupo "paper". But color will lift if you wet an area of paint. Thus, if you want to "glaze" over a previous area that you already painted, you must be quite careful to not lift the paint. It takes a gentle brush stroke. This surface also does better with a single brush stroke. If you use lots of little brush strokes, the paint will not evenly distribute.

But Tom Lynch is right about this surface. Normally, I don't believe claims that are made in advertising a product. But this surface does work as advertised. I could lift the color. And the color in my palette matches the color on the canvas. I am pretty impressed. You can see more about this surface in Tom's Fredrix Watercolor Canvas Tips video below:

Additionally, you can purchase prepared watercolor canvas and make your own stretched canvases. There is an art show (Art of the Carolinas) coming in November 2013. I might see if they have a good deal on a roll of canvas at that show.

You might be wondering what's left on the painting. Well, I need to add the lettering to the sign. Plus, I need to sign the painting. Then I need to use a UV protecting spray varnish. Once I've done that, the blue painters tape around the edges of the painting (not shown above) can come off. When I do that the canvas board can then be mounted "as is" in a frame. No glass or other protection is needed. That should significantly decrease the cost of the final paintings.

Well, I hope you enjoy seeing the process of making this painting. I know I've enjoyed working on this one.