In Living Color 6 - Apples

Louise was an amazing teacher and one of her attributes and rules for herself and others was to never put your hand to an other's work.  Rarely did she show you how it was done but instead talked you through it.  In doing this it forced the student to think it through and learn by trial and error.  As we moved forward it was time to work on still life subjects.  Louise made a suggestion then each student was responsible to bring to the class and set up a still life to paint.  Apples was the first subject and we could choose any way to pose and paint them.  For my first try at a still life I was pleased with the apples but less than happy with the shadow I placed under them.

Still Life - Apples

Next came the pepper, I decided not to add the shadow.

Still Life - Pepper

On to onions and garlic which was a challenge making it appear transparent.  I did do somewhat better in adding a shadow.

Still Life - Onion & Garlic

We learned a new technique with our next subject.  After putting the first wash of color on the orange we lightly rubbed a wax candle over the area where light would be reflected on the orange.  The watercolor paper had a slight texture to it and would only grab the wax on the upper layers.  As the remaining layers of paint were applied the paint would repel from the waxed area leaving only the first layer of color showing through.

Still Life - Orange

After working on the various pieces above I tried another still life at home using a few vegies.  Unfortunately I still had trouble with the shadow.

Still Life - Vegies