Carol Ann Conners Art Journal

A moody day with changing clouds and passing showers keeps us indoors with the wood stove stoked. The rain showers will water the plants that I dug up and moved yesterday.

9″ x  12″ The Langton Prestige Cotton

Hansa Yellow

Ultramarine  Blue

Royal Blue

Quinacridone Red

 

Watercolor  7″ x 10″

Lanaquarelle Cotton

Hansa Yellow

Quinacridone Red

Jadeite Genuine

French Ultramarine

9″ x 12″ Watercolor on Canvas

Watercolor Ground Titanium White

Hansa Yellow

Quinacridone Red

Rhodonite Genuine

Royal Blue

Ultramarine Blue

Watercolor on Canvas 9″x 12″

Artist Loft Heavy Duty Canvas

Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground

Quinacridone Rose

Quinacridone Red

Rose of Ultramarine

Rodonite Genuine

Quinacridone Gold

Goethite (Brown Ochre)

Cobalt Blue

Royal Blue

Moonglow

This was an another experimental project inspired by my Repurposing Perfectly Good Cosmetic Boxes Project.

The first step was gathering the materials.

After shaking and stirring the Watercolor Ground, I used a small disposable brush and a small roller to apply it to the canvas.

This was a bit messy. There was lint on the roller, so I used lots of paper towels to wipe off the lint.

After the Watercolor Ground was applied, it dried and cured for 72 hours.

Applying the watercolor paint began by first blocking in the colors.

Unlike painting on Cotton where the paper absorbs the paint, the watercolor paint can be moved around and even lifted from the surface of the prepped canvas. The painting was constantly changing. To get the rich colors, many applications of paint were applied then wiped off to get the effects and intensity.

Eventually, I was satisfied with the results. I sprayed one coat of Shellac on the project and allowed it to dry. I painted a black band of paint along the outside of the frame followed by gold paint for trim.

When dry, I applied two more coats of Shellac.

The storms have been rolling in one after another. The view is constantly changing which accentuates the beauty of winter  on the Eel River Delta.

Stormy Day on the River

10″ x 14″ Lanaquarelle 140 lb Cotton

Burnt Umber

Cobalt Blue

Goethite (Brown Ochre)

Green Apatite

Sodalite Genuine

Tourmaline Genuine

Quinacridone Rust

Pyrrol Red

Serpentine Genuine

Arches 300 lbs Cold Press Cotton

9″ x 12″

Cobalt Blue

Royal Blue

Rust Quinacridone

Gold Quinacridone

Quinacridone Rose

Rhodonite Genuine

Sunrise Before the Storm

10″ x 14″

Indigo

Quinacridone Rose

Cadmium Yellow Hue

Moonglow

Pyrrol Red

Hansa Yellow

Sodalite Genuine

Winter Sunrise

10″ x 14″ Arches Cold Press Cotton

Phthalo Turquoise

Quinacridone Rose

Hansa Yellow Light

French Ultramarine

Quinacridone Magenta

New Gamboge

Moonglow

Poinsettias

Arches 10″ x 14″ 300 lb Cotton

New Gamboge

Phthalo Turquoise

Hansa Yellow Light

Quinacridone Rose

French Ultramarine

Pyrrol Scarlet

Iridescent Gold

Every once in a while there is a project that I think about for a long time before I actually do it. As I age, I spend more time on my skin and caring for it.  I like certain cosmetics and sometimes the packaging is just too nice to throw away. I collected the boxes that I used for this project for a couple of years. They were perfectly good empty cosmetic boxes.

     

First, I paper mached the outside of the boxes. I applied a diluted outer coat of Elmer’s Glue and allowed to dry for a few days.  Next, I painted on a coating of Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground in titanium white and allowed to dry for a week. The watercolor ground provides a paintable surface. Using a glittery black enamel, I painted the inside of the boxes and the trim. I applied a paint blocker for the hydrangeas before I started painting.

It took several applications of paint as the paint was slippery on the watercolor ground. After I finished painting the hydrangeas, I touched up the black enamel and added gold trim. In our well-ventilated garage, I sprayed two coats of shellac on the outside of the boxes, allowing to dry between coats.