Oriental Market 12x16 This painting was done as an exercise in the Wet Canvas watercolor site for April. Following are the steps I took to create the painting.
1. I did a placement only drawing. I painted standing up with the paper flat on the table. The paint was juicy - a creamy consistency. I painted slow and precise, letting the pigments flow into each other. I sprinkled salt into the cherry blossom trees on the left.
2. I started to fill in the large areas of the market, again letting the colors flow and leaving white areas. An instructor once said, "Paint only what you are sure of, leaving the rest white until you can decide.
3. The final stage before finishing. I need quite a few dark areas inside the market. I do like the white price tags but toned down many of them. I want the white to flow through the painting.